Looking for news on the Large Espada

PharmDoc

PharmDoc

Joined
Oct 17, 2011
Messages
47
Hey everyone!

So I hate to start off on a whiny note, but I'm wondering if any of you knief gurus out there have an insider's perspective on things at Cold Steel. Looooooooooooooooooooooong story short I ordered AND PAID FOR a Large Espada from a local knife store where "Mall Ninjas" abound. This was on 6/20/11. On 6/21 I was told that the knife was unavailable from their usual suppliers but they assured me "we'll get you your knife". Fast forward nearly 4 months and I've got no knife, no refund, and I had to contact Cold Steel myself to see what was up. Well the customer service reply I got from CS was 10-30 days estimate... that was nearly 6 weeks ago. Does ANYONE know if or when the original Large Espadas will be available? It's getting pretty F'n old hassling these guys trying to find out where my knife is. Oh, and to make matters worse, they have a "store policy" of no refunds, exchanges only. Well the only thing worth a flip in that damned store are the CS knives, and even THOSE are overpriced. How they expect to compete with online retailers with those prices and this kind of customer service is beyond me. Sorry for the rant guys, I just REALLY want my GD Large Espada. NOT the G10 kind either!!!
 
Initially I did, but the NEXT DAY I went in with an internet ad price for them to match. Initially they gave me some grief about "devaluation of product" and some rule about a max discount of 10% off MSRP or they'll lose their dealer status or some crap. So yes, they credited me the difference between what I initially paid, and the internet price I found (which, BTW stated the knife was IN STOCK). Still no knife :.-(
 
Sounds like a crappy place to do business with. As far as a refund, you haven't recieved a product to return for it to be a refund. If you want your money you should be able to get it, if they want to be jerks, tell them that you'll contact the authorities all the way up to the Better Business Bureau, and your state's Attorney General for fraud and theft. To be an authorized dealer you do have to comply with the brand's rules on pricing, but 10% sounds like bull and I doubt they are an authorized dealer (I'm sure you could contact Cold Steel to see if they are an authorized dealer or not). Becuase of re-stocking fees and items being opened (thus losing some value), it's fairly common practice for store credit in lieu of cash refunds, but again you haven't even recieved the product and they don't even have it in stock! Sounds and smells like B.S. to me.

Keep fighting the good fight and good luck!
 
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Have you ever held that knife, or tried to work it?
I went into a store all set to buy it (the good one, with the G10 handles, I believe they make a crappy version of it as well), and it was practically unusuable, Almost impossible to close, not very ergonomic at all.

If you want a knife with a big blade, I'd recomment the 6" aluminum Ti-lite.
 
What the guy meant was basically with Internet sources undercutting the price, it reduces the perceived value of the product. IMO, it exposes the egregious markups these things have if you go strictly by MSRP. He said that if "a dealer" were to be caught selling for anything less than 10% off MSRP they'd have their authorization revoked by CS. How then, can SO many places sell at these deep discounts? I too smell the BS, and I'm getting ready to take some sort of action on this if a knife doesn't materialize soon...
 
gylman said:
Have you ever held that knife, or tried to work it?
I went into a store all set to buy it (the good one, with the G10 handles, I believe they make a crappy version of it as well), and it was practically unusuable, Almost impossible to close, not very ergonomic at all.

If you want a knife with a big blade, I'd recomment the 6" aluminum Ti-lite.
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Yes, I've worked both the medium and XL varieties and I'll agree. They do take a little effort to get opened and shut, but the break-in and adjustment has fixed these issues in both cases. I may be turning a blind eye a little bit because it's been something I've wanted for awhile AND it seems F'n impossible to obtain, but I don't think that the stiffness and/or awkwardness will be substantial enough for me to just give up on the Espada. It's a good LOOKING knife, and display would be it's primary role. I wouldn't mind a Ti Lite either... :-)
 
So I sent another email to CS's customer service with all the timestamps that have passed. 6/20 order, 8/22 initial contact to CS customer service (given the 10-30 day timeframe) and finally 10/18 2nd contact to Cold Steel. I think what I want to do is just call my credit card company and tell them what happened and have them reverse the charges. Don't suppose anyone on BF has a large Espada they'd be willing to part with... the shiny, mirror-finished G10 model, not the bead-blasted one :)
 
Still no news from CS's customer service... Why do I feel like this is a lost cause? :(
 
Take the bull by the horns and get the credit card charge reversed. :thumbup: Then keep up the search. The hunt is half the fun. The other half will be when you play with that giant, folding sword they call the Espada.
 
powernoodle said:
Take the bull by the horns and get the credit card charge reversed. :thumbup: Then keep up the search. The hunt is half the fun. The other half will be when you play with that giant, folding sword they call the Espada.
Click to expand...

Oh you can bet your favorite 5 knives that THAT'S going to happen! I just upgraded to Gold here on BF, so I'll be posting FS's and WTB's for all sorts of things. Already had a few great interactions/transactions with a few members, and I think I've found a great new knife home :)
 
I don't know anything about the Cold Steel stuff, but my BM 860 went back order, then my small fixed blade is out getting some work done to it with no clear date in the future, dang, then my Al Mar kitchen knife took 2 weeks to come.. Well, I'm 2 out of 3 and I already want the next knife.
 
Trail Edge said:
I don't know anything about the Cold Steel stuff, but my BM 860 went back order, then my small fixed blade is out getting some work done to it with no clear date in the future, dang, then my Al Mar kitchen knife took 2 weeks to come.. Well, I'm 2 out of 3 and I already want the next knife.
Click to expand...

I WISH it was a two-week ordeal... It's been since June! Citi's getting a call after I talk with Mr. Brian Stone at Look Sharp in Appleton. I hate to be that guy, but he's had my money for damn near a quarter, and I don't have so much as a tentative release date from any source.
 
Yep. I've got a CS Gladius Machete on pre-order, and have been waiting a long time. Their FB rep is pretty quick to respond fairly often. If you haven't CALLED them, you should. Emails don't usually get it done.

-edit- Here's the response I got so far:

"Most of our 2011 products are now shipping. Only a few remain and they are due very soon indeed. We have incredibly rigorous and brutal Quality Control tests and we set very high standards. We simply will not release a product until it is perfect. You'll see that I post here just as soon as each new product arrives (along with a photo) so watch this space for more info as each remaining item is released :)

And having seen how the 2011 items performed in our tests, trust me, they are well worth the wait! Our new knives are awesome! :)"

I have asked if they have any specific ETA, and mentioned your Espada. Will let you know what I find out.
 
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I can tell you with authority that Cold Steel has no such rule about not discounting beyond 10%. Even if they did have such a policy it would be a Minimum Advertised Price, and they could still actually sell it to you at whatever price they saw fit. They just wouldn't be able to openly advertise it at a lower price. They're just being reluctant.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. I'm hoping all this comes to a close real soon. I mean I love the 62NL Espada, but at this point I'd have rather paid the full msrp and had it in hand than gone through all this mess. The price didn't have anything to do with the delay, but still. This has gone well past ridiculous. Don't suppose anyone's got one they want to part with for around $220.00 :) (mods feel free to edit this if this isn't permissible)
 
Well, heard back from them again. The fellow who does the FB stuff says that he's not sure about stock levels on the Espada, but that you should call customer service and they'll take care of you. So who knows. For those who are still waiting on the Gladius Machete like me, evidently those are shipping now. So I BEST get mine. I've been waiting nearly as long as PharmDoc.
 
So by FB do you mean Facebook? Sorry to sound like an Airhead, but I've got so many acronyms kicking around my head you wouldn't believe. Unless you were military, then you've probably got more...
 
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