Knifemaking

Some knife warranty claims stretch the limits, while others are just plain bizarre.

It’s an honorable option, a sensible aspect of a purchase contract, but can be the source of confusion, head scratching and plain ridiculousness.

The warranty is the buyer’s insurance policy. It’s the seller’s willingness to stake a reputation for quality on the performance of the product—in this case, a knife—or at least that’s what it’s meant to be. However, there are times when real life strains what is actually believable. So, when we explore the nature of the warranty with some of the finest knife companies in the world, a few of their warranty claims simply flirt with the edge of reason.

Wacky warranty claims, contentions from supposedly “dissatisfied” customers, are out there. Frankly, when some of these are brought to light, they are simply unbelievable. Give a nod to customer creativity, but then get real and consider what happens to a solid performing knife that is not simply put to good use, hard work and tough labor. Beating a knife with a hammer, soaking the handle and blade in corrosive liquid for an extended period, or shooting the defenseless edged tool with a gun are all beyond the pale. Follow such escapades with a dose of sheer audacity and what you get are warranty claims that would make a rational individual shake his or her head.

“A customer put a MagnaCut blade in a glass of saltwater for seven hours and claimed the rusting and pitting should be covered by our warranty!” recalled Anne Reeve of Chris Reeve Knives. “Another requested we replace the packaging of the parts he ordered because they smelled too strongly of perfume or lotion. A customer sent a knife in for a re-blade, and the original blade had an arrow and a smiley face welded onto it.”

Really? Try a few more from Chris Reeve Knives. A customer complained that the phosphor bronze washers of his Sebenza had stains on them and simply would not accept that it was normal patina. He also complained that the knife was not sharp and he had to sharpen it himself. He ground half the blade away and then said he should get a completely new knife. A customer shot his knife with a 9mm pistol and then sent the company a photo of the broken knife while requesting a new one under the standard warranty.

At Chris Reeve Knives, reputation is everything, and the company stands by its knives. But let’s sanity check. Warranties are not “get out of jail free cards” for new knives.

“We try to keep consistency in our warranty, but we do sometimes vary on case-by-case situations,” Anne explained. “Over the years we have tightened things up a bit because often we felt we would give an inch and the customer would take a mile.”

Still, going out of their way to accommodate, the folks at Chris Reeve Knives have had some remarkable experiences.

“Mostly the customers who push back are simply rude,” Anne related. “Some just hang up or threaten to sell their knife. A customer informed us once that they had cut very acidic fruit multiple times and refused to clean the knife afterwards. They were furious we would not warranty their now rusted blade. Another customer took his brand new Umnumzaan and stabbed in into a tree. He then pried it 90 degrees to ‘tip test’ it. The tip snapped, and he claimed we should warranty the blade because what he did should not be considered misuse or abuse.”

Among unusual requests that Chris Reeve Knives went beyond the call of duty, or warranty, to make right, Anne has great memories. When a customer sent a 5.5-inch Green Beret in for recoating and it was lost in return shipping, the company made a custom iteration of the discontinued 5.5-inch knife from a 7-inch Green Beret blade blank. A sheath was available from the company archives and both were sent to the customer. When Reeve knives were abused by U.S. Customs officials, the company removed the scratches caused by bouncing around loose in transit, making the owner happy even though there was no warranty obligation. After an Army Special Forces soldier used his Yarborough to cut a live electric cable during a mission, he sent in the damaged knife with $50 asking for repairs. The company sent the $50 back along with a new knife.

“That original knife lives in my safe deposit box now,” Anne smiled. “On a few occasions we have older knives returned for sharpening and we can tell that the knife has been lovingly sharpened so many times that the blade is worn out. We have replaced the blades. When we made the One Piece Range, the paperwork specifically said that it was not a throwing knife and breakage from throwing would not be covered by warranty. A couple of times we had knives returned that were broken in two. The dings made it quite obvious that the knife had been thrown. Back then, we would replace the knife and give the customer a verbal slap on the wrist.”

Though Reeve, like other companies, has found it necessary to scrutinize warranty requests more closely in recent years, the dedicated effort to make the customer happy remains strong. At Chris Reeve Knives, the warranty is, as Anne puts it, “phenomenal.”

Judgment Calls

When did the rules change? Where does the line between normal expectation and radical knife recklessness blur?

“We’ve had a few forgeries sent to us for repairs,” commented BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Daniel Winkler of Winkler Knives. “Reactions from customers can get hot when they learn they have been duped. Not many warranty requests are really ‘crazy’; normal sharpening or sometimes fixing a damaged tip. People also request a re-finish for worn blades. If a knife fails for any reason we will either fix it or replace it, and normal blade finish wear is not covered under warranty. Working knives should look used.”

