aga 11" ebony picklock

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Tom19176
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Re: aga 11" ebony picklock

Post by Tom19176 »

I have top agree with Whippersnapper......Back in the 1990s almost everything sent to the US was the worst of the worst. Things actually got better when the internet started offerings these knives. There were a few dealers that had more like a 30-35% rate of defects. Stu711 had an entire section of defects for sale as did BladePlay......When you ordered from Italy directly ( as a few friends did in the 90s) you got what they wanted to send you, which almost never was what your ordered......
sammy the blade
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Re: aga 11" ebony picklock

Post by sammy the blade »

Sounds like they need to hire some help if demand is so high.
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txrpls
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Re: aga 11" ebony picklock

Post by txrpls »

thanks for all the replies! i figured ordering from the source would be best as would ordering from ((should i say where i ordered it? - it was mentioned above)). boy was i wrong. i can live with a lower priced piece that is not perfect but when i lay out almost 300 and get what looks like a second kinda leaves me wondering. i have spent several k's on getting some switchblades because i've wanted some for quite a while. this wasn't my first order but it will be my last for a while. because it does look like what i've been sent is the crap of the bunch.
i've also bought from a couple here in the states (i'm in texas)....it seems they too sell the worst ones before the best/better. i have had a few that i really like (i think my fave is a 7" coltellerie de pregio maniago)..and a few good buys..but most are warped or the bolster is crooked or something...SOMETHING. i havent bought on sharperdeals or any auction site though.
also, i'm finding that some buff the shit out of their knives and still sell them at a premium (older knives). i'd rather have it not polished because that cuts the value of a vintage knife and i'll never recoup even half the cost (if i were to try to resell)..
should have joined a forum before laying out so much $$$$$$.
txrpls
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Re: aga 11" ebony picklock

Post by txrpls »

JulesVane wrote:
DonC wrote:Did you order it directly from AGA or did you get it from a dealer. Either way I'd suggest contacting the seller and tell them what you've found and give them a chance to correct (repair or replace) the faults. If they ignore you then you're stuck and you have my sympathies but give the seller a chance to correct the faults.
DonC
Being rather new here, is "directly from A.G.A." mean 3Knives (which I understand he is part/co owner of)? Or, would 3Knives be "a dealer"? I was under the impression, that if you purchased from 3Knives, that was Angelo directly and that was the best of A.G.A. products. I'm thinking I'm wrong here...
...NOT the best.
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Luke_of_Mass
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Re: aga 11" ebony picklock

Post by Luke_of_Mass »

txrpls wrote:I havent bought on sharperdeals or any auction site though.
Sharperdeals is the best place to get them, hands-down. The guys selling there are collectors themselves so they know what to describe (how straight the blade is, how strong the snap is, how deep the blade sits beneath the bolsters, whether there's any wiggle in the blade). On top of that, each knife sold is sold as an individual piece with its own description and pictures. Very rarely (if ever) does a respected seller list multiple knives of the same type in one listing with stock photos of the best one in the batch. Most of the guys take returns or will do exchanges, too. It's got a feedback system very similar to eBay so if a seller has screwed others over, you'll be able to tell. MUCH better than bladeplay.

I should also mention there's a lesser-used site called bladebid.com but it functions in a similar way. Bernie (METALGOD) sells there now. He stocks some very good stuff.

I hope you get yourself some real nice pieces; There's nothing like getting a perfect piece in the mail to help restore your faith in humanity
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ILikeStilettos
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Re: aga 11" ebony picklock

Post by ILikeStilettos »

I don't mean to offend you or take too much of a contrarian opinion, but I think you may be overreacting somewhat. First off, there is no such thing as a perfect switchblade. Often when I zoom in close, I see flaws that I would not have otherwise observed. Those may be fact, and they may be photographic distortion. Even on a full custom, handmade knife, the builder is limited to human abilities. You blade seems to have a bit of a twist, the back is well centered, the front comes closers to the liners. Try to remember that you bought a production knife, high end yes, but still production. Campolin is assembling these from a pile of same type components selected at random. They are not trying to create perfection, just acceptability. This is in part why I like Renzo Pascotto knives, because he selects the best of the best and goes that extra step.

As far as looseness, please consider that the blade has to rotate and lift the back spring so it can lock. If there is no play at all, friction slows the blade and it fails to lock up. People like "fast" knives. This means any manufacturer will shoot for fast action and reliable lock up, not zero play. It's a "best compromise" situation.

Some knives hit the mark better than yours, some significantly worse. You can go to full custom and spend five times as much, or more. Trust me, there will still be tiny flaws if you look hard enough. I love dealing with Alajohn on SD, because he is much fussier than I. Often I can't find the tiny flaws he mentions. The other guys sell good, solid knives ... but they aren't scrutinizing them as well as John does.

