Sakai Takayuki poor quality again!

Oh My God, I received another knife, again found poor workmanship/quality.

This time, the knife spine has many tiny holes and a big hole in it. This seems like air bubbles during molten steel cooling down.

Do you guy think this is a fake from Taiwan? Because I saw the "Made in Japan" should be printed on the other side of the blade, on many websites from Japan, factory and USA.

Could this be related to your username?

Honestly, for a fairly inexpensive knife this doesn't look too out of place to me. If it bothers you contact seller and inquire about an exchange.

best of luck

Would holes throughout the steel not show on the blade face, too?

Without being a metallurgist: That would have had to be a huge bubble, judging from the radius ... I would write it up as an inconsequential chip (this is one of the monosteel blue #2 ones, right? So this will be unusually brittle in places where workmen not well trained to handling that design might not expect it to be brittle...) that got ground over.

I think if I wanted to be sure, I'd just find contact info for ST and send them the pics with a request to advise. They should know how they print or don't print on the blades...

skewed said:

Could this be related to your username?

Honestly, for a fairly inexpensive knife this doesn't look too out of place to me. If it bothers you contact seller and inquire about an exchange.

best of luck

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I have many inexpensive knife (in fact all cheaper than Takayuki), they all have very good finish, if not perfect. I start to disappoint in ST now, one after one found poor finishes.

LifeByA1000Cuts said:

Would holes throughout the steel not show on the blade face, too?

Without being a metallurgist: That would have had to be a huge bubble, judging from the radius ... I would write it up as an inconsequential chip (this is one of the monosteel blue #2 ones, right? So this will be unusually brittle in places where workmen not well trained to handling that design might not expect it to be brittle...) that got ground over.

I think if I wanted to be sure, I'd just find contact info for ST and send them the pics with a request to advise. They should know how they print or don't print on the blades...

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It is not a chip, the camera cannot capture them well, they are truly like air bubbles within the steels.

Well, I have sent ST emails with pictures, and they never reply me. Perhaps they don't understand English? Do you know how to write in Japanese?

I contacted the dealer many times, he kept saying "for such a cheap priced knife, what do you expect? they are probably contracted out to the studios outside, because ST workers only manufacture and specialize in Japanese Wa Knives, not western knives!"

This is why one should never buy knives online, and sigh....we have only one online dealer here. And he does not accept small defects and the ST factory never replies to me.

Your tone, presumptions, and accusations will probably discourage those with much more knowledge and discernment than you from trying to help.

XooMG said:

Your tone, presumptions, and accusations will probably discourage those with much more knowledge and discernment than you from trying to help.

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Aichmorphobia- the morbid fear of sharp things

Things that make you go hmmm.

Trolling. Truly sorry if I am wrong.

not trolling, but venting yes. Sorry for my poor English if it made you all feel bad, my apologies.

skewed said:

Aichmorphobia- the morbid fear of sharp things

Things that make you go hmmm.

Trolling. Truly sorry if I am wrong.

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It's Aichmophobia, not Aichmorphobia. I am really aichmophobia, becoz I am cursed by sharp objects, papers, books cut me, eyelashes stuck into my eyes, and even my own hair stuck into my skin, trust me, I am cursed. My hands and fingers always cut and bleed by knives when I am near them.

Why I keep buying knives, straight razor, and collect pocket knives? because I want to conquer my fear and break the curse.

Looks ok to me, maybe could use some sandpaper. Nothing that can't be fixed. Is the edge ok?

Do you have a pic of the entire knife? What is the exact model? Maybe I can ask this for you.

aichmophobia said:

It's Aichmophobia, not Aichmorphobia. I am really aichmophobia, becoz I am cursed by sharp objects, papers, books cut me, eyelashes stuck into my eyes, and even my own hair stuck into my skin, trust me, I am cursed. My hands and fingers always cut and bleed by knives when I am near them.

Why I keep buying knives, straight razor, and collect pocket knives? because I want to conquer my fear and break the curse.

