TechStudio K01 Profile Sharpening System

I have been watching this forum for a few months now and decided to join so I express a few of my feelings about TSprof I really had no plans on joining this forum until I read travis385 post.

I'm glad your happy with TSprof because I'm most certainly not very happy with them at all.
Here is my story I ordered a K03 as soon as they came out off of the TSprof website and I got about a month after ordering it as I was told by Nikita they were all sold out and mine would be shipped in the order my order was received then about 8 weeks ago I ordered all of the clamps for my K03 such as the Conical double filet single filet and a scissor attachment and it has now been 8 weeks to the day and I have not gotten my stuff.
Here is my problem with TSprof when I ordered my stuff I emailed them first and wanted to know if everything was in stock and I was told that everything was in stock by a person named Paul so I made my payment with my credit card after I got an invoice asking me to pay it and then I got a polite email back from this Paul person and it said something to the effect of thank you for your payment and your order has been sent into production,so I emailed this Paul back and asked how long it will take for my order to ship out and I was told about 3 weeks,so I emailed Paul again and called him out on what he had said and said to him you told me everything is in stock when I first asked about these item's and now you are telling me my order will not ship out for 3 weeks and has been sent to production and when I said I wanted my money back he emailed me again saying he could ship it in 1 week and agreed to that and after a week all I got was excuse after excuse after excuse first it was people were on holidays then it was their supplier of materials was out of stock on stuff and I could never Paul to give me my money back.
My brother inlaw also purchased a K02 before me and got his with no problems off of their website and when I told him that I was ordering some clamp's and stuff I ordered my stuff and he then ordered his stuff and then he explained as well to Paul that we were brother inlaws and that we would like are stuff shipped together and would pay any extra shipping and Paul said that their would be no need for extra shipping,my brother inlaw also asked if everything he wanted was in stock as well and was told exactly the same thing I was and that was that everything was in stock but once they had his money just like mine we still do not have the items we paid for and they will not return are email's as well.
I tried going to my credit card company to get my money back after waiting 6 weeks to see if my stuff was going to be shipped out and they told me they thought I was trying to scam this vendor because I should have reported it sooner and I explained to them about TSprof saying it was going to take 6 weeks for them to send out my order and even gave them TSprof's mail and told them to ask for a tracking number and they told me that's not up for them to do that,so now I'm out my money and so is my brother inlaw and we still don't know if we will even get are items that we paid for.
The worst part of it is that this Paul person found it so easy to lie to me and my brother inlaw why say that the items were in stock and would be shipped out the same day or next day after receiving are payment and then the very next day after getting are money he tells me and my brother inlaw that are orders have gone into production.
To anyone reading this please do not think that I think that I feel that I'm so much more important then anyone else who owns a TSprof sharpener and that I feel like I should get special treatment and get my stuff before everyone else,what I have a problem with is I asked a honest answer and did not get an honest response either,that is no way to do business with your customer by lying to them because it is your customer that is helping you to making a living and put food on your table.I do not respect Paul and I never will be able to because I have looked on other forums and there are other people saying stuff like me as well there is a guy who purchased a TSprof sharpener and waited 6 months and they would not give him his money back so he had to get his credit card company involved.I'm just a guy from a small town called Elmwood Canada and I normally try not to go online to purchase stuff because of hassles like this.
If this continues to be a problem with TSprof they should be banned from this forum if they are not going to stop treating their customers so poorly.


Hytekrednek said:
I would not say fast, it depends on how backed up they are, production, etc. Once they ship it out, it will take up to 2 weeks to get to your house. Just order, then be patient. You will get it eventually, and it will be more than worth the wait. Try to order everything you think you may want or need in one order. Shipping from Russia is not cheap or fast.
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All of that is the reason I ordered from STATES. Up front I was told that it would be about six weeks. and mainly that my credit card would not be charged until it was shipped.

I ordered a fountain pen, a somewhat rare color of a pen that was out of production, via an ebay acution from a gentleman in Russia. It was initially lost, then returned to the seller, and it took me almost six months to receive it, but I finally did. That experience left me with a bad taste about ordering anything directly from Russia. I may be paying a bit more, but at least I am not going to have the problems you mentioned.

