All That Is Survive! Knives, Post Here Reopened

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PB Wilson said:
I can understand when a business like Survive! makes an estimate on the time it might take to complete a run and things go awry. Schedules out of their control (laser cutting, heat treating, sheath making, blade coating...) coming from out-of-house sources can really throw a monkey wrench in the works. I'm not sure about that happening in each case, but I could see how one piece not coming in on time can create a domino effect with other steps down the line.

Also, in the in-between time that happens in most manufacturing, one should always be thinking of the future. I doubt that when a whole stack of blade blanks come in, they sit while folks look at G-10 colors. There's more to it than that.

I don't own any Survive! knives but have a 3.5 on order. I like what I've seen and ordered one for a variety of reasons. I would be frustrated like some of the folks above if the over-long waiting was consistently happening without at least a semi-detailed explanation. An email from the company can go a long way.

One more thing: Guy is offering something that most other companies or small shops are offering and I think he chose wisely when finding his niche. I wish him well because even after the waiting, it appears he provides great, well-thought-out and constantly evolving pieces that we can use for years without worry.
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"I doubt that when a whole stack of blade blanks come in, they sit while folks look at G-10 colors. There's more to it than that."
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"even after the waiting, it appears he provides great, well-thought-out and constantly evolving pieces that we can use for years without worry."
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+1 :thumbup:
 
I see that some folks keep going back to the quality of the product and the willingness to wait. No one, even the folks with the biggest complaints, are questioning the quality or indicating that they are unwilling to wait for it.

The issue is that Guy seems to be almost defiant in not reaching out to his customers to just simply let them know what's going on!! He obviously has time to post messages and pictures on Facebook for cryin' out loud. He can't send a quick note to pre-order customers about issues with an order he has already taken payment for??

Building a quality product cannot be an excuse for bad business practices. Do you think Jerry Busse would have the reputation he has in this industry just because of INFI? Of course not! There is top notch customer service that goes hand in hand with the quality product. That creates longevity. Yes, I know there are exceptions to this, but we're talking small business here.

There's more to the business than just the product. Many businesses fail because they forget this one basic fact. But for a moment, we can forget all the talk about business practices here....we're talking about basic common courtesy....just an email to say "Hey, your payment didn't go down a black hole." I don't think anyone is expecting a detailed metallurgical analysis in a brief update. They just want a heads up.

So how about somewhere in between the Facebook updates and shooting new ideas around the shop, he just sits down for 5 minutes and lets his customers know how much he values them?

A super duper, top shelf, will out live your great grandchildren, mega knife won't do that....a three line email will. :)
 
I have two Survive knives on preorder, and I have no issue with wait time, no matter how long it takes. I was lucky enough to buy a GSO 5.1, and the quality is excellent. People should expect a wait when ordering from a new company that is focusing on quality. I've waited nearly a year for quality made products before, I just know going in to it..... that it will take time. If I go in to a nice restaurant and order an expensive meal, I expect to wait for the quality just like all the other patrons around me. I'm sure Guy is overwhelmed and doing everything he can, but I'm confident he will pull through this. Just look at his product, the dude cares about what he puts out, and that says it all. I will support small American businesses with every penny I can afford to spend. I hope he continues to expand his line with more options and models, and grow his business. Bring on the kukhuri, I'm in on that! Patience is a virtue gentlemen.:)
 
I guess not a lot of Ganza-goers in this bunch... ;)

Are folks waiting on recent orders or pre-orders? Because on the site it states:
By getting involved in the SURVIVE! preorder program, you're helping us pioneer new designs and in exchange you'll get a numbered, first production knife, at a steep discount.
...
The average lead time for delivery is 9-12 weeks but sometimes delays do happen. For that reason, we would advise you not to place a preorder if you absolutely need it for an upcoming birthday, holiday or trip. Upon completion, you will receive a notification letting you know that your preorder is about to ship.
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I guess he should edit that statement to read "12-20 weeks" and eliminate the part about notification as I've not received one of his pre-orders sooner than 12 weeks and some arrived without warning... *shrug*

When I order direct from Survive!, I don't mark my calendar for when to expect it :p I agree, he shouldn't post such short ETA's until he is ready to start getting close to meeting that kind of expectation. But I also don't want him to sit on his hands waiting for steel to arrive from manufacturer or cut blanks from the laser cutter or knives from HT at Peters or sheaths from Kiah - as others stated above, there's a LOT going into this, it isn't all in-house. In the meantime, why not draw up new designs and float ideas to your consumers? But yeah, lose the irrationally short lead-times.

