4.1 Seconds Order Average shipping Time

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May 11, 2010
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So I purchased a 4.1 second in April and saw the up to 90 day wait and was willing to wait, but now after its been more than 90 days and I've see around here that SK seems back up I'm starting to question when I'll actually get this knife.

Anyone else waiting on a F2 4.1, when did you put an order in? Also if someone from SK! could give some insight on approx wait I would appreciate it.

Thanks.
 
So far my experience points to Never! I have been waiting for over 2 years. I am at the point that even if I get the knife nothing will be good enough to justify this long of a wait. Its not a 2nd 4.1 though.
 
I ordered a 2nd March 15th (4.1), 22nd (7/7) and 29th (4.1). I don't really expect to ever see them.

I had some extra cash I wanted to try it out since it said 90 days.
 
Anyone else waiting on a F2 4.1, when did you put an order in? Also if someone from SK! could give some insight on approx wait I would appreciate it.

Thanks.
I'm not waiting anymore, I purchased and received a 4.1 2nd and it's one of the best knives I've ever owned. I received my knife in under 4 months I believe.
 
So far my experience points to Never! I have been waiting for over 2 years. I am at the point that even if I get the knife nothing will be good enough to justify this long of a wait. Its not a 2nd 4.1 though.

It it's a tribulation to you cancel it, it'll be snatched up quick enough.
 
It it's a tribulation to you cancel it, it'll be snatched up quick enough.

I'm sure this ^is correct.

Having said that, for those of us that are relatively new to S!K and are generally familiar with the growing pains that newer/smaller knife companies may experience (and are therefore willing to chance it), any thoughts on why some folks seem to have been able to assemble rather impressive collections of S!Ks and even received them after relatively reasonable wait times while others are still waiting years later? Is there an "inside track"?
A positive attitude and patience are often rewarded and I am not trying to spread negativity or accuse anyone of anything. However, I do feel a certain amount of compassion for fellow forum members like Bassmaster and feel it's a fair question.
I am aware of the history of the move and the proposed switch to the SK line, but that doesn't quite explain the significant difference in wait times that people are experiencing. It has all the appearance of "there is more to the story"...
 
First, SURVIVE! is way behind schedule on certain things and they know it and we know.

Second, I firmly believe that it is a matter of WHEN, not IF people get their knives.

Oyster Oyster I think the people with a big stash of knives:

Have been around long enough to get in on multiple preorders and regular sales

Worked out deals with folks they know who are selling or trading knives

Stalk the exchange and eBay and Facebook to snatch up knives when they go up for sale


There's no insider deals directly through the company, but if you have the funds available and time to camp out in sale areas, the possibilities are endless. If somebody ordered from the starter in 2015 their wait is approaching the 3 year mark. If they were at the right place at the right time to buy a knife second hand they got it in 2 days.
 
First, SURVIVE! is way behind schedule on certain things and they know it and we know.

Second, I firmly believe that it is a matter of WHEN, not IF people get their knives.

Oyster Oyster I think the people with a big stash of knives:

Have been around long enough to get in on multiple preorders and regular sales

Worked out deals with folks they know who are selling or trading knives

Stalk the exchange and eBay and Facebook to snatch up knives when they go up for sale


There's no insider deals directly through the company, but if you have the funds available and time to camp out in sale areas, the possibilities are endless. If somebody ordered from the starter in 2015 their wait is approaching the 3 year mark. If they were at the right place at the right time to buy a knife second hand they got it in 2 days.

