- Joined
- Jun 5, 2002
- Messages
- 2,761
I just bought a VERY nice Mel Pardue Custom knife, beautiful mammoth ivory handles, damascus blade/bolster, MOP inlays on both the thumbstuds and the top of the spacer, just a wonderful, beautifully made piece of art. I was looking it over, and was dismayed that an admittedly tiny speck of one of the MOP inlays in one thumb stud was missing. It may have just flaked/chipped off in transit. Most custom knife sellers i have come across do not warantee against this type of damage since natural materials like pearl and ivory are not perfectly stabile and they can crack and chip. I called Mel, told him what happened. I didnt even buy the knife from him, and i offered to pay a fee for the replacement inlay in the stud. He told me to send it back, hed fix it no problem, dont worry about shipping charges, he was VERY nice about it, he didnt have to be. While i was talking to him, i had a brainstorm! The MOP inlays on each ambi thumb stud were sort of a clear to white color, not overly colorful, i asked him since he was already taking the stud out to replace the one damaged inlay, could he maybe do both of them, and use a more colorful black pearl inlay in them. Once again, no problem, no charge, he seemed perfectly happy to do it for me. I think that this level of service is part of what you are paying for in a high-end custom knife, and i am always pleased to see that there are still some people out there who actually care about what they produce and sell, and care about the needs of their customers. Aside from this small issue, the knife is amazingly beautiful, and i am thrilled with it, and will be even moreso when it returns. I shall be counting the days. Thanks Mel! ( It can be seen at www.thefossilgallery.com/Knives.htm "Pardue 1" )