Bring on my Necker II :cool: I'll try to write up a long review of it as I did with the GSO-10, 4.1, and 5.1 and will link here, so stay tuned! Also, for folks not satisfied with the drop-sheath offerings, I have an alternate (and less expensive) design I use on all my Survive! Knives (and those from other companies, it isn't knife/sheath specific), and I'll try to do a video demonstration of it on the Survive! Knives I own sometime in the next few weeks.

It' been said already, but "Keep the faith".
 
Just my personal experiences so take them how you will...I have waited 14 months for a Bob Dozier. I honestly can't remember if I paid for it up front or not. I have waited months for different Busse's and the time that it takes has often been longer than expected, but sometimes shorter. I also have waited for Busse to make another run of a particular model that they never did so I had to pay even more money for a knife on the secondary market. I have never used the customer service at Dozier but the Customer Service at Busse is outstanding.

I have ordered multiple Survive! knives. The wait has been longer than I wanted on most but I knew I could, and in one instance did, change my mind and remove a knife from an order. The fact that he had my money really did not matter to me. My emails have always been answered and I have spoken to two different, very helpful, people on the phone. (None of these emails however were "when is my knife coming?") I know how estimates can get messed up. The tinker in me also realizes that if there is not something for you to do on that day, your mind will start designing something else.

I listed my experiences primarily for the people who might see this thread and question Survive!'s customer service. I have been pleased with it.
 
I think its great that crazyfingers is helping out. Guy should hire this man to help out with things. Kinda like strider has josh and hinderer has rob. A knife maker needs to focus on orders and making and people slow the process down with all the questions. I for one stand behind guy and survive knives. Great product for a great price. With that being said have a grateful day everyone
 
jjjeschke said:
I think its great that crazyfingers is helping out. Guy should hire this man to help out with things. Kinda like strider has josh and hinderer has rob. A knife maker needs to focus on orders and making and people slow the process down with all the questions. I for one stand behind guy and survive knives. Great product for a great price. With that being said have a grateful day everyone
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Thanks jjjeschke if I was only that lucky to get a job there!!!
 
JCW said:
I see that some folks keep going back to the quality of the product and the willingness to wait. No one, even the folks with the biggest complaints, are questioning the quality or indicating that they are unwilling to wait for it.

The issue is that Guy seems to be almost defiant in not reaching out to his customers to just simply let them know what's going on!! He obviously has time to post messages and pictures on Facebook for cryin' out loud. He can't send a quick note to pre-order customers about issues with an order he has already taken payment for??

Building a quality product cannot be an excuse for bad business practices. Do you think Jerry Busse would have the reputation he has in this industry just because of INFI? Of course not! There is top notch customer service that goes hand in hand with the quality product. That creates longevity. Yes, I know there are exceptions to this, but we're talking small business here.

There's more to the business than just the product. Many businesses fail because they forget this one basic fact. But for a moment, we can forget all the talk about business practices here....we're talking about basic common courtesy....just an email to say "Hey, your payment didn't go down a black hole." I don't think anyone is expecting a detailed metallurgical analysis in a brief update. They just want a heads up.

So how about somewhere in between the Facebook updates and shooting new ideas around the shop, he just sits down for 5 minutes and lets his customers know how much he values them?

A super duper, top shelf, will out live your great grandchildren, mega knife won't do that....a three line email will. :)
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This is exactly my point. As a fellow Pennsylvanian, I want to see Guy and Survive succeed. I worked in medical diagnostic R&D, and I understand customer service and meeting customer requirements in both the product, and in how customers are treated.

I apologize to crazyfingers. I was frustrated by your repeating all of the qualities that I and others had already stated. The knives are not the problem. Customer care is. New products and new variations of old ones are important. But if there is no one left sell too...?
 
