Review Recent Warranty Reviews and a ZT fail.

I have used CS for Spydie, Benchmade & Pro Tech.
Spydie started off strangely. Sent in a Ti Millie, brand new & never taken apart, for up and down blade play.
Bout 10 days later I got a letter in the mail stating since the knife was taken apart I would be charged for the repair. Called Charlynn and let her know I never took the knife down. She sent me a brand new one. Weird, but it worked out in the end. She was so cool, I sent her flowers!
Benchmade couldn’t have done a more stellar job!
Pro Tech was a pleasure to deal with! Fast and excellent service!
Joe
 
Spyderco. A+
Sent in my Gayle Bradley 2 because the detent went flat and no longer held the blade closed..
Spyderco sent me a new one and a letter of apology.


Cold Steel...C
sent in a Ti Lite 4 because the liner lock traveled all the way across that it touched the other side.
Asked to repair it and added 5 bucks resharpen it.

Came back with lock not fixed and edge was re-sharpened.
It was saw like edge.

Sent an email with pictures and a copy of the letter I sent.
Cory responded.. sent me a shipping tag and I received a new knife.

Benchmade... always been good.
ZT same thing...
 
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I agree with the move to GBU, FWIW.

I used Benchmade for a broken Omega spring and centering. I’ll give them a B grade.
-Turnaround was fast, 2 weeks or so. Came back with new hardware, centered slightly better but still off. They sharpened it—super sharp but a bit uneven (it was a bit uneven out of the box FWIW). It also came back with a good action but a bit of blade play that wasn’t there before it went in. I could probably adjust it out but I haven’t bothered.

I sent two ZT’s to KAI for sharpening, partly out of curiosity. B+
-Both came back very sharp. One was very even, the other went slightly off towards the tip—I was actually having problems in the same spot. 2-3 week turnaround.

I sent a Taichung knife to Spyderco for horrible centering—rubbing the scale. C-
-They “adjusted” the pivot and returned it to me in essentially the same condition. After several emails I sent it in again. It came back the second time still way off center but at least not rubbing. Frankly, after reading so much praise about their warranty service, the whole thing surprised and disappointed me.
 
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Thought I would post something before the brand fan boys jump in and burn down any detractors of their favorite brand!

Over the past few years I have bought several knives from AG Russell, branded as his own, AG Russell knives (as opposed to buy a Benchmade, Spyderco, etc.). I had problems with two of his knives. One was a gorgeous little traditional style folder that i loved in design but it ground so hard when opening that it was obvious it was assembled before parts cleaning. Also, the blade was really off center (I am not that picky about perfect centering) to the point where the blade rubbed the liner at its tip. Called AGR, talked to Judy, and there was another knife on the way with a return ship tag on the way that day. Had the new knife in hand in 4 days, and used the prepaid shipping bag/label to return the first knife. Have to give them 5 stars on that transaction.

A couple of years later, purchased another traditional folder in a pattern AG brought back from the archives. The scale on one side had a crack at the backspring pin so I could have super glued it and been fine. But the scales were two different colors. Same material, same color family, and I would have been fine in the colors were remotely close. Called again, and good for me, Judy was still there! She told me that they have so few customer service calls since mostly "knife guys" are their customers, that she loved her job and had been there for many, many years. I told her what I had, sent her pics to see if they had any examples of that knife with better matching scales. We both had a good laugh, and again, the new knife was on the way with the return package in it. This time it was about a week, me with a brand new, hand checked for quality knife. 5 stars again.

Raving about customer service from AGR and showing off my new knives to one of my clients, he rewarded me with a $250 gift card from AGR after I helped him flip his aged mother's house.

Life got in the way personally for about a year and a half, and I misplaced the gift card. I figured that I was screwed. Nope, called AGR, and spoke to... you guessed it... Judy. It took her a few minutes to find the receipt of purchase, but she did. She made herself a note so that she wouldn't have to look it up again, and proceeded to help me spend a chunk of the gift card on a Spyderco Valloton. Again, 5 stars.

AGR may not be the cheapest, but they might just be the best.

Robert
 
I haven't used warranties very often, but I'll share a few experiences here.

Spyderco:
In either 1998 or early 1999, I had a Michael Walker lightweight that had a lot of up-and-down play. I contacted Spyderco and sent it in via UPS. Before too long, I got a package back with a confirmation note. But the knife I got back was not a Michael Walker LWT but a Pro-Venator. So I called Spyderco, just to clarify I got back a different knife, and the woman on the other end was either having a bad day, or was someone unsuitable for working in customer service. I calmly and politely mentioned the issue, and she snapped at me, "NO, that is NOT the knife you sent in!" I wasn't upset about the mistake, merely puzzled. When I mentioned it was possible it could have been switched by someone in transit on the way to Spyderco, I heard her make a loud sigh, as if I'd just made her miss a connecting flight or something. There was some more, but I don't remember much after that.

