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Bad Koster's Kickstarter project

ncrockclimb said:
I am really happy you got your knife. I would not be happy about that detent, especially after 35 months. Koster is truly a POS.
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Yeah I'm not happy about this detent either.
And I'm particularly angry about the wait time for the other backers of the Kickstarter campaign. I received my knife but they're still waiting and that's infuriating.
 
Triton said:
Not trying to be a wise guy, but with this maker's track record how do you know the blade isn't made out of 420J2?
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Good question :D
I don't know for sure if it's 3V but when I use and sharpen my Koster Bushcraft (fixed blade) there is no significant difference compared to other 3V blades I have (Bark River or Adventure Sworn). My Carothers FK2 and HDFK are in another league (the wear resistance is better).
So we know it's not some soft 420J2 :)
 
patrickguignot said:
Honest question : Do you know any other 3V scandi grind folder?
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Ring ring, hear that? That's your phone ringing. Benchmade is calling and they'd like to speak with you. They have exactly what you're looking for, for like $120. :)

Sorry, I missed the "folder" part. Candidly, it's such a dumb idea, I'm not even sure where to start. A 3V blade in a folder? So, an indestructible blade that transfers all the stress to a tiny pot-metal pivot pin? That seems useful. I know super steels in folders are the rage, and I have plenty of 'em. But if I'm out in the woods playing around (which is what Bushcraft primarily is), I'd damn sure not be doing it with a folder.
 
patrickguignot said:
Good question :D
I don't know for sure if it's 3V but when I use and sharpen my Koster Bushcraft (fixed blade) there is no significant difference compared to other 3V blades I have (Bark River or Adventure Sworn). My Carothers FK2 and HDFK are in another league (the wear resistance is better).
So we know it's not some soft 420J2 :)
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Gotcha and not picking on you by any means I'm simply pointing out: No one can trust this maker.
 
I really enjoyed this line,
"He suffered some unfortunate setbacks with regards to equipment failures and health failures,"

Maybe he's not familiar with how many "health problems" or transmissions for his truck he needed while failing to make all the fixed blades he owes. This guy is taking a liar at his word.
 
YPR said:
I really enjoyed this line,
"He suffered some unfortunate setbacks with regards to equipment failures and health failures,"

Maybe he's not familiar with how many "health problems" or transmissions for his truck he needed while failing to make all the fixed blades he owes. This guy is taking a liar at his word.
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Agree 100%. Koster is a liar that has been misleading customers for almost a decade. Getting in over your head one time, resolving the issues and NEVER letting it happen again is forgivable. Pulling the same BS and repeatedly lying to customers is neither acceptable nor forgivable.
 
"But at least I can say Mr Koster eventually delivered the two knives I ordered from him."

May I ask when you ordered the fixed blade? I ordered the same knife over 6 years ago. When I asked for a refund after a 5 year wait here's the response I got:

"I'm still making knives. Deposits were always non-refundable material purchases. You are welcome to wait out your spot, sell it to someone else or walk away. I did not force you to place a non-refundable deposit. I got bogged down by lots of different things - but I am doing my best to get things done and make them right. The knives I am making now are much better quality than when you originally placed your order. And as you can see - many others are still patiently waiting to get theirs."

Well, another year has passed and no knife, no communication. I still have all the emails from 6 years ago when he estimated delivery in 6 to 12 months. Now Dan has moved on to selling knives thru a Kickstarter project. He collected over $22,000 thousand dollars and three years later he's only delivered a couple knives. I understand that things happen and delivery dates get pushed back but this guy has a pretty long history of taking peoples money and never delivering.

Anyone else out there still waiting for a knife order from the past 6 years? Since Dan's knife order update page has been taken down and his Kickstarter project is years overdue, I can only assume he's pretty much abandoned the orders he took years ago. Perhaps it's time for legal action. jc
 
JKC88 said:
"May I ask when you ordered the fixed blade? I ordered the same knife over 6 years ago."
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I ordered the fixed blade Bushcraft model in June 2014. I received the knife in May 2019.
I'm not sure about this and I have no proof but the receipt of my knife could be related to the fact that I was very vocal in my complaints on the Kickstarter thread of backers.
 
The knives I am making now are much better quality than when you originally placed your order. And as you can see - many others are still patiently waiting to get theirs."

soooo.... you are lucky he has failed to deliver a knife that is many years overdue- the quality has
now gone way up! hahaha oh my goodness that is absurd

and look at all the other people who have been waiting for a knife for years....... I must be a helluva knife maker! haha
 
JKC88 said:
"But at least I can say Mr Koster eventually delivered the two knives I ordered from him."

May I ask when you ordered the fixed blade? I ordered the same knife over 6 years ago. When I asked for a refund after a 5 year wait here's the response I got:

"I'm still making knives. Deposits were always non-refundable material purchases. You are welcome to wait out your spot, sell it to someone else or walk away. I did not force you to place a non-refundable deposit. I got bogged down by lots of different things - but I am doing my best to get things done and make them right. The knives I am making now are much better quality than when you originally placed your order. And as you can see - many others are still patiently waiting to get theirs."

Well, another year has passed and no knife, no communication. I still have all the emails from 6 years ago when he estimated delivery in 6 to 12 months. Now Dan has moved on to selling knives thru a Kickstarter project. He collected over $22,000 thousand dollars and three years later he's only delivered a couple knives. I understand that things happen and delivery dates get pushed back but this guy has a pretty long history of taking peoples money and never delivering.