Winkler is sensitive to certain situations and sees extraordinary conditions for what they are.

“On a few occasions we have sent replacement knives without receiving damaged ones back,” he remarked. “One was a military user that used his knife to destroy a communications location in a war zone. He fried the power supply, and it fused the knife in the connection. Another was a hiker who saved his dog in a rockslide. His knife fell to the bottom of a gorge, so we replaced it, too. A third was used in a home situation where a man used his Winkler knife to stab an intruder to save his family. His knife was held as evidence, so we sent him a new one.”

There lies the real judgment call in rendering the warranty verdict. Does the customer’s story pass the simple test of reasonableness? If so, most companies might feel a pang of compassion and try to resolve the request in the interest of good customer relations. Still, it’s a tough challenge sometimes. As much as a customer might feel slighted if a warranty request is dishonored, the maker might well feel used when the circumstances are not plausible or strain the normal standards that most people would accept.

“We go out of our way to promote positive customer relations,” Daniel added. “We have replaced or refunded knives and axes that we probably shouldn’t have due to how they were damaged in abuse, like prying or throwing. We will normally take the hit, but if it happens again we do not honor any warranty.”

Case-By-Case Decisions

At TOPS Knives, warranty requests are evaluated with the best outcome in mind. “Our philosophy on our warranty is that we have some things that will void a warranty or won’t be covered under warranty, but we still handle them all on a case-by-case basis,” remarked general manager Craig Powell. “The people that are honest and level with us are way more likely to get their issue handled under warranty—even if it shouldn’t be—than people that are rude or clearly lying to us.

“I always find it funny when someone says something happened to their knife and then the actual damage to the knife in no way matches their description,” Powell continued. “Like, maybe they think we don’t actually use or test our own gear and so we don’t know what would cause certain things to happen. But really, in the end very few people that contact us with an issue treat us poorly. So the vast majority get help under warranty.”

Powell remembers certain circumstances that were somewhat unusual prior to a warranty request.

“When I had only been working here for a year or two, I took a call from a guy that was concerned about an issue with his Silent Hero. I talked to him for probably 15 minutes trying to figure out what was wrong. He kept saying that the knife was getting deformed and all he was doing was [batonning the blade spine to make] firewood. It probably took me longer than it should have, but I finally thought to ask what he was using as a baton. Turns out he was using the hammer side of a hatchet as his baton. So, a thick piece of metal is what he was using rather than a stick. I chuckled to myself and then we talked through the process of having a hatchet in your hand and choosing to use a knife to process firewood rather than the hatchet. He said ‘Oh!’ Then he basically apologized and said he understood. We didn’t end up fixing that knife for him, but that was because he realized what he had done and probably kept it as a reminder or trophy.”

On another occasion, a tornado destroyed a home and carried away a safe full of knives, including TOPS models. Some two to three years later, the safe was found. The knives were intact and basically undamaged. When TOPS was contacted for help with slight rust on the blade and engraving, the company obliged at no cost. Hikers have been known to lose TOPS knives on the trail and then miraculously find them months later. When the owner of one of these calls for warranty assistance, the TOPS folks fix the knives up, cleaning and refurbishing before sending them back in the context of a lesson learned: hold onto your valuables while out in the woods, especially your knife.

Extreme Situations

Military experiences have brought up several warranty requests, and these are sometimes caused by extreme situations. A Tom Brown Tracker was lost during the horrific explosion of an IED (improvised explosive device) in Iraq. The soldier involved was a chaplain, who returned some time later to the village where the explosion occurred. An old lady came forward with his knife after an interpreter and a $20 bill did some talking. The knife had been used in splitting wood.

“It was beat to hell,” Powell remembered. “The saw teeth had basically been mushroomed out of existence from this lady beating on it with a piece of metal. We swapped the soldier a new one and still have that knife [above] here today.”

A Black Rhino was lost when a desert barracks burned to the ground. The owner recovered the knife. Its scales were completely gone and the knife could not be repaired. TOPS sent the destroyed piece back to the serviceman along with a brand-new Black Rhino.

“While our policy isn’t a no-fault policy, we still cover most issues,” Craig said. “We know what we’re making is quality, and we strive for that on every knife. So anything that a customer’s knife should be able to do but doesn’t is going to get covered.”

