- Joined
- Nov 24, 2008
- Messages
- 4,748
i have been waiting on a order.
got some bad news from keith,but he is getting stronger.:thumbup:
Hi Dwayne;
We are very sorry about the delay. The following letter will explain where
we are and why. Kl
2/25/13 SERIOUS AS A HEART
ATTACK!
As some of you are aware, K&M has been experiencing some unforeseen problems
with manufacturing equipment, problems that required purchase of another
machine in an attempt to catch up on back-orders. For the most part you
have been very patient and understanding through what has been an
unbelievably stressful time for us. Hopefully this letter will bring you up
to speed...again.
To cut to the chase, I (Keith) have been feeling "under the weather" for the
past few months, with the additional stress of our equipment failure
contributing greatly to the problem. Last Monday (Feb. 18) Marge and I were
in town to pick up items needed for the business when I became "woozy" while
in a store, and upon checking out realized I couldn't control my right hand.
Writing a check for the items was a real struggle and barely legible but I
managed to get it done. Showing the carbon copy to Marge I made the
suggestion that perhaps we'd better head for a hospital as I was pretty sure
I was having a stroke. My inability to speak clearly dispelled any doubts
she may have had.
After a CT scan of my head the hospital called in a Life Flight helicopter
to transport me to a much larger medical facility in Coeur d 'alene, Idaho,
for more diagnostic testing, scans, etc. Days of testing and scans revealed
that I had in fact had a heart attack, probably within the last two weeks,
which would explain the near constant chest pain I've been experiencing for
the last three months, and which I'd been ignoring in the belief that it was
probably related to several other possible causes.
At any rate we're back home and although I have neither the strength nor the
endurance to whip a sick hamster, I am feeling much better than before this
event, am on meds that seem to be helping, my hands are functioning a little
better every day, and I do plan to get back into production ASAP.
SHIPPING UPDATE:
We're supposed to have the aluminum cases back from the anodizer today
(2/25), after which they will be flying out of here as fast as Marge can
assemble them. As for the brass models, we got the last of the CNC programs
restored just two days before this latest adventure, so as far as I know we
are ready to roll. Though still weak and a bit unsteady I plan to try to
work yet today.
Taking advantage of the down time to modify the design and retool has
resulted in the very best cases we have ever produced, and I frankly doubt
that they can be further improved. As of 2/16 all tooling and equipment was
working perfectly. The bottom line is that we can FINALLY see light at the
end of what has been a very long and difficult tunnel. REST ASSURED THAT WE
WILL DO OUR VERY BEST TO FILL EACH AND EVERY ORDER ASAP.
AND WHILE WE UNDERSTAND YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT THE LONG DELAY, IT WOULD BE
EVER SO HELPFUL, IF, (UNLESS YOU WANT TO REQUEST A REFUND BY CALLING
1-208-826-3447 OR 1-877-562-9537), YOU WOULD PLEASE HOLD OFF ON THE EMAILS
FOR AT LEAST A WEEK OR SO. EVERY MINUTE SPENT ANSWERING THEM IS A MINUTE
NOT SPENT PRODUCING MATCHCASES! THANK YOU.
As a final note, particularly for those of you who consider your matchcase a
collectible (as many have indicated they do), let me say that if you have a
K&M matchcase with a " K&M Elk River, ID USA" headstamp, in all likelihood
it was made by me and assembled by Marge. With very few exceptions that has
been the case since our 1995 move to Elk River. The day will come, perhaps
sooner than we expected, that Marge and I will produce our last matchcase.
The only significance I place on that observation is in regard to a story
told to us by a personal friend, Chuck Buck, owner and President of Buck
Knives, who showed us an early Buck knife hand-made by the founder of Buck
Knives, his grandfather, along with a sheath hand-made on the kitchen table
by Chuck's grandmother. Needless to say, they are treasures to Chuck and
would be priceless to a knife collector.
The first indication we had of any similar contribution we might make to the
outdoor world came from an L.L.Bean's buyer, who in 1991 told me, "Your
matchcases are heirloom quality. They will be passed along for
generations." Numerous letters in our files validate that prophecy.
Like Chuck's grandparents, Marge and I will someday slip into history, our
matchcases destined to far outlast our bodies, our legacy of making the best
tool of its kind a gratifying accomplishment in spite of the tribulations
and uncertainty of success. That she's stuck it out for fifty years through
more "worse" than "better", is an enduring testimony to Marge's character
and a huge reason that K&M has survived when common sense would have
dictated that we forget it and that I work at a real job. And like Chuck
Buck's grandmother, Marge still assembles them on the kitchen table.
Lastly we want to apologize for the long delay and to thank all of you
who've waited so long and patiently for your cases. As I said in a previous
letter, had we known then what we know now, we would have shut the site down
until our equipment was up and running again. I don't believe that any
mortal could have foreseen the series of negative events we've experienced,
but feel that we're over the crisis, my health issues being but the latest
bump in the road. Unfortunately we were unable to keep up with emails and
communicate with you during the "lost week" in the hospital.
For those who desire a refund, a simple request is all that's required to
get one on the way. Please call 1-208-826-3447 or 1-877-562-9537
For those who would like to forward this information to the many blogs, chat
rooms, Facebook, etc., where K&M is discussed, we welcome your efforts to
help us get the word out.