After that exchange, I didn't buy or carry another Spyderco for maybe a couple years. I wasn't really upset, just felt turned off by it. I had always heard of Spyderco's great customer service, which made it worse for me. Eventually, I decided to call Spyderco with a question about a knife I'd already had for a while, and had a very different experience. A different woman answered, and then transferred my question to a guy in the warranty department. He was very cool and took more time than I needed to discuss my question. Then I started buying/using Spydercos again.

Good, polite customer service is vital. I wasn't being argumentative at all on the phone. It only takes one representative having a bad day or who is unpleasant to make a negative impression of a whole company, for some people for life. I did post this a year or two ago on the Spyderco forum, and someone posted it was probably my fault, because his experiences were all positive. Even if I were a fan of a specific company, I would never just discount someone else who had a different experience than mine.

I've also used Benchmade, Leatherman and CRK customer service and never had any unpleasant experiences. But this post is already too long to go into those.

Jim
 
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I have only had light brushes with CS for Spydie, Benchmade, and Kershaw. I'd say all "A". Only Spydie did I actually have to send one back, a Native that I posted about earlier here and that was a good experience.

ZT: so far, only my 0561 has gone back to them for detent and lock rock issues. They sent it back, nothing had been done other than sharpening. No communication, although quick turnaround time of 2 weeks. I'd rate this as "C-", not quite a fail yet, because I want to give them a chance to resolve it but they have not started off well. They did pay for the return shipping, and I'm hopeful that the 2nd time they will get it fixed. I really like my older 0561 with the Elmax steel and would like to keep using it, but it's just not safe with these issues.
 
palonej said:
I have used CS for Spydie, Benchmade & Pro Tech.
Spydie started off strangely. Sent in a Ti Millie, brand new & never taken apart, for up and down blade play.
Bout 10 days later I got a letter in the mail stating since the knife was taken apart I would be charged for the repair. Called Charlynn and let her know I never took the knife down. She sent me a brand new one. Weird, but it worked out in the end. She was so cool, I sent her flowers!
Benchmade couldn’t have done a more stellar job!
Pro Tech was a pleasure to deal with! Fast and excellent service!
Joe
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Interesting. I sent a knife to Spyderco also, which had never been taken apart. I also received a letter stating since the knife was taken apart, I would be charged for the repair.

I called Spyderco and explained that I had never taken the knife apart and I had purchased it new from an authorized dealer. The rep I spoke to said my only options were to pay for the repair or have the knife returned, unrepaired. Of course I paid.

To make matters worse, the knife in question was a Southard that had begun to flip poorly. Spyderco replaced the bearing. I’ve since learned that this is a common problem with the Southard.

Knowing what I know now, I’m very disappointed in Spyderco. Very disappointed.
 
LastRodeo said:
Interesting. I sent a knife to Spyderco also, which had never been taken apart. I also received a letter stating since the knife was taken apart, I would be charged for the repair.

I called Spyderco and explained that I had never taken the knife apart and I had purchased it new from an authorized dealer. The rep I spoke to said my only options were to pay for the repair or have the knife returned, unrepaired. Of course I paid.

To make matters worse, the knife in question was a Southard that had begun to flip poorly. Spyderco replaced the bearing. I’ve since learned that this is a common problem with the Southard.

Knowing what I know now, I’m very disappointed in Spyderco. Very disappointed.
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Your not the first person whose had that problem which is why I'll always hesitate to spend more than $150-$180 on a Spyderco. When I bought my Sebenza I thought really hard about a Nirvana but the warranty issues and the fact that they won't replace a blade meant that I won't spend Sebenza money on a Spyderco.
 
Damn.
I always wondered why there was so much talk about their warranty. There have been so many conflicting explanations in the past that I had no clue what was covered.
Both our experiences show how inconsistent their service has been.
Also, they had all of our info, phone # and e mail addies, why mail a letter?
My sons ordered the Ti Millie for me for Christmas. It arrived in Nov and they wouldn’t let me mess with it till Cristmas. It was purchased from GP.
Came out the box with vertical play.
Pissed me off when I got that letter because I never took it apart.
I guess this is one of the many reasons Spydie changed their warranty policy.....lot of aggravated people were saying the same thing.
Believe me LR, the $25 was not the issue, I just felt I was getting the run around.
Joe

PS......I have had a
Southard for years and the knife has been excellent since day 1!!
I doubt you’ll have any more issues with it LR......just DON’T over tighten the pivot!! I have a Domino and an Advocate with the same system and both are excellent flippers.


