Buck knives

silicon wolverine · September 27, 2006, 08:13 PM

OK this has been close to a year in the making so don tthink i had one bad expierience and flew off the handle. i got a buck knife for work purposes last year. http://www.buckknives.com/catalog/detail/220/239 Good knife it looked to me. said lifetime warranty on the box. Great i thought. I used it for FIVE SECONDS and it broke off about a 1/4 inch from the tip. Well i thought maybe i got a bad one. Took it back to the knife shop i bought it from. No problems the guy said and handed me another one. This one lasted a whole minute before breaking in the same way. I was cutting rubber glass mouldings at the salvage yard i worked at and my dollar store pocket knife had been doing the job before that. I just got sick of the smaller kife and got a bigger one. So i call up buck's customer service line. the man i talked to was nice but seemed to be very uninformed. told me to send in my knife and they would take a look at it. i got his name and ext. number for reference. Mailed it off and got a letter back FOUR MONTHS later saying i abused the knife and they would not warranty it. I called the same rep i had talked to before and asked to speak to his supervisor. He gave me the runaround on this request for a good 30 minutes. Finally he put me through to a higher up andi explained the situation to him. i said fine if you think i abused it, send it back and ill use it as is. Well sir we cant do that. Why not i ask. He gives some line about liability concerns and sending out a damaged product. I give up at that point and tell him id like to speak to his boss. Well sir you'd have to call corpaorate on that. OK. He gave me the number to call and said I'll send the info to them today and you can get with them tomorrow. I call after a day or two and the lady i talked to knew nothing. Send me to your boss i said. I get on the phone with some jerk who wont listen to what i had to say and the call ended with quit harrasing us or we'll file charges against you. Bang, dial tone. I Filed a complaint with their custoimer service rep and got a call on my machine today that my knife will not be returned and this matter is closed. Last buck knife i will EVER buy.

SW

Rangefinder · September 27, 2006, 09:30 PM

Buck knives in particular tend to be tempered much harder than most--somewhere around a 54-56 Rockwell I think, where most are around a 45-48 usually. That's why they hold an edge better than most, and also why it's such a pain in the back-side to put an edge back on one if it's too far gone. The harder temper makes them more brittle and tips break easy if you try to pry with them in the slightest little way. Great hunting/dressing/skinning knives, but never ment to be a utility knife.

And there is no excuse for such terrible customer Service--I feel for ya.
Go with Gerber---never had a bad experience with one of those, ever.

FirstFreedom · September 27, 2006, 11:15 PM

That is awful stuff there. I can't believe that.

-Breaks with normal use
-Send it to them
-They say no warranty; abused 4 months later
-Then they in essence STEAL your broken knife by refusing to send it back!

Absurd. Thanks for the heads up; I'll keep that in mind.

P.S. And how, praytell, could they ascertain that the break was caused by "abuse" just by looking at it? Why did you need to send it in to make that assessment, bogus or not? Weird.

rem33 · September 28, 2006, 12:02 AM

Sorry for your problems with Buck as mine were quite the opposite.
I have broken two Bucks over the years, both were the 703 stockman. I broke the first one over stressing it splitting a deer brisket cleaning the deer. Blade was forced back into the closing springs. Snapped the tip off another cutting a ivory from a elks mouth. Almost fell off a ladder used the knife to catch my balance and broke the tip. In both cases I mailed the knife to Buck told them exactly what and how it happened and that it was my fault and could they repair the knife or repalce a blade. Both times I received a new knife in a couple of weeks or so.
Darn, wish you would have had the same experience as I did.

Okiewhitetail · September 28, 2006, 12:11 AM

With the ever growing knife makers youd think that they would do anything possible to keep your business. How hard is it to drop another blade in it and send it back with a note saying warrenty void, at least thats understandable. I always buy either Kershaw or Old timer.

Sodbuster · September 28, 2006, 06:17 AM

It may be worth emailing Joe Houser, the Buck forum moderator at

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=701

You'd need to register there in order to do this. I don't have much experience with Buck knives other than a 30 year old folding hunter, but that sounds like way out of the ordinary customer service from what I've heard.

smooks75 · September 28, 2006, 11:40 AM

First let me thank you for the report. Second...I am sorry that you had that experiance. I have had good knives from Buck but they were the older one's. Please emailing Joe Houser, the Buck forum moderator as Sodbuster suggested. You might get some satisfation there. Gerber and Cold steel for me for about the last 15 years. Never had probs with either one!

Eghad · September 30, 2006, 08:57 AM

you might want to invest in one of these for work.....

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Neck-She...695904?ie=UTF8

blade breaks or gets dull just change it out.....

outdoorzman · September 30, 2006, 12:21 PM

File a police report on "your" stolen property. They have no right to keep property that is rightfully yours.

