extreme junk from AB Coltellerie
Moderator: The Motley Crew
Forum rules
There are a few things you should know before posting in these forums. If you are a new user, please click here and read carefully. Thanks a lot!
There are a few things you should know before posting in these forums. If you are a new user, please click here and read carefully. Thanks a lot!
- KnifeFighter
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2006 3:41 pm
extreme junk from AB Coltellerie
we ordered 2 knives from AB and just got them this morning. the first was a 13" stag/dagger and the second a honey horn/damascus bayonet
the first id like to talk about is the damascus.gorgeous knife. looks to be very high quality. came with nice etched walnut case
very nice clear high contrast damascus blade pattern
exept for the etched spot that wasnt washed properly:
and the fact that the blade doesnt quite line up when opened. it looks slightly cockeyed
now to the 13" stag/dagger blade
absolute worst quality ive ever recieved from AB.
as you can see, at first glance it looks ok
BUT at closer inspection, its totally a piece of junk. theres a HUGH gap in the spine of the knife:
you can also see numerous large pits ( of sorts) in the spine of the knife, up by the top clearly visible in the picture, along with obvious grind marks.
i didnt get a picture of it, but around the pin that goes thru to hold the blade is all dented up and looks like someone smacked it with a hammer or something ( if anyone would like to see pix of that, i can take them)
the lock on the back was ground totally uneven, as you can see, one sides alot bigger and undercut more than the other one
the spring inside is in so off center and cockeyed that it rubs and catches on the inside bolster when you release it, and the knife will now 'spring" out like its supposed to
even though the blade is ABSURDLEY loose ( which i didnt know how to photograph) and sort of 'flops" around while its in the open and locked position
PLUS i was under the impression that it ( the 13") was also supposed to come with a box, but it was just wrapped in bubblewrap
also, i didnt mention ( and forgot to photo) the handle. on the button side, where the handle meets the metal up by the swivel bolster,theres a HUGH gap where it was routered out for the lockwork inside ( over 1/8th inch easy) which would allow for all sorts of junk to get inside. very shodly done if you ask me.
and even though i do know as a stilleto freak these knives arent made for everyday "sharpened" use ,(traditionally they were made for self defense) the picture below shows the upper end of the "sharpened" side of the blade, clearly showing that its NOT shapened to a point really, but extremely dull. the edges dont match and it only comes to "somewhat" of a point
anyway, even though the damascus has the problems ive pointed out, im half way satisfied with it as i can just do a bit of polishing and cleaning up,ad a few small personal touches ( like filework to the lock,etc) myself and whip it into shape, but the 13" is really a piece of junk BIGTIME. it looks like it was used,abused and beat to holy hell. ill be emailing Renza here in a few minutes and asking that it be replaced right away. i really like Renza, and i REALLY hate to do that, but as you can see from the photos, this knife is not even close to being acceptable. im afraid to show this knife to anyone here locally as ive turned about 50 people ( yes, about 50+, i am a firearms/knife dealer) on to AB, and alot of them order regularly from AB, and im sure if this knife got around they would hesitate to order anything from them again.
i sure hope they replace it quick. it was purchased directly as a sample for possible future customers.
im sorry, but im the kind of guy that if i spend over 300.00 for knives that they be $300..00 worth of knives, not something that looks like it should have been thrown into the garbage bin
anyway, if anyone has any sugestions or wants to see more pix of this knife, email me and ill send you some
i just cant understand why some of there knives are of such high quality, and some are canidates for the garbage pail
the first id like to talk about is the damascus.gorgeous knife. looks to be very high quality. came with nice etched walnut case
very nice clear high contrast damascus blade pattern
exept for the etched spot that wasnt washed properly:
and the fact that the blade doesnt quite line up when opened. it looks slightly cockeyed
now to the 13" stag/dagger blade
absolute worst quality ive ever recieved from AB.
as you can see, at first glance it looks ok
BUT at closer inspection, its totally a piece of junk. theres a HUGH gap in the spine of the knife:
you can also see numerous large pits ( of sorts) in the spine of the knife, up by the top clearly visible in the picture, along with obvious grind marks.