Anyone else out there still waiting for a knife order from the past 6 years? Since Dan's knife order update page has been taken down and his Kickstarter project is years overdue, I can only assume he's pretty much abandoned the orders he took years ago. Perhaps it's time for legal action. jc
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I know one other member (who may or may not chime in here) that ordered a knife from Koster in 2012. He paid his deposit and waited... Koster ignored all communication for over 5 years. When the member noticed that his name had been removed from Dan's build list, the member got vocal and threatened legal action. Dan tried to negotiate with him for a partial refund, but finally ended up refunding the member's deposit. YMMV.
 
Straight shooter said:
Reading through all these Maker issues....I have one question. Is this guy related to Dwaine Carillo?
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Nope, what you're seeing is quite common among shady d-bag "makers" who demand (and receive from the gullible) payment up front and then disappear. When they are tracked down and hounded, that's when the spin machine gets cranked up to 11. It sounds like a Nazi air-raid siren from an old war movie. Some notables from the Excuses highlights reel always seem to include:

- Some health issue. Usually the #1 go-to move for extra sympathy points. "Right after I received your payment, I was diagnosed with ass cancer and that's why I disappeared for 11 months, but don't worry, you're 30th in line and I'll be starting those knives now that I'm feeling better..."
- Death in the family (and we're not talking about the death of their motivation to get their asses to work)
- Machine stopped working/shop burned down
- Computer/email/phone broke, sorry I haven't responded for several months
- Still waiting on steel/scale material/cut blanks/knives to return from heat treat/etc. (always hilarious when they make this claim about some material or other being completely gone off the internet but the customer immediately googles that ish and finds like ten suppliers all with full stock immediately)
- "Had a lot going on" or some variation of this, because life is really hard, you guys. STOP IT, IT IS!!! (stamps foot)

Scumbag asshat knife "makers" who pull any or all of these excuses should dig a hole, crawl into it, and pull it in after them. It's the same song and dance every time. It's like they all use the same cheat-code book, titled "How to Scam Hobbyists Out of Thousands".
 
ncrockclimb said:
It has been 4 weeks since Dan shipped a knife.

Since 11/2016 Dan has shipped a grand total of 3 Kickstarter knives. THREE.

I really feel bad for all the Kickstart backers and the other customers that have given their money to Dan.
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"Shut up SHUT UP!!!! HE BEATS ME BECAUSE HE LOVES ME, OK??!?!??! YOU DON'T KNOW US!!! HE PROMISED THAT IF I'M GOOD, I'LL ACTUALLY GET MY KNIFE!!!"

I seriously feel like I'm seeing a battered spousal abuse victim in some of the comments defending the guy on that Kickstarter page.
 
Quiet said:
"Shut up SHUT UP!!!! HE BEATS ME BECAUSE HE LOVES ME, OK??!?!??! YOU DON'T KNOW US!!! HE PROMISED THAT IF I'M GOOD, I'LL ACTUALLY GET MY KNIFE!!!"

I seriously feel like I'm seeing a battered spousal abuse victim in some of the comments defending the guy on that Kickstarter page.
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Agreed. There are a few backers that are 100% in denial about what Dan is doing (or not doing) and why.
 
Such a bummer!!! I've used, and liked his knives clear back when he was not roundly cursed on the feedback forum!!

For my hand, his handle egos were spot on. I used two of his EDC models. Loved them both.



...........

That said, I never put out my own money!! I was close to ordering a few times, but had heard some complaints about missed dates of delivery and trouble contacting and computer crashes wiping out lists of orders etc, etc. So I never did buy one. Not even on the secondary market......because I figured if he can't deliver to those waiting years, and prioritize new customers, any repair/warranty work would be a risky bet.

I'm glad I steered clear of the kickstarter!!!
 
I've been blessed to have been around these boards long enough to see some real talent blossom into full fledged knife makers. I will say that the two I have watched the closest and purchased from being as they got their start contributing on the HI boards were Fan and Andy Roy of Fiddleback Forge.

One of them has two negative threads here on this board going right now, the other is a man I am proud to call my friend. One can't seem to pull his head out of hos rear and deliver, one is a successful maker who is in multiple cutlery stores. One of them has a knife sitting in my drawer that is off center and blocky and cost me a good chunk of money that I have thought about just chucking in the trash, the other has made me two handspun knives that feel like the warm handshake of an old friend.

I've been carrying a Fiddleback Woodsman model on my hip in a sheath made by another good forum friend on every hiking trip I have been on over the last 10 years. I'm heading the mountains tomorrow to tale it for another spin. It may be my most prized knife. My Koster Ulu has been worthless for the better part of 14 years.
 
Quiet said:
- Some health issue. Usually the #1 go-to move for extra sympathy points. "Right after I received your payment, I was diagnosed with ass cancer and that's why I disappeared for 11 months, but don't worry, you're 30th in line and I'll be starting those knives now that I'm feeling better..." Three months later- "sorry, ass cancer is back.."
- Death in the family, namely grandmothers-some who have died multiple times (and we're not talking about the death of their motivation to get their asses to work)
- Machine stopped working/shop burned down/tornado/Wrath of Khan/divorce, wife took it all/cut off both hands, transplants still healing
- Computer/email/phone broke, sorry I haven't responded for several months although my social media and ability to take new orders hasn't been hampered in any way
- Still waiting on steel/scale material/cut blanks/knives to return from heat treat/etc./mice gnawed the scale materials (yes, I've actually seen this used) (always hilarious when they make this claim about some material or other being completely gone off the internet but the customer immediately googles that ish and finds like ten suppliers all with full stock immediately)
- "Had a lot going on" or some variation of this, because life is really hard, you guys. STOP IT, IT IS!!! (stamps foot)

Scumbag asshat knife "makers" who pull any or all of these excuses should dig a hole, crawl into it, and pull it in after them. It's the same song and dance every time. It's like they all use the same cheat-code book, titled "How to Scam Hobbyists Out of Thousands".
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Added a few of the more memorable ones
 
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