I purchased a MOD Tempest from NW Cutlery about six weeks ago, and was initially quite pleased with the knife. I'd been looking for a smaller-bladed alternative to my AFCK, and the Masters of Defense series seemed to fit the bill.
Around three weeks later, I began doing the usual tests of the lock and blade before making the switch to carrying the Tempest daily. Unfortunately, it failed pretty early on in the process; the lock failed after two or three moderate whacks on a table top. Repeatedly. I was surprised by this, as I had expected the same quality from MOD as I had seen in my old Microtech SOCOM.
I contacted Masters of Defense the next day, and asked to speak with someone regarding their warranty policy. I was put through to a man who expressed some surprise at my problem, but offered to replace the knife at no charge. He said that they had had some complaints with the lock up on the Tempest for that particular test only, which he attributed to the vibration caused on impact by the larger blade of the Janich design. However, he added that they had A) suspended 125 lbs from the handle of the Tempest with no problems, and B) that the Tempest was the only design in the series that had shown this problem.
The man turned out to be Jim Ray himself. I was told that the Tempest was undergoing some changes to the design which would correct the problem. The new design would be ready in late February, and they could send me one then. I asked him to send me a Ladyhawk instead, as I can always buy one of the redesigned Tempests when they are released.
My new Ladyhawk came in today, and its a great knife. Mr. Ray enclosed his personal business card with my new knife, which impressed me; this is a man who really went the distance for a knife he sold to a distributor three months ago. I do not mean to sound critical of the Tempest, by any means; once they clear up the issue of the reliability (vs. the strength) of the lock, I will certainly buy another.
In the meantime, however, I have a brand new knife from the manufacturer only 10 days later. Remember, this is due to a test not covered by the warranty, something that many other companies would not have honored. I wasn't asked for a receipt, or an explanation; just please send it back, and we'll do what it takes to keep you satisfied.
I was put through to Jim Ray personally when I called, and it sounds as though he is fixing the problem in the design even as I write this. That's great service, and I would not hesitate to recommend the Masters of Defense series to anyone who might be interested. Thanks again, Mr. Ray.
- Ben
Around three weeks later, I began doing the usual tests of the lock and blade before making the switch to carrying the Tempest daily. Unfortunately, it failed pretty early on in the process; the lock failed after two or three moderate whacks on a table top. Repeatedly. I was surprised by this, as I had expected the same quality from MOD as I had seen in my old Microtech SOCOM.
I contacted Masters of Defense the next day, and asked to speak with someone regarding their warranty policy. I was put through to a man who expressed some surprise at my problem, but offered to replace the knife at no charge. He said that they had had some complaints with the lock up on the Tempest for that particular test only, which he attributed to the vibration caused on impact by the larger blade of the Janich design. However, he added that they had A) suspended 125 lbs from the handle of the Tempest with no problems, and B) that the Tempest was the only design in the series that had shown this problem.
The man turned out to be Jim Ray himself. I was told that the Tempest was undergoing some changes to the design which would correct the problem. The new design would be ready in late February, and they could send me one then. I asked him to send me a Ladyhawk instead, as I can always buy one of the redesigned Tempests when they are released.
My new Ladyhawk came in today, and its a great knife. Mr. Ray enclosed his personal business card with my new knife, which impressed me; this is a man who really went the distance for a knife he sold to a distributor three months ago. I do not mean to sound critical of the Tempest, by any means; once they clear up the issue of the reliability (vs. the strength) of the lock, I will certainly buy another.
In the meantime, however, I have a brand new knife from the manufacturer only 10 days later. Remember, this is due to a test not covered by the warranty, something that many other companies would not have honored. I wasn't asked for a receipt, or an explanation; just please send it back, and we'll do what it takes to keep you satisfied.
I was put through to Jim Ray personally when I called, and it sounds as though he is fixing the problem in the design even as I write this. That's great service, and I would not hesitate to recommend the Masters of Defense series to anyone who might be interested. Thanks again, Mr. Ray.
- Ben