Micron Updates

jlauffer said:
Get where you're coming from, but unless there were enough blanks to make everyone whole, can't really see any win-win scenarios here.

Would be nice if MicronKnives MicronKnives , once they get settled in, could offer some sort of discount to S!K customers that could show they never got their knives.
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Considering it!

There are a couple problems that are currently preventing me from doing that. The biggest being liability wise. It would seem like we are apologizing for something we didn't do. That discount would have to be made up somewhere, and I would rather keep prices low across the board. Secondly, I don't know how I would know if they never received their knife. Third, if i could know that, I would feel obligated to reach out to all 3500 people as the vast majority probably don't follow this little thread.

My version of this is to liquidate what I can for bare minimum. Seems like the best reasonable way to "give back". It does suck that someone out there really wanted a knife, paid for it, and will probably miss the opportunity to get one at a low price.
 
MicronKnives said:
Considering it!

There are a couple problems that are currently preventing me from doing that. The biggest being liability wise. It would seem like we are apologizing for something we didn't do. That discount would have to be made up somewhere, and I would rather keep prices low across the board. Secondly, I don't know how I would know if they never received their knife. Third, if i could know that, I would feel obligated to reach out to all 3500 people as the vast majority probably don't follow this little thread.

My version of this is to liquidate what I can for bare minimum. Seems like the best reasonable way to "give back". It does suck that someone out there really wanted a knife, paid for it, and will probably miss the opportunity to get one at a low price.
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You're in a tough position. If you bought the equipment and were using it for something totally different, no one would think anything of it. But wanting to use it to make knives ties you to them, right or wrong, so everyone is thinking (expecting?) you're somehow going to do "the right thing", even though no one could realistically define what that means, and it's basically impossible even if you could.
 
jlauffer said:
Probably right...wishful thinking on my part
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The many people who got scammed will never be compensated. I doubt folks who got screwed are hoping to purchase one (for the second time). I think seeing a knife for sale that a person paid for previously would cause resentment.

My issues with this are that when Micron first came on here, they said they had nothing to do with Survive more than buying the machinery (and taking the dog). When asked about knife designs, again it was said they were not using Survive patterns. Now they will be using his patterns and blanks (and unfinished knives).

If folks remember, Guy had issues with blades breaking and warping (of course he blamed the steel and heat treat), and another respected maker here commented that it looked like there were blades cut against the grain, as well as other grinding issues. Does not make sense to buy the blanks not knowing the issues imo.

Wanting to establish themselves as makers distanced from Survive but now using his designs and blanks seems very strange to me. That is my take on things, and my opinion is simply my own. Not trying to bash anyone, but it seems off.
 
beeinak said:
The many people who got scammed will never be compensated. I doubt folks who got screwed are hoping to purchase one (for the second time). I think seeing a knife for sale that a person paid for previously would cause resentment.

My issues with this are that when Micron first came on here, they said they had nothing to do with Survive more than buying the machinery (and taking the dog). When asked about knife designs, again it was said they were not using Survive patterns. Now they will be using his patterns and blanks (and unfinished knives).

If folks remember, Guy had issues with blades breaking and warping (of course he blamed the steel and heat treat), and another respected maker here commented that it looked like there were blades cut against the grain, as well as other grinding issues. Does not make sense to buy the blanks not knowing the issues imo.

Wanting to establish themselves as makers distanced from Survive but now using his designs and blanks seems very strange to me. That is my take on things, and my opinion is simply my own. Not trying to bash anyone, but it seems off.
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Forgot about the grain issue, that is a very good point.
 
MicronKnives said:
My version of this is to liquidate what I can for bare minimum. Seems like the best reasonable way to "give back". It does suck that someone out there really wanted a knife, paid for it, and will probably miss the opportunity to get one at a low price.
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Maybe it would have been better to have that entire inventory scrapped?

Although your purchasing ( $ ) did go towards helping settle debt of S!K creditors.

