Bent Vise????

Legacy Forum Archive techniques-and-sharpening-strategies
41

I’ve been holding off replying to this thread since I think it’s best handled between Wicked Edge and the customer privately, as Leo suggested. Nonetheless, as uncomfortable for Wicked Edge as it may be to have this aired publicly, this thread has been very rewarding both in pointing out the problems and acknowledging Wicked Edge’s superior customer service and efforts to fix the issue - according to everyone involved with the bent vise, everyone has received a replacement in a very timely manner.

As a customer of Wicked Edge and supplier of some of the Wicked Edge Products (not the vises) I sit on both sides of the fence. I made the decision to recall of one of my own products several years ago and believe me, it’s no fun. I’m sure they are very unhappy about this problem, and working like mad behind the scenes to get it fixed - which may very well account for Clay’s lack of activity here.

It’s not my place to offer a reason or excuse for what’s happening to the vises, nor will I. But I believe this thread has veered off track a little in the past couple of posts. I’d like to ask everyone to take a step back for a moment and take a fresh look at the problem so we can continue with a productive discussion about an issue with the vises.

Here’s what I see in this thread:

1st Problem: Kevinzk’s original vise bent.

Reason: Turns out some of the vises were not hardened correctly, making those units defective (which we now know it was roughly 10% of the batch - post #1354).

Solution: Wicked Edge sent out a replacement.

Result: He was happy about the customer service, pleased with the WEPS overall, but not thrilled about his knives getting scratched up. (as per post #1268)

From my point of view, the problem for Kevinzk has been resolved as best as it could be. He’s a little hesitant and worried the vise may bend again, and this is an acceptable concern to voice.

2nd problem: Several other members noticed their vises had bent.

Solution: Wicked edge sent out replacements in a very timely manner.

Result: People are satisfied with the customer service, and David Lacey said it perfectly:

3rd Problem: Babo experiences a second, then third vise bending.

Reason: Previous to Babo’s second vise bending, David Lacey posted: quote said she would send me out a replacement but that it would be from the same batch and could be part of the defective 10%[/quote]

Solution: Problem not solved as of yet.

Result: Babo is not happy - (and understandably so!) - and said [quote]to date Clay has been totally silent on the matter. And to my knowledge any and all communications on this issue has initiated by the users with the bad vises. [/quote]

This is where the crack in the thread begins. Clay has not personally responded on the forum, but it is obvious that Wicked Edge is acknowledging the problem to those 10% who call in with a defective vise. IMO, you can’t ask for more - which is what Leo basically said in post #1405.

However, in post #1401, Leo suggested [quote] …that your complaints should be forwarded to Clay privately at the WE rather than here. If you were not receiving support then it would be a different story, but you are and it has been explained that this is a flawed batch and they are trying mightily to discover which of the many new vises are the culprits…[/quote]

I’m not taking sides here, just laying it out as I see it.

We all feel your frustration Babo and Kevinzk (and anyone else). Venting is normal, and it may very well be that you ultimately walk away from the WEPS unsatisfied, which would be very unfortunate, indeed.

But at this point, it is beyond any of the forum members - Leo in particular - to be able to take this discussion any further until Clay posts an update and/or you contact Wicked Edge directly with your concerns.

With all due respect to everyone in this thread, Posts 1409, 1430, 1433, and 1435 are off topic and non productive, IMO. These posts are where a mob mentality starts taking hold, pushing a thread to get locked.

To end with a little lightheartedness, those last 4 posts are like my wife when I leave the toilet seat up in the morning, and the problem festers the whole day until she works herself up into a frenzy because I went to work before she could yell at me. 8 hours later when I come home, a small issue becomes a huge problem simply because I wasn’t there to allow her have her say.

Please, let’s not go there. :slight_smile:

42

To be clear; I have not had a third bent vise; only my original order and the replacement.

Regarding David’s post; I never saw it and was not informed by WE that the replacement might also defective.

43

[quote quote=“babo” post=1448]To be clear; I have not had a third bent vise; only my original order and the replacement. [/quote]

That’s certainly good news that it hasn’t hit 3 vises in a row yet - it got a bit confusing keeping track. Lets hope the third time is the charm (knock on wood!)

Thank you Babo - that may be the key piece of information we needed to get this back on track?

44

Add me to the list of bent vises. I’ve had mine for exactly a month now but noticed my bevels were larger on the right side of my knife for the last 2 knives I sharpened yesterday. I just now noticed why. Ill call tomorrow & request a replacement. Wouldn’t steel be cheaper to use instead of aluminum? I know it would definitely be stronger.

45

Well there is definitely a gap forming on my vice jaws too. Darn I thought for sure I had managed to beat the curse. Oh well, I guess I will be calling the office tomorrow and I’m sure a replacement will be sent my way shortly. Hopefully they will still have some units left to ship! If not I really don’t think I can wait another “6-8 weeks”.