In the broadest sense, the warranty works both ways. It protects buyer and seller and invokes the sense of quality and pride of craftsmanship, with reasonable performance expectation and use. There are outliers, but for the most part both knifemaker and knife user work together with warranties to achieve positive resolutions.

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How to get the most from your knives on social media platforms.

It’s immediate. It’s visual. It’s effective.

These are just a few of the attributes that describe the impact of social media on modern life. Whatever the topic, some form of social media allows participants, observers, critics and commentators to weigh in, expressing their views and—of course—buying and selling.

For instance, the platform of Instagram has become a prominent factor in the marketing of many custom knifemakers, purveyors and collectors, and the reasons for the phenomenon are varied. They center around the immediacy, visual quality and effectiveness in showcasing and selling, developing a following, and generally in raising a knifemaker’s profile in the all-important marketplace. Setting up an Instagram account is simple, cost-effective and for many generates the desired results.

“Instagram and other social media platforms are an excellent way to put yourself in the public’s eye,” noted purveyor/ABS master smith Dave Ellis of exquisiteknives.com. “Through good knife photography, clear and precise descriptions of the same, and reasonable follow-up you can publicize your products as well as introduce your website. TikTok is rapidly gaining popularity, and YouTube is an excellent way to achieve your goal of spreading the gospel of custom knives.”

Kim Breed, knifemaker and BLADE® field editor, uses Instagram to generate sales and promote awareness among the buying public while also offering some insights into the knifemaking process. The value of experience is levered through the visual, and everybody gains.

“I do videos and tutorials and just basically little blurbs of me building a knife,” Kim commented. “I show the blade when I’m finished grinding and then the final product. That’s when it is put up for sale. Tutorials let people know this is why I charge what I charge, the little steps that you do when you’re making a knife. For example, when you’re forging you can show that process.”

Breed, whose videos are available on Instagram at kimbreed1911, advises that would-be Instagram users monitor their posts, beware of hashtags that are too generic, and frequently assess the return on their investment of time.

“A lot depends on the hashtags,” he said. “People can copy stuff, come up with a fake account, or hack into anything. Once you start, you’ve got to stay on it. I’ve gotten messages that don’t make sense, and you can catch situations where people have set up fake accounts and used your pictures to get people to send money first when they are scamming. Check every hashtag you do and make sure it’s going to a knife site. That was something I’ve picked up in the five or six years I’ve been doing Instagram.”

For those who choose to display their wares on Instagram or any other social media, Ellis recommends, “Scammers are everywhere, so do your due diligence and look deeper into anything that looks too good to be true. Haters are very common, so expect some negative comments and take them in stride. Getting into a heated battle only fuels the folks that like to fan the flames, so keep a cool head and remember that your goal is to promote the use and collecting of custom knives as an art form and tool.”

Knife Makers & Knife Collectors Connect

ABS master smith Neels van den Berg, who runs Black Dragon Forge based in South Africa, keeps his Instagram use in perspective. There are obvious positives and potential pitfalls, but he sees an incredible opportunity to raise visibility.

“Instagram is a free platform designed primarily for sharing photos and videos to foster social interaction,” Neels commented. “Users can reasonably expect to engage with its 2.11 billion users worldwide by uploading and interacting with content through likes, comments and direct messages [DMs#]. However, it’s important to understand that Instagram’s core purpose isn’t sales, it’s connection. Social media users should approach the platform as a tool for storytelling, networking, and building a community rather than expecting it to function as a direct sales engine. Understanding this distinction is critical when crafting a marketing strategy for your business.”

According to van den Berg, Instagram can amplify a knifemaker’s reach, create brand awareness and build credibility, which may lead to sales. But these are byproducts of fostering genuine engagement and building relationships through the platform.

“For a knife business or hobby, this means showcasing the passion and craftsmanship behind your work,” Neels remarked. “People will follow you for who you are—your skills, values and story—not just for what you have to sell. Social media users are often turned off by hard sales pitches, so the focus should be on creating content that resonates emotionally or intellectually with your audience. While sales might be part of the eventual outcome, it shouldn’t be the primary intent. Instead, aim to captivate your audience by showing the process behind your craft: the highs and lows, the struggles and triumphs, and the sheer joy of creating. When you build this level of connection, your products naturally become a way for followers to support you rather than a commodity you’re trying to sell.”

The secret to Instagram and social media success is certainly influenced by the delivery. Setting up a presence and presenting a perspective on the maker’s work and creative journey do make a difference.

