Bark River has taken $16,000 of My Money

[bdws1975]

I do not believe anything you've said has any bearing on the situation.

brett

I really feel left out because it seems like so many of you are either some sort of big shot that has commercial ventures into the knife industry or knows big name people in the industry well enough that your conversations have gone beyond your interest in knives and on to the reputation of some third party that neither of you do business with.

Does this sound sarcastic, it should because that's the tone I'm trying to convey.

I am a nobody in the industry, I like good knives and read forums to learn.

I don't post because I don't have anything to say.... until now.

When I do say something it's only after I have my facts straight so that I don't have to worry about someone doing to me what I'm going to do to some of you right now. I'm handicapped so I stay at home and read on the Internet. My body is shot and my eyesight is going but my mind is still razor sharp so I do tend to remember a lot of what is said and what happens.

You have all done a terrific job of assassinating the character of Mike Stewart... congratulations, if he really is the scum bag you claim him to be, he deserves it. But if you can't prove your allegations, what does that make you?

Let's start with BladeandBarrel. You have claimed several times to have first hand experience with Mike Stewart. You claim to have been ripped off by him, but your profile has no information about who you are leaving me to wonder who you are.

I would think that if you are some sort of big shot in the industry you would be proud of who you are, but I don't see that....

SO BladeandBarrel, share the story... the whole story and be ready to offer proof. I would think that someone who was legitimate would be able to do that.

How about you Oupa. I seem to remember you getting knives from Mike Stewart and hacking them up. I think Bark River's Distributor still has some of those knives so they must not have been a very hot item. I also recall some sort of episode at another knife related forum where you attacked Mike Stewart and created such a problem that the forum was shut down for a period of time.

If I remember right, Mike is still a member there and you were banned and all of your posts were removed. That seems like a pretty serious banishment. I wonder about your motivations since you obviously don't like Mr. Stewart. Your quote certainly doesn't add much to the story as it reads like a couple of egos ran into each other.

There are an awful lot of you who have “Inside Information” about a federal case involving Mr Stewart, inside information that you don't seem very willing to share other than for you to SAY “I saw...” or “I was told...” or “I think...”

If this information exists in the world of free information, I think it's put up or shut up time.

Now let's talk about the guy who started this thread, SnarlSlayer.
Steve has done a lot to present his side of the matter. He clearly stated that he is looking to the court of public opinion for resolution of this matter and it looks like he found the lynching party he was seeking here.

With apologies to Esav Benyamin I am going to refer you all to take a look at KnifeForums. Mike Stewart has not attacked Steve in return although I think Sharpshooter is rather unhappy with Steve. We don't have both sides of the story making fair judgment a rather difficult proposition. There is something else that Snarlslayer seems to have left out of his story that doesn't make him look like the poor innocent lamb he wants us to see him as.

Snarlslayer was running a contest on the Bark River Forum for videos on how to sharpen knives.

Go a search and see when it started....

Then See when the rules were posted...

Then see how he solicited entries, after stating that he retained all rights to the contest entries for use on his site. By the way Steve, where is your site?

Then pay close attention to how he promoted the contest and how long it took for him to announce the winners.

I don't seem to be able to see who won the contest or who the prizes were awarded to.

I really believe that people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

It's not $16,000, it's the cost of two knives but the entrants are customers... actually Bark River Customers.

I see Snarlslayer a bit like Mike Stewart says he is, he disappeared for months at a time and then insisted on Mike delivering a product that he wouldn't be able to sell.

It's Steve's money, right?

Well if the knives were to say SnarlSlayer Knives on them the issue would be different... but I recall there being a lot of buildup on this knife and a lot of guys waiting to buy one. When Snarlslayer doesn't deliver the knives or doesn't even have a website to sell them, it's not Snarlslayers Forum the unhappy customers will be on, it will be the Bark River Forum and it will be Mike who is the bad guy who isn't delivering the knives.

Mike told Snarlslayer what is going to happen he will get his money when the Distributors pay him for them. I think if I were Mike I would deliver the knives to Steve, without any Bark River markings, make the Bark River Version and leave Snarlslayer with a bunch of knives he can't turn into money.

Snarlslayer is better off this way, he gets all of the money back more quickly than if he were stuck with the knives and what appears to be no way to sell them.