46

I preface this comment disclosing my newbie status with wicked edge but in my opinion if you sharpen knives with a bent vice be prepared to reprofile when your new vice arrives. It seems to me like the blade angle is following the bend angle of the vice causing a change in the edge angle of the sharpened blade. I’ve pretty much redone everything at this point and thankfully my new vice seems to be holding up so far. I’ve done about 15 knives and after tonight I now can shave with my steak knives if i want to. They are scary sharp. Wow.

47

Hi guys,
We’re at Shot Show for the week but are about to issue a recall on the batch that came out in November. We think the supplier failed at heat treatment or used the wrong material. If you’re having an issue, please call in or email right away.

48

Hi Clay,
How do you know whether your vise is from the November batch? My WEPS came by mail today via Peter, your German reseller. Haven’t assembled it yet, but it already gives the impression of a very well built precision device. This is gonna be a good weekend :cheer:

49

[quote quote=“mark76” post=1496]Hi Clay,
How do you know whether your vise is from the November batch? My WEPS came by mail today via Peter, your German reseller. Haven’t assembled it yet, but it already gives the impression of a very well built precision device. This is gonna be a good weekend :cheer:[/quote]

Hi Mark,

It would be hard to know which batch it’s from if it came from Peter, could be that it’s one he had in stock from before that batch. If the jaws bend on you, please just let us know and we’ll get another set of jaws out to you.

–Clay

50

After sharpening approximately 25-30 knives, I noticed that I was getting a 2 deg angle difference between the left side and the right side of the WE sharpener. Even though I am using the double side foam tape and tightening in the recommended sequence and adjusting the angle accordingly, the bevels that I put on an Al Mar Sere and Benchmade 940 Osbourne knives inconsistent and not symmetrical. With the assymmetry of the vise, it is not possible to get a consistent bevel. Because of the bent vise and even though I am using the double sided foam tape, I can no longer get a knife to set squarely in the vise. Can you please advise what must done to replace or to correct this?

Thanks

Attachments:

51

Ralph
There has been a recall on some of the latest vises…just give a call to the WE office and they will send out a replacement right away. They will look after you!

Leo

52

Leo, Will do. Many thanks for the quick reply.

Ralph

53

Just a quick follow up to let you know that Kay & Bob took care of this. I received my replacement vise last evening. Many thanks!

54

i am still waiting for a reply on my bent vise. i sent a email i believe on tuesday.

55

Hi Zachary :slight_smile:

To whom did you send the e-mail? Was it to the WE or one of the dealers? If you want prompt response from the WE use the toll free number and phone Kay, Bob or Clay and they will get on it. The phone is best as they get loads of e-mail everyday and sometimes they can’t get right to it. The phone is immediate! If you ordered from a dealer I don’t know, but I would always use the phone for this type of problem. My two cents worth.

Leo

56

I received my replacement vise within a week of calling & talking to Bob. The replacement sent was said to be from a new batch of “re hardened” ones. The one I got had a dull matte black chalkboard type of finish, the original vise I had was a shiny, smooth, black. Was the color change to differentiate between the old & new vises, or did they get re hardened butnot re anodized; Ive sharpened several knives & I notice that I don’t have to tighten the screws in as much for the blade to be secure. I just tighten the top screw till snug & turn the bottom screw 1/4 turn, & that is tight enough to keep the blade secure. On my old vise I’d have to turn the bottom screw 1/2-1 full turn for the knife to be tight. Ⓣⓗⓐⓝⓚⓢ Ⓖⓤⓨⓢ!

57

I actually just noticed this with mine as well. I’ve been very careful to baby this item, and to follow the instructions to a T. I’ve actually had a couple knives fall out of the vice, and never really achieved a grip where I would have felt comfortable lifting the entire unit by the knife. I’ve only used it a handful of times, likely less than fifteen; should I contact Clay?

58

Please call in on Monday, or write any time. There is definitely a problem with your jaws and they need to be replaced ASAP.

59

Thank you so much! I received my replacement vise 4 days after calling Wicked Edge, it already had a prepaid return shipping label inside the box too. I noticed the new one was a dull matte finish compared to my original glossy finish. I also weighed the old & new & the replacement weight quite a bit more. I measured the dimensions & all are the same, except the new one had one that was slightly shorter than the other so it does not line up perfectly at the top like the originals did.
Here is a pic

60

Good job by wicked edge for replacing the jaws.

Remember that the bottom screw is basicly a lever using about a 3 to 1 mechanical advantage to tighten the vice. The top screw I tighten about as tight as I can with the tool provided. The bottom screw I just tighten until I see the gap widen a bit at the bottom which tells me I have strained the jaws a bit and have a nice clamping load on the blade. Don’t overtighten the lower screw. --Jerry