Thank you again and may God bless you all;
Keith and Marge Lunders
PS If you so desire a signed copy of this letter will accompany either your
matchcase or your refund. kl
got some bad news from keith,but he is getting stronger.:thumbup:
Hi Dwayne;
We are very sorry about the delay. The following letter will explain where
we are and why. Kl
2/25/13 SERIOUS AS A HEART
ATTACK!
As some of you are aware, K&M has been experiencing some unforeseen problems
with manufacturing equipment, problems that required purchase of another
machine in an attempt to catch up on back-orders. For the most part you
have been very patient and understanding through what has been an
unbelievably stressful time for us. Hopefully this letter will bring you up
to speed...again.
To cut to the chase, I (Keith) have been feeling "under the weather" for the
past few months, with the additional stress of our equipment failure
contributing greatly to the problem. Last Monday (Feb. 18) Marge and I were
in town to pick up items needed for the business when I became "woozy" while
in a store, and upon checking out realized I couldn't control my right hand.
Writing a check for the items was a real struggle and barely legible but I
managed to get it done. Showing the carbon copy to Marge I made the
suggestion that perhaps we'd better head for a hospital as I was pretty sure
I was having a stroke. My inability to speak clearly dispelled any doubts
she may have had.
After a CT scan of my head the hospital called in a Life Flight helicopter
to transport me to a much larger medical facility in Coeur d 'alene, Idaho,
for more diagnostic testing, scans, etc. Days of testing and scans revealed
that I had in fact had a heart attack, probably within the last two weeks,
which would explain the near constant chest pain I've been experiencing for
the last three months, and which I'd been ignoring in the belief that it was
probably related to several other possible causes.
At any rate we're back home and although I have neither the strength nor the
endurance to whip a sick hamster, I am feeling much better than before this
event, am on meds that seem to be helping, my hands are functioning a little
better every day, and I do plan to get back into production ASAP.
SHIPPING UPDATE:
We're supposed to have the aluminum cases back from the anodizer today
(2/25), after which they will be flying out of here as fast as Marge can
assemble them. As for the brass models, we got the last of the CNC programs
restored just two days before this latest adventure, so as far as I know we
are ready to roll. Though still weak and a bit unsteady I plan to try to
work yet today.
Taking advantage of the down time to modify the design and retool has
resulted in the very best cases we have ever produced, and I frankly doubt
that they can be further improved. As of 2/16 all tooling and equipment was
working perfectly. The bottom line is that we can FINALLY see light at the
end of what has been a very long and difficult tunnel. REST ASSURED THAT WE
WILL DO OUR VERY BEST TO FILL EACH AND EVERY ORDER ASAP.
AND WHILE WE UNDERSTAND YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT THE LONG DELAY, IT WOULD BE
EVER SO HELPFUL, IF, (UNLESS YOU WANT TO REQUEST A REFUND BY CALLING
1-208-826-3447 OR 1-877-562-9537), YOU WOULD PLEASE HOLD OFF ON THE EMAILS
FOR AT LEAST A WEEK OR SO. EVERY MINUTE SPENT ANSWERING THEM IS A MINUTE
NOT SPENT PRODUCING MATCHCASES! THANK YOU.
As a final note, particularly for those of you who consider your matchcase a
collectible (as many have indicated they do), let me say that if you have a
K&M matchcase with a " K&M Elk River, ID USA" headstamp, in all likelihood
it was made by me and assembled by Marge. With very few exceptions that has
been the case since our 1995 move to Elk River. The day will come, perhaps
sooner than we expected, that Marge and I will produce our last matchcase.
The only significance I place on that observation is in regard to a story
told to us by a personal friend, Chuck Buck, owner and President of Buck
Knives, who showed us an early Buck knife hand-made by the founder of Buck
Knives, his grandfather, along with a sheath hand-made on the kitchen table
by Chuck's grandmother. Needless to say, they are treasures to Chuck and
would be priceless to a knife collector.
The first indication we had of any similar contribution we might make to the
outdoor world came from an L.L.Bean's buyer, who in 1991 told me, "Your
matchcases are heirloom quality. They will be passed along for
generations." Numerous letters in our files validate that prophecy.
Like Chuck's grandparents, Marge and I will someday slip into history, our
matchcases destined to far outlast our bodies, our legacy of making the best
tool of its kind a gratifying accomplishment in spite of the tribulations
and uncertainty of success. That she's stuck it out for fifty years through
more "worse" than "better", is an enduring testimony to Marge's character
and a huge reason that K&M has survived when common sense would have
dictated that we forget it and that I work at a real job. And like Chuck
Buck's grandmother, Marge still assembles them on the kitchen table.
Lastly we want to apologize for the long delay and to thank all of you
who've waited so long and patiently for your cases. As I said in a previous
letter, had we known then what we know now, we would have shut the site down
until our equipment was up and running again. I don't believe that any
mortal could have foreseen the series of negative events we've experienced,
but feel that we're over the crisis, my health issues being but the latest
bump in the road. Unfortunately we were unable to keep up with emails and
communicate with you during the "lost week" in the hospital.
For those who desire a refund, a simple request is all that's required to
get one on the way. Please call 1-208-826-3447 or 1-877-562-9537
For those who would like to forward this information to the many blogs, chat
rooms, Facebook, etc., where K&M is discussed, we welcome your efforts to
help us get the word out.
Thank you again and may God bless you all;
Keith and Marge Lunders
PS If you so desire a signed copy of this letter will accompany either your
matchcase or your refund. kl
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