You all are very quick to pass judgment without the facts. I'm not.

I wonder if SnarlSlayer can tell us about how he planned to sell those knives since he doesn't have a website? I think we all know the answer.

I'll be reading and listening.

 

[hardheart]

I am a nobody in the industry

well alrighty then

 

[Will Power]

Recently I had this nightmare about a relatively new knife company called Barf Ripoff prop.Mike Sycophantseeker.The knives were original and looked good but a strange smell clung to them.....

Thank God it was only a nightmare!

 

[okbohn]

You all know I have a vested interest in BRKT--I sell them. (not spam! )

Mike told me what was going on before this went public and told me he was working on getting the money together to refund. The Kephart project was his plan.

My point is, before all of this blew up, Mike was already planning on giving the refund as soon as he could. I don't pretend to answer for him. I just wanted to say that he was ALREADY trying to do the right thing.

I know this may not sway anyone's opinions, but I know as someone who lives in the public eye (as a pastor, not as a knife guy) that sometimes things don't come out the way you planned and it can really end up hurting people. Sometimes people take it public and there is no way to give voice to the rest of the story. Then when people start taking up sides, it is very hard to ever make things right.

SS deserves a refund. No question. It should have been more timely. No question. But the refund is coming and the circumstances that have held it up may not be clear to us. In the end, I hope Mike gets a fair shake.

He may not have handled it like you would have, but in the end, I believe he is going to make it right. That counts for something.

 

[X379]

I don’t own any Bark River knives and after reading all this I won’t be in the future. It does matter to me where I spend my money and whom I do business with. I can understand a deal going bad and maybe a misunderstanding, but he needs to return the mans money with the average interest that the $16,000 would have occurred over that time period, NOW. Failure to do so shows a lack of morals and character.

I’m relatively new to knife collecting but I am learning who to avoid like the plague

 

[hardheart]

working on getting the money together to refund.

planning on giving the refund

trying to do the right thing.

I believe he is going to make it right

no offense, but that and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee and nothing more. This obviously isn't a new thing for Stewart, faith seems a little misplaced this time.

 

[bdws1975]

no offense, but that and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee and nothing more. This obviously isn't a new thing for Stewart, faith seems a little misplaced this time.

yep hardheart.

If you're right Derrick, then it would be to Mike's benefit to swallow his pride and just say why he CAN'T pay. So far, he's done nothing but say that he WON'T pay. There's a world of difference between the two. the former would probably go a long way, while the former sounds like pure BS.

Brett

 

[Cpl Punishment]

Like I stated in my first post on the subject: SnarlSlayer is the one who was wronged here.
He might be just as shady, but that doesn't matter for this transaction.

See, Mr. Stewart took money from SnarlSlayer, to build a special run of knives for SnarlSlayer, and only SnarlSlayer, at least for the first run, since it doesn't seem to be specified that BRKT can't offer subsequent runs to other distributors.

It doesn't matter that SnarlSlayer didn't play on the forums. It doesn't matter if SnarlSlayer has a web site. It doesn't matter whether or not SnarlSlayer had a way to sell the knives, he bought and paid for them, in advance.

Now if Mr. Stewart decided that SnarlSlayer wouldn't properly represent BRKT, and might harm BRKT's name in the industry, fine, he had two options:
1.) offer to make the knives with no BRKT stampings on them, and specify that BRKT not be used in any of the advertising.
2.) failing that, or alternatively, he could say he had decided not to fulfill the contract, and offer an immediate refund. Case closed.

However, he decided to go ahead with the project, using SnarlSlayer's money to produce knives that SnarlSlayer ordered for himself, not allow SnarlSlayer to have any of the knives, and make SnarlSlayer wait until his competitors took deliver of knives he paid for before getting a refund.

It doesn't matter if SnarlSlayer is a scumbag, or if he's the nicest guy in the world, he got screwed in this deal.

 

[Bladeandbarrel]

You all know I have a vested interest in BRKT--I sell them. (not spam! )

Mike told me what was going on before this went public and told me he was working on getting the money together to refund. The Kephart project was his plan.

My point is, before all of this blew up, Mike was already planning on giving the refund as soon as he could. I don't pretend to answer for him. I just wanted to say that he was ALREADY trying to do the right thing.

