Mine looks worse than that, but I'm not gonna bother sending it back. It's a CG and it doesn't have to be perfect, plus I want to try and heat the Res-C and see how well it molds.

Same deal here. I have a slight gap. It does not run down the length of the tang. It is like a 1/64" or less deep. Big whoop IMO. As far as moisture getting down in there, it is just as likely to migrate down an "ungapped" handle. We are talking about two different materials here anyway. There is no such thing as a perfect seal anywhere.

I have had my Hooker for a long time and am only now finding out she has a
little hole. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

first of all,no one is a bigger ranger fan than me and i own 11 of them,2 of which are custom.some one said that if you want a pretty knife get a ranger......??

while some rangers are very pretty,they are usually very rough around the edges.if you want an "tough" knife,get a ranger.if you want a pretty knife,get something else.rangers are not meant to be pretty.they are meant to be used hard and look like it.

back to the subject of the YK.i have seen pics of the same problem with the DMLE.
i personally would not be satisfied with such an issue even though i consider it cosmetic only.just as with my ranger knives,they have had "cosmetic" problems only but i still sent them back because if i where the ones producing these blades i would not let them pass.even though it wont effect the performance of the knife it is unacceptable.when someone pays good money for a blade and gets it with flaws only to see pics of other peoples blades without such flaws it is frustrating.

it's funny that you mentioned inspector #47,whoever that is...lol,because all my SYKC blades are from inspector #47.#47 was the same number brought up when the same problem happened with the DMLE if my memory serves me correct.

the first thing i did when i got my YK was to check and see if they had the gap where the res-c meets the blade spine and i was happy to find that they where o.k.

all in all this isnt a big deal at all,but it does seem to be a reacuring problem that the people seem to have a problem with and that SYKC could be able to fix fairly easy.

with all that said SY knives are still some of the best and in the big picture of things this problem is minor and cosmetic,yet still needs to be addressed.just my oppinion.

My handle looks exactly like eatingmuchface's does in his pics. The size and depth of the gap looks identical. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> I'm going to try and seal it with black silicone and then get back to you all. I'm thinking i'll just get the smallest tube I can find and try to pack it in the gap with a clean popcicle stick.
Call me picky but I like having any extra piece of mind I can get!

I like the toothpick option!

Let us know how the black silicone treatment works out. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Most auto parts stores will carry small tubes of black RTV (room temperature vulcanizing) sealant; it's used for gaskets.

Yeah - Justin ...... Sorry. Been dealing with a Jason a lot lately on some other business stuff. Getting old-timers.

I understand imperfections in a hand made knife. I have a lot of hand made knives. Sometimes I am fine with them and sometimes some of the imperfections bug me.

Also, most of my "FINEST" premium custom knives are "HAND-Made" and with visually perfect details. And the prices on these vary from Scrap Yard Price ranges and up.

In the end, I don't care to "Pay" for knives that look poorly made. Even though Justin's knives are good performers, I don't consider $100+ to be so cheap that I would be fine paying that amount for pretty rough and unfinished looking knives - Beaters or not. If it is to be so much a beater that I don't care what it looks like and still want performance, then I would prefer prices closer to $50 - $80 range instead of Justin's $90 - $150 range. If I want an ugly "beater" knife that performs pretty well, there are quite a few I can pick up for $20 - $40 on the auction site - granted they won't likely perform as well as a Ranger, but they will be cheap, ugly, decent performing beaters.

Bottom line - At $100+ for 6" + blades or even $50+ for 3" + blades, I still expect a pretty "Decent" fit and finish, good design and ergos - WITH quality performance. Maybe I am a tough customer, but that is just my opinion.

The two Ranger knives I owned in the past were both satin (cost MORE - I think I paid about $135 or so for a satin RD6) and the grind lines and fit and finish were just pretty rough ("TOO" rough) in my book - especially at that price. I really didn't care for the feel of the handles either. I didn't buy either directly from Justin - I think I probably got them off the forums. But, I have sold both a while back. I probably could have worked on them to make them nicer feeling in my hand and nicer looking. But, I chose to sell them rather than put in the effort. I didn't see the return value in the efforts.

