After becoming acquainted with Pohan over Facebook, I sent him a deposit about a year ago, followed shortly by another as I decided I wanted two different types of knives.
Pohan and I exchanged a number of private messages about guns and other non-knife stuff, and eventually the knives I wanted. He knew up front I wanted something out of the ordinary. Six months later, Pohan let me know it was my turn in line, and we started going over what I wanted- thick stock blades, and perhaps a blade made from Gr.38 titanium. At that point, he started offering excuses for why he didn't want to do it but without actually saying no- it'll cost more than I quoted. It'll take too long. Thick titanium is too hard to grind. It'll throw sparks in my face. In other words, none of my concern, especially since he was posting pictures of heavy stock S90V he was grinding post heat-treat.
After a handful of emails, I said "Dude, you are no fun at all sometimes, you know that?" which was apparently a grave insult, as I have never heard from him since. Meanwhile, my second slot has certainly come up without Pohan notifying me, and I recently sent him an email saying "So???" which he ignored.
If Pohan was mortally insulted by me kidding around with him, then he should have immediately said he was not making me a knife, and refunded my two deposits. If there are things he won't do, or doesn't offer to customers, he needs to learn to say so instead of weak excuses and beating around the bush. I was tempted to get in his face and embarrass him at the recent NYCCKS, but decided to be an adult instead.
The guy's knives may be fantastic, but what kind of egomaniac treats people like that, and makes off with two deposits without a word? Nonrefundable deposits are to keep people from backing out on deals once the maker has bought supplies or done work- not so the maker can line his pockets if he decides he's not making the knives. No doubt 100 bucks' worth of blade steel and titanium is enough for him to make two knives worth 15-1600 dollars.
Shame on him.