I know this may not sway anyone's opinions, but I know as someone who lives in the public eye (as a pastor, not as a knife guy) that sometimes things don't come out the way you planned and it can really end up hurting people. Sometimes people take it public and there is no way to give voice to the rest of the story. Then when people start taking up sides, it is very hard to ever make things right.

SS deserves a refund. No question. It should have been more timely. No question. But the refund is coming and the circumstances that have held it up may not be clear to us. In the end, I hope Mike gets a fair shake.

He may not have handled it like you would have, but in the end, I believe he is going to make it right. That counts for something.

Next time you place an order with Reeve ask them about their Mike Stewart experience. There is a reason the last SHOT or BLADE show Mike Stewart went to was circa 1995.

FYI, you have zero credibility. You make money off of Mike Stewart. Your opinion is meaningless. You have a vested interest in his susccess.

 

[Bladeandbarrel]

I really feel left out because it seems like so many of you are either some sort of big shot that has commercial ventures into the knife industry or knows big name people in the industry well enough that your conversations have gone beyond your interest in knives and on to the reputation of some third party that neither of you do business with.

Does this sound sarcastic, it should because that's the tone I'm trying to convey.

I am a nobody in the industry, I like good knives and read forums to learn.

I don't post because I don't have anything to say.... until now.

When I do say something it's only after I have my facts straight so that I don't have to worry about someone doing to me what I'm going to do to some of you right now. I'm handicapped so I stay at home and read on the Internet. My body is shot and my eyesight is going but my mind is still razor sharp so I do tend to remember a lot of what is said and what happens.

You have all done a terrific job of assassinating the character of Mike Stewart... congratulations, if he really is the scum bag you claim him to be, he deserves it. But if you can't prove your allegations, what does that make you?

Let's start with BladeandBarrel. You have claimed several times to have first hand experience with Mike Stewart. You claim to have been ripped off by him, but your profile has no information about who you are leaving me to wonder who you are.

I would think that if you are some sort of big shot in the industry you would be proud of who you are, but I don't see that....

SO BladeandBarrel, share the story... the whole story and be ready to offer proof. I would think that someone who was legitimate would be able to do that.

How about you Oupa. I seem to remember you getting knives from Mike Stewart and hacking them up. I think Bark River's Distributor still has some of those knives so they must not have been a very hot item. I also recall some sort of episode at another knife related forum where you attacked Mike Stewart and created such a problem that the forum was shut down for a period of time.

If I remember right, Mike is still a member there and you were banned and all of your posts were removed. That seems like a pretty serious banishment. I wonder about your motivations since you obviously don't like Mr. Stewart. Your quote certainly doesn't add much to the story as it reads like a couple of egos ran into each other.

There are an awful lot of you who have “Inside Information” about a federal case involving Mr Stewart, inside information that you don't seem very willing to share other than for you to SAY “I saw...” or “I was told...” or “I think...”

If this information exists in the world of free information, I think it's put up or shut up time.

Now let's talk about the guy who started this thread, SnarlSlayer.
Steve has done a lot to present his side of the matter. He clearly stated that he is looking to the court of public opinion for resolution of this matter and it looks like he found the lynching party he was seeking here.

With apologies to Esav Benyamin I am going to refer you all to take a look at KnifeForums. Mike Stewart has not attacked Steve in return although I think Sharpshooter is rather unhappy with Steve. We don't have both sides of the story making fair judgment a rather difficult proposition. There is something else that Snarlslayer seems to have left out of his story that doesn't make him look like the poor innocent lamb he wants us to see him as.

Snarlslayer was running a contest on the Bark River Forum for videos on how to sharpen knives.

Go a search and see when it started....

Then See when the rules were posted...

Then see how he solicited entries, after stating that he retained all rights to the contest entries for use on his site. By the way Steve, where is your site?

Then pay close attention to how he promoted the contest and how long it took for him to announce the winners.

I don't seem to be able to see who won the contest or who the prizes were awarded to.

I really believe that people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

It's not $16,000, it's the cost of two knives but the entrants are customers... actually Bark River Customers.

I see Snarlslayer a bit like Mike Stewart says he is, he disappeared for months at a time and then insisted on Mike delivering a product that he wouldn't be able to sell.