BBush · October 1, 2006, 09:14 AM

They have no right to keep your "property" because if it is broken or not..it is still yours. If they are scared to send it back to you for a reliability issue, then they would be required to send you either a new one or your "repaired" one. If they are unwilling on sending you another knife, they must at least send you a refund for your cost. However, I think some of the problem is with you also. If you have broken two knives in a matter of five minutes or so, you are simply doing something that the knife was never intended on doing. You must put a fair amount of pressure on the tip of a knife to break two tips off in a matter of a few minutes.

silicon wolverine · October 1, 2006, 01:01 PM

BB i wasnt aware cutting through 1/8" thick soft rubber widow seals was overusing a knife.

SW

MR.G · October 1, 2006, 09:00 PM

Sounds like Buck owes you an apology, and a new knife. I just bought a Buck Alpha Hunter for about $60.00. Wish that I would have read this post first.
I would have bought another brand.

Meatco1 · October 2, 2006, 06:43 AM

After reading your post, I think I'll pass on buying any more Buck knives. Customer Service USED to be one of their big assets! Guess it's gone by the wayside since they moved.

Thanks for the update.

Richard

jrklaus · October 2, 2006, 07:20 PM

IANAL, but consider Small Claims Court? Make them spend $1000+ to hire a lawyer to defend themselves in the state where you live. Also, I would explore filing criminal charges with your local law enforcement.

Detachment Charlie · October 2, 2006, 09:55 PM

Glad I bought a Kershaw.

Joe Houser · December 29, 2006, 03:34 PM

A fellow Buck knife enthusiast told me about this post. I would sure like the chance to look into this. Something does not sound right. If you could send me an email, with your name and address, I will look it up on our computer. If we did something wrong, I would like to make it right. Please contact me.

I do not visit this site so please contact me through email.

Thank you,
Joe Houser
Director of Consumer Relations
Buck Knives Inc.

Richard.Howe · December 29, 2006, 07:15 PM

That's a good offer, SW. How many multi-million dollar companies would search out a way to make you whole? Sounds like you got caught up in the low-level bureaucratic BS unavoidable in big enterprise. This is a positive development and Buck deserves credit. Please do let us know how it all turns out?

Rich

M14fan · December 29, 2006, 09:41 PM

I have used Buck knives for nearly 30 years. Never had a problem with one. I do know they are quite hard and by default brittle. I have never been given to using a knife for a leverage tool and have never had a Buck break. I do know they can be VERY hard to sharpen if you let the edge go too far. I have also used Gerber, Kershaw, and Puma knives with great success. I am very sorry to learn of your poor customer service experience.

May I suggest looking to companies that supply auto glass and trim shops and see if they don't have a tool designed to do the job you are using your knives for?

guntotin_fool · December 30, 2006, 02:10 AM

I would have to say that Bucks response to my issues have been stellar, far and away above most of the shooting/outdoors industry, I would put them in the same category as Dillon or BRK&T as flat out bending over backwards to help customers.

I do not know you, SW, but with my experiences, I really have to wonder about how you approached this.

I am not flaming you, but this is so far out of line with how I and many others have been treated that I would be simply shocked to find that Buck would treat you this way.

pjsjr · December 30, 2006, 01:01 PM

Silicon Wolverine, I have many Buck knives and have sent in knives that I expected to have to pay to have fixed. One very near and dear, was old and never expected it able to be repaired, but was willing to pay Buck to try...they fixed it and sent it back to me, no charge.

I do hope that you give Joe Houser the chance to get this resolved. He moderates Buck Forum on BladeForum.com, goes out of his way to correct or get to the bottom of issues like this.

Please let us know how this works out for you. Preston

revjen45 · December 30, 2006, 09:58 PM

I realy like my S&W HRT. You might give one a look. For a fixed blade you can't beat a Glock. They take a fine edge and the saw back is what you would want in a field knife. I had heard Bucks are hard enough to be brittle- never owned one.

