I feel really bad for the people that haven't gotten satisfaction from Mark, either because they didn't get their knives or didn't get their deposits back. He clearly was right that there was an issue when at the start of 2012 he started only asking for deposits up front instead of full payment.
On the same token though, I find it highly unlikely that these deposits are being spent on frivolities like nice toys for the kids. I'm guessing it's way more likely to be food.
Not gonna lie... I think fairly frequently about the knife I ordered. I very much want it. I really do believe I'll eventually get it, though. That's why I paid in full despite the new deposit policy. I believe Mark will get his personal life in order enough to return to making knives and believe that anyone that paid will get their knife. Mark told me he expected to get his shop back up and running in January, so sometime in the middle of the month I'll give him a call and see how it's going.
But again, I feel bad for people that didn't sign up for a long wait.