It's Steve's money, right?

Well if the knives were to say SnarlSlayer Knives on them the issue would be different... but I recall there being a lot of buildup on this knife and a lot of guys waiting to buy one. When Snarlslayer doesn't deliver the knives or doesn't even have a website to sell them, it's not Snarlslayers Forum the unhappy customers will be on, it will be the Bark River Forum and it will be Mike who is the bad guy who isn't delivering the knives.

Mike told Snarlslayer what is going to happen he will get his money when the Distributors pay him for them. I think if I were Mike I would deliver the knives to Steve, without any Bark River markings, make the Bark River Version and leave Snarlslayer with a bunch of knives he can't turn into money.

Snarlslayer is better off this way, he gets all of the money back more quickly than if he were stuck with the knives and what appears to be no way to sell them.

You all are very quick to pass judgment without the facts. I'm not.

I wonder if SnarlSlayer can tell us about how he planned to sell those knives since he doesn't have a website? I think we all know the answer.

I'll be reading and listening.

Hey Jackass,
My story and that of many others is a story that is well detailed in the federal record.
My credibility is not in question.
Nor will it ever be.

Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Big Mike]

It is "now", rather than "know".....I play the grammar police on TV.

Busted… :foot: ...even spell check couldn’t help me with that one.

If you are the same BigMike from "over there" what position would you like to take...

I think the whole thing stinks, but as I have already posted, I don’t know all the facts.

If it’s so cut and dry, …why hasn’t it been handled in the courts.

What does SS have to gain by airing his dirty laundry here in the forums?

His first post here by the way.

I doubt it’s to help him sell the Bark River stock he already has.

And oh yeah, what ever happened to that web-site? …once I saw he had a site and some good deals he disappeared before I could place an order.

I buy knifes from many makers and companies, I look for value and performance, some of my favorite knifes have been made by Bark River and by Mike’s son Jimmy; I will continue to do what’s best for me.

 

[Jaxx]

Quite honestly, MrPeabody very little of what you have written has anything to do with the agreement... the contractual agreement that Mr. Stewart and SnarlSlayer entered into with eyes open. Apparently, when this contract was signed by both parties, Mr. Stewart did not have any concerns... And if he began to have them, then he should have cancelled the deal and returned the money immediately. He did not. Now he seems to be holding the $16,000 hostage, with no product delivered, or that will be delivered. That is the breach of contract that SnarlSlayer is claiming, and that Mr. Stewart is not denying. It does not matter that it may seem that SnarlSlayer has no marketing plan if this issue is not addressed in the contract or any other contract between them. IF Mr. Stewart had concerns, then they should have been addressed in this contract. If Mr. Stewart wanted a marketing plan, this should have been in the contract. A website... Again, in the contract. A distributor banner, same deal. Whether you like it or not, there was a signed contract between them, one party honored this contract by providing the money, the other breached the contract by not provide the goods and/or services. If Mr. Stewart is so concerned about his name, then he should have been as concerned before entering into this agreement, and taken the appropriate steps to cover his azz then.

JMHO, YMMV

I really feel left out because it seems like so many of you are either some sort of big shot that has commercial ventures into the knife industry or knows big name people in the industry well enough that your conversations have gone beyond your interest in knives and on to the reputation of some third party that neither of you do business with.

Does this sound sarcastic, it should because that's the tone I'm trying to convey.

I am a nobody in the industry, I like good knives and read forums to learn.

I don't post because I don't have anything to say.... until now.

When I do say something it's only after I have my facts straight so that I don't have to worry about someone doing to me what I'm going to do to some of you right now. I'm handicapped so I stay at home and read on the Internet. My body is shot and my eyesight is going but my mind is still razor sharp so I do tend to remember a lot of what is said and what happens.

You have all done a terrific job of assassinating the character of Mike Stewart... congratulations, if he really is the scum bag you claim him to be, he deserves it. But if you can't prove your allegations, what does that make you?

Let's start with BladeandBarrel. You have claimed several times to have first hand experience with Mike Stewart. You claim to have been ripped off by him, but your profile has no information about who you are leaving me to wonder who you are.

I would think that if you are some sort of big shot in the industry you would be proud of who you are, but I don't see that....