September 27, 2006, 08:13 PM	#1
silicon wolverine Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2006 Location: South dakota Posts: 674	Buck knives OK this has been close to a year in the making so don tthink i had one bad expierience and flew off the handle. i got a buck knife for work purposes last year. http://www.buckknives.com/catalog/detail/220/239 Good knife it looked to me. said lifetime warranty on the box. Great i thought. I used it for FIVE SECONDS and it broke off about a 1/4 inch from the tip. Well i thought maybe i got a bad one. Took it back to the knife shop i bought it from. No problems the guy said and handed me another one. This one lasted a whole minute before breaking in the same way. I was cutting rubber glass mouldings at the salvage yard i worked at and my dollar store pocket knife had been doing the job before that. I just got sick of the smaller kife and got a bigger one. So i call up buck's customer service line. the man i talked to was nice but seemed to be very uninformed. told me to send in my knife and they would take a look at it. i got his name and ext. number for reference. Mailed it off and got a letter back FOUR MONTHS later saying i abused the knife and they would not warranty it. I called the same rep i had talked to before and asked to speak to his supervisor. He gave me the runaround on this request for a good 30 minutes. Finally he put me through to a higher up andi explained the situation to him. i said fine if you think i abused it, send it back and ill use it as is. Well sir we cant do that. Why not i ask. He gives some line about liability concerns and sending out a damaged product. I give up at that point and tell him id like to speak to his boss. Well sir you'd have to call corpaorate on that. OK. He gave me the number to call and said I'll send the info to them today and you can get with them tomorrow. I call after a day or two and the lady i talked to knew nothing. Send me to your boss i said. I get on the phone with some jerk who wont listen to what i had to say and the call ended with quit harrasing us or we'll file charges against you. Bang, dial tone. I Filed a complaint with their custoimer service rep and got a call on my machine today that my knife will not be returned and this matter is closed. Last buck knife i will EVER buy. SW

September 27, 2006, 09:30 PM	#2
Rangefinder Senior Member Join Date: August 4, 2005 Posts: 2,017	Buck knives in particular tend to be tempered much harder than most--somewhere around a 54-56 Rockwell I think, where most are around a 45-48 usually. That's why they hold an edge better than most, and also why it's such a pain in the back-side to put an edge back on one if it's too far gone. The harder temper makes them more brittle and tips break easy if you try to pry with them in the slightest little way. Great hunting/dressing/skinning knives, but never ment to be a utility knife. And there is no excuse for such terrible customer Service--I feel for ya. Go with Gerber---never had a bad experience with one of those, ever. __________________ "Why is is called Common Sense when it seems so few actually possess it?" Guns only have two enemies: Rust and Politicians.

September 27, 2006, 11:15 PM	#3
FirstFreedom Junior member Join Date: May 31, 2004 Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A. Posts: 12,451	Holy crap! That is awful stuff there. I can't believe that. -Breaks with normal use -Send it to them -They say no warranty; abused 4 months later -Then they in essence STEAL your broken knife by refusing to send it back! Absurd. Thanks for the heads up; I'll keep that in mind. P.S. And how, praytell, could they ascertain that the break was caused by "abuse" just by looking at it? Why did you need to send it in to make that assessment, bogus or not? Weird.

September 28, 2006, 12:02 AM	#4
rem33 Junior member Join Date: March 31, 2006 Posts: 1,528	Buck knife Sorry for your problems with Buck as mine were quite the opposite. I have broken two Bucks over the years, both were the 703 stockman. I broke the first one over stressing it splitting a deer brisket cleaning the deer. Blade was forced back into the closing springs. Snapped the tip off another cutting a ivory from a elks mouth. Almost fell off a ladder used the knife to catch my balance and broke the tip. In both cases I mailed the knife to Buck told them exactly what and how it happened and that it was my fault and could they repair the knife or repalce a blade. Both times I received a new knife in a couple of weeks or so. Darn, wish you would have had the same experience as I did.

September 28, 2006, 12:11 AM	#5
Okiewhitetail Member Join Date: February 3, 2006 Location: Muldrow, Ok Posts: 29	With the ever growing knife makers youd think that they would do anything possible to keep your business. How hard is it to drop another blade in it and send it back with a note saying warrenty void, at least thats understandable. I always buy either Kershaw or Old timer. __________________ http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...3/02130253.jpg

September 28, 2006, 06:17 AM	#6
Sodbuster Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 1999 Location: Wyo-Tana Posts: 1,298	It may be worth emailing Joe Houser, the Buck forum moderator at http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=701 You'd need to register there in order to do this. I don't have much experience with Buck knives other than a 30 year old folding hunter, but that sounds like way out of the ordinary customer service from what I've heard.

September 28, 2006, 11:40 AM	#7
smooks75 Senior Member Join Date: June 27, 2006 Location: Reno, Nevada Posts: 161	silicon wolverine First let me thank you for the report. Second...I am sorry that you had that experiance. I have had good knives from Buck but they were the older one's. Please emailing Joe Houser, the Buck forum moderator as Sodbuster suggested. You might get some satisfation there. Gerber and Cold steel for me for about the last 15 years. Never had probs with either one!

September 30, 2006, 08:57 AM	#8
Eghad Senior Member Join Date: May 28, 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 6,231	you might want to invest in one of these for work..... http://www.amazon.com/Great-Neck-She...695904?ie=UTF8 blade breaks or gets dull just change it out..... __________________ Have a nice day at the range NRA Life Member

September 30, 2006, 12:21 PM	#9
outdoorzman Junior Member Join Date: November 22, 2004 Location: Redford, Michigan Posts: 7	File a police report on "your" stolen property. They have no right to keep property that is rightfully yours.