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Welcome Archie, Sounds like you know yourself very well. Sometimes that's half of the battle. Does look like you knife has some imperfections. You could see this as an opportunity to "work" on the knife. You'll get all the guidance you need from KKF.

We can also show you ways of testing the cutability of your knives without getting cut. Might want to hold off on the three finger test at this time too. [emoji57]

I had two similar things on the bolster of my aoniko/aonikou. And yes, while it's relatively cheap... it means I'm uncomfortable springing for, say, this beauty:

http://www.knivesandstones.com/sakai-takayuki-syousin-sakura-wa-gyuto-240mm/

Accept flaws in your entry-level lines and it has ramifications on the higher-end ones. Same issue with car manufacturers.

DanHumphrey said:

I had two similar things on the bolster of my aoniko/aonikou. And yes, while it's relatively cheap... it means I'm uncomfortable springing for, say, this beauty:

http://www.knivesandstones.com/sakai-takayuki-syousin-sakura-wa-gyuto-240mm/

Accept flaws in your entry-level lines and it has ramifications on the higher-end ones. Same issue with car manufacturers.

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Sorry, I don't think that's a valid line of reasoning. First, we're talking about a totally different class of knives, and expectations are (with good reason), quite different. Second, I think James is a great intermediary in terms of asking for both requesting a higher level of fit and finish, and ensuring that any products he sells meet his standards (which are probably higher than many of our standards). I owned that particular knife, and the one I had was very well done. I can't recall hearing any issues from anyone who has purchased.
I don't expect lower priced knives to achieve the same standards. You might get one that's quite good, or you might get one that needs a bit of work. But I don't see anything in those pics that a little time and sandpaper couldn't fix, and it really only matters along an inch or two of the spine.

toddnmd said:

Sorry, I don't think that's a valid line of reasoning. First, we're talking about a totally different class of knives, and expectations are (with good reason), quite different. Second, I think James is a great intermediary in terms of asking for both requesting a higher level of fit and finish, and ensuring that any products he sells meet his standards (which are probably higher than many of our standards). I owned that particular knife, and the one I had was very well done. I can't recall hearing any issues from anyone who has purchased.
I don't expect lower priced knives to achieve the same standards. You might get one that's quite good, or you might get one that needs a bit of work. But I don't see anything in those pics that a little time and sandpaper couldn't fix, and it really only matters along an inch or two of the spine.

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You're welcome to disagree, but it's a fact of how it makes me feel, and again, it's a thing that affects other industries. If you buy a compact car coming out of college, and it's junk, you're unlikely (at a statistical level) to buy their SUV when you have more money and a family. You can't afford to let products with issues go out the door. For lower-end I'm ok if the steel isn't the same, or the grind isn't as fancy, but bubbles in the steel? Ick, have some pride in your work.

To your point, would James let something like that out the door? I'd say no - my Tanaka Blue2 from him was comparably-priced to the ST but was flawless (to my eyes). That means I trust James for a fancier knife... but probably not from ST.

stop buying crappy knives? or get over it, it's not a big deal.

What he said

Given the unusual material choice, they might - justifiably - apply a lower cosmetic standard in order not to lower yield and make the product more expensive for everyone. I'd call that reasonable as long as performance is not compromised.
Making an ultra-hard monosteel is probably rather expensive (abrasives!), so the last thing you want is waste due to cosmetic perfectionism.

My apologies Aichmophobia.

As long as the rest of the blade is fine, a little sandpaper will work wonders and ease the spine at the same time. I hope you are able to conquer your fears and also learn to live with small imperfections.

Cheers,
rj

if they were along the edge I'd say your anger is justified however what I can see of the knife in the pictures looks pretty good to me... Cosmetic imperfection maybe!

DanHumphrey said:

You're welcome to disagree, but it's a fact of how it makes me feel, and again, it's a thing that affects other industries. If you buy a compact car coming out of college, and it's junk, you're unlikely (at a statistical level) to buy their SUV when you have more money and a family. You can't afford to let products with issues go out the door. For lower-end I'm ok if the steel isn't the same, or the grind isn't as fancy, but bubbles in the steel? Ick, have some pride in your work.

