Hi Robert, Thank you for sharing your feedback with us and the Opinel community! I'm sorry to hear that there have been a few hiccups. Regarding the sharpening finish, this is still done by hand, by human beings at the factory and it can (rarely) happen that the final result isn't perfect. I do apologize that you had to finish the tip yourself. The blade folding mechanism can be too tight or too loose, depending on the wood swelling/drying. Sometimes during transit as the knife travel from one environment to another, it can cause that stiffness. I've you've never heard of the "Savoyard Knock", I invite you to check our tips & tricks page because that will help you get the blade out more easily! You can also always add a drop of lubricant inside the hinge, and run the blade back and forth a few times and that should do it. Last but not least, we would actually be curious to see a photo of your blade because this is the first time we hear such a comment on the mirror-finished blade. So we would want to make sure yours is the way it's supposed to be! Feel free to send us an email with photos at: retail@opinel-usa.com Thank you again Robert!