532 Master Series

B

bald1

Joined
Oct 3, 1998
Messages
1,646
I've long been a fan of the Bucklock slim folder which features a mid-lock and file worked liners. My 532+ circa 1991 has cherrywood (I believe) inlays. The lockup is solid with the blade perfectly centered. File work is deep and sharp.

Today I received my Master Series 532 from the KnifeCenter (Thanks Howard!). Well how does it campare to the original? The nickle-silver bolsters are mirror finished, lockup is solid, blade is centered, the fleur de lay checkering of the green pakkawood inlays is crisp and sharp, the inlaid medallion looks nice, and blade bevels are even. The edge was not hair popping sharp as delivered but a few strokes on a hone will easily correct that. But one feature I am extremely disappointed with.... the file work is haphazard and out of alignment. By that I mean that the depth of the cuts varies from front to back with the third set from the rear almost non-existent on both liners. Worse, the cuts that should be centered around the center peak of the shallow "W" of the liners is skewed to the rear and only half as deep as it should be. And finally the interior surface of the rocking lock relaese is actually heavily rusted. I am appalled.

I don't understand why the quality of the file work is so poor compared to the 1991 standard version. When you pay a premium for a premium knife, issues such as I have found are unacceptable. Perhaps problems with quality control are what may have accellerated the demise of the Master Series. If so, it is a tragedy.

I'm going to send a copy of this post with jpegs illustrating the problems to both Jeff Hubbard at Buck and (for info) Howard at the KnifeCenter. Hopefully there is something Buck can do to remedy the situation.

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-=[Bob]=-

I did NOT escape from the institution! They gave me a day pass!



[This message has been edited by bald1 (edited 02 April 1999).]
 
Geezz Bob, you do have the eagle eye, but I guess that's why you have taught me saw much. After reading this post, I grabbed my new 532MS that I got from the KCI and closely examined the liner work on the spine side of the knife. My liner work is somewhat asymetrical also, though it's not out of allignment and to tell the truth, I really have to stare at it to convince myself. The file work ahead of the lock release is a mirror finish of its brother. The rear file work, though not as deep as its partner isn't that noticeable on my knife. And I had no rust on mine. My only concern was that the blade didn't snap back closed but I have other Bucks like the 110NE & an older 110 that doesn't either. All my Bucks lock up solidly though.

Other than the rear file work and some very slight scratches to the tang side bolsers the knife was fine.

I did notice one thing: the "dyamond" wood grips on this knife did not have the same high luster my other MS knives had but it's still a keeper.

Boy am I picky
wink.gif


Regards,

------------------

~Greg~


[This message has been edited by Kodiak PA (edited 02 April 1999).]
 
Greg,

This is the first Buck I've ever owned with a problem. And these problems don't require an "eagle eye" to see.

You mentioned looking at the filework on the spline. Mine was fine there albiet shallower than the corresponding cuts on the 1991 sample. The poor quality filework was on the liners on the reverse side from the spline.

Hopefully Jeff has a "good" one he'll swap out my poor one for. If no "good" ones exist perhaps Buck will re-work mine (as these have now been discontinued). The last thing I want to do is to return it to Howard for credit.

------------------
-=[Bob]=-

I did NOT escape from the institution! They gave me a day pass!

 
I'm really surprised by this thread. I just don't get around to examining the knives to this extent but I am disappointed with these observations, since I have been pushing the quality of this series. Of course, any and all items we sell can be returned for credit - I wish I had more of the BU532ms model to replace this one with.
Howard Korn
 
Bob,
I'm most disappointed in the quality of your Master Series 532. I would be most happy to exchange it directly or through your dealer.
The rocker rust, is it inside the knife as you look into it? Rust in that area simple should not be. (or any area!!!)