I'm not sure why you would want to continue making knife patterns of a now defunct knife maker with a terrible business reputation.

All that backward redevelopment of fixturing and toolpaths (the juice worth the squeeze?) the assembly/finishing and QC, plus the work of trying to sell and ship the knives, will it end up being a benefit for the Micron brand identity moving forward? 🤔
 
beeinak said:
The many people who got scammed will never be compensated. I doubt folks who got screwed are hoping to purchase one (for the second time). I think seeing a knife for sale that a person paid for previously would cause resentment.

My issues with this are that when Micron first came on here, they said they had nothing to do with Survive more than buying the machinery (and taking the dog). When asked about knife designs, again it was said they were not using Survive patterns. Now they will be using his patterns and blanks (and unfinished knives).

If folks remember, Guy had issues with blades breaking and warping (of course he blamed the steel and heat treat), and another respected maker here commented that it looked like there were blades cut against the grain, as well as other grinding issues. Does not make sense to buy the blanks not knowing the issues imo.

Wanting to establish themselves as makers distanced from Survive but now using his designs and blanks seems very strange to me. That is my take on things, and my opinion is simply my own. Not trying to bash anyone, but it seems off.
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You are right! Which is why these are discounted. The margin on these is intentionally minimal with those victims in mind. Even if they don't purchase one, they can see that we are doing the right thing. Also I did not intend to continue production of these a year ago, but the inventory gives people an opportunity that wasn't available before. As for the quality issues? We will have a 14 day money back guarantee, no questions asked, along with a lifetime warranty which will actually mean something, as we will be in business for a lifetime.

For the grain issues, we can see the grain on waterjet stock. Don't believe me? Vapor hone a hot rolled surface and it'll be bright as day. The only mistake I made here was buying Blanchard ground MagnaCut from Niagara Specialty Metals. There is no way to tell what the grain direction is on that. (Not talking down on them, I had a great experience buying for Micron and for Kelley-Tron, I highly recommend them to anyone)

For our peace of mind, we are including xrf reports for each steel, along with our hardness reading. We don't want to inadvertently pull a bark river!
PolRoger said:
Maybe it would have been better to have that entire inventory scrapped?

Although your purchasing ( $ ) did go towards helping settle debt of S!K creditors.

I'm not sure why you would want to continue making knife patterns of a now defunct knife maker with a terrible business reputation.

All that backward redevelopment of fixturing and toolpaths (the juice worth the squeeze?) the assembly/finishing and QC, plus the work of trying to sell and ship the knives, will it end up being a benefit for the Micron brand identity moving forward? 🤔
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It certainly might prove not to be worth the squeeze — that's a fair question and time will tell. But continuing production keeps the small businesses who built sheaths and hardware molds in the game for a return on their investment. Scrapping everything would have been the easiest call, and it might have been a good call. Time will tell on that!
 
I think I understand where this choice is coming from, and though I can’t say if I would make the same myself- if this is done genuinely and transparently then I will say good on you for trying to make right, even if it isn’t required of you,

My only sticking point would be to realize that this puts an even bigger microscope over your company, in a niche market where sometimes even good intentions cause a company’s downfall. It’s a noble cause to try and help the other small businesses that were screwed by Guy, but be VERY sure that you are willing to die on that hill if you cannot maintain transparency.

The designs from Survive were not revolutionary, but they were different enough that they filled a place in the knife world. Seeing them completed reinvented and continued by a proper company would not be a bad thing.

I am still hoping for the best for Micron, because I would love for another high tolerance fixed blade company to hit the scene. Keep it above board and I think you’ll find much of the knife community is able to understand the nuance involved.

Edited for wording.
 
MicronKnives said:
Treading carefully, we want a few things. We want to do right by those who were scammed by Survive!. We want to preserve and demonstrate Micron's, and our family's, ethical and moral commitment to being the best example of an American small business. We want to waste as little inventory as possible. We want to get Micron off the ground. We want to use this as an opportunity to help the other small businesses that were affected.
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These are just my thoughts...