McVeyMac said:
This is exactly my point. As a fellow Pennsylvanian, I want to see Guy and Survive succeed. I worked in medical diagnostic R&D, and I understand customer service and meeting customer requirements in both the product, and in how customers are treated.

I apologize to crazyfingers. I was frustrated by your repeating all of the qualities that I and others had already stated. The knives are not the problem. Customer care is. New products and new variations of old ones are important. But if there is no one left sell too...?
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Thanks a lot McVeyMac that means a lot!! No need to apologize its all good an I understand where you and everyone else is coming from with by being frustrated.
 
Nice. Can't wait until the GSO 3.5 with CPM-20CV steel is coming in. Think it will be January. I don't mind the wait.
 
Looking more and more like I'm gonna get a free t-shirt with my order for the 4.1 with no thumb jimping. That's okay. :D
 
Too bad I can't get a t-shirt for the last couple of knives that went way past their stated ship date... I'm pretty sure that the people still waiting on gso-10's deserve a couple of shirts and probably a bunch of patches. What do you say Guy, throw those poor bastards some new scales while you are at it.:D I mean it's only four or five extra months and counting right?
 
I hope I'm wrong guys, but I see some red flags with this company. Badly missed promise dates and no communication. I'm not saying he's having financial problems or he's a crook, but be careful.
 
earthbiscuit said:
I hope I'm wrong guys, but I see some red flags with this company. Badly missed promise dates and no communication. I'm not saying he's having financial problems or he's a crook, but be careful.
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This is the kind of damage that these business practices have on a young business. He might have no financial problems at all in being able to deliver his paid for and promised knives. However, more than a few people have previously been in similar situations, only to get a notice from the bankruptcy court that they must get in line with 10 pages worth of creditors to get any of their money back. This happened to me with a gun store that I had a gun for sale on consignment. I got nothing and lost $550.00 in the deal. I doubt that this is the case with Survive as I think he is selling his knives, and cash flow should be there. But if it is miss-managed, it could certainly happen.
 
I received my 4.1 last Wednesday from the November 12th order...May I say it's already the best knife I've ever owned and I have a few to choose from :)... They were nice enough to throw in a free patch because it shipped a little late aswell. That was appreciated
 
earthbiscuit said:
I hope I'm wrong guys, but I see some red flags with this company. Badly missed promise dates and no communication. I'm not saying he's having financial problems or he's a crook, but be careful.
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The only concern I have is taking payment right away. Most makers that have these sort of waits don't have you pay until the knife is nearly complete.

But again, just a growing pain I'd say. Most of the people that are expressing concerns or seeing red flags are people that haven't dealt with any of the many other makers that have similar practices.
 
Skrapmetal said:
The only concern I have is taking payment right away. Most makers that have these sort of waits don't have you pay until the knife is nearly complete.

But again, just a growing pain I'd say. Most of the people that are expressing concerns or seeing red flags are people that haven't dealt with any of the many other makers that have similar practices.
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"are people that haven't dealt with any of the many other makers that have similar practices."
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+1

If I had several hundred people bombarding me weekly with emails "hey... where's my stuff"... or "you should give me /owe me a free tee shirt", I'd ignore them too.
When I purchased my 4.1 along with a spare set of orange G10 last July, a young Woman answered my 3 or 4 emails within 3 or 4 days.
One day I called, Guy answered the phone directly and the conversation was cordial and professional.
Reality is Survive! Knives are not Benchmade or Spydeco with a warehouse stocked full of product sitting on shelf's ready to ship in 2 days.

When it took four to five months instead of three to receive my RMJ hawk (prepaid) I had no red flag or bankruptcy thoughts.
 
Has anyone noticed any chipping with the CPM 3V? I used my gso 5 to cut some branches (just a few millimeters in diameter) and I notices some chipping near the tip.
 
2 or 3 month wait? How about 3 to 7 years for some custom knife makers?

I had a GSO 4.1 in M390. I didn't care much for the jimping, so when I placed my order for the latest 4.1 I sold it. (Like an idiot :rolleyes:)

What kind of surprises me is the prices these knives fetch on the secondary market. Really? The 4.1 is still in production and I have seen
them sell for 150% to 200% of MSRP. (And higher) If I told you waht a GSO 5.1 went for on ebay, you might call me a liar. :eek:
 
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