The difference in scallop depth could be attributed to tooling age. The scallops are actually put in during the sintered metal process. The tooling that made your 1991 model is the same that made the master series. I don't know offhand why your scallops would be way out, but they are always a little off due to tolerance allowances from side to side. There is a shrink factor involved in sintered metals and there will sometimes be variation from side to side (heat lot to heat lot). I don't recall the tooling being reworked or replaced other than normal maintenence.
Greg, does yours look like it has been varnished? We had a couple of units that the supplier did not varnish after checkering, its possible we missed that one also..
frown.gif


I can guarantee you that poor quality was not the demise of the Master series. Every unit was inspected 100%, so it looks like we missed one maybe two. This is the first feedback we've gotton that one of these wasn't right. I'm surprised by the body flaws. With the BG-42 being a monster to machine, I would have expected blade problems first.

I'm really sorry you experienced this, send it back attn me, and I send you out one I'll personally go over. I'm also going to share this thread with my inspectors.

Jeff

------------------
Jeff "Without data it's just another opinion" Hubbard
JeffH@buckknives.com
www.buckknives.com
 
Jeff,

I appreciate the feedback and certainly hope you receive the e-mails with the detailed jpegs that I've sent you. For some reason the Buck server has told me that it can't deliver the mail to you but will try until they are 5 days old.

I too have never had a bad Buck knife and have not meant this thread to reflect anything other than my initial disappointment with the sample I received. From what Howard has said, he has no 532s to exchange mine for. And Howard, keep in mind that aside from Greg Mete's minor criticism of his 532, every post I've ever seen about the Master Series supports your personal endoresment of them. Mine looks to simply be one that got away but never should have.

Jeff, I'd certainly like to send this one back to you for examination and replacement. It is a shame that the original tooling has worn that much. The 1991 532 Bucklock I have has beautiful, well-executed "filework". As for the rust, I too was shocked and have no idea how that would have happened to just that one piece and then only on the interior surface. It is on the entire rocker bar interior surface. Yes it is quite visible as you look into the knife between the liners.

Jeff, I'd like confirmation of shipping address (do I use the 1900 Weld Blvd, El Cajon address?) and if I need to mark the package with a RMA or other number. Please send me an e-mail at bald1@usa.net with the particulars.

Thanks!

-=[Bob]=-




[This message has been edited by bald1 (edited 03 April 1999).]
 
Jeff,
After reading your post, I do think the handle slabs were not varnished. I compared the finish of the 532MS to my master 110 and Squire and the 532 is definitely lighter and duller in color so you're probably right. Even though, I will just go ahead and keep the one I have. I have several knives out for work right now and this descrepency is minor enough for me.

Howard: As usual, I always appreciate the great service from KCI that you and your staff provide. Thanks for posting.

Oh, and to add to what Bob said, overall I really love this series. The 110MS I have is absolutely perfect. The Squire is also a great knife to have and it has seen a lot of work and I have carried it a lot, especially when I want a smaller knife.


------------------

~Greg~


[This message has been edited by Kodiak PA (edited 04 April 1999).]
 
Jeff,

Thanks for your e-mail. The 532MS is on its way to you. I certainly hope you received my e-mails via your alternative address. Haven't a clue as to what is going on with the Buck server but your e-mail address there is proving useless for inbound.
I am appreciative of your staunch stance in support of customer service. We have a great group of manufacturers represented here and all embrace this same standard which is most reassuring for the knife buying public.



------------------
-=[Bob]=-

I did NOT escape from the institution! They gave me a day pass!

 
Bob,
I did get the pics via my alt address (or was that alter-ego???), but haven't had a chance to d'load yet. Now that I opened this site and also answer the e-mail from the web-site, I'm swamped <<sound of me biting off more than I can chew.>> and I love it. I'm waiting for a replacement, so please bear with me.
Don't know whats up with my mail, I get attachements all the time. Were they large (>2mb?)

Jeff

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Jeff "Without data it's just another opinion" Hubbard
JeffH@buckknives.com
www.buckknives.com
 
Jeff,

No they weren't over 2Mb. Matter of fact they weren't even 1Mb. Oh well. Glad you got them at your alternative address as they do show what I described.

Again, I'm most appreciative of your offer of assistance.

-=[Bob]=-

[This message has been edited by bald1 (edited 09 April 1999).]
 
