Disappointed in new Buck 303 :(

chevyrulez1 said:
I have a older Buck 303 I bought 2nd hand, but thought I would get me a new one. After getting burned with a counterfeit Kershaw at a knife show recently, I thought I would be sure to go through a reputable dealer. I decided to show a little love to Buck and **Edited Dealer name out**, and went to order it off their site. The site said they were out of stock but they typically would ship in 7-10 days, which was cool because I wasn't in a hurry. Kudos to the dealer in that it shipped sooner than I thought it would, but when I opened the package I was disappointed.
The first thing I noticed is the sheep foot and spey blade were hard to open, and were dragging and hanging on each other. When looking at it, it appeared that the metal "frame" was bent inward in the middle squeezing the three blades together (tried to get a picture but it is hard to capture on the camera). Then when I held it up to the light, there are big gaps in the back springs towards the ends of the knife, and it looks like a bunch of crud trapped in there. My first instinct was to start tweaking on it, but then I though, "I just spent $75 on this, I am not going to accept this the way it is!"
So I am wondering if I should reach out to the dealer and return it, or if I should reach out to Buck and see if they will make it right? Thoughts?

I have never had any issues with any of my other Buck knives, but I am kind of bummed about this 😕
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I recently had an issue with a case knife that I couldn't deal with. I decided to send it into Case to fix instead of returning to the retailer. Typically I think manufacturing defects should be dealt with by the manufacturer, but if you want a solution to the problem to be quick you're probably better off returning it to the retailer. I hear Buck has good customer service.
 
As others have suggested I think that should be returned and replaced.

My dad loves Bucks (he's 85 and he still carries one). I've owned several over the years but do not currently have a Buck folder. I've tried to buy one in person (to avoid any surprises) at the local shop but always end up walking away without one. I don't want to spend an hour+ reprofiling and then sharpening a brand new blade. Their grinds are often... laughable. I'm not sure why they can't or won't do a better job. The gritty action is a bother too.
Sadly I feel like they just aren't competitive in today's market.
 
Put it this way Victorinox can make knives for a lot less,I have never seen a defective one.

I would return it for a refund and buy something else.
 
Matt_WY said:
In the past It was stated that slipjoints are a small fraction of their sales, the equipment is old, and there is no plan/interest to upgrade it.
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I had a "feeling" when Buck dropped all domestic 300 series except the 301 and 301 claiming they were remodeling, enlarging, and updating that area for slipjoint production, the discontinuation of the other knives was "temporary", they were going to bring some of the offshore 37x/38x onshore, and bring out new slipjoint patterns, it was a "slightly" inaccurate assessment of the situation. 🤔
301 and 303 were the best sellers of the "old" 300 series. They have (or had offshore versions of the discontinued models, as well. I don't know if they still do, other than the single blade 301 size. I think that one is still made offshore.)
TBH I expect the 301/303 will be dropped in the next few years (maybe before I am discontinued?), "replaced" by the 371/373 respectively.

I believe the old slipjoint production area was "upgraded" to handle their modern folders and/or autos. 🙄

Buck's gotta do what they gotta do to remain competitive, right? 😇
 
OK, the retailer replied to my e-mail, they sent me a prepaid shipping label and said they would be glad to exchange it or refund my money. I am going to opt for a replacement if they have one in stock. Excellent customer service! I can't really ask for anything more.
 
Since they don't feel it's necessary put any center liners in there the least they could do is swedge the blades. That'd solve almost all of the rubbing problems. They went too far in cutting corners on their knives.

Eric
 
afishhunter said:
(maybe before I am discontinued?)
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Don’t worry, I don’t see you being discontinued anytime soon. I can’t promise your stateside assembly won’t require the addition of some foreign-sourced components, though, at some point…
 
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