I still have my order outstanding with STATES. George has made many posts explaining things, and very recently has addressed changes and posted pictures of said changes in the system, some of which were answering my questions. He has also replied to email inquiries, one in which I asked about not seeing a confirmation of order status. He discovered a glitch in his on line order system and promptly fixed it so you can go to his site and see orders and status. I have never before done business with him, but at this point he seems honest and upfront about acquiring the systems for sale, so I plan to continue to do all business regarding this system with him.

Sometimes a better price or promises from a country that is known for a lot of graft and corruption, not that I am saying that is what is going on with TSPROF, is simply not worth it.
 
I've been watching the progression of this sharpener for a long time. I am very slow to move on these type purchases because I want to know that I have a solid system (which this appears to be) and that it is well supported (in my mind at this moment in time, questionable, at least from TechStudio, not STATES).

When/if I pick one of these up, I will not buy direct. I want to purchase from someone in my home country, with whom I can easily communicate, and with whom I feel comfortable is going to do their best to see that I am satisfied as a customer. I would be comfortable purchasing from STATES. I am not yet comfortable that our US dealer is getting an appropriate level of support and communication from the manufacturer. Therefore, if I do purchase, it will be when I'm satisfied that STATES is getting the support it needs from TechStudio.

As a business owner/operator myself, I know exactly how frustrating it can be not getting the support you need as a dealer from the manufacturer/distributors. I look forward to the day that I feel comfortable enough as a consumer to make this purchase, and I hope we still have a dealer within the U.S. so that I can get the support I need for years to come. It would likely serve the management at TechStudio well to get some input from their dealers, like STATES, as to how to address some of these support issues.

Regards,

David
 
Let me put it this way I do not think TSprof said today were going to screw Larry over and take his money and not ship out his stuff unless he can prove it to his credit card company that we really did screw him.
What I think has happened is they have lost my order or can't figure out if I have paid for it and that's the problem for me as well I switched credit card company's after them saying that they figured all I was trying to do is screw over TSprof because in their opinion all I wanted was free merchandise here's my gripe with my credit card company I have never once filed a claim over anything in the 10 years I have been with them and have purchased many times overseas for the same amount of money or more and that was not even considered.
So now because I canceled my credit card with Visa and switched to MasterCard my Visa account is closed and they refused to print me off a bill show that charge.
As far as STATES goes a friend of mine who dealt with George said you won't find a more up front person to deal with and when my friend asked about stuff that was not in stock he was given a straight forward answer and was told an ETA but was also told that can change with the way TSprof does things.
 
What's happening about crossbars and fixing units:

Since I'm getting so many questions about new types of clamps and replacement crossbars and aluminum instead of stainless steel future versions of sharpeners, I want to clear the air with current "knowns". Please note that "one off's" for even nice people like Wade do not mean regular, reliable availability. As a dealer, S.T.A.T.E.S. is trying to create a stable, reliable supply of sharpeners, accessories and technical support. We cannot and will not speculate on items that we have not seen nor received physically. Our 9 months of experience shows we can serve you better by sifting through rumors. There is an excellent book that I live by that warns about "..chasing after every wind".

Knowns: 1. There are new style clamps. I don't know about volumes and dates of availability. We have asked for some.
2. A person, Wade, placed an order for a replacement 3rd Gen slotted mounting bar and was told he would get it. We have not been told
anything by Tech Studio about the possibility to retrofit Gen 2 systems with Gen 3 components. That doesn't mean you can't, it just means we don't know. I will ask next week when Paul and I talk on the phone.
3. There is mention of manufacturing the frame, not the weighted base, from aluminum instead of stainless steel. I will find out more.
4. People have asked if the new sharpeners will be the aluminum framed ones. I don't know. Experience has shown that we receive the latest version of sharpeners each time.

