Sorry, but I cancelled my reservation :(

[Bagheera]

Sorry Will,

I cancelled my Talon reservation and will spend the money on something else.

During the to long wait for the Talon the US Dollar went up and is now costing me 15% more the when the "waiting period" started.

While this is nice you guys visiting Holland or buying stuff from us it is very bad knife lovers the other way around.

Will, I think that the early anouncement for the Talon was not the best piece of marketing planning I have seen in my time.

Personally I think you should have started sending the Talon's out with a protective paper sheath of some kind to whoever wanted the knife and include a "Sheath coupon" with which the new owners could order for free the sheath when it was finally made.
This should have been done the instant it became obvious/clear that the sheaths would take too long.

Sending a sheath would not cost more then $2 or $3 even Airmail to Holland and on the MSRP that you suggest it would make no difference anyhow.

Sorry Will I hope you will sell lots of the Talon's but as things stand I can't wait and worse can't afford one anymore.

I would have liked to carry one during my weekend Scouting activities becaue it really looked to me as an perfect "non-threatening" looks fixed blade that could handle 99.9% of the things I would encounter during my Scouting activities.

Luck was not on my side this time, hopefully it stays on your side.

Best regards from Holland,

Bagheera

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[Scott Evans]

Too bad … as I have seen the knife in question and I think it is well worth the wait.

Absolutely a premium quality piece.

As far as business decisions ... I think Will’s judgment with a tough choice will prove the right one in the long run. If one must chose between the two it is always better to apologize for being late then for quality. Will has always been a stickler for quality. Also, releases of first run specialty items is always a best guess scenario as there are a labyrinth of details that must fall into place, some of which are not within the producers power to control. It’s just not as simple as catching a train.

What ever it was that attracted you to the talon is still there and still worth waiting for…. IMO.


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“We are the pilgrims masters; we shall go, always, a little farther.”

[This message has been edited by Scott Evans (edited 05-03-2000).]

 

[dogboye]

Yeah, maybe. But I can also see Bagheera's point. He would now have to pay 15% more than he had bargained for, and I am pretty sure that price was originally a reach (not US $$). I guess the question is, if he, or I, were given the chance to purchase the knife right now, at the current exchange rate, would he have ordered it at all. The implication of the message is the he would not have. It is just coincidental that he originally ordered it because at the time he could afford it.

At the time that the Talon was originally predicted to be released, I could afford it. However, after the date started sliding the first time, I realized that at the new arrival date, I couldn't (a few unforseen things had happened). I, in fact, was somewhat grateful that the date slid, because now I had the money to take care of the unforseen. Then it slid again. Hmmmm.... maybe I can afford it now. Let's see what happens. Well, lo and behold, it slid again, so now I'm back to square one (oops, lost count, "square two"). Has it really changed anything regarding whether I will/would buy the knife now? Probably not. But, it has been frustrating.

Part of the joy of being involved in these forums is getting the inside scoop on new knives. And finding out early when they will be available. But, it is a two-edged sword, because INVARIABLY, the arrival of a new knife will slip. How much it slips from the original predicted date is where the frustration starts, and reflects either well or poorly on the company.

I for one would rather be told in December '99 that a knife is going to be released July '00, than be told in Dec '99 that the knife will be released in March '00, then in Feb '00 that get's refined to March, then in late March it get's refined to April, then in mid- April it gets refined to late-April, then in late April it gets refined to early May (all dates approximate, and used for example). Now, though, I'm beginning to believe that we won't see these things on the street until sometime WELL AFTER Blade Show. Did you just get frustrated reading that train of gibberish?

It is unfortunate for Camillus. Or maybe not. There are a LOT of people out there, I'm sure, that will buy the Talon without the foreknowledge of "THE WAIT". And there are some that will buy it anyway. I may be one of them; it all depends on when it finally comes out. Heck, I'm in an 18 month waiting period for one custom knife, so I am used to the waiting.

And I can imagine Camillus' frustration with the sheath delays. Unless they were not that unexpected. It sounds like there is some new things going on with the sheath, new materials, and what-not. But, based on my experience with Blade-Tech (they are the supplier of the sheath, right?), I would have expected delays if they were shooting for something new. YEah, they are a good company, but they are small, i believe, and are going through continual growing pains. But I must agree with Bagheera on one thing: after a time, it is time to eat the bullet and get the thing out on the street. But, then again, I make my own sheaths, so I don't care if it comes without one. Others would. And what are you going to do with a knife without a sheath?

Anyway... it's frustrating. But, if I can afford the dang thing when it finally does come out, I'm sure I'll be buying it.

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iktomi

 

[Will Fennell]

Bagheera,
I very sorry to hear tha you won't be able to wait for the TALON. I understand that international monetary rates of exchange are a fickle thing, but its ashame that it can pinch out a planned knife purchase. Maybe in the future, the winds of fortune will turn for you.

Believe me, we have been pulling our hair out, and the hair of our sheath vendors. We REALLY wanted to ship these knives on time, 2 months ago. We think we see light at the end of the tunnel, but I don't want to jinx myself. We have considered shipping the knives without sheaths, but there are ALOT of problems with that. Remember, we don't sell this stuff direct to the end user. Most likely the dealer[I 'assume' internet dealer] doesn';t even buy it from use direct, but through one of our distributors. So, we can't just ask you directly if you want the knife without the sheath and send it to you, we would have to coordinate this with as many as 2 other parties. THen we would have a customer out there with a knife that he couldn't really use SAFELY as the knife was intended and marketed. This could make some corporate attorney's head explode<G>.

So we are in a bind, our vendor is burning the midnite oil to make us/you happy, and we appreciate whatever patience our customers can must for us. We are doing our best to ship the best possible products we can.

I promise that I will update everyone here on the CAMILLUS forum as soon as I have anymore concrete info.

I appreciate your interest in CAMILLUS/CUDA/TALON, but if you need to shop elsewhere, I certainly understand and wish you the best of luck with your purchase.

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Stay Sharp!
Will Fennell
Camillus Cutlery