Good point and I think it is important to toss an issue like this out to the group for consideration as opposed to just quietly going back to Dan. It's only appropriate the group kicks this around and effectively provides a consensus for Dan. Yes, individual knife-makers serve individual buyers but individual buyers are going to have their own picky preferences. The maker needs to know what "the masses" think in order to succeed. I appreciate that it was brought to everyone's attention because I cancelled two orders with Dan recently myself, without a complaint to Dan - because I felt like I was the only one and I wasn't going to bother him with my own "picky preferences." Everybody else seemed happy, why should I come in and try to change everything when I could just go buy a knife some place else? If I had brought it up for discussion, I might have realized that it was somethin worth bringing up to Dan that would help him be successful - which of course serves all our iwn selfich needs but, we all win that way anyway.
This has turned out to be a constrcutive and intelligent discussion and, reading through it, I have to say that I am proud to be associated with the prople who have contributed to this thread (and BF in general). I think that by the time Dan gets back and has a chance to read this he will be getting a fair shake and a helping hand. He's working his butt off trying to make us all happy. I think that this collective feedback is appropriate - feel out the rest of the group to see if you're just being picky or is the issue needs to be brought up.
First, I would like to say that I really like his work. I do not make posts just to say BEAUTIFUL KNIFE, or whatever, but he does do very nice work. I would not be worried about owning and using one of his blades and in fact, I am waiting for a review of that big one so many have ordered.
Now, I am going to give my point of view as if this was my first look and first impression of Dans work. I am going to go back to a couple of old sayings my father use to say.
''A man who is to lazy to shave when he wakes up in the morning, makes me wonder, what else is he to lazy to do?''
He also said,
''You can make love to a 1000 women, and never be called Don Juan, but s#ck one d#ck and you are a c#ck s#cker for life.''
Applying that logic here, I would be wondering what it looks like under that handle, and if the heat treating was done correctly. In short, I would not ever be interested in owning something Dan was making. Again, this would be my first impression and seeing these two examples.
We are all trying to be constructive here, and having knives go out looking like that, is in my first impression opinion, would make me wonder if Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder is in quality control. While I know this is not the case, we have to think about people who have never seen his past work. We are talking about expanding his business, well that means NEW PEOPLE who will at some point have to have a first impression.
I can see late at night, and being tired, once or twice having a knife slip by with a small scratch in it, but to be honest, this is like buying a new car with rust or a dent on it, not the dealer forgetting to wash it. How many would accept that car?
Like I said, I have seen to much of his work to know something happened that was not supposed to. Maybe it was a knife used to make sheaths, but that is still not a good excuse. Paint that knife red or something so it never gets shipped by accident. This is not the norm from what I have seen at least, and I am 100% sure he will make it right for both of you.
).
