Who has the best customer service in the custom knife world?

B

Brute SRT

Joined
Mar 14, 2016
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I plan on starting a custom knife collection but I only want to purchase from makers that really care for their customers. Any help is appreciated. TIA
 
Folders or fixed blades?

Charlie_Mike has exceptional customer service, both pre and post-sales support, if you're into his style.
He's the only one I have any "warranty" experience with I can comment on but literally every custom maker I've met threw bladeforums and worked with has been a dream to deal with and I haven't yet came across anyone I wouldn't work with again!

ETA:Gollik is another maker I've been a repeat customer of. Very good dude to deal with but with him being EU based I wouldn't want to ever need to send a knife back over there (note shipping to here was fine and only a few days but I've heard horror stories about shipping to there so hopefully I'll never have a need)
 
Busse.

I have seen a video of a guy shooting his knife with a rifle to see what damage it would impart. The edge had some dings, micarta was wrecked, and it was otherwise not that bad.

He sent it in for a warranty repair, they found the video, then repaired his knife and sent it back with a snark letter saying that the knife told them that she was fine with it, but prefers to baton things, that tickles her...

A member on here ran over his BB13 with a lawn tractor/mower (like 60" deck, 15hp+ type mower) shot it near 70' across his yard putting some holes in the deck lid in the process.

He sent it in after the Mods on here pushed him to do so. He got it back good as new, no questions asked.

ETA: I just noticed the "custom knife collection" part. Busse does have a custom shop. Though currently closed, they do offer custom knives.
 
Tm hunt great guy good communication makes good solid knives also Allan warren both members here good luck on you journey
 
Ontario Knife Company (OKC) has treated me well.

I had to send back 2 USAF Pilot Survival knives that I over-oiled and the leather washers shrunk causing the hand guard to rattle. I wasn't anticipating a good response but, they replaced both of them no questions asked. It was probably my own fault but, OKC went out of their way and did me a solid and made it right anyway. You couldn't ask for better service than that. :thumbsup:

I can't say if they're the best customer service in the knife world, but I know for a fact they certainly ARE NOT the worst.
 
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I returned a Curtiss F3 Compact for spa treatment and a very old pre-Kaspar Crawford for a slipping liner lock. Both were returned in less than two weeks, postage paid and at no cost to me, with all issues resolved. Hard to beat that.
 
Serge Panchenko goes above and beyond. Nothing but good things to say about his customer service.
 
Busse repaired this Meaner after I intentionally damaged it and sent it back to me in a month or so. Looked better than before I damaged it.
 
I think most of the custom knife makers are good on customer service. I have customs/handmade knives, but I have never had reason to communicate an issue with one of the makers.

In the semi-custom world, I wouldn't rank Bark River high in this regard. But if it is clear defect, they will fix it. The "clear" aspect is where the problem arises based on the comments here on the forum and not my personal experience. I consider Bark Rivers to be semi-customs just like Randall.
 
Check the GBU board, especially the Wall of Shame, for a list of whom to stay away from.

I've personally had excellent customer experience from Olamic Cutlery, Sergey Rogovets, and Les Voorhies. Also, a less well-known maker named Brandant Robinson.
 
I will give you a list of who I've dealt with and have seen first hand exceptional service. This list isn't all inclusive. Some makers I've never had any issues so I haven't had to test CS.

SCOTT GOSSMAN: big league character

BIG CHRIS: great guy and stands behind his product

DAVID BROWN: sheath maker, great guy and great business man.

LIAM HOFFMAN: my wife surprised me with an axe for Christmas one year and she says he was awesome to deal with

Michael Presnell: friend of mine had some questions/issues and Presnell took care of him. He also hand forges.

Battle Horse Knives: great service, great people. Can't say enough good about how they've spoken to me and treated me.

BF has a few more really good makers and I've had great experiences with a lot of them.
 
Buck is a manufacturer that has always done good by me. ESEE is known for its no question's asked forever warranty. Both companies will replace what ever for what ever, even if you wreck it on purpose. Shoot it with guns, run it over with heavy machinery ,and smash it to bits threw a concrete slab with a sledge hammer.Seems to be a lot of people who will muck up there knife on purpose beyond anything reasonable, and feel they need to have the thing replaced. Shockingly those two companies will take it back and give you a brand new one for free!
 
I've had 4 custom knives built for me, and 1 I got through the makers lottery. all were fantastic experiences, and I would highly recommend any of the makers.
Andre Thorburn, mostly dealt with his wife, but was very easy to deal with. Even with my weird requests. Andre's work is something that you need to feel to understand. I am always impressed at how amazingly well he makes his flippers. Smooth as snot on glass.

Todd Rexford, Todd's books have been closed for years and it is nigh on impossible to buy one of his knives anywhere outside of the (super) inflated secondary market. He wanted to take a break from folders and make himself a fixed blade. So he decided to do an additional 12 and had a lotto to sell them. I got lucky. Great guy and quite humble considering he's one of the hottest makers around.

The next 3 are gentleman that I now consider friends. Fantastic makers whose quality in craftsmanship is only exceeded by their quality as people. (not taking anything away from the previous 2 though)
Mark Varga, not sure if he's still making knives, but he's a member here so you can DM him.
Clyde Challenor, out of South Africa, his work is getting quite popular.
Bob Ohlemann, a.k.a. Ranger Made Knives, Just starting to pick up steam, and is beginning to forge his own steel.
 
Adventure Sworn is worth a mention here. They will repair a knife even if you "leave it at the bottom of a lake" and the warranty is heritage. No matter who owns the knife, they'll repair any damage, if possible. Free spa service (customer pays shipping). In fact, they will even repair, if possible any knife produced by Stephen Wade Cox, since he's passed and was a major influence on Cody @ Adventure Sworn.

All that said, a warranty is only as valid as the company that offers it. A company like Buck or Benchmade have the longevity and resources which make it much more certain they will be around to warranty a product in a decade or three. That's worth a consideration, I suppose.
 
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