All good, valid points and much appreciated!
So, if I understand correctly, things got tight beginning around 2015 with a dramatic increase in demand for S!K (because of all the rave reviews from those who, as you say, have been around longer), but before all the details for a more streamlined process to accommodate all the new incoming orders could be sorted out.
Perhaps there's also a misunderstanding on my part re whether some orders placed later, say, in 2016, have been fulfilled while earlier ones from 2015 haven't yet. Dunno.
I'm giving it a try. Obviously I'd like to get my orders as soon as possible. A belief in fairness requires me to hope that all those like Bassmaster get theirs first.
Cheers to all!
 
all my orders are factory 2nds. I ordered my first 7/7 April 7th, which is almost 120 days now. My 4.1 was April 12th, no shipping confirmation yet, sorry to say.
Would be great if it was actually "may take up to 90 days"!! Like it says. Hopefully they will get to that point!
If you have money and don't want to wait, I see Survive knives being sold here and on eBay all the time, even the new 4.1's have been on there already.
 
Silver is on target.
I have owned and passed along quite a number of the knives since I started tracking Guy's business. I have always ordered direct from S!K, mostly pre-orders, and wait times have varied according to their ability to produce and get the knives out. There is no "inside track" with the company other than being graced as a tester or helping to start the company! (Edgeworks)
On the secondary market, this forum and the Facebook fan group are an "inside track" for opportunities to buy/sell/trade knives that have already shipped to customers, but the company has no involvement in that.

As far as who gets served first by the company itself, those waiting 2 years are mostly "starter" customers, folks that took Guy's offer of a nice discount to invest in the company by ordering knives that might be years out in terms of production. I did that and am still waiting on my starter 4.1. There is no guaranteed delivery date on that knife, so I probably won't see it until a lot of folks who ordered after me (even a year after) receive their knives, particularly factory 2nds. I also ordered a factory 2nd some 4 months ago, haven't received a shipping notice on it, but it may be that they'll ship both of my 4.1s together. It just depends on order # as well as the specifics of the order, such has handle and sheath configuration as well as steel choice. Your order is completed as they get through them, and that's that. I am really looking forward to my 4.1s arriving soon but am not worried about them, and i have a 3.5, 4le, 10, and 12 all on order as well. I would have loved to help out the company by jumping on the SK pre-orders but can't swing it right now. *shrug*
But for all the orders I have placed with the company, never once have they out and out failed to deliver my knife when it was ready. Just have to be patient or cut your losses and move on. Here's hoping you get yours soon!
 
Silver is on target.
I have owned and passed along quite a number of the knives since I started tracking Guy's business. I have always ordered direct from S!K, mostly pre-orders, and wait times have varied according to their ability to produce and get the knives out. There is no "inside track" with the company other than being graced as a tester or helping to start the company! (Edgeworks)
On the secondary market, this forum and the Facebook fan group are an "inside track" for opportunities to buy/sell/trade knives that have already shipped to customers, but the company has no involvement in that.

As far as who gets served first by the company itself, those waiting 2 years are mostly "starter" customers, folks that took Guy's offer of a nice discount to invest in the company by ordering knives that might be years out in terms of production. I did that and am still waiting on my starter 4.1. There is no guaranteed delivery date on that knife, so I probably won't see it until a lot of folks who ordered after me (even a year after) receive their knives, particularly factory 2nds. I also ordered a factory 2nd some 4 months ago, haven't received a shipping notice on it, but it may be that they'll ship both of my 4.1s together. It just depends on order # as well as the specifics of the order, such has handle and sheath configuration as well as steel choice. Your order is completed as they get through them, and that's that. I am really looking forward to my 4.1s arriving soon but am not worried about them, and i have a 3.5, 4le, 10, and 12 all on order as well. I would have loved to help out the company by jumping on the SK pre-orders but can't swing it right now. *shrug*
But for all the orders I have placed with the company, never once have they out and out failed to deliver my knife when it was ready. Just have to be patient or cut your losses and move on. Here's hoping you get yours soon!

I have heard about the "starter" program but have no knowledge of the specifics, in particular that the offer came with a discount but also the understanding that they may be delivered only after more "regular" orders placed later.

I hope that those of you who have been a part of the S!K story for longer understand that it can be confusing for new arrivals and that we have questions.

Thanks for your patience and for taking the time to share your knowledge and experiences!
 
