Since it was your first purchase, I hope you have learned a big lesson here. Don't just buy an item like that without taking it out of the box, and TRYING it for function before paying for it.
Even a reputable company has klinkers and a display case full of knives is bound to have one or two that aren't as good as others. Take it back, ask to exchange it, and try several until you either find one that works, or replace it with something else.
Manufacturing tolerances are just that, Fluctuations in allowable parameters that still allow the item to be usable. So if you get a knife that has a blade at the extreme allowable size, in a handle tightened to the extreme allowable tightness, etc, etc, you have a knife that you can't use.
It would be nice to know that before you pay and walk out the door.
Like mentioned above, a 20 dollar knife is priced that way for a reason.
But it should STILL work nicely.