LastRodeo said:
Interesting. I sent a knife to Spyderco also, which had never been taken apart. I also received a letter stating since the knife was taken apart, I would be charged for the repair.

I called Spyderco and explained that I had never taken the knife apart and I had purchased it new from an authorized dealer. The rep I spoke to said my only options were to pay for the repair or have the knife returned, unrepaired. Of course I paid.

To make matters worse, the knife in question was a Southard that had begun to flip poorly. Spyderco replaced the bearing. I’ve since learned that this is a common problem with the Southard.

Knowing what I know now, I’m very disappointed in Spyderco. Very disappointed.
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I'll chime in here. I've used the warranty services of Spyderco, Benchmade, Strider, and ZT. Quite honestly, all have been phenomenal, with ZT in the lead. I have had some absolutely atrocious experiences with with knives that were not USA made, and even though I like a lot of Chinese models, etc. I now buy only from countries in the U.S. due to warranty.
 
jstn said:
I'll chime in here. I've used the warranty services of Spyderco, Benchmade, Strider, and ZT. Quite honestly, all have been phenomenal, with ZT in the lead. I have had some absolutely atrocious experiences with with knives that were not USA made, and even though I like a lot of Chinese models, etc. I now buy only from countries in the U.S. due to warranty.
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jstn jstn Just curious, do any of your bad experiences involve WE, Kizer, or Riate?

-Thanks and happy Thanksgiving.
 
4mer_FMF said:
jstn jstn Just curious, do any of your bad experiences involve WE, Kizer, or Riate?

-Thanks and happy Thanksgiving.
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No sir, I have not. However, I have only owned one Reate knife, very briefly, so I am unable to speak to any real experience.
 
I've only ever had to use a warranty once, and that was to replace a bent belt clip on my CRKT Two Stage. Very easy. They sent me a replacement, no questions asked.
I agree with you that warranties are important. Especially right now since the competition between brands is so close.
 
I'll chime in...

BM...Several issues with the old Stryker model, had to be sent in three times. Recently, a Grip that was off center, no issues with that.

Spyderco...years ago, sent in a Viele for a mis-sharpened blade from the factory. Came back fine, but with a nasty letter saying it was my responsibility to sharpen it. Recent: had a Spyderco Ti Military that, out of the box, had side to side blade play, no matter how the pivot was adjusted. Received a new one in exchange, with a nasty note saying the issue was my fault for modifying the knife...that I never modified...

Strider...Refuse to deal with their warranty, the only time was an RC model with a bad lock. Took six months to fix, with a list of excuses from them that could fill a book.

ZT...sent in two 300 series for bad lock ups...came back in a box with no protection, so both knives got banged up in return shipping...not a huge deal for user grade, but I'd by pretty peeved if they were higher end or personal collection pieces.

Southern Grind...bad lockup on a Bad Monkey model, fixed in three weeks, no issues.

Cutters Knife and Tool...now defunct company that made Brend autos. Stiff pivot, fixed and adjusted, no issues that I remember.
 
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For warranties, I've had a pretty mixed bag. Clear outlier is Benchmade for constant stellar support. I've sent in 2 knives that the previous owners took apart and screwed up, and Benchmade put them right back to tip top condition without any fuss. Every other knife I sent in came back with the problem fixed and decent speed.

Kershaw I've actually had good experiences with (for CS on bad knives, long story). Had a Thistle I recently sent in for the knife damn near falling apart (4 direction play, rubbing blade, significant lock rock, bought it in perfect condition and never mistreated it), and I was just given a credit for the MSRP to apply to anything from Kershaw (still deciding on that one). I also had a lot of fighting with an Emerson 1k for being horribly tight and impossible to disassemble, free spinning pivot every time and massive threadlock. After the first time in, Kershaw sent me prepaid labels for postage, and after the third replacement let me keep the knife and credited me for the MSRP which I applied to an Amplitude 3.25 that I love.

ZT, sadly, has been pretty hit or miss (lots of misses). Sent in 2 different 550s for the same issue (play and lock rock), and each one had to be sent back at least once after getting the knife back untouched. Same thing with a 560. Only paid for shipping the knives to once, but having to keep sending it back because their warranty department addressed no issues and occasionally sharpened the blade against request is really frustrating. At least they fixed the issue in the end.

