My Pro Tech....Broke, heck! Am I crazy for wanting this warranty repaired?

[whocares]

Whats up guys. I purchased this Pro Tech Godfather from Blade HQ in september last year. I purchased the Godfather because I had the TR4 and love it. My TR4 is my edc and it seems to be a very well made knife. I never carry the Godfather because I got the tuxedo finish and was keeping it as a dress knife or something that I would only carry occasionally. I know that the stiletto tip is not exactly beefy and that it would be safer to not try it as a utility knife.

Anyway last night I showed my brother my Godfather as he had just purchased a new Microtech OTF at Orion Arms locally. When he pressed the button for auto open and he dropped the knife on my porch. The blade broke right off and not right at the tip but approx an 1/8 inch back where the blade has some heft. I was embarassed as I had been talking up my Protech knife then I felt very disappointed with the knife.

Am I crazy or should a $240 knife with a heat treated 154cm blade hold up a little better? This knife has never cut anything nor been sharpened. I thought Pro Tech would graciously take my knife as a warranty repair when I explained how and what had happened. I was expecting an appology and a reassurance that their knife steel is better than this.

I was informed that dropping a knife is not a warranty issue and that a new blade was $60. I just dont feel like their is $240 value at all represented in this knife. I post this here for unbias knifers oppinions on how they would proceed with this issue. I may reprofile the tip or have it done I should say. Any suggestions on who can do that?

Am I too easily accepting their denial of warranty coverage? Should I fight more for justice.here or am I just wrong to expect a dropped knife to be covered? I mean its not a chrystal glass or a lamp from Italy marked FRAGILE. It is a knife from a company who is supposed to be proud of the quality of their product.

What would you do?

 

[groovatron]

That's a tough one.......hard to blame that on a heat treat. I don't know........I suppose you are at the mercy of the maker. A lot of companies are charging to replace blades that come in with broken tips now. Sounds like an unfortunate accident and the knife hit just right to break the tip off. Folks are always dropping autos at shows when they aren't anticipating that "thwap."

Good luck......sorry that happened.

 

[Bradsknives]

Personally I don't feel this happened due to the lack of quality in the steel or heat treat. Most knives are not designed to be thrown or dropped onto hard surfaces and obviously in your case the blade hit just right to cause the damage. The blade design on the Godfather and Godson is a dagger style blade and the tip is thinner than a lot of other blade profiles which makes it more susceptible to damage when using it in a wrong manner (like prying) or when accidents happen like in your case.

Your Protech dealer should be able to help you out by taking the issue to the next level with Protech. Many times I have had companies actually take care of issues that they wouldn't take care of when my customers have called. When I call on behalf of my customers, I usually have about 90% success rate of getting things fixed at no charge, and most of the time it is a broken tip on the blade.

 

[M67]

First of all, it's pronounced Fraj-EEEE-lay

Secondly, sucks that your tip broke but concrete, tile, and other floorings are pretty hard. First day I got my Swamp Rat Rucki I dropped it on some tile and dinged the edge good. I've whacked glass with my $475 RMJ Tactical Tomahawk and managed to mar the edge good. Blades are decently hard, but the rockwell on a lot of common things are harder. This tip, hitting harder surface, gravity..it sometimes doesn't mix.

As Brad said, contact the people you bought it through to see if they'd send it in on your behalf. Manufacturers often do things for dealers they won't do for customers, or at least for free anyway

 

[whocares]

I appreciate your guys insight and I know that this wasnt a utility knife. If I break the tip off my Tops Condor Alert I will call Brad first, lol!

I purchased this online at BladeHQ and this is exactly why I prefer to do business locally. I work at an outdoor power equipment dealership and warranty issues are an everyday concern. I agree with you Brad that dealers have much more sway with mfgs than consumers but my dealer is an online retailer. Guess it couldnt hurt to call them

What sucks most is what a pathetic drop it was. I mean the knife seemingly floated down five feet to the concrete and I wasnt even worried about it. When I picked it up I was shocked that it was broken.

Is this pretty far back on the blade for a tip break? If I go for a re profile approach who can I use? If I reprofile the tip I am thinking of a tanto style tip, does that seem possible?

Thanks guys

 

[jsharmon7]

So your brother dropped it? What kind of knife is he buying you to replace it?

 

[whocares]

So your brother dropped it? What kind of knife is he buying you to replace it?

Honestly he had just purchased new Microtech and I was talking so much trash about how he should have gotten a real quality knife like my Protech, that when it broke I felt so totally embarassed, it was horrible.

I dont have anything against Microtech but I had a Protech and it was essential that my little bro question his decision about buying the microtech!

After two solid hours of questioning his intelligence for not buying a knife like mine since I know so much and all I couldnt bare to say that he had broken it. I actually just closed it up and told him since he obviously cant handle the power of My Protechs snap fast opening that he couldnt hold it again. I suggested he stick with his Microtech as it was safer for less advanced knifers like himself. I then locked myself in my bathroom and quietly freaked out about my loss.