October 1, 2006, 09:14 AM	#10
BBush Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2005 Posts: 130	Buck Knives.. They have no right to keep your "property" because if it is broken or not..it is still yours. If they are scared to send it back to you for a reliability issue, then they would be required to send you either a new one or your "repaired" one. If they are unwilling on sending you another knife, they must at least send you a refund for your cost. However, I think some of the problem is with you also. If you have broken two knives in a matter of five minutes or so, you are simply doing something that the knife was never intended on doing. You must put a fair amount of pressure on the tip of a knife to break two tips off in a matter of a few minutes.

October 1, 2006, 01:01 PM	#11
silicon wolverine Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2006 Location: South dakota Posts: 674	BB i wasnt aware cutting through 1/8" thick soft rubber widow seals was overusing a knife. SW

October 1, 2006, 09:00 PM	#12
MR.G Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2001 Posts: 641	Sounds like Buck owes you an apology, and a new knife. I just bought a Buck Alpha Hunter for about $60.00. Wish that I would have read this post first. I would have bought another brand.

October 2, 2006, 06:43 AM	#13
Meatco1 Member Join Date: September 9, 2006 Location: Southern Colorado Posts: 28	After reading your post, I think I'll pass on buying any more Buck knives. Customer Service USED to be one of their big assets! Guess it's gone by the wayside since they moved. Thanks for the update. Richard

October 2, 2006, 07:20 PM	#14
jrklaus Senior Member Join Date: July 25, 2005 Location: Tennessee Posts: 520	IANAL, but consider Small Claims Court? Make them spend $1000+ to hire a lawyer to defend themselves in the state where you live. Also, I would explore filing criminal charges with your local law enforcement.

October 2, 2006, 09:55 PM	#15
Detachment Charlie Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2001 Location: FL Posts: 177	Glad I bought a Kershaw. __________________ I am old. I am retired. I am grouchy. I am intolerant, and I am judgemental. I am also alive. Thank you. I am off to the range. The U.N. is a criminal organization.

December 29, 2006, 03:34 PM	#16
Joe Houser Junior Member Join Date: December 29, 2006 Posts: 1	A fellow Buck knife enthusiast told me about this post. I would sure like the chance to look into this. Something does not sound right. If you could send me an email, with your name and address, I will look it up on our computer. If we did something wrong, I would like to make it right. Please contact me. I do not visit this site so please contact me through email. Thank you, Joe Houser Director of Consumer Relations Buck Knives Inc.

December 29, 2006, 07:15 PM	#17
Richard.Howe Junior Member Join Date: March 18, 2006 Posts: 3	That's a good offer, SW. How many multi-million dollar companies would search out a way to make you whole? Sounds like you got caught up in the low-level bureaucratic BS unavoidable in big enterprise. This is a positive development and Buck deserves credit. Please do let us know how it all turns out? Rich

December 29, 2006, 09:41 PM	#18
M14fan Senior Member Join Date: March 26, 2006 Location: Tennessee Posts: 777	I have used Buck knives for nearly 30 years. Never had a problem with one. I do know they are quite hard and by default brittle. I have never been given to using a knife for a leverage tool and have never had a Buck break. I do know they can be VERY hard to sharpen if you let the edge go too far. I have also used Gerber, Kershaw, and Puma knives with great success. I am very sorry to learn of your poor customer service experience. May I suggest looking to companies that supply auto glass and trim shops and see if they don't have a tool designed to do the job you are using your knives for? __________________ "Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." --George Washington

December 30, 2006, 02:10 AM	#19
guntotin_fool Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2004 Posts: 1,446	I would have to say that Bucks response to my issues have been stellar, far and away above most of the shooting/outdoors industry, I would put them in the same category as Dillon or BRK&T as flat out bending over backwards to help customers. I do not know you, SW, but with my experiences, I really have to wonder about how you approached this. I am not flaming you, but this is so far out of line with how I and many others have been treated that I would be simply shocked to find that Buck would treat you this way.

December 30, 2006, 01:01 PM	#20
pjsjr Member Join Date: April 16, 2006 Posts: 42	Silicon Wolverine, I have many Buck knives and have sent in knives that I expected to have to pay to have fixed. One very near and dear, was old and never expected it able to be repaired, but was willing to pay Buck to try...they fixed it and sent it back to me, no charge. I do hope that you give Joe Houser the chance to get this resolved. He moderates Buck Forum on BladeForum.com, goes out of his way to correct or get to the bottom of issues like this. Please let us know how this works out for you. Preston

December 30, 2006, 09:58 PM	#21
revjen45 Junior member Join Date: May 7, 2006 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 626	I realy like my S&W HRT. You might give one a look. For a fixed blade you can't beat a Glock. They take a fine edge and the saw back is what you would want in a field knife. I had heard Bucks are hard enough to be brittle- never owned one.