To your point, would James let something like that out the door? I'd say no - my Tanaka Blue2 from him was comparably-priced to the ST but was flawless (to my eyes). That means I trust James for a fancier knife... but probably not from ST.

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I also completely disagree.

I can fully understand your line of reasoning, and it's for that reason that most large companies have a variety of sub-brands.

I think a more accurate analogy than "would you buy an SUV from a company who sold you a crappy compact car?" would be "would you buy a corvette after having had a bad experience with a Vauxhall (Opel)?". The two cars are made by the same parent company, but by different staff and for different customers with different needs. There are sub-brands which are operated as a group to allow the company to target different market segments while minimising (harmful) associations which may be made between their high and low end offerings.

To put it another way, nobody wants a luxury Toyota, but there is a market for Lexus.

You point is valid in that it's how most customers do feel, the only difference here is that ST are selling a variety of knives under the same brand rather than operating a number of sub-brands (which would minimise the association of the higher end pieces with the lower end pieces).

MAS4T0 said:

I also completely disagree.


To put it another way, nobody wants a luxury Honda, but there is a market for Lexus.

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Lexus is to Toyota what Acura is to Honda.

[I see you corrected your post].

gadgetguy9000 said:

Lexus is to Toyota what Acura is to Honda.

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I saw my mistake and fixed it just before you posted your comment!

I meant, "nobody wants a luxury Toyota, but there is a market for Lexus". Basically, the point I intended to make was that trying to sell Lexus cars under the Toyota brand would be a horrible mistake (which is why they don't do it).

I don't know why I wrote Honda...

Thank you guys for your help and comforting. The blade is all good and sharp and performs very well, although I can see that it has very tiny bit of warp (barely noticeable).

I guess I also have a morbid fear of imperfection. OK, I will try to conquer that as well. Many thanks to you all.

I see OP's point though.

From a beginners POV even entry j-level knives are still astronomically more expensive than everyday knives, it's not abnormal to want something with good F&F.

One just have to get used to expectations, prices and functions.

AllanP said:

I see OP's point though.

From a beginners POV even entry j-level knives are still astronomically more expensive than everyday knives, it's not abnormal to want something with good F&F.

One just have to get used to expectations, prices and functions.

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I agree and can see and understand the frustration. While it's not a 'problem' I too would be annoyed by it.

It's not clearly communicated that at a similar price level you're kind of trading the fit and finish of a German knife for the improved geometry and sharpness of a Japanese knife.

Do you have something similar to distance selling regulations in the US?

In England there's a 7 day inspection period for goods bought online, during which time the seller is legally obligated to accept returns if the customer isn't satisfied (with some obvious exceptions).

MAS4T0 said:

In England there's a 7 day inspection period for goods bought online, during which time the seller is legally obligated to accept returns if the customer isn't satisfied (with some obvious exceptions).

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It's the same in the rest of the UK as well (sorry, just being a pedantic Scotsman) ;-)

But on a more serious note, isn't there also a 14 day ' cooling off ' period for online sales under which you can just return the item without even stating a reason?

Or am I thinking of something else?

Devon_Steven said:

It's the same in the rest of the UK as well (sorry, just being a pedantic Scotsman) ;-)

But on a more serious note, isn't there also a 14 day ' cooling off ' period for online sales under which you can just return the item without even stating a reason?

Or am I thinking of something else?

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To be honest I don't know. I always thought the 14 day "cooling off period" referred to contracts (like for phone, broadband, cable TV, etc) and that regular purchases were covered by distance selling regulations which give 7 days for inspection.
Ever since you considered deserting, you've been dead to me. :justkidding:
I don't know if the rest of the UK is leaving or staying, or how many of their own laws they set, so I find it safest to just say England!

I was meaning to ask if in the US they can just send online purchases back without a good reason if they're not happy.