Can you imagine giving your little brother the satisfaction of calling me out 100% for utter bullspit. He doesnt know it broke and probably lays in bed every night wondering if he should have gotten one of those strong opening knives like his brother has. I would rather not tell him than have a new knife

 

[Whitsettd8]

Tacticool screw driver?

 

[dfcrane]

It really sucks, but I would pay the $60 for a new blade. It was not really the knife's fault. It was just an unfortunate accident. Could have been worse if it had stuck in your foot.

 

[Dean C.]

Microtech makes better knives IMHO lol but sorry to see the kife was damaged.

 

[buckstopshere]

Honestly he had just purchased new Microtech and I was talking so much trash about how he should have gotten a real quality knife like my Protech, that when it broke I felt so totally embarassed, it was horrible.

I dont have anything against Microtech but I had a Protech and it was essential that my little bro question his decision about buying the microtech!

After two solid hours of questioning his intelligence for not buying a knife like mine since I know so much and all I couldnt bare to say that he had broken it. I actually just closed it up and told him since he obviously cant handle the power of My Protechs snap fast opening that he couldnt hold it again. I suggested he stick with his Microtech as it was safer for less advanced knifers like himself. I then locked myself in my bathroom and quietly freaked out about my loss.

Can you imagine giving your little brother the satisfaction of calling me out 100% for utter bullspit. He doesnt know it broke and probably lays in bed every night wondering if he should have gotten one of those strong opening knives like his brother has. I would rather not tell him than have a new knife

this made me really laugh. I don't have a brother but this is exactly what I always imagined it would be like.

Sorry for your loss bro. Brad has been able to pull many o rabbits out of the proverbial hat for his customers. That may be your best course going forward.

I wouldnt let it dissuade you from protechs in the future. They make a really good blade as you already know. This was bad luck.

 

[whocares]

Yeah man, you can understand what type of bad taste in the mouth feeling tough to let go of. You are right that I want to believe that Protech is a better knife than this.

I am just a regular middle class dad who works hard for his money and family. For myself its a big deal to shell out the $250 it costs for one of these knives. It is a big deal when I make a purchase of this magnitude for myself. I mean its like I I buy myself presents sometimes if I am a litle ahead of the game and I have some me money at the end of some months. So i feel like I do a ton of research about a product before i decide which manufacturer I will ultimately believe in the most. With the internet now the act of product research is vast and there is alot of stiff competition out there who make great products and are equally accessible from a shipping standpoint. It is a tough call and when I decide which product i will ultimately support i have alot of time and energy invested in that.

I spent five hundered dollars on Protech knives last year because I truly believed they were the best knife for the money available. I purchased the TR4 from MensToy Shop in Brown County while doing the weekend getaway thing with my wife. He has a real nice.shop and I reccomend anyone.check him out. Anyway I went in there to see the Tops folders and held the TR4 and popped it open and knew that this was my knife. I say that meaning I carry my TR4 all day everyday. I dont have an EDC rotation I have an EDC! Its not everyday if you rotate it, right! After a month of having the TR4 I knew that I was going to buy that Godfather model he had that i was so impressed with at his shop. That tuxedo finish and the CM153 steel blade was just sick looking. So three months after my first Protech purchase I called him back up at Mens Toy Shop to buy that tuxedo finish stiletto style knife he had. He had sold it and I was ready now to buy it !! BladeHQ had it in stock ready to ship for the same exact price as our local shop. I couldnt wait and got the knife.

I will almost 99% not buy another Protech now not because the knife broke but because they really didnt even care to see pics of the blade or care that I had just spent $500 dollars in the last six months on Protech. I believe absolutely that this is a bum rap and bad luck for myself concerning the overall quality of Protech hardware. Imagine you buy that knife and literally leave it in a box in your gun case for the occasional situation I get to wear my dress knife. Occasional like carried six times a year type of dress knife. It even sounds retarded, dress knife, but its how I rationalized spending that much on a knife that would never be carried. I loved its look and I needed a $250 dress knife. Anyway four months later Ive shown it to a couple.friends who.may come over and carried to a play or something one time. Then I am showing my brother just real casual and from his waist he lets the knife pop out of his hand. I get the bad luck and that the slim stilletto style blade was very prone to breaking. So it wasnt Protechs fault. If they cared though they could have taken care of me. I get how it works, we do it everyday, it is about how important my personal business is to that company which gets problems like this covered by a top quality business manufacturers. Protech reps didnt care that it was a bad luck or that I had rspent what was to me a lot of money on their products in the last six months. They could have blown smoke that they were concerned enough to at least have the knife shipped back for a forensic diagnosis of how the steel failed. Like I.said blown smoke, but at the end of the day it didnt matter to them at all and I wont spend more money with that company in the future. I dont have to. There are lots of good knives and Protech wont be one I will buy again anytime soon. Not at all because they are not great knives but because I am not valued at all as a consumer

Brad values his consumers and thus treats them accordingly. The personal relationships we have with local businesses is why dealers like Brad are such a valuable commodity. I know that you would go to bat for.your customers in a situation like this because you value your customers and its why you are doing what you do.

