After the sale?

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db

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Have you ever sent a knife back to a maker? What was your experience?
Yes, I did and just got the knife back. To say I am very happy is an understatement. Everything I asked for and more, the knife is better than new. A pic will be coming soon if I can get it out of my hands. :) Everyone says Kit Carson is an old has been, I think he is at the top myself. Thanks Kit, I love it, and I thought I loved it before!:) I cann’t wait to mess it up again. :)
 
As a matter of fact I have...........to Kit Carson!! Cleaned up all my mess up. HAS-BEEN!!! Kit HAS-BEEN the top tactical folder maker and STILL-IS!!:D :D :D
 
Kit is a great guy. He told me the other night that he worked hard to acheive Has-Been status and loves every minute of it. I received 3 of his folders this week from deals on the forums and eBay. One of them (the one from eBay) was not near what the seller described. The blade was stained, and tip was blunted bad. Obvious signs of use and sharpened, when the seller claimed other wise. Kit told me to send it back to him, and he would fix it up. I sent it off this week, and look forward to getting it back whenever Kit has the oppertunity to get to it.

The folder I am sending back to Kit is from the early 90's. Besides the cosmetic flaws from poor maintaiance by the previous owner, the knife is amazing. Lock up is solid. Fit and finish is superb.

I know CRK gets a lot of hype for their customer service, and refinishing knives for a fee. People seem to think they are the only people that know what customer service is all about. Well, Kit, and basicly every maker I have ever dealt with, will refinish any knife they make for free or a very modest fee. This is not a shot on CRK, but more of a great plug for the knife world in general. It's amazing to see that things like this are not the exception, but the norm.

JR
 
This looks like it is turning into a "Kit Carson gives GREAT customer service" thread. Well the truth IS the truth!:D :) :cool:
 
I have returned folders to Vagnino, Chew, and Elishewitz and every time they exceeded my expectations.

I believe that any maker that has been araound for awhile will stand behind their product as long as it wasn't subjected to extreme abuse. Or, they wouldn't be aroung very long! :grumpy:

I have been very pleased with my dealings with the custom makers.

Daniel
 
I've sent knives back to Elishewitz, Nealy, Bennica, Sinyard, Tighe and Dunkerly. They all went out of their way to make the knives as good as new, even if the problem was my fault. That's what handmade knives are all about!
 
I have only sent one knife back to be cleaned up. It bad a damascus blade that had been scratched during sharpening. I was told that it should be simple to fix and that it should be on its way back to me within two to three weeks. Almost six months later I got my knife back. During that time I was told five or six times that he would get at the knife in the next few days, but it just seemed to drag on and on.

He actually told me that it really took almost no time to do the repair. Other more important things obviously came up. That is understandable. I just wish he hadn't BSed me so many times about getting at it in the next few days.

Oh well, all water under the bridge now. The knife is back and it looks and works fine.
 
15594901.jpg

Yes indeed this is not a new knife!!! Sure cann't tell. I have no problem useing this knife as a knife because I know if something happens to it it will be taken care of. AService like this is not easy to find. One of the best reasons to go custom. Oh yeah and the knives are kick a ss as well :)
 
DB,

You gotta stop doing that. You know I have a 17 second attention span. That pic is gonna make the wait to get my M4 back seem endless. I'm gonna go nuts.

That is a great knife. You are correct. This is a great reason to jump into the custom market. As I stated earlier, this is not the exception but the norm. Makers, in general, will do what ever it takes within reason to make sure the customer is 100% satisfied. Like DB said, you can use these "expensive" knives without any hesitation, knowing the maker will stand behind it. Of course, that doesn't mean you get a free reign to run out and intentionally destroy the knife just to see what it will take. Use the knife for the purpose it was made, to cut. Do that, and you will not have a problem.

DB, knife looks great. use it hard! post some pics of it when it's ugly too. I love to see a knife that looks like the owner isn't scared to use it.

JR
 
DB,

Exactly who are these people who are saying Kit is a "Has Been"?

My question is; how could you understand what they were saying being that they had their head(s) shoved so far up their ass?
 