i didnt get a picture of it, but around the pin that goes thru to hold the blade is all dented up and looks like someone smacked it with a hammer or something ( if anyone would like to see pix of that, i can take them)
the lock on the back was ground totally uneven, as you can see, one sides alot bigger and undercut more than the other one
the spring inside is in so off center and cockeyed that it rubs and catches on the inside bolster when you release it, and the knife will now 'spring" out like its supposed to
even though the blade is ABSURDLEY loose ( which i didnt know how to photograph) and sort of 'flops" around while its in the open and locked position
PLUS i was under the impression that it ( the 13") was also supposed to come with a box, but it was just wrapped in bubblewrap
also, i didnt mention ( and forgot to photo) the handle. on the button side, where the handle meets the metal up by the swivel bolster,theres a HUGH gap where it was routered out for the lockwork inside ( over 1/8th inch easy) which would allow for all sorts of junk to get inside. very shodly done if you ask me.
and even though i do know as a stilleto freak these knives arent made for everyday "sharpened" use ,(traditionally they were made for self defense) the picture below shows the upper end of the "sharpened" side of the blade, clearly showing that its NOT shapened to a point really, but extremely dull. the edges dont match and it only comes to "somewhat" of a point
anyway, even though the damascus has the problems ive pointed out, im half way satisfied with it as i can just do a bit of polishing and cleaning up,ad a few small personal touches ( like filework to the lock,etc) myself and whip it into shape, but the 13" is really a piece of junk BIGTIME. it looks like it was used,abused and beat to holy hell. ill be emailing Renza here in a few minutes and asking that it be replaced right away. i really like Renza, and i REALLY hate to do that, but as you can see from the photos, this knife is not even close to being acceptable. im afraid to show this knife to anyone here locally as ive turned about 50 people ( yes, about 50+, i am a firearms/knife dealer) on to AB, and alot of them order regularly from AB, and im sure if this knife got around they would hesitate to order anything from them again.
i sure hope they replace it quick. it was purchased directly as a sample for possible future customers.
im sorry, but im the kind of guy that if i spend over 300.00 for knives that they be $300..00 worth of knives, not something that looks like it should have been thrown into the garbage bin
anyway, if anyone has any sugestions or wants to see more pix of this knife, email me and ill send you some
i just cant understand why some of there knives are of such high quality, and some are canidates for the garbage pail
- whippersnapper
- Posts: 8430
- Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 12:39 pm
- Location: Michigan
- natcherly
- Connoisseur dei Coltelli
- Posts: 6340
- Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 3:59 pm
- Location: Baghdad by the Bay
The quality of the 13"ers has been discussed in several threads. Bottom line is that AB does not make these. No matter what the tang says, all 13" stilettos are made by one shop who sells them to other makers so that they have a complete line. The tooling is old and the craftsmanship is uneven to say the least. The overall quality of these is so variable, I won't buy any more. To add final insult to injury, I found that the Cheap 13" knives are hardly different from the much more expensive Regular ones. BLAHHH
- JerrBear
- MB Suckin' Bottom Feeder
- Posts: 8363
- Joined: Thu May 23, 2002 7:41 pm
- Location: Fresno-by-the-Sea
It matters not to me who made that POS! Whoever packed it and shipped it at AB should be ashamed of themselves and embarrassed! The flaws in that thing are so numerous and obvious they couldn't have possibly have been overlooked.
I'm betting that Ms. Renza will quickly replace it at no cost, and without having to return it.
I'm betting that Ms. Renza will quickly replace it at no cost, and without having to return it.
JerrBear
Have you hugged a Bear today?
Have you hugged a Bear today?
