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Is BudK a scam site/dishonest or just crappy products? Worried- I just ordered...

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BethanyDawnM24

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I am the mother of a 9 year old boy that loves knives and swords and because I don't think he is ready for a "real" one yet, I just ordered a cheap decorative sword from BudK. He has two sisters and I don't want them to get sliced open, so maybe a little down the road I will get him a real one, but for now he will have to just be happy with a cool looking one that hangs on the wall. Yeah, I know he is 9 and lots of boys had real knives by then, but... what can I say? I'm a mom. ;) I'll reevaluate next year.

My concern is with the authenticity of the company. I just checked my e-mail and it's showing three orders placed when I only placed one. It's saying I ordered two assault knives, which I absolutely did not, as well as a duplicate order of the sword that I did order, but it has it as a separate order and separate shipping charge. I went to their website and checked order history and it's showing three orders as well with the same faulty info and the times are not matching up. I took a picture of my confirmation order page as soon as I paid just in case and that order is right, but the other two orders are saying 4 to 5 minutes prior to that and I had not placed my order at that point in time. I used a debit card rather than a credit card against my better judgement. What I am wondering is if anyone can give me info on if they are known for being dishonest or a scam type site. If that is the case, then I will need to head to the bank tomorrow, but if that is not the case, then I will just be patient and wait for them to respond to my e-mail and hopefully take off the faulty orders.

I did a search on the forum and can see that they are not a popular company due to their "crappy" products (mostly), but since I wasn't going for the real thing anyway, I am mainly worried about being scammed or if my debit card info was stolen. If anyone ordered from them before or can give me any info/advice, it would be greatly appreciated.
 
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/BudK

Hmm BudK ratings are pretty bad. Maybe you can cancel your order and search for a reputable dealer with help from the forum here?
We normally don't recommend wallhangers as a first sword. Most have done that in the beginning of their collection and most wished they saved up for a real sword anyhow.
THe problem with a crappy wallhanger is that your son might try to use it as a real sword and get hurt because the thing deintegrates during use.
 
Well... lesson learned the hard way. They e-mail back and basically implied that I was a liar and had placed three orders with three separate shipping charges within minutes of each other myself and then somehow despite the fact that many reviews I just read said slow shipping, they managed to have already shipped my order as of shortly after 8 AM this morning (when I just ordered at 9:35 pm last night) and therefore cannot cancel my order. Tracking info says that shipping label was created at 8:14 AM this morning and she sent me a message saying it had already shipped and she could not cancel my order (that I did NOT order) at 8:22 this morning- 8 minutes after having created a FedEx shipping label. I told her to stop shipment and that if there is no way to do that, then to send me a pre-paid shipping label, as I do not want to pay for shipping back for something I did not order. She refused to do so, so I went to the bank this morning to stop payment and it's not showing up yet, so I cancelled my debit card, but I have no idea if it will still go through or not. If it does, I will open up a fraud case with the bank.

On the bright side, I guess I can now start all over looking for a Christmas present for my son and since it seems like the cheap decorative swords are not a good option based on the responses and that hilarious video... Any recommendations for a good first knife, dagger or sword for a 9 year old? I imagine a sword will probably be out since I'm on a budget, but maybe a dagger or knife? I don't want a pocket knife or anything that flips out and would like to keep it to $100 or under since it's his first one, but am open to suggestions other than that.
 
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internet search " cold steel machete " ....they have some sword shaped ones, very reasonably priced.... good steel, indestructible, will not come sharp enough to hurt anyone unintentionally....look at the Katana, Chinese War Sword, or Thai sword options specifically would be my starting point.....they'll come with a serviceable sheath and not break or warp first time he hits a tree with it.....

(( Do not link to dealers who are not Bladeforums members. ))

can't think of a better " sword " type starting point for a 9 year old....being machetes they will have thinner blades as well so they will be easier for him to handle with his young build...it's what I'd do, and I have a 9 year old boy myself....
 
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Bethany,

You might want to report them to your state's Attorney General's office. Different states AGs work differently, but most have a consumer division that tracks fraudlent activity. YOUR case may not be rectfied quickly through them, but after they have enough complaints from their citizens, they can go after them with a big hammer.
 
Unfortunately, a decent sword is almost certainly out of your price range - and would probably be a very bad idea for a 9 year old. At that age, I'm certain he would be tempted to play with it, and that could be dangerous. For similar reasons, I wouldn't get him a dagger either. You should probably look for something relatively small that can be used for multiple purposes around the house, so he can get used to knives.

To be honest, in your shoes I would absolutely get him a pocketknife. You can get a small one with a relatively rounded tip - an Opinel or a Swiss Army knife would be an excellent choice.

If your heart is set on a fixed blade, I would consider something like the CRKT M.A.K. It's kind of ugly looking, and the material probably isn't great, but it's almost impossible to stab someone with it. Another good, cheap option is the Mora Companion.

I actually wrote a quick guide to buying knives for other people that's aimed at someone just like you. You may find it useful : https://medium.com/@ohgodscrewthis/the-2015-holiday-guide-to-knife-buying-5bf6d60e1913#.wwbrsgjdo .
 
I would stay away from daggers and swords for a first blade.

A Swiss Army Knife or small traditional slip joint pocket knife would be good choices.
Or a small fixed blade like a Becker 24 or 14 or an ESEE Izula or Candiru would be a good place to start as well.