Duplicate

[This message has been edited by bald1 (edited 09 April 1999).]
 
Jeff and all,

Well, not to climb on the “pig pile” but… I also recently purchased the three Master Series folders from Howard at “The KnifeCenter of the Internet” (my 110MS back order was shipped yesterday) and upon initial inspection of the 532MS I was disappointed in the workmanship and materials of the knife.

I’m a Buck Collector and a member of the Buck Collectors Club (#819). I have always been a big fan of Buck’s QUALITY. I’m a Quality Professional (Sr. Quality Engineer) and ASQ Certified Auditor. So, as you might guess I do a lot of inspections, and needless to say was really disappointed to see the same conditions exhibited in my 532 MS as described by “bald 1”.

I’ve had a great relationship with Buck Knives Inc. and have the utmost respect for the integrity of their products, even more so after having met the Buck Family. Buck has always stood behind their products… so I guess you know where I’m going with this… Jeff – HELP!!!!

I don’t have the knife currently in front of me, (shame on me) however, there is a “Buck” in my pocket, but I too suspect that my knife missed the varnish process on the inlays.

Howard of the KCI has provided great service upon initial ordering, but has thrown up his hands at replacing this one, due to a lack of inventory (understandable), although he did offer to let me return it… good luck there, it’s still a keeper. Oh, he also had more (8) of the 110MS in stock as of this morning.

I guess I just wanted you all to know that I can verify that these defects with the 532MS are not an isolated incident. JEFF – HELP!!!!

Sincerely,
Ken W. Burns Sr.
 
AHHHHHHHHH!!!
I got Bob's knife and photos, Thanks Bob.
I'll give you what I found.

1st rust on the inside - The rust is actually on the spring for the lock. Most likely we left it wet during the water wash cleaning. (we do not use a water system anymore.)

2nd Missing Scallops - The bellies of the knife were over sanded by about .070" or more. Thereby wiping out the scallops entirly or making them shallow. I reviewed the 532's going through on another project, and the tooling is ok. This was a workmanship problem. period.

3rd Missing varnish - If the sides are not whitish in apperance as opposed to just a little duller that the smooth parts of the wood, then It has been varnished. If the smooth part of the wood shows a shiny varnish apperance, the side is proper.

Ken,
It's nice to meet a fellow Quality engineer, We are a rare breed (I was Buck's QA Eng before becoming Supervisor, although I still do the Eng also). I too am a member of ASQ and hold the CMI,CQT,and CQE certs. Auditing is next...
Were your problems the same? Rust and scallops? How many units? 3? I can guarantee you that we will look at the last ones coming in for this type of defect. I appreciate you letting me know. We probably have more out there with these conditions. You may return it attn to me and I'll replace it with a good one. We don't have the replacemnts in yet, but they are due in soon.

I'm glad all of you have helped us identify this Quality Improvement opportunity, we will put the appropiate controls in place to correct.
Please feel free to bring any items to my attn either here or through my co mail @ Mailto:jeffh@buckknives.com

There are no problems, only opportunities.

Jeff

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Jeff "Without data it's just another opinion" Hubbard
JeffH@buckknives.com
www.buckknives.com
 
Jeff,

Glad to hear that you not only received my 532MS but both validated and discerned the causes of the problems on my sample. It is very reassuring to know that the file work scallops were not a result of worn tooling, rather over aggressive sanding-finishing.

I apologize for using the incorrect term for the piece with the rust. It sure catches your attention though when you see it
smile.gif
. From what you've posted I expect it'll be about 2 weeks before I receive the replacement piece from you. Again, I really appreciate the help in providing a remedy for the problems I encountered. It sounds as though a few got out this way given what Ken Burns has also reported.

------------------
-=[Bob]=-

I did NOT escape from the institution! They gave me a day pass!

 
Jeff,

Now that it looks like the 532MS sample I'll end up with will match the quality of my 1991 532+, I'm off in search of a 532JB. The jigged bone version is listed by Top of Texas Knives. Chris and Marti are trying to locate one for me.

-=[Bob]=-
 
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