Time to your door

This is not Amazon Prime, REI or Blade HQ. This is a young craft manufacturing company that is making a premium product AND learning how to accommodate a demand for their products that exceeds their capacity.

The typical response to this issue would be to invest $s to dramatically increase capacity, which usually results in a decrease in quality and a dilution of the core values that initially made the business popular. S!K is not going that route, and I applaud them for that.

I don't particularly enjoy waiting for my knives to arrive, especially when it takes longer than anticipated. However, when weighed against the quality of the product a few extra weeks of waiting is a small price to pay.

Keep up the good work S!K. You are doing great!
 
I appreciate Guy and Ellie for posting updates and keeping us informed. I would echo ncrockclimb - while I would love to have it sooner, I would much rather have the quality. I understand wanting feedback to e-mails, of course, but I know it can be tough only being one or two people running a business and trying to keep up with things. I don't know about the rest of the community - but I would be pretty dang well proud of myself if I was putting out my own knife and it was just two people. I think things will get a lot better once S!K is able to purchase the extra equipment they've talking about with the Starter $ and are able to get this other person hired. Happy to be on board - just keep the quality and values at the top!
 
SURVIVE! Ellie said:
I did have to take a few days off over this weekend so there was a pause in the GSO-3.5 orders getting shipped out. I will get back to building and shipping those tomorrow.

As far as seconds, those don't necessarily get stuck behind regular orders. We do our best to fill the orders in the order that they were placed. Some exceptions happen because Guy doesn't look at every order sheet before sharpening the blade, he grabs blades from piles. If the "next" knife is a CPM-20CV Factory 2nd with a ferro notch but he doesn't have any of those done at that moment, I will skip over that order until he has one ready. I hope this makes sense... I'm still on half-vacation.
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Dear Ellie,

Have all the GSO3.5 been shipped yet?
 
Mine arrived yesterday. March 18th order date, arrived on April 16. Beautifully done as always. I bought the 3.5 "2nd" to throw in the tackle box for fishing this Spring and Summer. Only reason it's a second that I can tell is the etching on the blade is a little light. It says CPM-20C instead of CPM-20CV. No big deal and well worth the 20% discount. The rest of the knife is typical S!K quality. Perfect grind and fit and finish. Razor Sharp. Perfect stonewash. As many have said before, Guy has it right and builds a very high quality knife for the price. The best I've seen actually at this price point.

I can't recall ever hearing about any quality issues and have never had any issues myself and have owned or own over a dozen S!K knives.

My only concern is always the shipping timeline. It was posted 5-15 days to ship and in stock, yet took almost a month to get here. YES, I realize what Guy and Ellie are doing and have deep respect for both, and understand his business model. I too would rather have the quality. I'm sure their weeks are 80-90 or more hours long. LOVE the knives. BUT, (this is where the fanboys jump all over me) if you say 5-15 days, then do that. I would have preferred you just tell me it would be 6-8 weeks, let me add that info to my buying decision, and then get it here in a month, or 6- 8 weeks.

In my own arena, I always under promise and over deliver. I tell my sheath customers up front what my timeline is and then deliver early. I'd rather do that than have frustrated customers that order from me, spend there hard earned money on MY product, and then I miss the deadline to ship their item.
That's my $.02 on it and an honest assessment. I'm sure I'll be banished to the dark side of the moon by the fan club and get put on the black list BUT, it's the truth and I'll stand by it.

Will I still buy from Survive? Of course I will. Guy makes fantastic blades. Great style. Incredible quality. VERY reasonable pricing. He is moving forward with more designs, new models, and tweaks on the old ones, and most importantly, he LISTENS to his customers and is engaged on the forum. Nice to be able to actually talk to him or read his posts from time to time. He's doing everything right except that shipping part. Not a real criticism and not a deal breaker for me, but frustrating at times, and a deal breaker for some.

Looking forward to the next wave for S!K and the incredible stuff Guy will build next.
 
Ordered mine March 19th. Not a factory second. Still haven't recieved notification. I did hassle them because I changed my mind on the handles. They were cool enough to change it, I'm cool enough to wait patiently without bugging them.

Guy has the best quality for the price. I can wait, though it's hard to do so lol.
 
Hale Storm said:
Mine arrived yesterday. March 18th order date, arrived on April 16. Beautifully done as always. I bought the 3.5 "2nd" to throw in the tackle box for fishing this Spring and Summer. Only reason it's a second that I can tell is the etching on the blade is a little light. It says CPM-20C instead of CPM-20CV. No big deal and well worth the 20% discount. The rest of the knife is typical S!K quality. Perfect grind and fit and finish. Razor Sharp. Perfect stonewash. As many have said before, Guy has it right and builds a very high quality knife for the price. The best I've seen actually at this price point.

I can't recall ever hearing about any quality issues and have never had any issues myself and have owned or own over a dozen S!K knives.