Les,

The "has-been" thing is something Kit and Tim always joke about in the chat rooms. It's just a good natured title they gave themselves. I think (don't quote me on this) that it came from a maker refering to Kit as a has-been, and that he was the thing at that time. Kit got a kick out of it, and started refering to himself as a has-been. DB didn't mean it as an insult, just a little good natured ribbing. Like I stated earlier, Kit is very humble about his position in the knife world. After so many years of making knives, he still gets a kick out of seeing the smile on someone's face when they get one of his knives. Or hearing them brag about how happy they are with that piece.

I talked to Kit a little about this thread last night. He was very pleased that it came up. It is very good for makers to have the public know they are willing to stand behind their work. Every maker worth dealing with wants the customer to be extremely satisfied. As Kit said, it gives the knife makers recognition that that they deserve, as the majority of people have no clue that these services are offered.

I don't think DB meant for this thread to turn into a Kit Carson thread, it just sort of happened. I know there have been a few other names mentioned as well, which is a great thing. I think more people need to know about things like this, as they may be more willing to take a dive into the custom world. Seeing service like this might be the thing that makes someone take that next step.

JR
 
The reason I started this thread is because I am overly impressed with the service I received. This is the third time I have sent a knife back to the maker and while they all turned out great Kit was over and above the call of what was expected. I wanted to hear others experiences, good or bad. I am betting almost all will be on the good end. Like JR says this may not be considered, when trying to decide on getting a custom knife, because it is not talked about much on the forums. I am so impressed I just had to share it with everyone. As for the has been thing, I was wrong, he is a want-a-be has been. :) Just take a look at the pic.
 
Kit Carson has helped me out more than once!

He also goes out of his way to be friendly and personable with his

customers.

Kit's customer service is simply amazing

That's ONE reason why I stick with his knives



larry
 
I too have had an experience with Kit. I bought one of his knives about 7 months ago and ended up posting it for sale. The first response I got was from Kit wanting to know if there was something about the knife that displeased me. I told him that the knife was fantastic but that it was simply too big. Just FYI, it was a large 21 and it was so large for my relatively small hands that I had a hard time opening the knife with one smooth motion. Nothing wrong with the knife, I'm just bad with folders to begin with :)

Anyway, it is nice to know that Kit takes so much pride in his work. It shows is every way including his service after the sale!

Kit's not the only maker like that either, I've had wonderful experieces where I've ordered a custom piece from a maker and our business relationship has developed into a friendship. Lots of great guys out there! My hat's off to you Kit, Neil, Trace, Jens, Rob, Jerry and all the rest.

-Jeff
 
I hope you were joking about Kit being a has-been.His knives are still one of the hottest sellers out there for good reason.I too have asked Kit for some help.I have an F4 that I managed to rust the screws on and Kit fixed me up fast.His communication skills are great and he has always answerd my emails very fast no matter how goofy the question.JW.Smith is another,he took excellent care of me recently which went way beyond my expectations.I think the makers who are willing to take care of there customers after the sale are the ones that really shine through and end up lasting long enough to be old has-beens.:D




Edited,grammer is not one of my strong points.
 
Darrel Ralph like Kit & the others mentioned here stands behind everything he does - he wants you to use his knives hard - I think just so he can see them again while refurbishing them. When Darrel stands behind something you've got a lot standing there! :D :D A few years back there was a knife that was "possessed" and would go out of adjustment after a couple weeks - Darrel didn't just fix the knife, he made me a whole new one that was nicer than the first. Way above and beyond what was required but typical for Darrel, plus he is one hell of a good friend. Audra Draper is another who deserves mention for exceptional customer service and going the extra step for the customer.

Bill
 
JW Smith fixed a pivot action, locking situation within a week - AND EVEN SENT me $10.00 cash to cover my having had to ship him the knife!! Hows that for service?

Pat Crawford customized a knife for me within three weeks or so.

Darrel Ralph was busy but was true to his word on a three week turnaround on doing a pivot action adjustment.

Al Polkowski switched a clip on a sheath over a weekend!!

How do you like them apples for great after sales service??


Not wanting to change this thread, but my pre-sales award goes to Jim Hammond. This is a man who COMMUNICATES, allowing you to get all your questions answered so that you can order and get just the tactical knife you want. I will not name a few others who've dropped the ball and, as a result, do not have any of my money in their pocket in exchange for a custom knife.
 
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