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Ernie with Blue Lightning Stencils/custom knife maker - bad experience

REK Knives

REK Knives

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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Apr 3, 2011
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It's really strange because I have heard a bunch of good things from all over about Ernie. I first emailed him about having him make me some logos and he was pretty helpful, even if his emails were confusing and not very clear. He worked up something for me and sent it to me, which was perfect and exactly what I was wanting, however in the image he sent me it was pixelated around the curves (jagged). I simply asked him via email if he could clarify if that would show up in the final stencil or if he needed a different format for my logo so those lines wouldn't be there. He replied "get some more information from another stencil maker." ??

Since this was unclear to me, I decided to call him because I did want to work w/ Ernie. I just wanted to know if those jagged lines were there only on my computer screen or if they would be integrated into the stencil. I asked him if I needed to make it in a vector or something to prevent this from happening.

Instead of him trying to help me and clarify/work through the issue (which would have been super simple to discuss) he told me in annoyed voice that I needed to contact another stencil maker and hung up rather quickly.

This is not the way you do business if you want repeat customers or new customers even. Ernie may have been having a bad day, not sure but he had responded this way first in email and then on the phone. Wanted to post up a review in case anyone wanted to hear this experience.
 
Wow........He was great when I had worked with him. He was friendly, communicated/responded quickly, and made me exactly what I wanted. I only used him once sice I only do1-2 knives a month. I have very limited experiance with him but that one time was positive.

Jay
 
I'm sorry you had that experience with Ernie. I won't make any excuses for his behavior, other than there's always the other side to the story, and everybody has a bad day once in a while.
I've ordered several stencils from Ernie, and never had a problem. Fast communication, fast turn around, and he was always pleasant on the phone.

At any rate, You might check out TUS technologies.

I've had very good luck with them as well, and replacement sheets are a little cheaper after you pay the initial set up fee.
 
Second that on Tus Tech they make nice long lasting stencils and are supper quick and very professional .
 
Thanks guys, yes I have already contacted TUS and gotten an initial email back from them. Looking forward to it!

Knife, you are correct in that there are always 2 sides to any story, I just recently got out of law enforcement after being in it for about 10 years (to go full time into my sharpening business!) so I definitely know what you mean! That's why I said he may have just been having a bad day or something.
 
Maybe he's having a personal crisis he doesn't want to or can't talk about, but he's got to turn away work to deal with it.
 
I need to order some more stencils.

Ernies is charging $60


What is Tus Tech getting for theirs?
 
AVigil said:
I need to order some more stencils.

Ernies is charging $60


What is Tus Tech getting for theirs?
Click to expand...

I paid $35 for a sheet of 5 stencils... but I think part of that was a one time set up fee. Email Jan and she will set you up - was super helpful to me. jan.daermann@tustech.com
 
Thanks for the info :)
 
I spoke with TUS yesterday. First sheet with 5 stencils is $35, replacement sheets are $13. Will be ordering mine as soon as my son finishes up my logo...
 
I have used Ernie many times for one off stencils, initals, names, birthdates, other dates, etc, which I'll etch on the spine for a customer, for a period of years. Always has been very quick and efficient service. All communication except the very first time has been through email. I email him and say I need a stencil that says ROB. Couple of hours later I have a proof, which I approve and a few days later I have the stencil. This has been my experience.
 
razor-edge-knives said:
It's really strange because I have heard a bunch of good things from all over about Ernie. I first emailed him about having him make me some logos and he was pretty helpful, even if his emails were confusing and not very clear. He worked up something for me and sent it to me, which was perfect and exactly what I was wanting, however in the image he sent me it was pixelated around the curves (jagged). I simply asked him via email if he could clarify if that would show up in the final stencil or if he needed a different format for my logo so those lines wouldn't be there. He replied "get some more information from another stencil maker." ??