My only concern is always the shipping timeline. It was posted 5-15 days to ship and in stock, yet took almost a month to get here. YES, I realize what Guy and Ellie are doing and have deep respect for both, and understand his business model. I too would rather have the quality. I'm sure their weeks are 80-90 or more hours long. LOVE the knives. BUT, (this is where the fanboys jump all over me) if you say 5-15 days, then do that. I would have preferred you just tell me it would be 6-8 weeks, let me add that info to my buying decision, and then get it here in a month, or 6- 8 weeks.

In my own arena, I always under promise and over deliver. I tell my sheath customers up front what my timeline is and then deliver early. I'd rather do that than have frustrated customers that order from me, spend there hard earned money on MY product, and then I miss the deadline to ship their item.
That's my $.02 on it and an honest assessment. I'm sure I'll be banished to the dark side of the moon by the fan club and get put on the black list BUT, it's the truth and I'll stand by it.

Will I still buy from Survive? Of course I will. Guy makes fantastic blades. Great style. Incredible quality. VERY reasonable pricing. He is moving forward with more designs, new models, and tweaks on the old ones, and most importantly, he LISTENS to his customers and is engaged on the forum. Nice to be able to actually talk to him or read his posts from time to time. He's doing everything right except that shipping part. Not a real criticism and not a deal breaker for me, but frustrating at times, and a deal breaker for some.

Looking forward to the next wave for S!K and the incredible stuff Guy will build next.
Click to expand...

I'm quite the fanboy and I think this is a fair assessment. I like that: under promise, over deliver. I think Guy has high hopes and is very optimistic. Good intentions.

I've thought a few times that Guy should take the time estimate that he has in his head and multiply it by three or four, then give that time frame to the public =)
 
Hale Storm said:
Mine arrived yesterday.
...
My only concern is always the shipping timeline. It was posted 5-15 days to ship and in stock, yet took almost a month to get here. YES, I realize what Guy and Ellie are doing and have deep respect for both, and understand his business model. I too would rather have the quality. I'm sure their weeks are 80-90 or more hours long. LOVE the knives. BUT, (this is where the fanboys jump all over me) if you say 5-15 days, then do that. I would have preferred you just tell me it would be 6-8 weeks, let me add that info to my buying decision, and then get it here in a month, or 6- 8 weeks.

...
Looking forward to the next wave for S!K and the incredible stuff Guy will build next.
Click to expand...

Hale Storm - I think that's a great post. It's feedback - you're not being rude or anything and your bring up points all companies need to keep in mind and consider. I think it's when people are rude or don't show any understanding that they get jumped all over.
 
Hale Storm said:
Mine arrived yesterday. March 18th order date, arrived on April 16. Beautifully done as always. I bought the 3.5 "2nd" to throw in the tackle box for fishing this Spring and Summer. Only reason it's a second that I can tell is the etching on the blade is a little light. It says CPM-20C instead of CPM-20CV. No big deal and well worth the 20% discount. The rest of the knife is typical S!K quality. Perfect grind and fit and finish. Razor Sharp. Perfect stonewash. As many have said before, Guy has it right and builds a very high quality knife for the price. The best I've seen actually at this price point.

I can't recall ever hearing about any quality issues and have never had any issues myself and have owned or own over a dozen S!K knives.

My only concern is always the shipping timeline. It was posted 5-15 days to ship and in stock, yet took almost a month to get here. YES, I realize what Guy and Ellie are doing and have deep respect for both, and understand his business model. I too would rather have the quality. I'm sure their weeks are 80-90 or more hours long. LOVE the knives. BUT, (this is where the fanboys jump all over me) if you say 5-15 days, then do that. I would have preferred you just tell me it would be 6-8 weeks, let me add that info to my buying decision, and then get it here in a month, or 6- 8 weeks.

In my own arena, I always under promise and over deliver. I tell my sheath customers up front what my timeline is and then deliver early. I'd rather do that than have frustrated customers that order from me, spend there hard earned money on MY product, and then I miss the deadline to ship their item.
That's my $.02 on it and an honest assessment. I'm sure I'll be banished to the dark side of the moon by the fan club and get put on the black list BUT, it's the truth and I'll stand by it.

Will I still buy from Survive? Of course I will. Guy makes fantastic blades. Great style. Incredible quality. VERY reasonable pricing. He is moving forward with more designs, new models, and tweaks on the old ones, and most importantly, he LISTENS to his customers and is engaged on the forum. Nice to be able to actually talk to him or read his posts from time to time. He's doing everything right except that shipping part. Not a real criticism and not a deal breaker for me, but frustrating at times, and a deal breaker for some.

Looking forward to the next wave for S!K and the incredible stuff Guy will build next.
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Excellent post my friend..right on..you put in words what many of us are thinking.