** Although, in all fairness, I have seen pictures of other Satin Ranger knives that looked nicer than mine did, so ????? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

In spite of my personal experiences, I would possibly still consider future purchases of Justin's work in the future - ??? I just feel pretty well covered by Scrap and Swamp blades for now.

A lot of companies including Ranger and all three Busse companies cover up a lot of rough stuff with the black coatings. But, with black coatings, it doesn't matter "As" much. I have actually had a few coated knives were you could see imperfections in grind through the coating. My SJTAC was a good example - and that honestly really annoyed me considering the price of a SJTAC! But, even in spite of the bad blade grind lines through the finish and not being overly happy with the SJTAC's handle, I love the blade a LOT and had to strip and keep that baby. But, DANG, what a pain in the arse to get that SJTAC finished - still don't have it finished - VERY rough. The SJTAC was one of the few convex grind blades. I don't think the BATAC had a convex blade (????). The AK-47 does and I think the RUCK does (????). But, these blades were apparently convexed with some sort of CNC cutter. The Cutter left deep cut lines similar but not as deep or bad as CBT cut lines. You can see the cut lines through the finish. They looked particularly rough at the ricasso and especially where they met the flat part of the blade near the spine. One side was a lot worse than the other.

Since I strip a lot (most) of my coated blades, I would rather buy a satin finished knife that already has a decent finish for a few dollars more. OR, at least not have to deal with a VERY rough finish under the coating.


Looks like I started rambling again - sorry.


.

When you initially said:



I assumed a 1/4" gap in a worse way.

I wouldn't be thrilled about the gap you have, but I don't know if that little gap would bother me too much and I consider myself pretty picky.

Yes, you could arguably get water in the gap, but even if it developed rust in the handle, you would NOT likely rust that handle to failure in your lifetime and you wouldn't see the rust. It would be more of an issue that you worry about in your head than any real-world issue.

In the end, it is really just a minor aesthetic gap - less than I expected.

Speaking for myself, I don't know if I would bother sending something like that back to Dan, but I personally wouldn't give you a hard time about it either.

IMO - something like that is not a big deal, but I would probably feel that it is big enough that I don't think it should be sold/shipped as a "Regular" production and with regular levels of expectations in fit and finish.

I think the Busse's should have the inspectors set up to screen these types of "Cosmetic" flaws more carefully. And I feel knives with these little flaws should probably be sold at a slight discount as XXX's, X-out's or 2nds or whatever you want to call them with "Minor" aesthetic and non-functional flaws - Maybe a 5% - 10% discount (????).

Personally, instead of dealing with all of the hassles with return shipping (both ways) and such, I think a 5% - 10% credit would be a good option to consider for both parties (buyer and seller). But, post-initial shipping, this way of handling it "Might" open a can of worms. - Especially considering knives from the Past - Some people might start trying to cash in on slight cosmetic issues from the past - gaps in the SS4's for example. (????).

It is not for me to say how current situations should be handled or future, but, for my two cents, I feel "Future" screening of products should "possibly" be handled with the option of being sold as 2nds at a slight discount.

Slightly better "user" grade deals for minor aesthetic "Cosmetic" only type flaws - maybe with an "X" (????).

For the record, I don't feel this should apply to blade quality or ultimate reliability and performance quality. Discount, Lifetime warranty or not, the blades and performance quality are still set up to have expectations of EXTREME dependability. I don't like the idea of any lesser quality blades floating around. But, I don't have a problem with minor cosmetic flaws such as minor handle gaps, slightly off grind lines or similar - if discounted and marked.


*** However, the Busse's already have a Full Blown Comprehensive and extensive Warranty that pretty well covers everything and they have proven to take care of any and all concerns I have seen from customers. So, in the end, their current way of doing things pretty well covers anyones specific concerns. All you have to do is ask. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />



.

who inspected your knife?

I don't care about the gap, on min it seems its just a gap on the more outside part of the res-c.
ikd how to explain it, but like, you can't stick a toothpick, into it( I don't thnk) becuase like really, its not even a gap.
idk
I'm fine wiht mine, I don't think and think can seep too far into the handle to do any damage, unless the gap went all the way to the back of the blade.