All of Survive issues, reputation (and baggage) belong to Survive not Micron.
 
AdamFuzzyballs said:
I think I understand where this choice is coming from, and though I can’t say if I would make the same myself- if this is done genuinely and transparently then I will say good on you for trying to make right, even if it isn’t required of you,

My only sticking point would be to realize that this puts an even bigger microscope over your company, in a niche market where sometimes even good intentions cause a company’s downfall. It’s a noble cause to try and help the other small businesses that were screwed by Guy, but be VERY sure that you are willing to die on that hill if you cannot maintain transparency.

The designs from Survive were not revolutionary, but they were different enough that they filled a place in the knife world. Seeing them completed by a proper company would not be a bad thing.

I am still hoping for the best for Micron, because I would love for another high tolerance fixed blade company to hit the scene. Keep it above board and I think you’ll find much of the knife community is able to understand the nuance involved.
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Thanks for the support. I think that with intense scrutiny comes intense loyalty. One thing I love about the knife world is that unlike the millions of amazon and walmart and temu buyers across the world, they care about the ethical impact of their purchase. Between survive, heavyset, bark river, I think there is truly a need for an actual business selling really good mid techs.

This is coming from someone in the throws of american manufacturing. You wont catch me buying from temu LOL.
 
MicronKnives said:
I understand this perspective and considered it heavily before deciding what to do. I also respect your decision. There are a couple points I should make.

1) This inventory was in a storage unit that was late on rent. They were to be scrapped.
2) The purchase price went to creditors, just as the equipment purchase price did. A public records search will show you that Survive is not bankrupt.
3) It would have been dishonest to not keep the community informed.
4) We decided to finish these knives and continue the production of a few models.
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Do you know anything about the status of Survive’s intellectual property?
Does Guy still own the rights to his knife designs?
Is there going to be any kind of licensing/fees moving forward for Micron’s (usage) and production of these knife models?
 
PolRoger said:
Do you know anything about the status of Survive’s intellectual property?
Does Guy still own the rights to his knife designs?
Is there going to be any kind of licensing/fees moving forward for Micron’s (usage) and production of these knife models?
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With logo
 
PolRoger said:
Do you know anything about the status of Survive’s intellectual property?
Does Guy still own the rights to his knife designs?
Is there going to be any kind of licensing/fees moving forward for Micron’s (usage) and production of these knife models?
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Good questions. I asked him the same thing when we spoke earlier. I'll let him answer, of course.
 
PolRoger said:
Do you know anything about the status of Survive’s intellectual property?
Does Guy still own the rights to his knife designs?
Is there going to be any kind of licensing/fees moving forward for Micron’s (usage) and production of these knife models?
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I sure wish I could get the models lol.

Without getting into the nitty gritty to protect almost every other manufacturer out there, we are in the clear. No patents, copyright, or trademark claims can be made. We are not sending any royalties of any kind to anyone, nor do we have any agreement of that nature.

Again we are branding our knives and the knives we produce as micron knives which have our quality standards, warranty, and money back guarantee. If the blades have survive logos on them, we will sell them as such. We are not putting his logo on anything.

Good question! I asked the same one and that was very expensive. Lawyers eat well.
 
MarbReds said:
I think success for yall in this industry lies in the opposite direction of anything to do with Survive; whether it’s blanks, unfinished knives, models, etc. but probably worst of all selling a knife from your operation with the survive logo on the blade.
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Success is in whatever direction is not spending 10 minutes trying to come up with a funny response that includes a Marlboro red reference.

I got nothing sorry LOL
 
MicronKnives said:
Success is in whatever direction is not spending 10 minutes trying to come up with a funny response that includes a Marlboro red reference.

I got nothing sorry LOL
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Hey I only piped up because you were looking forward to our feedback! 😀
 
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