I just want to add one thing to that,
It would have been awesome if they could also give REALISTIC ideas of when items will be in stock..not keep saying such and such knife will be in stock "next week" and then it ends up being after 2-3 weeks
As a customer, it's just good to have a realistic view..not keep getting hopes up and refreshing the website and email 200 times a day for nothing..
 
I think the survive fans are actually pretty nice and easygoing. On the Hale post I can see your point. I suppose I came into this knowing the rep. Also waiting years for a good knife is normal. It does not grind my gears so much. See what they do I guess. Happy to offer a little slack on the pressure. Agree accurateish wait dates are awesome, but often missed. I dearly want a good knife - not a fast one.

Edit: Just wanted to add I have high hopes for the new 7/7. I expect the wait time on that will probably be extended. I am cool with it as long as its badass coming out of its box. My 2 cents.
 
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Silver Needle said:
...I like that: under promise, over deliver. I think Guy has high hopes and is very optimistic. Good intentions.

I've thought a few times that Guy should take the time estimate that he has in his head and multiply it by three or four, then give that time frame to the public =)
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+1

S!K is doing great work. Keep it up!
 
Silver, hope I didn't highjack your thread.

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I can see everyone understands that I AM a fan of S!K. Just giving honest feedback as a customer. Got a little money coming in this month. Gonna get in on the starter and get the 12. Then head to head with the Esee Junglas. :D

Pulled out my 3.5 tonight. Shaved my arm hair then bent some CRAZY kydex for it. Taking it to the gun show tomorrow to do some advertising For S!K and Hale Storm Custom Kydex.
 
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Hale Storm said:
Silver, hope I didn't highjack your thread.

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I can see everyone understands that I AM a fan of S!K. Just giving honest feedback as a customer. Got a little money coming in this month. Gonna get in on the starter and get the 12. Then head to head with the Esee Junglas. :D

Pulled out my 3.5 tonight. Shaved my arm hair then bent some CRAZY kydex for it. Taking it to the gun show tomorrow to do some advertising For S!K and Hale Storm Custom Kydex.
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Not a hijack at all.

Looking forward to your showdown between the junglas and 12.

Going to post some pics from the show?
 
Just had a quick look at some of your work Hale. Very tight and clean. Will be watching what you do with some of the GSO models.

Actually, if you are in the mood would you mind posting back a pick from the show of the 3.5 with your work? Would be very keen to see your bent on the carry.

Thanks in advance.
 
Sigh! Been here before. So shame on me.

GSO 3.5 second
Order placed 4/4/2015
Payment taken 4/4/2-15
As of 4/21/2015: "Awaiting fulfillment"


I guess I'm OK with taking my money before the knife is ready to ship. I, like others, would just like to know what's going on with the delivery part of the transaction as time passes.
 
Thomas Linton said:
Sigh! Been here before. So shame on me.

GSO 3.5 second
Order placed 4/4/2015
Payment taken 4/4/2-15
As of 4/21/2015: "Awaiting fulfillment"


I guess I'm OK with taking my money before the knife is ready to ship. I, like others, would just like to know what's going on with the delivery part of the transaction as time passes.
Click to expand...

Mine just shipped out on Monday so I'm hoping to have it tomorrow. I'd placed my order for my second on March 18th and I think the new 4.1's were supposed to be up on the website beginning of last week. I guess they're just really behind. I think Ellie has posted on this thread or another they were hoping to get caught back up to a two week delivery window around this time.
 
Anyone recall Northgate Computer? Old story from the late 80's and early 90's. Let me add to the Wiki article that Northgate made truly excellent -- industry-leading -- computers, and they died of being unable to deliver paid-for goods.

I love my two Survive! knives. Truly excellent. We shall see how the story plays out.
 
essentialsplus said:
Mine just shipped out on Monday so I'm hoping to have it tomorrow. I'd placed my order for my second on March 18th and I think the new 4.1's were supposed to be up on the website beginning of last week. I guess they're just really behind. I think Ellie has posted on this thread or another they were hoping to get caught back up to a two week delivery window around this time.
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We got pretty slammed on the 18th. The last of those orders are going out today though. The orders after that are more spaced out so we should be able to get caught up quickly now.

Typically when we list a model we sell a lot in the first day and then it starts to level out by the 3rd day. When I changed the page from 5-10 to 10-15 business days it was because we had lowered the price so I figured we would sell a few more than usual. I didn't say any longer than that because GSO-3.5 had been in stock consistently for months before then. We definitely did not expect to have hundreds of orders placed in one day, especially for a model that had been available for so long. I guess we hit a magic price point. Lesson learned.

We haven't listed the GSO-4.1s yet because we are still getting caught up and because I have not had time to QC everything. These are the last of the handles and sheaths so we need to make sure they are 100% before offering them to the world. I think I will be able to get that done this afternoon though so look out for the newsletter in the next day or two.
 
Hey Ellie, thanks for the info. So will the 4.1s have the same discount? Do you think the same situation will happen?

I remember reading you guys were looking at hiring someone else - is that still in the works?
 
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