I hope this helps separates knowns from unknowns.
George
 
When I get my new Gen 3 Crossbar in I will be sure to let everyone know everything there is to know about it and differences I can find out about it as well.What I did not ask Paul when I had him on the phone is if the 10mm fixing units will fit into the Gen 3 Crossbar because without that knowledge you won't know how many fixing unit's you really need when trying to retro fit a K02,I myself don't see the need for the new Crosbar and fixing unit's other then to be able to use the whole milled clamps.
 
George when you are talking to Techstudio can you ask them to look at my post and this thread as they will not respond to any email about my order,I have even tried creating a fake email account with a different name so they would not know it's me and just ignore me and putting a link to this topic in the forum and they will not even respond that way.
I know I did not place my order threw you and the only reason I did not was because I had read so many things about them not shipping stuff to you and your orders always getting messed up pretty much every time I might have better luck just going right to source for my stuff.
 
Hello everyone, long time follower and 1st time poster. I bought a K02 directly from Paul (not STATES). It seems to be stuck in customs (no updates from the EMS or USPS tracking since 1/29). Any body have his issue with shipping a unit from Paul? Any advise or like stories would be appreciated. I am pretty annoyed and frustrated as Paul said they can’t help since it made it to NY (ISC facility for USPS). Thanks all.
 
What you need to do is look up a phone number for customs and then talk with them and find out witch office to contact,there could be any number of reasons why they not let in go straight threw to you,if they declared a very low value at TSprof that could be part of it because if they put something like 50 or 100 bucks on the box customs may not being buying it that it really only cost's that much.I'm in Canada and I have had to contact customs in Canada before in for me they were pretty helpful and gave me the right number to call for the office I needed to speak to.

I would try contacting customs some how if I were you try one of the numbers in the link below seeing as that it is in NY that's a plus that you tell them where it's at so they might be able to get you to the right office more easily.I would not wait to long either if you haven't already called because I know in Canada they can hold a package for up to 1 week without giving any reason as to why then after 1 week they must give a reason and they can hold it for 2 weeks max then they either have to decide to let it threw or send it back.

https://www.cbp.gov/contact
 
larry454 said:
George when you are talking to Techstudio can you ask them to look at my post and this thread as they will not respond to any email about my order,I have even tried creating a fake email account with a different name so they would not know it's me and just ignore me and putting a link to this topic in the forum and they will not even respond that way.
I know I did not place my order threw you and the only reason I did not was because I had read so many things about them not shipping stuff to you and your orders always getting messed up pretty much every time I might have better luck just going right to source for my stuff.
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Hi Larry,
I don't know your order number, when you ordered, what you ordered or even your name, address and phone number, so as much as I would like to help you, I'm not sure what I would say to Paul. If you will send me a personal message or one to our website with this info, I'll ask him next Friday.
George
 
I was talking with George at STATES and he told me he is trying to put together a knowledge base of information about the Techstudio line of product's and I told him I would supply him with a list of the screw lengths for the K02 and K03 clamps.

First off to be clear all of the screws that go into the fixing units and that also go into the clamp's to hold the springs in place are all 4mm x 6mm and the length is for the 10mm and 20mm fixing unit's,the screw length that goes into the fixing unit on the 6mm I'm not sure of but I'm going to get George to ask Paul and I will edit this post with the proper length as far as all other screws that came with a K02 that used the 6mm fixing the clamp screw sizes should be the same and those are the sizes I'm posting below.

Also incase anyone reading this does not know anything about how to tell what size a screw is it is very simple,a 4mm x 10mm would mean that the thread size is 4mm and the length of the shaft is 10mm.
When ordering 3mm and 4mm thread sizes it should be noted that the thread pitch on all the 3mm and 4mm screws use a standard pitch,the 3mm use a 0.5mm pitch and the 4mm use a 0.7mm pitch.
When ordering new bolts only use 10.9 grade button heads or higher I don't know if they come in a higher grade or not but don't use a lower grade,with cap heads they seem to be easier to find in 12.9 grade,never use a stainless steel button head either you will regret,the problem with stainless screw is the metal is soft and will not stand up to being loosen and tightened over and over again a stainless steel cap head is different there is more meat around the socket and can take it but I would still stick with a 10.9 or better yet a 12.9 grade screw I know this from experience working with stainless screws many times before.

