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Thread: Special Circumstances Knives legitimate?

  1. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by SpyderMan2k4 View Post
    Ian is good to go. I ended up waiting about a year and a half for a knife of mine. His stuff is hand made and there's a hell of a demand for his knives. Those two things equate to long wait times... It's the nature of the beast.

    Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
    I'm perfectly fine with waiting a long time for a quality custom knife, but he initially quoted a completion time of a few months. When he stopped communicating with me over half a year later, I had no choice but to assume I had been scammed out of my deposit. Did you only communicate with him via email, or do you know of a better way to reach him? If possible I'd like to get back in touch with him, since in my last email a few months ago I told him I'd be seeking out a refund if I didn't hear anything back.

  2. #12
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    I'm coming up on my 2 year anniversary from when I placed my order for a Dominus push dagger from Ian. It's all good. He showed me the blank when it came back from water jet cutting last summer. His work is so nice, just let it ride. I am glad I went with Ti on this one as opposed to ceramic and CF like I got on my first piece of his work.

    If you do back out, let me know so I can put a bid in for your knife.

    Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

  3. #13
    Damn two years!


    If your quoted a certain time for a product and that time is blown out, that’s just bad business.

    On the other hand if a long wait it quoted and it is on time then that gtg in my book.

    Kinda like when Milt Sparks quoted 18-20 weeks but it always came in that time frame usually right at 18.

  4. #14
    Sounds like the guy is a great knife maker and all round humanitarian, but awful with communication and predicting lead times.

  5. #15
    After seeing people here vouch for Ian, I tried reaching out to him again, but still no response. As of now I'm out a few hundred dollars with no indication that I'll actually get what I paid for. Buyer beware with this company. I'll post any updates if the situation changes.

  6. #16
    Member SLUZENE's Avatar
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    CONUS
    Quote Originally Posted by HopetonBrown View Post
    Sounds like the guy is a great knife maker and all round humanitarian, but awful with communication and predicting lead times.
    My same experiece. I did eventually get what I ordered, well out of lead time and after a lot of time consuming work to re-find him and get a response. I received an explanation from him and I understand shit happens. During my experience some of his communication issues seemed tech/tech skill related.

    But if a few people are starting to mention these issues, I start to see red flags.

    His work is excellent and innovative and I've spent time with him in person. He's good company and I'm glad to hear whatever happened that prompted that facebook post went his way. I have decided not to purchase anything else unless he comes up with another way to buy such as a credit card on an already made item. That's unfortunate likely more for me than it is him due to his popularity. I don't think his intentenions are nefarious though, but the end result is the same for people having trouble after sending funds.
    Last edited by SLUZENE; 03-25-2018 at 03:15 AM.

  7. #17
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    Failing to hit deadlines seems to be common with artist-types. At one point I had developed a bit of a friendship with a fairly well known knife maker (known for long lead times), to the degree that we spoke several times by phone about non-knife related things. I finally put together funds for one of his pretty expensive blades (~$600) and got in the que. After a year or so of not hearing anything about the knife, I hit him up as to the status. He never really said it, but he had no idea that he owed me a knife. He ended up getting it to me several weeks later. Not a crook, but a horrible record-keeper.

    Growing up I had a very good friend who was an outstanding machinist and mechanic - again, a sort of artist in the metal arts. That joker was *never* on time - for anything.

    I think with some of these guys, you just have to (somewhat respectfully) keep after them. Yup, shouldn't be that way, but there you go.

  8. #18
    Member SpyderMan2k4's Avatar
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    I consider Ian a friend and an outstanding knife maker. I understand missing deadlines, though at some point I'd think adjustment would be made to reflect more accurate time frames. I personally do my best to stay on top of communication, and I don't have a clue as to why he wouldn't do the same. It could be a variety of reasons, but I agree that after a point, silence is a problem.

    That being said, regardless of any shortcomings, accusing him of scamming makes my blood boil. By all means, state "buyer beware that communication can be spotty and you may wait longer than quoted" but I've got a problem with "buyer beware, he's a scammer."

    Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
    Owner of Aridus Industries. Creator of the Q-DC, CROM, and other fun shotgun stuff.

  9. #19
    banana republican blues's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SpyderMan2k4 View Post
    I consider Ian a friend and an outstanding knife maker. I understand missing deadlines, though at some point I'd think adjustment would be made to reflect more accurate time frames. I personally do my best to stay on top of communication, and I don't have a clue as to why he wouldn't do the same. It could be a variety of reasons, but I agree that after a point, silence is a problem.

    That being said, regardless of any shortcomings, accusing him of scamming makes my blood boil. By all means, state "buyer beware that communication can be spotty and you may wait longer than quoted" but I've got a problem with "buyer beware, he's a scammer."

    Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
    Unfortunately, this is a problem which is exacerbated when makers take money upfront and then fail to deliver in a timely fashion and compound the issue with a lack of communication.

    In such circumstances, assuming the maker is not deceased or otherwise incapacitated, I think the best solution would be to respond to those who are uncomfortable with the added wait time and lack of communication by offering them a prompt refund if that is their wish.

    As I mentioned in my earlier post, the fact that folks I respect have vouched for this particular maker, (who I am personally unfamiliar with by name and work), speaks volumes in his favor...but as I also mentioned, after being involved with some of the best names in the custom knife industry for over a quarter century, I can also attest to the fact that the relatively few times I've had issues with makers has primarily been with those who asked for payment up front.

    In the end, a man is only as good as his word...and a promise is a promise, and a debt a debt. The money is not really his until the customer has been satisfied.
    There's nothing civil about this war.

    Read: Harrison Bergeron

  10. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by SpyderMan2k4 View Post
    I consider Ian a friend and an outstanding knife maker. I understand missing deadlines, though at some point I'd think adjustment would be made to reflect more accurate time frames. I personally do my best to stay on top of communication, and I don't have a clue as to why he wouldn't do the same. It could be a variety of reasons, but I agree that after a point, silence is a problem.

    That being said, regardless of any shortcomings, accusing him of scamming makes my blood boil. By all means, state "buyer beware that communication can be spotty and you may wait longer than quoted" but I've got a problem with "buyer beware, he's a scammer."

    Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
    I'm not trying to imply that Ian is a bad person or has nefarious intentions. Regardless of how many people vouch for him though, I can only speak from my personal experience. Half a dozen unanswered emails over the period of months is completely unacceptable for any business, not to mention one to whom I've already paid hundreds of dollars for an item that is long overdue.

    I understand he may have run into issues, but it would be perfectly okay with me if he had just sent a quick update saying something like "Hey, I've run into some business/personal/family issues that will delay the production of your knife". What I don't appreciate is complete silence. Even if he's a great guy who makes the best knives in the world, he still needs to communicate with his customers if he wants to run a successful business.

    If you have any better suggestions on how I could reach him, I'd still prefer to resolve this with him directly rather than posting back and forth here.

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