Poll...Would you buy custom scales from Steve Ketchen <sketchenscales> again?

Would you buy custom scales from Steve Ketchen <sketchenscales> again?

  • Yes, I definitely WOULD buy custom scales/handles from Steve Ketchen <sketchenscales> again.

  • No, I definately WOULD NOT buy custom scales/handles from Steve Ketchen <sketchenscales> again.

  • It DEPENDS....

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PeteyTwoPointOne

PeteyTwoPointOne

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Vote and post up your opinion if you're of a mind to.

Especially if you voted "It DEPENDS..." and express if there are conditions to your choice.
 
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I started the thread about Steve Ketchen back then.

Eventually he returned all my blades.

BUT, I had to get his local LE involved after getting the run-around, then silent treatment from him.

AND, the quality of the mods were not consistent with his previous level of professionalism.

PLUS, one part of the commission was not completed as contracted and paid for. No huge deal as it was a secondary mod to the existing OEM handles and I was super hyped just to get my blades back at that moment in time.

STILL, I believe in forgiveness like we all do here on BF, right?

SO, I voted "It DEPENDS..."

It's very conditional for me on whether or not he has made everyone of his former customers whole. I haven't heard from any lately.

However, it was very disconcerting that what I originally brought up seemed to be the tip of an iceberg. Most of all, the deception and complete lack of communications is what I still feel most betrayed by from Steve.

I'm of a divided mind about this latest surfacing by his "wife."

I've emailed "her" and the response seemed contrite. No big red flags. But from our back/forth I don't think getting back into the customization game is in the cards for him, but I've been wrong before. :rolleyes:

emailing knifewife wasn't unpleasant. :)
 
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Without any explanation from @knifewifeketchen about what exactly transpired from the time Mr. Ketchen started failing to fulfill orders to her intervention I would not trust sending him knives or money and even with an explanation I would not be surprised if your never see your knife and money again. Caveat Emptor folks. Mr. Ketchen’s behavior is indicative of a problem more than just getting overwhelmed with orders and a failing small business. I get a strong vibe of addiction or some other catastrophic life occurrence that was a catalyst to his behavior, especially his attempt to continue to get knives and money while he had outstanding obligations.
 
I voted “It Depends.”

I was not personally affected by past issues, though I’ve followed them from the start.

Commission him with advanced payment &/or send him a knife? Uhm, heck no!

If he comes clean and makes amends first, then puts some pre-made scales on an Etsy store or something, I might give that a chance. Maybe.
 
Absolutely not. Why would I take the risk? There craftsmen on this forum doing exceptional work who have never had the kind of issues he has. I don't care why it got that bad or how much better his situation is, I would much rather reward the people that have maintained their integrity throughout.
 
No. The fact that it took contact from LEOs to finally get Stealin' Steve to return your knives is a big red "DO NOT DEAL WITH, EVER" flag IMO. There are other makers who have screwed customers over in similar fashion and how many of them have made promises to straighten out and fly right only to continue with their bad behavior? ( :cough: :Koster: :cough: :insert name of disgraced maker: :cough: ) As Insipid Moniker said, there are way too many excellent and reputable craftsmen available on this forum than to risk losing your knives/money to someone with a well known bad track record.

I think that the saying "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." applies here.
 
I failed to mention in my post above that I voted No. I have never dealt with Mr. Ketchen nor would I ever do so even if he made everyone whole again simply because we have no idea as to what the cause was behind his actions.

If it was that Mr.Ketchen was a poor manager of a small business I can relate. My business failed and I got in the red. It happens and something like that is entirely forgivable. If that were the case I would deal with caution.

If it was a medical issue, again, I would deal with caution but it happens. going dark is the wrong way to handle it but people deal with trauma and stress differently.

If he had substance abuse problems or other issues that led him to thievery, I would not deal with him in any way.

The problem is, right now, there are still members who are out money and knives so Mr. Ketchen still has not made right. Now a person claiming to be his wife appears and claims she wants to help him get back on track. Well, @knifewifeketchen if you want to salvage what is left of his reputation you may want to let people know what happened that caused this. Bladeforums is a big place with a lot of members with long memories. It carries a lot of clout in the knife world. If you want to help Steven share his gift and talent then you or he need to provide his future customers, not just the ones that he scammed, with some kind of explanation. The other thread will never go away even if all of Steven’s victims are made whole again but at least he may have a chance of rebuilding his reputation.

As it stands, would I ever deal with Steven Ketchen? That is a resounding no.
 
LizaMari said:
No. The fact that it took contact from LEOs to finally get Stealin' Steve to return your knives is a big red "DO NOT DEAL WITH, EVER" flag IMO. There are other makers who have screwed customers over in similar fashion and how many of them have made promises to straighten out and fly right only to continue with their bad behavior? ( :cough: :Koster: :cough: :insert name of disgraced maker: :cough: ) As Insipid Moniker said, there are way too many excellent and reputable craftsmen available on this forum than to risk losing your knives/money to someone with a well known bad track record.

