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:

Solution: Problem not solved as of yet.

Result: Babo is not happy - (and understandably so!) - and said

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


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.

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.

babo wrote:


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!)

babo wrote:


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

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.

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".

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.

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.

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

mark76 wrote:


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

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