Since this was unclear to me, I decided to call him because I did want to work w/ Ernie. I just wanted to know if those jagged lines were there only on my computer screen or if they would be integrated into the stencil. I asked him if I needed to make it in a vector or something to prevent this from happening.

Instead of him trying to help me and clarify/work through the issue (which would have been super simple to discuss) he told me in annoyed voice that I needed to contact another stencil maker and hung up rather quickly.

This is not the way you do business if you want repeat customers or new customers even. Ernie may have been having a bad day, not sure but he had responded this way first in email and then on the phone. Wanted to post up a review in case anyone wanted to hear this experience.
Click to expand...


I just wanted to share that a very similar situation happened with me.

I received an email from Ernie with an image that was slightly pixelated around the edges and he wrote "It will etch OK." As a first time customer, I wanted some reassurance so I replied to Ernie, by email, asking if I needed to provide a higher resolution image. I even included the sentence " I'm very new to this so sorry in advance if I misinterpreted your last message.".

His response was "What you see in the picture you are looking at does not reflect the stencil itself. Go ahead and try another stencil maker."

I then made 2 efforts let him know that he was highly recommended and that I trust his judgement on the stencil. He refused service and offered no explanation.

As my first post on a public forum, I hope that I am not immediately discredited due to lack of prior posts. I probably will not post very often, as I'm more of a reader than a poster. I just thought this was worth mentioning as someone else seemed to share a very similar experience. This was, actually, the first time in my life that I have been refused service by someone.
 
Sounds like the guy has a short fuse and expects customers to know exactly his process without explaining it. Pass!!!
 
AOrtiz said:
I just wanted to share that a very similar situation happened with me.

I received an email from Ernie with an image that was slightly pixelated around the edges and he wrote "It will etch OK." As a first time customer, I wanted some reassurance so I replied to Ernie, by email, asking if I needed to provide a higher resolution image. I even included the sentence " I'm very new to this so sorry in advance if I misinterpreted your last message.".

His response was "What you see in the picture you are looking at does not reflect the stencil itself. Go ahead and try another stencil maker."

I then made 2 efforts let him know that he was highly recommended and that I trust his judgement on the stencil. He refused service and offered no explanation.

As my first post on a public forum, I hope that I am not immediately discredited due to lack of prior posts. I probably will not post very often, as I'm more of a reader than a poster. I just thought this was worth mentioning as someone else seemed to share a very similar experience. This was, actually, the first time in my life that I have been refused service by someone.
Click to expand...

It's always so strange to me what some people take offense to.

I remember working in restaurants and sending out the perfect dish cooked exactly to the customers specifications only to have it returned by the server because it was "all wrong"

Which was quite impossible as we would temp our meat with a thermometer to ensure consistency and quality. We'd just eat it and make them a new one! Give someone the best meal of their life? Might tell a few people. Give them the worst? Everyone.

Oh well, hopefully this is a case of the wrong side of the bed rather than ego.
 
Apparently Ernie still hasn't managed to get out of the right side of the bed. He did a stencil for us a few years ago from my design and all was fine. I contacted him this week to have another one done with a different one of my designs and he refused to do it because he didn't personally like the design. He didn't like the use of the word 'knives' in the design with the last name, didn't like the artwork with it, and didn't like the use of a last name instead of just initials. I accept his right to turn down business but I'll trade him for a bad review of his business practices. If he refused it because he knew the design wouldn't print correctly, that is one thing - but to turn it down because of his personal likes or dislikes...not good. I have a query out now to a different stencil maker.
 
I am a one man operation, HVAC, and I just cannot understand treating first time customers like this....regardless of which side of the bed I may have gotten out of.
Maybe the guy doesn't need the work and could care less. If that's true, it still doesn't explain him treating people who are looking to give him some of their hard earned cash like that.
Weird.
Joe
 
When an artist is starving they'll bend over backwards. Once they get known many times the Prima Donna comes out. This sounds like one of those cases.
 
Not to start a rumor but I have heard he has some serious health considerations
 
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