A few other thing's to consider if you can find high grade button head torx screw I would recommend buying them when you get a new K02 or clamp's and install them right away in place of the 4x6mm screws that hold the springs to the fixing units and the screws that go threw springs and into the clamps to hold that end together,a torx screw has more grabbing points and the socket is less likely to strip use a Wiha driver on torx,if you want to use button heads with hex sockets look on ebay for Mip Thorp hex drivers they are the best and hardest tips you find and will last many years I have a set 10 ears old and the tips still look and fit like new.

The last thing I'd like to mention because a few people have asked me this before and that's what I use to oil the threads on the clamps of my K02 I'm referring to screws that you tighten down to hold the knife in place,the manual say's to oil the threads of all the screws you tighten and loosen to prevent wear,to put it simply I don't oil the threads on any of the screws because it's just going dry up or run off I use Permatex Ultra Slick Grease for automotive brakes and the reason is simple it's not affected by heat it's a bit sticky and stays in place and does not dry up,the reason for oiling or in my case greasing these screws is simple it stops metal to metal contact and really does help prevent wear.I also use it on the threads for the mast as well where you make your fine adjustments.Oiling or greasing threads is not a big deal when it comes to bigger threads but when it comes to smaller threads like 3mm and 4mm and when your tightening them up all the time it takes it's toll on the threads over time.

This is the stuff here to get if you want to use it there are few different versions from what I understand.

nN4mVxJ.jpg



Here is a list of all the screw sizes for the clamp's I also own each of the clamps and I'm not guessing the lengths everyone was measured by me.
The way I'm listing this is the front screw or screws will be listed first and are also a smaller size then the rear screw witch is bigger.

If you can only find 10.9 grade screws they should be more then fine and is most likely what TSprof includes but I can not say this for certain but what I can tell you is that 10.9 grade is much easier and cheaper to come by then 12.9 and more so like I said about the button head screws are harder to find in 12.9

Conical Double Clamp front screw 3x10mm cap head there is no back screw used on the Conical clamps only the cross screw with the cones on them and those are custom so they don't count and should never wear out.

Double Filet Clamp front screw 3x8mm button head rear screw 4x8mm button head

Single Filet Clamp front screws 3x8mm button head rear screw 4x8mm button head

Standard Double Clamp front screw 3x10mm cap head rear screw 4x12mm cap head

Single Standard Clamp front screws 3x10mm cap head rear screw 4x12mm cap head

Scissor attachment 3x10mm cap head all other screws on the scissor attachment are button heads and they are 4x6mm

I also have a set of the Whole Milled Clamps on order and when I get them I will ad the screw sizes for them as well.

Here are a few links on ebay for screws I have found there that are good quality screws,if you want to buy USA made screws or that are at least stocked in the USA go to a local machine shop and ask them to order you in the sizes you need.

If any of these links go dead just look up regan0331 on ebay and look at his store I have used the screws that he carries a few times and they always been fine,boltbase is another seller on ebay from the UK and I found them very helpful and willing to please their customers and change listings so they could purchase items in countries that were not included in their listing.

The Wrench's you purchase from TSprof are made from drill blank material just like the Mip Thorp ones but the Mip ones will last much longer,you need a 2 2.5 and 3 in metric for a full set that will cover every screw on all the clamps.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-9-Grade...hash=item2cc634b581:m:migj0BlALt3thIW9yvW8qMg

https://www.ebay.com/itm/50-100pc-M...hash=item281d0317ac:m:mltg1NvYY3h0jrp80bFhhqg

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Grade10-9-...-M5-M6-/183020581486?var=&hash=itema0ba692d0a

https://www.ebay.com/itm/50-100pc-M...w-Bolt-/172285433772?var=&hash=item6db01f75e4

https://www.ebay.com/itm/50x-M4-Met...-Screw-/182293302713?var=&hash=item70e28b36ba

https://www.ebay.com/itm/M2-M2-5-M3-M4-High-Tensile-10-9-Socket-Button-Head-Screws-Black-Self-Colour/222416302817?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=521285836097&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

This an update for this post,I can now confirm that the 4x6mm button head screws are 10.9 screws do not use anything lower then 10.9 grade if you can help it because the lower the grade the softer the screw will be witch means your more likely to strip out the socket higher grades will be better if out can 12.9 but I could only find 1 listing from china for 12.9 buttons heads in 12.9 with a hex socket Torx are pretty impossible to find in anything other then 10.9 and lower for reason they do not offer them in 12.9.