I can see why you were disappointed Fighter, I agree that it's a nasty looking bunch of mistakes. I had a similar experience recently with a purchase of three 11" dagger bladed stilettos; don't want to say where I got them but the blades are simply stamped Stiletto/Italy. With gaps similar to the ones in your photos, two out of the three won't stay closed. I found this out the hard way when I stored one of the ones I thought was functionally OK next to one of my customs. It snapped itself open at some point, and chipped the hell out of one of the custom knifes' IMOP scales. The only example I've ever seen of one knife willfully attacking another. Guess I'll end up tapping on the pins one of these days, to tighten them up. I hope you recieve a satisfactory resolution from the vendor; these guys seem to think you will, so I'd rest easy.
Tom
Tom
Is it...Tomorrow....Or just the end of time?
- KnifeFighter
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2006 3:41 pm
thanks for all of the replies. i sure hope they will take care of it. Renza has always been first rate in dealing with any issues that arise, and im hoping this will be one of those thats delt with right away.
anyway, as i said about the honey/damascus, it also has a few small defects, but none i cant take care of personally. when its finished, ill take some further pictures of it and post them.
anyway, as i said about the honey/damascus, it also has a few small defects, but none i cant take care of personally. when its finished, ill take some further pictures of it and post them.
That's a real collectable. It's hard to find on that bad.
“Truth will always be truth, regardless of lack of understanding, disbelief or ignorance.”
HORIZON BLADEWORKS: http://www.nicnac.net . LOW KEY perveyor of HIGH TECH cutlery.
HORIZON BLADEWORKS: http://www.nicnac.net . LOW KEY perveyor of HIGH TECH cutlery.
I'm sure sorry to see that Fighter. Iv'e got to agree totally with JerrBear, there is no possible reason one can give for allowing a knife in that condition to be shipped to anyone. The sad part is, when this happens, it takes a while for that little cloud of surprised dissapointment to fade away so that the seller/buyer relationship is on steady ground again. Bummer!. Hope they send you a spectacular replacement----JR
- KnifeFighter
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2006 3:41 pm
yea, you are right, if people collectged examples of BAD JUNK SCREWED UP POS KNIVES, this ne would be worth about 4 trillion bucks at half off on a bad day!
seriously though, im sure they will take care of it. rest assured i will keep everyone updated here on the forums as to the progress and outcome. im not exactly poor ( i have a few switches that top the $3000 value mark easy, ive even got one that i had custom made with 11" damascus with genuine ivory scales with solid 24K placer gold nuggets inlayed right into the scales...very nice piece) but im not exactly rich eather, and i do know the value of a buck, thats for sure. as i stated previously, i just expect to get what i pay for.
now, on another note, anyone else have an 11" damascus bayonet with honey horn scales from AB?
ive pretty much got this one straightened out to where its supposed to be. i was going to rework it a bit, but hell, i think ill leave it.
on another note, im going to pull out the whole collection here next week and clean,oil and wipe down all of my stuff. its a once a year 3-5 day chore. when i do, ill take some pictures of some of my higher $$ knives and post them on here.
this is my next one:
http://www.burnknives1.com/page20damascus.html
ive got one of these:
http://www.burnknives1.com/page11damascus.html
( or almost i should say, real close) that was given to me as a gift
- whippersnapper
- Posts: 8430
- Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 12:39 pm
- Location: Michigan
Ain't that the truth Vagrant! And you can even use them for something besides stabbing the last olives out of the jar!Vagrant wrote:Funny, Leverlocks seldom generate such posts
[The "bad grind" at the lock tab is because it is FORGED, not ground, and much stronger than if it was a simple grinding ]
Ahhh.. mkay... Looks like crap to me.Vagrant wrote: [The "bad grind" at the lock tab is because it is FORGED, not ground, and much stronger than if it was a simple grinding ]
At least the *box* looks to be of pretty high quality. But then again, it was probably outsourced.
Why do people put up with this kind of stuff? I mean, beyond what he mentioned, grinding on the lock tab is asymmetrical (not the two lines, the horizontal grinds to square it up below that where it meets the bolster), it doesn't look like they even finished the liners much past the stamping them out phase... It's practically on par with an Edgeco special. I'd be really really ticked off.
Cottage industry is one thing, but somebody forgot to light the candles in that cottage, because it looks like it was done by a blind man.
"paranoid scofflaw addicts"