A question

G

Ghecko

Joined
Aug 31, 1999
Messages
280
OK, say someone orders a knife from a reputable custom maker - not a high dollar art knife, damascus bowie or fancy folder, just a small and useful fixed blade... He orders the knife sight unseen based on a number of examples he's seen previously. When the knife arrives he is excited but soon notices small irregularities, most notably uneven grinds, or possibly a slightly warped blade from the heat treat that is evident when looking down the spine of the knife towards the tip.

This is probably the buyer's first experience purchasing a custom made knife so he's not really sure how to proceed. Should the buyer grin and bear it and learn some sort of lesson or should he contact the maker and discuss the overall quality of the knife?

Not that I'm saying this has happened to anyone, but what would you do in this situation?

Jon
 
As a maker I would welcome questions regarding a knife I made. If there is ANY question as to the overall quality of one of my knives, I would APPRECIATE a customer bringing it to my attention.
My goal is to develope a reputation for quality, attention to detail, fit and finish. I hope to venture into folders in the future and I would hope carry over a good reputation with them as I seem to have so far with fixed blades.
Remember the old saying: One OH S**T can wipe out a hundred "atta boys"!!
Neil

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New Domain name, host, etc. Please bare with me!
Blackwood Knives
http://blackwoodknives.com
 
Every maker I have known well or dealt with would have much of the same thoughts Neil!

Custom knives, by nature are going to differ and on occasions even the best of makers makes a mistake, has a challenging personal situation or fill in the blank, that could cause a knife to come out that does not represent their usual work.

This can be a hectic time of year for many makers having the Blade Show and The Guild Show within this short period of time. Believe me, there have been some forges and grinders going at it nearly full time for quite a while. I am not making excuses. Lets face it, an inferior piece should not leave the shop under most circumstances, but every human makes a mistake now and then.

Be cool, contact the maker, and they will most likely ask you to send the knife back. The reputable makers I know and have dealt with would not want a customer with a bad knife of theirs. They will do all that they reasonably can to make you happy.
Many will do more than they reasonably can.

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" I am continually reminded of the rewards of dealing with custom knife makers and the custom knife community." Jeff J.

[This message has been edited by Gus Kalanzis (edited 06-15-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Gus Kalanzis (edited 06-15-2000).]
 
If it were one of mine I would expect the customer to return the knife immediately for repair, replacement, or full refund.
If the customer isn't happy he shouldn't keep the knife and the maker should not be offended if the knife is returned.

Having said this it is necessary to remember that handmade knives are just that handmade and each is slightly different. I often get people at shows pick up one after another of my popular models and ask why they don't all look exactly the same, a little longer, more or less belly in the blade, fatter and thinner handles etc. My response is that I make them slightly different to fit the hands and needs of different people. So some variation is possible but blemishes and uneven grinds are not acceptable.



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george
www.tichbourneknives.com
sales@tichbourneknives.com


 
Any time a product is bought "sight unseen" the customer can only go by the other examples of the makers work that he has seen before. So it is not wrong to expect the same quality in the ordered knife. Contact the maker soon after you get the knife and discuss it with him. As long as you are polite in your manner, he or she should in turn be so. The main reason I like working with custom knife makers is that 99.9% of them are just so damn nice! They take pride in what they do and (forgive me guys)they are like an old dog, they just want to please.

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It's never too late to have a happy childhood!
Terrill Hoffman Knife Photography http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumList?u=243110
 
Howdy There......!
I fully agree with everyone, send it back if you aren't completely happy with it. As a new maker I am very awhere of the bad storyies that can be generated by one bad knife, and I for one would do everything I could to make sure that the purchaser is happy with the knife that he or she bought. I would call and have a talk with maker about the problems and then send it back to kim for his review and rework or rebuild. Good Luck...!

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Thomas Clegg
 
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