Finally, lately I have been designing knives and discovering just how important .001 inch can be if I or my builder makes an error. I do the best I can, but at some point the builder has to do trial fitting and polishing. Everyone just does the best they can. Nobody is getting rich because these knives are so easy to make.
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Luke_of_Mass
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Re: aga 11" ebony picklock

Post by Luke_of_Mass »

Just because there is no "perfect switchblade" doesn't mean it's unreasonable to expect a "decent" switchblade for 300 bucks... this is part of the reason I feel like Campolin's stuff is just overpriced, and not really any better than something by Frank B... there's some good and some bad but "ah, well, nothing's perfect" isn't really a viable answer to $300 wasted on a knife that if not perfect, should at least be okay, but is neither... yes they are hand-made, meaning each is different, but it also means that one of these revered cutlers held this knife in their hands, saw the warped scales, lots of play, and uneven blade, and somehow thought it was perfectly fine to sell to one of the very few people who are willing to cough up that kinda money for his pieces... I don't wanna get too cliche here, but you would imagine these folks would care about the condition of merchandise that ultimately represent their family's name and reputation :roll:

On that note, if Angelo Campolin didn't have that last name, and didn't live in Italy (or anywhere in Europe), do you think anybody would pay him any mind let alone dollar? Probly not. Especially if he's selling knives like this for that price. And with that said, perhaps it's becoming less about the knives and more about the brand name... which is very sad to see.

I would rather believe that these guys are passionate about making top-quality knives instead of making an easy buck with their name, but if Campolin does indeed own 3knives, its notable that these guys even market stuff from Exiled Cutlery (roadsideimports) so...
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: aga 11" ebony picklock

Post by Bill DeShivs »

I have to agree with I Like Stilettos on this.
These are not made cookie-cutter style on CNC machinery. Your knife was hand made by Renzo Pascotto for AGA Campolin.
As far as making an easy buck, they aren't. It's easy to accuse, but unless you have made your living in the Italian cutlery business-you have no idea what you are talking about.
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whippersnapper
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Re: aga 11" ebony picklock

Post by whippersnapper »

The biggest problem is there are still guys making excuses for the Italian makers. There are times when even your brother or buddy need to be made aware they screwed the pooch...lol

I think the Italians screw the pooch a lot. :cry:
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: aga 11" ebony picklock

Post by Bill DeShivs »

I'm not making excuses.
I really see little to nothing wrong with the knife.
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Luke_of_Mass
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Re: aga 11" ebony picklock

Post by Luke_of_Mass »

Maybe you'd like to buy it off OP for the full 300 then, Bill? :P

Selling factory seconds at full price might not be an "easy" buck, but I wouldn't exactly call it an "honest" one either...

I know how the Maniago knife industry works, and of course the consistency of stilettos doesn't hold a candle to that of precision machined products like those by Victorinox, and in some ways this can be a good thing because it gives each knife character. But the reason I'm critical is because I know just how good these cutlers are at what they do. If they weren't so talented, my standards wouldn't be as high.

I've heard a lot of good and bad about customer service offered by the individual manufacturers, and I hope for OP's sake that the stiletto gods will smile down upon him and make this right.
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: aga 11" ebony picklock

Post by Bill DeShivs »

I have handled literally thousands of modern Italian knives.
Like it or not, this one seems about average- even for the high end models. If you get one better, you would be lucky.
It's not a "factory" knife, nor is it a "second."
The button mechanism causes the button-side liner to bow frequently. Almost any traditional-style safety can be lifted in the slot.
Loose blades can be easily fixed by peening the pivot rivet.
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JulesVane
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Re: aga 11" ebony picklock

Post by JulesVane »

Maybe I have yet to reach the "plateau" of collecting yet. My first switchblade was a $10 Rizzuto bought in a rollerskating rink bathroom as a kid. Bought my 2nd from Edge Co. for $20 around 1980 (or so). Today, I've learned (somewhat) to know the difference in quality between those and a $300+ AGA, Frank B, etc...When I pay $300+ on a piece, I'm looking for shiny, polished, straight, heavy, snap, quality scales, bolsters & buttons. When I look on the auction sites and see an older Latama that the seller honestly states that it has "patina" (looks like rust forming), cracked and chipped scales, wobble in the open position, blade sitting just above the liners when closed and a $700+ pricetag. I have yet to reach the plateau to find the beauty in that piece. I think to myself: "Who would pay $700+ for that POC?"...I guess it's something one must acquire over time. I'm now looking to add a Latama to my collection one day soon. But, if it comes like that, for that kind of money, I'm going to be sick for quite some time.
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whippersnapper
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Re: aga 11" ebony picklock

Post by whippersnapper »

Bill DeShivs wrote:I'm not making excuses.
I really see little to nothing wrong with the knife.
I wasn't really talking about this particular knife. My opinions are more an overall observation of things over the years. I should have been more clear.
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Luke_of_Mass
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Re: aga 11" ebony picklock

Post by Luke_of_Mass »

Sorry Bill but I'm really not convinced you'd be happy with this piece after spending $300 on it... And if you tried re-selling it as new with the pictures OP provided instead of the stock photo of a cherry-picked one from 3knives, along with an accurate description of what's "not perfect" about it, it would be listed for a very long time, and any sales would result in returns or an "item not as described" claim... this is a $100 project knife at best.
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