Even if BladeHQ cared enough to call Protech on my behalf and they somehow got Protech to replace my knife, even then I dont think I would buy another Protech, well maybe then!

 

[cmr13]

I personally don't think that it's really a warranty issue since it was dropped. If the blade broke off during normal use, then yes, it's an issue with the blade. But if the blade was dropped I don't think they should be expected to cover it. It was your (or your brother's) fault that it broke, not the fault of the company. They did offer a new blade for (obviously) a lot less then the whole knife cost. Yes, they could just cover the cost of the blade, but I can understand why they didn't/wouldn't.

Again, just my opinion.

 

[ISP 5353]

I would probably pay to have the blade replaced. If I like the knife, I keep it and never let my brother near it again, or if I am really frustrated with the knife and the brand I would sell it off and buy something else. Not worth stressing over. Lots of great knives out here!

 

[Knife Lady]

There is no give in concrete. I have seen many drop a knife and the tip break off. That can happen very easily. Too bad it happened but at least they are offering a solution if you decide to accept . There are only a few companies who will fix or replace a knife that was broken under those circumstances. It is so easy to drop a knife and that is why we are picky sometimes on allowing certain knives to be played with at the shows. Most of the floors at the shows are concrete or tile and very hard and will break knives.

 

[MDave]

Honestly he had just purchased new Microtech and I was talking so much trash about how he should have gotten a real quality knife like my Protech, that when it broke I felt so totally embarassed, it was horrible.

I dont have anything against Microtech but I had a Protech and it was essential that my little bro question his decision about buying the microtech!

After two solid hours of questioning his intelligence for not buying a knife like mine since I know so much and all I couldnt bare to say that he had broken it. I actually just closed it up and told him since he obviously cant handle the power of My Protechs snap fast opening that he couldnt hold it again. I suggested he stick with his Microtech as it was safer for less advanced knifers like himself. I then locked myself in my bathroom and quietly freaked out about my loss.

Can you imagine giving your little brother the satisfaction of calling me out 100% for utter bullspit. He doesnt know it broke and probably lays in bed every night wondering if he should have gotten one of those strong opening knives like his brother has. I would rather not tell him than have a new knife

You just made my day...Big tough dude locked in the bathroom freakin over a knife. NICE Id go to your dealer and talk a bit with them. Maybe they can get you a better deal on a replacement blade or a new blade. Either way you can shoot the breeze with em a bit and check out other toys.

 

[MDave]

I had a similar experience with truck parts. I bought a new cover for my truck. Spend way to dang much money on this cover because it was supposed to be the best. It shows up with the wrong mounting hardware and I go through all kind of gibberish with their customer support. I returned it and will never buy anything from Bak Flip Industries again. I bet there is someone at Protech that does care about your story you just haven't spoken with them yet. Regardless of how it plays out you should fix the knife and forget ( as much as you can) about the sour stuff and enjoy your knife.

 

[PoolQs]

Many years ago I owned a Manufacture's Rep Agency and dealt with many type returns and customer service issues. Many times I would get calls the same way ... "All I did was .... and pryed it up this way ... and it fell this way ... " and the end result
was "even though I did all these things, your product should have handled it. Send me another". While stated by many above, I think the manufacture has offered you a good service on replacement. From the description above, it doesn't sound like
a manufacture flaw or warranty issue. I would file this one as "wrong place, wrong time" category. Sorry for the mishap, just don't try it on other manufacture's products, you might get the same results.

 

[jsharmon7]

I think if I were in this type of business, I'd replace the knife for free. What are the cost of materials and labor for making a knife blade for a big company? Are the costs to replace a blade for free higher than the amount of future business you lose? I don't think it reflects bad quality on Protech's part that the knife broke. A 5 foot drop onto concrete would bend/break most knives I would guess. In that regard I understand why they are saying it's not a warranty issue, but I think if it were me I'd try to make the customer happy so he continues to buy $250 knives from me.

 

[whocares]

I think if I were in this type of business, I'd replace the knife for free. What are the cost of materials and labor for making a knife blade for a big company? Are the costs to replace a blade for free higher than the amount of future business you lose? I don't think it reflects bad quality on Protech's part that the knife broke. A 5 foot drop onto concrete would bend/break most knives I would guess. In that regard I understand why they are saying it's not a warranty issue, but I think if it were me I'd try to make the customer happy so he continues to buy $250 knives from me.

THIS +1