SO BladeandBarrel, share the story... the whole story and be ready to offer proof. I would think that someone who was legitimate would be able to do that.

How about you Oupa. I seem to remember you getting knives from Mike Stewart and hacking them up. I think Bark River's Distributor still has some of those knives so they must not have been a very hot item. I also recall some sort of episode at another knife related forum where you attacked Mike Stewart and created such a problem that the forum was shut down for a period of time.

If I remember right, Mike is still a member there and you were banned and all of your posts were removed. That seems like a pretty serious banishment. I wonder about your motivations since you obviously don't like Mr. Stewart. Your quote certainly doesn't add much to the story as it reads like a couple of egos ran into each other.

There are an awful lot of you who have “Inside Information” about a federal case involving Mr Stewart, inside information that you don't seem very willing to share other than for you to SAY “I saw...” or “I was told...” or “I think...”

If this information exists in the world of free information, I think it's put up or shut up time.

Now let's talk about the guy who started this thread, SnarlSlayer.
Steve has done a lot to present his side of the matter. He clearly stated that he is looking to the court of public opinion for resolution of this matter and it looks like he found the lynching party he was seeking here.

With apologies to Esav Benyamin I am going to refer you all to take a look at KnifeForums. Mike Stewart has not attacked Steve in return although I think Sharpshooter is rather unhappy with Steve. We don't have both sides of the story making fair judgment a rather difficult proposition. There is something else that Snarlslayer seems to have left out of his story that doesn't make him look like the poor innocent lamb he wants us to see him as.

Snarlslayer was running a contest on the Bark River Forum for videos on how to sharpen knives.

Go a search and see when it started....

Then See when the rules were posted...

Then see how he solicited entries, after stating that he retained all rights to the contest entries for use on his site. By the way Steve, where is your site?

Then pay close attention to how he promoted the contest and how long it took for him to announce the winners.

I don't seem to be able to see who won the contest or who the prizes were awarded to.

I really believe that people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

It's not $16,000, it's the cost of two knives but the entrants are customers... actually Bark River Customers.

I see Snarlslayer a bit like Mike Stewart says he is, he disappeared for months at a time and then insisted on Mike delivering a product that he wouldn't be able to sell.

It's Steve's money, right?

Well if the knives were to say SnarlSlayer Knives on them the issue would be different... but I recall there being a lot of buildup on this knife and a lot of guys waiting to buy one. When Snarlslayer doesn't deliver the knives or doesn't even have a website to sell them, it's not Snarlslayers Forum the unhappy customers will be on, it will be the Bark River Forum and it will be Mike who is the bad guy who isn't delivering the knives.

Mike told Snarlslayer what is going to happen he will get his money when the Distributors pay him for them. I think if I were Mike I would deliver the knives to Steve, without any Bark River markings, make the Bark River Version and leave Snarlslayer with a bunch of knives he can't turn into money.

Snarlslayer is better off this way, he gets all of the money back more quickly than if he were stuck with the knives and what appears to be no way to sell them.

You all are very quick to pass judgment without the facts. I'm not.

I wonder if SnarlSlayer can tell us about how he planned to sell those knives since he doesn't have a website? I think we all know the answer.

I'll be reading and listening.

 

[hardheart]

some of us would like to see what's best for the community

 

[Bladeandbarrel]

Busted… :foot: ...even spell check couldn’t help me with that one.





I think the whole thing stinks, but as I have already posted, I don’t know all the facts.

If it’s so cut and dry, …why hasn’t it been handled in the courts.

What does SS have to gain by airing his dirty laundry here in the forums?

His first post here by the way.

I doubt it’s to help him sell the Bark River stock he already has.

And oh yeah, what ever happened to that web-site? …once I saw he had a site and some good deals he disappeared before I could place an order.

I buy knifes from many makers and companies, I look for value and performance, some of my favorite knifes have been made by Bark River and by Mike’s son Jimmy; I will continue to do what’s best for me.

Maybe by exposing BRKT in public he is trying to avoid the costs of litigation?

When your persona is 100% internet devloped, that is where the sugar and spice tends to come from.

 

[okbohn]

I won't get into a flame war. I do have credibility because I am me. The fact that I sell Mike's knives does not make me without credibility.

