Pre-Ordered GSO 5.1 on May 09, 2016. Still no knife and no explanation.

1

11B3Y

Joined
Dec 31, 2001
Messages
32
Dear Survive! Customer Service,

When (if ever) will you be making the GSO 5.1 knives?
It's been over TWO years. I feel like I have been hustled.

Has anyone else pre-ordered one of these knives and already received it?
I was so excited when I pre-ordered it - now it's nothing but anxiety.
Can I get a refund???

I tried to read other posts to be more positive but to be honest it just frustrates me even more.
 
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Southbay said:
July 2018

1st Friday Production Update:


Current Production:

We've been spending the past few months behind the scenes: getting machines setup, blades cleaned up and surface finished, and handles microtextured. All of that is paying off now with orders coming together and getting shipped out in large batches! Current shipments include:
  • GSO-4.1 Preorders up to and including July 2015
  • GSO-7/7 Starter orders
  • GSO-4.1 and GSO-7/7 Factory 2nds
    • By the end of this month, we will be working on the weekly sales from August 2017. All weekly sales orders are scheduled to be fulfilled within the next 3 months.
There is still a lot going on in the background as we work on finishing the remaining GSO-4.1 and GSO-7/7 blades, as well as the following models:
  • The GSO-4 Limited Preorders are moving along. Blades are getting surface ground this month and will be heading to surface finishing next.
  • Handle materials are starting to arrive for the GSO-3.5 and SK-3.5 runs. Once we have sample sets of handles, sheath production can get setup. With these materials finishing up, we are adding stacks of GSO-3.5 blades to the surface finishing schedule!
  • GSO-12 / SK-12 blade blanks are heading to Peters' Heat Treating in small batches. Why small batches? To make sure these monsters are getting the best heat treat possible. #craftnotcrap
  • The GSO-6 / SK-6 files are getting finalized before blanks begin cutting. Make sure you are following @surviveknives on Instagram to know exactly when these are on the water jet!
Future Production:
  • Production is scheduled to continue in the following order:
  • Additional models will be added to the production schedule once these are further along. This includes the Necker, Necker II, and GSO-4.7.
Click to expand...

According to the last July 2018 Production update quoted above, your GSO-5.1 is on the last line, so dead last in line. I would send them an email and request a refund.
 
In
11B3Y said:
Dear Survive! Customer Service,

When (if ever) will you be making the GSO 5.1 knives?
It's been over TWO years. I feel like I have been hustled.

Has anyone else pre-ordered one of these knives and already received it?
I was so excited when I pre-ordered it - now it's nothing but anxiety.
Can I get a refund???

I tried to read other posts to be more positive but to be honest it just frustrates me even more.
Click to expand...
info@surviveknives.com
 
Better be prepare to wait a decade for it. But at the rate Survive is going with things, it could be even longer! I'm not even joking too.
 
11B3Y said:
Dear Survive! Customer Service,

When (if ever) will you be making the GSO 5.1 knives?
It's been over TWO years. I feel like I have been hustled.

Has anyone else pre-ordered one of these knives and already received it?
I was so excited when I pre-ordered it - now it's nothing but anxiety.
Can I get a refund???

I tried to read other posts to be more positive but to be honest it just frustrates me even more.
Click to expand...

As others have said, the established past and future track record of lead times implies- you can expect to wait about a decade to get your 5.1. And no, that is not a joke, sarcasm, or exaggeration. Your wait has not even begun. So you have to make a decision. But despair not, they also still honor refunds.
 
You are correct to feel you've been hustled because you have. The people at Survive cannot answer your question about when your knife will be delivered as they are unable or unwilling to perform the rather simple calculation of lead time, then inform their customers.
As others have posted, their process for requesting refunds is to give them a call.
 
I asked for a refund via email months ago. Got a canned reply.
I'll call and request a refund. So very disappointed.
Thanks for all the responses, greatly appreciated.
 
The 5.1 as other have mentioned is pretty much the last one identified for production, I'm in the same boat as I ordered on in June of 16. With the current back orders of models/sales that were released much earlier there really is no foreseeable timeline in sight (challenging enough for even older releases currently in some sort of phase of production). There shouldn't be an issue (or excuse on their part) on the refund as their new refund policy's were not implemented until just recently.
 