I can confirm these findings after looking at a picture I took of a scissor attachment I took and for another post and seen what I thought said 10.9 and look at a scissor attachment to confirm this and the screw said 10.9.
 
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Hey Wade 7575
Thanks for the info and links on the screws. I did not know about the brake lube, heck it's been over 30 years since I changed any brake pads, preferring to let the local garage handle that job. I did order a tube, of lube, Permatex does not list that number but has probably changed their description and stock number. When I get my K03 I may go ahead and get an extra set of screws in the 12.9 grade, and possibly just go ahead and change them out so I will know what is there.
 
Look into getting a set of those MIP Thorp wrenchs as well if your going to stick with Hex heads for the buttons on the screws that attach everything together on the clamp assembly's,if you get Torx screws for the clamps I would still get a Wiha driver as they will last longer.You can find or get most Hobby Shops to order you in the MIP wrench's.

I don't think I was clear enough in what I saying about the different grade of bolts,most likely 10.9 is all a person is going to need and you do not need to change every screw over to that or any for that matter just don't go below 10.9,the problem is with the button heads that hold the clamps together if you put blue Locktite on them and want to remove them later on you want to make sure more than anything else you used a good wrench to install them are going to be using a good wrench to get them out.
From what I have learned from RC Cars is this if you use an L wrench or cheaper wrench's on button and flat heads no matter what grade they get ruined very quickly,the reason is pretty simple what happens with an L wrench is that when the socket deforms that same deformation transfer's to the L wrench any time you use that L wrench it spreads that deformation jus like a cancer from screw to screw and it only keeps getting worse.

When dealing with the screws that tighten you tighten to hold the knife in the clamps I have not had any problems with them so far and have been using MIP Wrench's pretty much since day one and there is need to convert any of those screws to torx,with hex button heads do not have as many points for grabbing and there for you are point more stress on the grabbing points on the socket,I have found with torx I can get double or more use's from them before they need to be replaced,another problem I have seen as well is where people just stick the wrench into the socket and try and turn it out and they don't push in on the wrench at all and if it's a tight one then it jumps out of the socket and slip and that starts the whole process of screwing up the socket as well,make sure to push in with good pressure if you ever have to take a button head out because when that wrench jumps out of the socket and slip's that can do more damage then anything,I find the smaller the button or flat head the more of a PITA they are to deal with and the more often they will need to be replaced if you have to loosen them a lot.

jkingrph said:
Hey Wade 7575
Thanks for the info and links on the screws. I did not know about the brake lube, heck it's been over 30 years since I changed any brake pads, preferring to let the local garage handle that job. I did order a tube, of lube, Permatex does not list that number but has probably changed their description and stock number. When I get my K03 I may go ahead and get an extra set of screws in the 12.9 grade, and possibly just go ahead and change them out so I will know what is there.
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I emailed Paul about the problem and told him there was a problem and my problem is I don't have my order number when I used what was called 2checkout and I never used it before and I did not see an order number there but I could have missed it and I never got an order number emailed to me either,I checked with my credit card company and they confirmed the charge to 2checkout and I emailed Paul telling me I did not get an order number when I used 2 checkout and also told him that one was never emailed to me as well and he emailed me back saying not to worry and told me stuff would be sent,I checked later in the day with my credit card company to make sure the transaction went threw I then contacted Paul to let him know I did not get an order number and was told not worry my items would be sent to me,I did not bother to keep any emails either because me and my brother inlaw had gotten are K02s as promised and there was no problems getting them other then they were out of stock at the time we ordered are k02s so I figured I could trust Paul.

