Whilst most of our customers are more than happy with the swords they purchase from Global Gear, we do occasionally get customers who's expectations are simply unrealistic. Something to keep in mind is that the majority of high-end items we sell are hand made. They are absolutely not meant to be "perfect". It is the hand made nature of these items that gives many swords their character. Serious collectors already understand this, and often look for these "imperfections" as tell tale signs of an item's hand made nature. However, some people seem to think that swords should be built to the same micro-millimeter perfect standards of a Rolls Royce, which is simply unrealistic. A lot of these items are being hand hammered or ground out, and are not being produced using robots & lasers. Sometimes it can be difficult for the inexperienced to tell the difference between an actual defect and normal hand made variance. The best way to pick the difference is if you find yourself having to use the words "perfectly" or "completely" to describe the issue, it is likely not a defect. For example, if you have to use the phrase "this is not perfectly straight" or "this is not perfectly flush", then it's probably not a defect. Please bare in mind that we do inspect the swords before shipment, so most actual defects are caught and rejected. If the issue you are concerned with is something minor, it is likely characteristic of the product. Unfortunately, we can not simply replace something because it is not "perfect", as the replacement will have been built the same way, and will most likely suffer from the same perceived "imperfection". If you are one of those people that can not accept anything but absolute perfection, then we suggest you save up your pocket-money, and be prepared to spend a Rolls Royce worth of dollars on getting something custom made by robots & lasers.