Let's face facts. The only thing Survive! Knives can do at this point is to sell what they have as far as assets and trademarks, relieve as much debt as they can, to a company that can actually produce knives.

How many of us would have a dozen gso knives if kabar and Benchmade was manufacturing them?

Honestly I would bet the company has been shopped around already and it must be so far underwater, no one would buy it.
 
If KaBar made them they wouldn't be GSOs and I wouldn't have any. Nothing against KBar but Guy's product is it's own thing.
 
BBuser said:
If KaBar made them they wouldn't be GSOs and I wouldn't have any. Nothing against KBar but Guy's product is it's own thing.
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I’m talking about a competent company that knows how to produce a product, buying the Gso line and producing them.

You know, instead of talking one’s money and then not producing anything for years. Any real knife company would turns these things out and we’d all be swimming in gso’s.

There is absolutely nothing original or magical about the way these knives are produced that would justify a three year weight for a 5” saber ground chunk of steel
 
^ Not sure if you know, but this is how S!K started. Guy designed the knives and Barkriver was producing them. After years of issues, Guy decided to start making the knives himself, first with a lot of contracting work and then (through the Starter) bringing more and more in-house.

I agree with BBuser, I would not buy a 'GSO/S!K' made by kabar/benchmade/etc, esp. anything made by barkriver. That's prob why I don't have anything from those comp...
 
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The business model at Survive is still broken, but the knives are still excellent, particularly the handles.
In my opinion what sets the "new spec" GSO apart from production knives is the way that they feel in hand.
They still cost less than a custom knife and have excellent ergonomics, but I have not waited this long for anything else I've ordered.
Also, anything else I've ordered has been "cash on delivery" not "cash up front".
So, as I've said before, I'd really like to see the SK line rolling out and discover what can be done with Guy's current designs built without Guy's shop time.
 
CataD said:
^ Not sure if you know, but this is how S!K started. Guy designed the knives and Barkriver was producing them. After years of issues, Guy decided to start making the knives himself, first with a lot of contracting work and then (through the Starter) bringing more and more in-house.

I agree with BBuser, I would not buy a 'GSO/S!K' made by kabar/benchmade/etc, esp. anything made by barkriver. That's prob why I don't have anything from those comp...
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I think you’re missing the point. Survive is having just a little trouble actually making a knife. Let say they give the operation of to “great American knife co”. Or ACME knives. Someone that can actually manufacture.
 
LukeTheSpook said:
I think you’re missing the point. Survive is having just a little trouble actually making a knife. Let say they give the operation of to “great American knife co”. Or ACME knives. Someone that can actually manufacture.
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Which is exactly concept behind the SK line. :)
 
LukeTheSpook said:
I think you’re missing the point. Survive is having just a little trouble actually making a knife. Let say they give the operation of to “great American knife co”. Or ACME knives. Someone that can actually manufacture.
Click to expand...

Why do you say I'm missing the point? I just told you they tried that (handing the entire production to another company) already and they didn't like it/didn't work out. Why would they try to do the same thing again? Anyways.. isn't the move to Millit and having them produce the SK line, a step in that direction?
 
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I mean they announced the SK line a long long time ago so. Take that as you will.

I had no idea Bark River was producing their early stuff or I never would have bought any. I refuse to support that company whatsoever.
 
md02geist said:
I mean they announced the SK line a long long time ago so. Take that as you will.

I had no idea Bark River was producing their early stuff or I never would have bought any. I refuse to support that company whatsoever.
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Other than the original 100 prototypes and a couple of 5.1s that had factory ground convex edges what other knives were made by Bark River? Wasn't the edc4 and 10 after those production wise and most of the metal work done by a different company?
 
You can tell the Bark River models by their characteristic slack belt convex grinds.
Anything with a flat grind (or primary bevel if you think in those terms) was ground by somebody else.
 
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CataD said:
Why do you say I'm missing the point? I just told you they tried that (handing the entire production to another company) already and they didn't like it/didn't work out. Why would they try to do the same thing again? Anyways.. isn't the move to Millit and having them produce the SK line, a step in that direction?
Click to expand...


I'm not suggesting getting another company Involved or farming out a few steps. I mean sell the company to someone that knows how to run a business. There is 100% no argument to saying guy and crew have absolutely no idea how to run a business. Design a great product? Yes. Run a business? Big fat fail.complete with victims.
 
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