So now it's been 7 weeks and I have still not gotten the items I ordered.
The items I order are as followed,2 sets of conical clamps and 2 sets of reinforced springs and a lens kit,I wanted a set of the conical clamps springs and lens kit my brother inlaw just wanted the clamps and springs.
When Paul won't even return my email I guess that's his way saying he's more then happy to take my money and not give me anything in return.
What I would like Paul to do is come onto this forum and explain himself and because emailing him does not seem to help George.

This is something that everyone should read before buying anything from these guys so at least you'll know what your in for,if what the guy is saying is true to make someone wait 6 months and not ship them their items and even worse when they want a refund you won't give it to them.I know I don't know both sides of that story I hope that is not standard practice.

https://www.reddit.com/r/knifeclub/comments/62a7gz/beware_tsprof_knife_sharpening_systems/

S.T.A.T.E.S. said:
Hi Larry,
I don't know your order number, when you ordered, what you ordered or even your name, address and phone number, so as much as I would like to help you, I'm not sure what I would say to Paul. If you will send me a personal message or one to our website with this info, I'll ask him next Friday.
George
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wade7575 said:
What you need to do is look up a phone number for customs and then talk with them and find out witch office to contact,there could be any number of reasons why they not let in go straight threw to you,if they declared a very low value at TSprof that could be part of it because if they put something like 50 or 100 bucks on the box customs may not being buying it that it really only cost's that much.I'm in Canada and I have had to contact customs in Canada before in for me they were pretty helpful and gave me the right number to call for the office I needed to speak to.

I would try contacting customs some how if I were you try one of the numbers in the link below seeing as that it is in NY that's a plus that you tell them where it's at so they might be able to get you to the right office more easily.I would not wait to long either if you haven't already called because I know in Canada they can hold a package for up to 1 week without giving any reason as to why then after 1 week they must give a reason and they can hold it for 2 weeks max then they either have to decide to let it threw or send it back.

https://www.cbp.gov/contact
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Thanks Wade. Was hoping to avoid a (likely) 2 hour call this week. Thanks again. Anyone else deal with this re: a shipment from Paul?
 
It may not be to bad I know in Canada it's usually pretty quick to deal with them unless it was something questionable then that would a different ball game.
 
larry454 said:
I emailed Paul about the problem and told him there was a problem and my problem is I don't have my order number when I used what was called 2checkout and I never used it before and I did not see an order number there but I could have missed it and I never got an order number emailed to me either,I checked with my credit card company and they confirmed the charge to 2checkout and I emailed Paul telling me I did not get an order number when I used 2 checkout and also told him that one was never emailed to me as well and he emailed me back saying not to worry and told me stuff would be sent,I checked later in the day with my credit card company to make sure the transaction went threw I then contacted Paul to let him know I did not get an order number and was told not worry my items would be sent to me,I did not bother to keep any emails either because me and my brother inlaw had gotten are K02s as promised and there was no problems getting them other then they were out of stock at the time we ordered are k02s so I figured I could trust Paul.

So now it's been 7 weeks and I have still not gotten the items I ordered.
The items I order are as followed,2 sets of conical clamps and 2 sets of reinforced springs and a lens kit,I wanted a set of the conical clamps springs and lens kit my brother inlaw just wanted the clamps and springs.
When Paul won't even return my email I guess that's his way saying he's more then happy to take my money and not give me anything in return.
What I would like Paul to do is come onto this forum and explain himself and because emailing him does not seem to help George.

This is something that everyone should read before buying anything from these guys so at least you'll know what your in for,if what the guy is saying is true to make someone wait 6 months and not ship them their items and even worse when they want a refund you won't give it to them.I know I don't know both sides of that story I hope that is not standard practice.

https://www.reddit.com/r/knifeclub/comments/62a7gz/beware_tsprof_knife_sharpening_systems/
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Hi Larry, this is Paul, please, write me a message to paultechman@hotmail.com. Since you have made the order for K02 some time ago, your e-mail must be saved in our database and i will find out status of your new order and why your package is still did not shipped.
Thank you.
 
I just wanted o let everyone know that I emailed Paul and I will update this thread and let you guy's know the final outcome.
 
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