If it's a factory second, it is a finished knife with some kind of flaw.
How does it take a week, much less 90 days+ to ship such a knife?
They anticipate a certain number of 2nds from each run, and Guy has posted photos of blanks that have only been ground and HT'd that are marked to become 2nds based on problems from the production process. A factory 2nd from S!K isn't necessarily a finished "in stock, ready to ship" knife, and customer specification on handle scales (which are individually fitted) will have to be done after the blank is finished, then the knives are sharpened. And to my knowledge, every knife is still being sharpened by Guy himself. And they produce/ship hundreds and hundreds of knives, and unfortunately that includes hundreds of "2nds" . it takes time, especially for such a small group. I imagine that with the SK line, there will be much shorter times and perhaps nothing will be listed as a 2nd again but who knows?
 
All good, valid points and much appreciated!
So, if I understand correctly, things got tight beginning around 2015 with a dramatic increase in demand for S!K (because of all the rave reviews from those who, as you say, have been around longer), but before all the details for a more streamlined process to accommodate all the new incoming orders could be sorted out.
Perhaps there's also a misunderstanding on my part re whether some orders placed later, say, in 2016, have been fulfilled while earlier ones from 2015 haven't yet. Dunno.
I'm giving it a try. Obviously I'd like to get my orders as soon as possible. A belief in fairness requires me to hope that all those like Bassmaster get theirs first.
Cheers to all!

I have heard about the "starter" program but have no knowledge of the specifics, in particular that the offer came with a discount but also the understanding that they may be delivered only after more "regular" orders placed later.

I hope that those of you who have been a part of the S!K story for longer understand that it can be confusing for new arrivals and that we have questions.

Thanks for your patience and for taking the time to share your knowledge and experiences!

Absolutely, we love talking a out SURVIVE! Knives here. Even the long standing regulars went through the learning curve as this company operates differently now than it did in 2014. Chiral answered quite a bit, but I'll respond in my own words... possibly repeating a lot of what he said.

The main problem with waits moving into multiple years in length is from the 2015 starter campaign and following orders being open for a huge chunk of time. Preorders just don't work well. Many, many orders piled up for many different models and when Guy needs to sharpen every single knife by hand to assure perfect fit and finish they suddenly found themselves with a debilitating back log. There was a small discount on starter knives and some other incentives, but at that time nobody knew of the upcoming problems and other factors like large amounts of factory seconds and weekly sales. Nobody (S!K or customers) had any idea it would turn out like this.

You know factory seconds are knives found to have a small defect, well these knives ended up being completed and sold in weekly sales and shipped before the perfect factory firsts.

If someone ordered a 7/7 in March of 2015 through the starter they could still be waiting for it, but if they ordered a factory second in a weekly sale in 2017, they could already have it.
 
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As tough as 3V is, I don't see how any one person could sharpen them let alone a manager who should be doing something more valuable.
 
I think it's going to take longer than 4.1 seconds.
 
As tough as 3V is, I don't see how any one person could sharpen them let alone a manager who should be doing something more valuable.
That one fact is the reason SURVIVE! was able to rise up and make a name for itself in the knife industry AND why they're in their current back log situation.
 
As tough as 3V is, I don't see how any one person could sharpen them let alone a manager who should be doing something more valuable.
An expertly sharpened knife is a joy, no question.
Don't know how much it would expedite delivery times, but assuming that was the main bottleneck, I wonder how many would opt to receive an unsharpened knife given that many have the tools and skills to put very fine edges on their blades. I imagine that almost everyone here has bought otherwise great knives where the factory edge was less than perfect and needed some work/reprofiling. And for those of us that intend to actually use the knives, the original edge is only temporary anyway.
I can't really see a perfectionist like Guy liking the idea of shipping an unfinished knife, but if it shaved months off of wait times I could be tempted if that option was offered to me...
I'm just a novice, but when looking at knives and fit and finish, I'm focusing on the grind and other elements. Somehow the factory edge isn't a main concern (although, if done sloppily, it does reflect negatively on the maker/brand).
But, YMMV...
 
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