“Users should expect to display their point of view in a clear and cohesive way,” related ABS master smith Nick Rossi of Vassalboro, Maine-based Nick Rossi Knives. “That means who they are, what they make, and why they make it. Social media is a relatively efficient way to project that to a potential customer. Sales and cultivating a customer are byproducts of that action.”

Setting Social Media Goals

Finding the right combination of social media outlets depends on the knifemaker’s perspective. Analyzing what the maker hopes to achieve drives the investment of time and attention.

“The best social media platform depends entirely on your goals, audience and the type of content you want to share,” van den Berg observed. “Each platform serves different purposes and attracts unique demographics, so a thoughtful combination works best.

“I have three primary goals on Instagram: 1) Showcasing my craftsmanship—I aim to highlight the intricate details and artistry of my creations, emphasizing their quality and uniqueness. This draws attention to the skill and effort behind each piece, making my work stand out in a crowded marketplace; 2) Building my brand identity—My goal is to establish a recognizable and authentic brand that resonates within the knifemaking community. This isn’t about a logo or maker’s mark, it’s about the story, values and personality behind my work; 3) Engaging with my community—Social media is about relationships. By actively participating in discussions, responding to DMs and comments and sharing insights, I foster a sense of community among knife enthusiasts and artisans.”

To achieve his goals, Neels relies on high-quality visual content, educational posts, consistent branding, and authentic interaction through responses to comments or joining a relevant conversation.

Ellis commented, “For retail sales, I prefer TikTok and YouTube. By utilizing every media that you can, your products are constantly put in front of not only the buying public, but you are also promoting yourself to show promoters and attendees.” Instagram and Facebook are the priorities for Rossi “because that’s what most of my customers use.”

He added, “I only have time to manage two platforms on top of being a professional craftsperson. For collecting and very niche topics, Facebook groups provide a wealth of knowledge. I have a private Facebook group for only my online and in-person students that has worked very well for advice and troubleshooting.”

Variations of content help keep social media posts entertaining and business related, and encourage a possible exchange of information.

“We live in a world of short, informative, and, let’s face it, lively. Clicks mean interaction, potential video formats,” Rossi observed. “Attention spans have grown shorter, and social media users have come to expect shorter, action-packed video. If you are going to have narration, subtitles are important. Users want the option of viewing without sound. Choosing popular songs may help your videos pop up in the algorithm more readily. I want people to think of me as a skillful knifemaker with a focus on forging, a maker of interesting and innovative knives, and an experienced educator. Each post focuses on one of those three things.”

Social Media Do’s And Don’ts

An awareness of certain standards provides knifemakers with extra assurance that their posts meet the chosen platform’s guidelines and minimize the risk of being flagged or taken down. Though Breed said he has done well with Instagram sales, the limitations of filters can have negative effects on viewership.

“Filters can hurt a knifemaker, so before you might get 100,000 or 200,000 views,” he said, “but you can’t do that if you picture a knife as an item of war, and watch out what you say about politics and whatever. Stay away from there.” Ellis agrees. “Stay away from animals or any violent visuals when posting,” he added. “Stick to the art or utilitarian uses for custom knives, and you should be OK.”

For van den Berg, compliance and creative communication are essential to success when visualizing or discussing knife-related topics on social media.

“The key is to reframe how your work is presented, ensuring that it aligns with platform guidelines while still engaging your audience,” he remarked. “Avoid flagged terms like ‘knife,’ ‘blade,’ or ‘weapon,’ and instead use neutral or creative alternatives such as ‘tool,’ ‘craft,’ or ‘functional art.’ These terms emphasize the artistry and utility of your pieces, shifting focus away from their potential as weapons. Repositioning your knives within broader contexts is another effective tactic. Showcase them as tools for culinary use, outdoor adventures or collectible art. Using in-progress shots, close-ups of handles, or images that emphasize materials and craftsmanship can sidestep direct visual triggers while still highlighting your work.”

Another knifemaker option is to place the work in context.

“To further circumvent restrictions, use storytelling and indirect messaging,” Neels encouraged. “Instead of explicitly saying, ‘Check out my new knife,’ share the inspiration behind the design or challenges faced during its creation. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok, which favor storytelling and visual diversity, are ideal for this approach. Additionally, private groups, email newsletters, or niche forums provide safer spaces to share uncensored content with your core audience.”

Reaching as many followers, shoppers, and potential buyers as possible, custom knifemakers who take advantage of social media routinely find that the reward is in lock step with the attention and time devoted to originate and maintain a strong presence. For those who manage it well, social media exists in the present and will remain a formidable asset in the future.

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