More importantly than the knife are the lessons that you can teach him about it. It is a tool first and foremost that requires respect. Even the smallest knife can be dangerous due to negligence or malice intent. Teach him this and proper techniques to use it and he will appreciate it for his lifetime. Then he can teach it to the grand kids.

If you still don't believe he is ready for the responsibility of owning and using this tool, look into a plastic or wooden knife. They sell them at various online knife shops.

I know there is a thread around here somewhere talking about the 1st knife for children. If I find it I'll post it.
 
You can also search for Condor, which is an upscale brand for leading machete maker Imacasa. They offer a number of well regarded large knives and swords at reasonable prices.

Here is a Condor Cutlass ...which you will likely find for well under $100.

CN35622HCa.jpg


n2s
 
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I sort of agree with Hawgsnawt - Cold Steel machetes are reasonable quality blades that often look like swords, and they're generally quite affordable. Having said that, I think there would be far too much temptation to play with them, especially if they look like swords. Hell, I play with my knives, and I'm a grown-ass man.
 
benchwarmer380 said:
More importantly than the knife are the lessons that you can teach him about it. It is a tool first and foremost that requires respect. Even the smallest knife can be dangerous due to negligence or malice intent. Teach him this and proper techniques to use it and he will appreciate it for his lifetime. Then he can teach it to the grand kids.

If you still don't believe he is ready for the responsibility of owning and using this tool, look into a plastic or wooden knife. They sell them at various online knife shops.

I know there is a thread around here somewhere talking about the 1st knife for children. If I find it I'll post it.
Click to expand...

This is probably the best response in the thread so far. If I remember my nine year old self well, I would have wanted the sword or knife for the "cool factor." While that does spark an interest in knives, it does not encourage them to be used in responsible manner. As others have suggested, get him a decent pocket knife and teach him to take good care of it. Encourage it's use as a tool instead of a weapon, and teach him the responsibilities of ownership of such an item.
 
+1 on a swiss army knife. I would also recommend that you keep the knife, and give it to him when he needs it. That can be what he specifically needs to cut something, or any time he goes outside the house, when he goes camping, etc. Letting him keep the knife on his own might be a temptation to cut random things. After a year or so if he's shown he's responsible then you can see about letting him keep it in his room.
 
Thanks so much for all the suggestions. If we got a real one, it wouldn't be kept in his room- it would be kept with his daddy and would be supervised by him. My thought with the decorative one was that it was something that could be kept in his room that isn't too sharp, so don't have to worry about it, but I can see that is not the case now. May hold off on a knife for a few more years- will talk to his daddy and see what he thinks. Thank you so much for all the replies and suggestions. You guys are a big help! :)
 
Hawgsnawt said:
internet search " cold steel machete " ....they have some sword shaped ones, very reasonably priced.... good steel, indestructible, will not come sharp enough to hurt anyone unintentionally....look at the Katana, Chinese War Sword, or Thai sword options specifically would be my starting point.....they'll come with a serviceable sheath and not break or warp first time he hits a tree wi
Click to expand...

Actually,the newer models, such as the Thai sword and that 2 Handed Dao machete you linked, most certainly DO come sharp. No, you won't shave with it, but you most certainly can cut yourself with it easily. Older models, like the Panga, Bolo, and Latin patterns came dull, but every machete they've released since they put out the Kopis machete that I've gotten most certainly HAVE come sharp enough to hurt someone unintentionally.

If you want a "sword like" machete that will definitely come dull, get an Imacasa, something like one of these:
yhst-29358752693524_2271_10714182

yhst-29358752693524_2271_12676600


They come with no edge, they're cheap, and if you do eventually put an edge on it, you'll have a quality tool to boot.
 
For a wall hanger anything will do.

Otherwise Nerf swords are fun. Next step up are the already mentioned heavy hard plastic swords like the ones Cold steel sells. My 4 year old has crazy fun with them and I got to watch my bones. No real damage yet, just pain. I wish they would have Kendo or other long blade classes around here. Maybe you have?

If what he really needs is a knife my 6 year old likes her rounded tip Opinel Junior. Sure one could kill somebody with it on purpose but not likley just by accident.
She also has some more serious blades but only under my supervision.

Trust your own instinct. Every kid is ready for different things at different ages. Some training might change that if you really want to.
 
A lot of us have done business with Bud K somewhere in our past. They have been around for decades and never seemed like a fly by night rip off place to me. You are going through a lot of drama for something you could have just returned unopened. It sounds as if your call to customer service didn't go well. Any chance you could have accidentally had those other items in your cart before you hit the check out button?

I agree that fake swords can be more dangerous than most think. I think a first blade should be a small folder or fixed blade kept sharp enough to keep him/her from using so much force to cut something that it gets away from the user when a sharper blade will easily cut without needing a lot of force. You are right in keeping it away from the child and only given to him/her when needed and supervised until you are sure the kid can be counted on to be responsible. Earning trust a bit at a time with the reward of the trust being placed in them should be part of a kids learning from the parents. Things should be earned not given. That especially includes trust. Not learning that lesson hampers development of a healthy mind.

Good luck.

Joe
 
If he has a hankering for swords, at that age his first sword should be wooden. It is a time honored tradition for children and people learning to handle a sword to have a wooden sword for some time first.

Bokken, waster, etc.

Zieg
 
Cold steel has a bunch of very cool, BLUNT training swords for cheap prices. They are made of their almost unbreakable plastic. When I was nine I would have wanted to take it out (by myself) in the woods/yard and wack trees. IMO, nine is kind of young for anything sharp. With the plastic training sword "accidents" all you have worry about somebody getting a welt or bump.
 
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