Special Circumstances Knives legitimate?

[blues]

The "good, bad and ugly" subforum at Bladeforums is full of reports of knifemakers that had a little success (probably doing it part-time) that started taking money up front for knives and then disappeared.

Or stopped communication with people that had paid up front but still sold new knives on Instagram.

I think "good dudes" do bad things because:

(1) the temptation to put off making already paid-for-knives is too great when you can make knives to sell immediately for new cash flow.

(2) there's a big difference between part-time knife making when you can take your time and make everything perfect, and being a full-time knife maker and trying to make batches of knives in a hurry.

No knife is so special to me that I need to pay the maker up front.

I've had to ban a handful over the years. Not many, considering how many I've known personally or via the forum over the years, but it's never a good feeling when someone dirties up your community. (And I am not, for the record, suggesting that is the case in the present thread.)

I agree that paying up front is generally a bad idea. The couple of times I've done so, (that come to mind), both ended badly. (But I was made whole in each instance after a bit of arm twisting.)

[BigD]

One last thing, it would appear that taking money up front is hazardous to a knife maker’s health. You wouldn’t believe how many of them are struck by some calamity, illness, or undisclosed family emergency that apparently precludes them from making knives or responding to emails for long periods of time.

I don’t know Ian from Adam. Maybe there’s a good explanation.

Alright, I’ve gone on enough. . I hope everyone gets their knife or money.

[orionz06]

At least speaking for the good folks that doing, having been there myself, it's very easy to take the money, get slammed, and truly get yourself worked up and actually have issues. It is too common though for knife makers to wind up having some super odd underlying shit all the time.

[Joe S]

It is too common though for knife makers to wind up having some super odd underlying shit all the time.

I think the same is true for a lot of creative folks of any stripe. I worked and managed people in a technical/scientific environment for years before ending up doing the same in a creative/artistic environment now. The amount of work flow organization, time management and even critical thinking skills that a lot of "artists/creators" display wouldn't fly in an undergraduate chemistry laboratory; at best, you'd have bungled tests, at worst, you'd have chemical burns and explosions.

In my experience, it carries over to a lot of their lives. (Not saying this is true of Ian in specific, I've seen it across the board in music, fine arts, knives, clothing, etc.)

[Kirk]

I was close to being in this group. I sent him a message last year to buy a knife and he stopped responding. Luckily I didn't complete the transaction, waiting 2 years for anything isn't my forte lol. Especially with the lack of communication. Glad he updated everyone. By all accounts of the people I talk to, he's a great dude. Sucks because I really wanted on his knives, they are top flight.

[JohnK]

It appears a batch of 20 Maleficus blades made it to overwatch precision and are the "final 20" to ever be made...

[dontshakepandas]

It appears a batch of 20 Maleficus blades made it to overwatch precision and are the "final 20" to ever be made...

These are the final 20 Overwatch Precision versions to ever be made. I wouldn't take that to mean he won't be fulfilling other direct orders that have already been paid for.

[orionz06]

These are the final 20 Overwatch Precision versions to ever be made. I wouldn't take that to mean he won't be fulfilling other direct orders that have already been paid for.

Also worth noting that these were in the works for some time.


Folks who've had orders in are still getting knives.

[js475]

It's good to see he has still been making knives, which makes it even stranger that he hasn't replied to any emails or FB messages in over a year. I'm now at 18 months from when I placed my order with him. Maybe I'll get it in 6 months around the 2 year mark? Not sure what to think at this point.

[GNRPowdeR]

I was planning on getting one of his Malificous blades down the road, but knowing his situation I bought one from Overwatch...

He has been fulfilling his commitments while juggling his new life issues. I have faith that he will continue to work to make things right...

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