I think that the saying "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." applies here.
Click to expand...

Do I think Ketchen's skills should primarily guide anyone's opinion?...no

But he had a good run here on BF...a very good, honest, and high quality run....does that count for anything?

Liza, Ketchen <before downfall> took almost any folder and crafted handles from almost any material with custom flourishes as his customers would request.

I know of a grand total of *zero* people on BF-- or in the entire USA-- who provide that level of service and craftsmanship for that level of requests.

If there is a particular "excellent and reputable craftsman" who takes work like this, that you know, PM me....seriously, I'm not being a smartazz, because I have a Native Chief and a block of Australian Blackwood I'd love to entrust to his/her talents. :)

I'm not into persuading anyone-- it's just something to think about: how much does someone's history inform their future and how we view it moving forward?
 
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PeteyTwoPointOne said:
how much does someone's history inform their future and how we view it moving forward?
Click to expand...

A lot. Negatively.

Once somebody takes the money and runs, they are pretty much blackballed. Even if he were to catch up and send out everything that was owed, his rep is forever tarnished. That’s just the way stuff like that works.

Even if he did that, it would be other people’s risk to take, not mine.
 
If the man truly has a gift I suggest he find another outlet for his craft, sell a bunch of that without asking for any cash upfront, make whole everybody he's screwed and then come back with the many recommendations from people buying whatever he crafted to fix everybody's problem on how he's fulfilled every order on time and without asking for money upfront. Then after a few folks deal with him by purchasing things he's already made and getting them he might fix his mess but the chance of him ever getting a deposit is out of the question.
 
No effing way. Wish I still had the PMs he sent me, offering discounts if I sent him 3 or 4 knives with payment. This occurred when the original thread was in its infancy.....total scum move.
He went dark shortly after.
This was NOT a case of getting overwhelmed, this was flat out thievery........very difficult to forgive.
 
No, and frankly, I can't even imagine the mental gymnastics that would have to be at work for someone to even consider sending this scumbag their knives and money. I mean, we're talking about embellishments on pocket knives here. It's an entirely noncritical luxury good. I have never been able to understand folks who genuinely have a little voice in their head talking about "Well, sure, he screwed others, but he wouldn't screw ME". Instagram is full of self-delusional fools like that, I've noticed. Despite being warned, they send known scammers money, and then have the audacity to be outraged when he disappears with their cash. Amazing.

I wouldn't send Steve Ketchen a dime of my money, nor any of my knives. Also, I think his "wife" is just him attempting to pull people in so he can get more money and knives sent to him. I don't know how anyone could see differently.

Also, PeteyTwoPointOne PeteyTwoPointOne what are you talking about with:

"emailing knifewife wasn't unpleasant. :) "

Keepin' it creepy. Well, just know that it's a dude on the other end of that exchange whispering sweet nothings and promises of your scales being made. I admit it here and now that if you get fleeced and have the shamelessness to post about it here, I WILL laugh. Good luck with that.
 
PeteyTwoPointOne said:
Do I think Ketchen's skills should primarily guide anyone's opinion?...no

But he had a good run here on BF...a very good, honest, and high quality run....does that count for anything?

Liza, Ketchen <before downfall> took almost any folder and crafted handles from almost any material with custom flourishes as his customers would request.

I know of a grand total of *zero* people on BF-- or in the entire USA-- who provide that level of service and craftsmanship for that level of requests.

If there is a particular "excellent and reputable craftsman" who takes work like this, that you know, PM me....seriously, I'm not being a smartazz, because I have a Native Chief and a block of Australian Blackwood I'd love to entrust to his/her talents. :)

I'm not into persuading anyone-- it's just something to think about: how much does someone's history inform their future and how we view it moving forward?
Click to expand...

You sound like you're trying to schill for the guy right now. "Come on guys, his work waaas good, doesn't that count?"

No. When dudes start stealing money and keeping peoples' property to the point that you have to get their local law enforcement involved, that scumbag doesn't get any more chances, sorry. I mean, are you serious?

If someone can do that once, they can absolutely do it again.
 
Quiet said:
You sound like you're trying to schill for the guy right now. "Come on guys, his work waaas good, doesn't that count?"

No. When dudes start stealing money and keeping peoples' property to the point that you have to get their local law enforcement involved, that scumbag doesn't get any more chances, sorry. I mean, are you serious?

If someone can do that once, they can absolutely do it again.
Click to expand...

You read my post, but did you read my post...

PeteyTwoPointOne said:
Do I think Ketchen's skills should primarily guide anyone's opinion?...no

But he had a good run here on BF...a very good, honest, and high quality run....does that count for anything?....

I'm not into persuading anyone-- it's just something to think about: how much does someone's history inform their future and how we view it moving forward?
Click to expand...

But I'm glad you made the point, "If someone can do that once, they can absolutely do it again."

Does that work for the positive things or just the negative stuff?

Because Sketchen amassed 40+ pages of good work before whatever happened to him personally.

https://bladeforums.com/threads/sketchen-scales-customs.1192333/
 
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