Buck I've only dealt with once, and it felt reminiscent of ZT, having to send the knife back twice (with a prepaid label) to get the problem addressed, but it was ultimately fixed.
 
I've had good service from Spyderco, Benchmade, Case, Cold Steel, Buck, William and Henry. Didn't pay a dime. Chris Reeve is friendly, but you pay for it, no bargains. Of the two custom knives I've had to return, I got better service from the factories. Spyderco has been very good to me and they have changed their customer service over the years to better meet our expectations.
 
anteck7 said:
First of all let me say I'm not loyal to any one brand. Nor did I create any problems where none existed. However, for better or worse I've needed to work with warranty groups. Personally, as a usable tool, I really do care about the warranty. In addition, I feel that american knife companies have a big competitive advantage in the States if they have great warranty support. It's one of the reasons why I would spend $20 more for a ZT over a Kizer with similar functionality.

Overall Grade (F), ZT Detent Rock on 0562CF
Request
Knife has detent rock when closed
Do not sharpen (had a mirror edge on it)
Process (Grade: A)
Sent in knife with warranty request form. Have setup with UPS for reduced shipping
Communication during process? (Grade: C)
None
Time to Resolve (Grade: A+)
2 weeks total from ZT getting the knife to me getting it back
Resolved? No, issue worse (Grade: F----)
Detent rock issue was not addressed
Knife was sharpened even though I requested them not to do so. It was even noted on their internal repair paperwork!
AcPTQhW.jpg


(Overall Grade: C) Benchmade - Centering issue on Doug Ritter Grip
Request
Please fix centering issue
Do not sharpen
Process (B)
Sent in knife with warranty request form.
Communication during process? (B)
1. Email from BM 4 days after they received the knife
2. Shipment notification from UPS when the knife was coming back
Time to Resolve (B)
4 weeks total from Benchmade receipt of knife to me getting it back
Resolved? Kinda (C)
Blade is now slightly less off center in other direction
Knife does not appear to have been resharpened

(Overall Grade: B) Kizer - Knife missing screw
Request
Received Kizer IFT-L that was missing a scale screw
Process (Grade: D)
Sent an email, all in all sightly confusing since the paperwork in the box pointed me to older warranty information.
Communication during process? (Grade: C)
None
Time to Resolve (Grade: C)
5 weeks from initial request
Resolved? (Grade: A)
Received parts as requested, items were shipped from China.


(Overall Grade A+) Benchmade - Parts Order for Deep Carry Clip
Request
Deep carry clip for Benchmade 940-1501
Process (Grade: A+)
Requested from very nice lady on phone who was super helpful
Communication during process? (Grade: C)
None
Time to Resolve (Grade: B+)
3 weeks from initial request
Resolved? (Grade: A+)
Received parts as requested!

(Overall Grade A+) ZT - Replacement Clip and Bearing for ZT0562
Request
Replacement clip and clip screw
Background, I had gotten the factory one hung up, I was able to bend it back, but figured this would be good quick test. Also requested a replacement pivot as I thought that could play into the detent rock...now that I've studied things a bit more, that doesn't make sense.
Process (B+)
Filled out warranty form on webpage
Communication during process? (A+)
Yes, informed me that bearing/pivot would cost $10, I paid over phone with CC
Time to Resolve (B)
3 weeks from initial request
Resolved? (A+)
Received parts as requested![/Q
I also had issues with Kizer. Very confusing
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I forgot to mention, I did have a warranty experience with a custom maker, Walter Wells out of Virginia, and it could not have been more perfect. My custom I bought had a very thick grind behind the edge (I somehow missed that part when I ordered the knife), and I messaged him. Within a day he got back to me, got my order pulled up, and had agreed to regrind the knife at no charge. Of course I included a tip (extra for return shipping), but he didn't even charge for shipping. Could not have been more perfect and smooth. In under 2 weeks I had my reground knife back in my hands.
 
dkb45 said:
I forgot to mention, I did have a warranty experience with a custom maker, Walter Wells out of Virginia, and it could not have been more perfect. My custom I bought had a very thick grind behind the edge (I somehow missed that part when I ordered the knife), and I messaged him. Within a day he got back to me, got my order pulled up, and had agreed to regrind the knife at no charge. Of course I included a tip (extra for return shipping), but he didn't even charge for shipping. Could not have been more perfect and smooth. In under 2 weeks I had my reground knife back in my hands.
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@wwells20 is a good dude in my limited contact with him, seems like a nice guy! Definitely wouldn't mind buying a custom from him - good to hear on warranty support after the sale!
 
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