As to hardheart's bold. You are right. At this point it means nothing. It is only valuable when Mike refunds the money. When he does, then it will have more meaning.

If Mike doesn't make good on this, then you guys are right and I am wrong. If he doesn't make good, then I was a bad judge of character.

It could be. But I am really just trying to give voice to the fact that Mike was working on a refund before it went public. In fact, I knew a month or so ago that he was working on refunding the money. It was only when SS got back in touch with him that it all blew up.

I'm withholding judgment until all of the facts are in.

 

[cgd160]

Mr. Peabody, I kindly ask you to remove your cranium from your colon. All you have said is subterfuge. The contest has nothing to do with the fact of the matter. The second that "contest" made Mike realize SS wouldn't be a good dealer he should have refunded the money. "Oh wait, to late, it was spent" you might say, well then to bad, SS gets the knives. We've read the SS side, so why would Mike remain so silent if he has a leg to stand on.

I have 4 BRK&T Kepharts, 2 prototypes and 2 First production runs. I have been waiting a while for the full tang A2 version. The whole "I don't trust SS to be a dealer and it's my name on the knife" is pure BS. What, is SS going to spend 16K to not sell them. All Mike has to do is put a sticky that's titled "Get Kepharts Here" thread and everyone will know where to get them and don't give me any other BS, because if you don't read the forums, you more than likely don't even know BRK&T exists.

It's fanboys defending crap like this, that put me off even more than the initial crap that started it.

 

[VANCE]

Next time you place an order with Reeve ask them about their Mike Stewart experience. There is a reason the last SHOT or BLADE show Mike Stewart went to was circa 1995.

FYI, you have zero credibility. You make money off of Mike Stewart. Your opinion is meaningless. You have a vested interest in his susccess.

in his defense

ive bought several items from him & they were delivered in a very timely manner.

to take a shot at him for selling bark river is bush league



n

 

[Cpl Punishment]

You all know I have a vested interest in BRKT--I sell them. (not spam! )

Mike told me what was going on before this went public and told me he was working on getting the money together to refund. The Kephart project was his plan.

My point is, before all of this blew up, Mike was already planning on giving the refund as soon as he could. I don't pretend to answer for him. I just wanted to say that he was ALREADY trying to do the right thing.

I know this may not sway anyone's opinions, but I know as someone who lives in the public eye (as a pastor, not as a knife guy) that sometimes things don't come out the way you planned and it can really end up hurting people. Sometimes people take it public and there is no way to give voice to the rest of the story. Then when people start taking up sides, it is very hard to ever make things right.

SS deserves a refund. No question. It should have been more timely. No question. But the refund is coming and the circumstances that have held it up may not be clear to us. In the end, I hope Mike gets a fair shake.

He may not have handled it like you would have, but in the end, I believe he is going to make it right. That counts for something.

Alright Derrick, you posted while I was typing.
If this is the way it really was, and SnarlSlayer decided to hold a public roast, I could see how it would piss him off.
However, he handled it wrong. I can darn well bet that the public roast would have backfired if Mike's response was "OK, I screwed up by using the funds after deciding not to go with the contract. I'll pay you back as soon as I can to make it right." Rather, he chose "Screw you, I decided I don't like you and you'll get paid when I feel like it." Which is about the worst public face he could have put on.

If he sold primarily tacticool knives like DorkOps or something, the rogue, pirate-like attitude might have scored points. But he sells to guys that tend to be outdoorsy and some military. Both of which value the old-fashioned stand up guy persona a lot. Hell, he probably could have sold a few more knives by coming out and saying he screwed up, promising to pay when he could. I don't know how many times I've seen that in other industries and people decided to buy a new [whatever] right now, to help raise the money.

Bottom line, SnarlSlayer got screwed, and Mike played his cards wrong if he truly was going to make it right as soon as he could.

 

[SPXTrader]

What does SS have to gain by airing his dirty laundry here in the forums?

His first post here by the way.

I really don't blame snarlslayer for posting this in the GB&U. It belongs here.

I think he has $ 16,000 to gain, or better put, recover.

He certainly didn't get answers to his questions, at least in a civilized, business-like manner anywhere else.

 

[ilbruche]

You can call a cat a fish....but that doesn't mean it can swim.