7/7

Dutchtracker said:
Any news on the Survive GSO 7/7???
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Piecing together the information available on multiple threads - including yesterday's posts from Ellie - all of the 2.7s, 4.1s and 7/7s have been ground and are the models that are currently in the finishing process - with work being performed on each of those models on an alternating basis. That is how I understand it at least. With that in mind, I'd think there's hope that you should receive it sometime within the next few months. Give or take.
 
JackKnives said:
I'm pretty sure no one has them or else it would have popped up on the internet by now. I'm talking about regular customers. Not special customers or friends of SK.
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I'm a patient person, and I understand that even if we pre-orderers may not like it, Survive! probably need to prioritize some new and 2nd orders for cashflow purposes. But I do find it irritating that monthly updates for the last 6 months or so have been suggesting that 7/7s are shipping out, when that doesn't really seem to be the case.
 
I've been watching this process for a while and there seems to be a pattern.
They often have three models in the shop at the same time, one in main production, one they are finishing up, and one they are just starting to work on.
So, at the moment, they are finishing up the 2.7, which I think means that they are doing a lot of slow hand fitting because they've already shipped all the easy work out.
At the same time, their main production effort is on the 4.1, and they are also building some 7/7 models too.
Guy said that he liked to mix things up because working on the exact same knife every day is tedious. I think that it also gives him a chance to see how the materials for the next model came out before he has to devote most of his effort on it, which would give him a chance to work up whatever techniques or equipment he'll need for the next model.
Given that the time frame for all of this to happen has been measured in months per model it feels like everything is moving in molasses, but I do think that knives are shipping, albeit more slowly than anybody wants. When it takes over a year of Survive shop time to complete a model run the progress isn't obvious to a bystander, and during that whole time the status for that model is going to be "shipping out". Based on the fact that I've ordered at least one of everything and I've been receiving knives every few months as they work through the backlog it does seem that knives are shipping. I haven't received a 7/7 yet, but mine was a late order and I expect to still wait a good long while.
 
GSO 7/7 order number 49XX - no movement on order. Order placed early April.....2015. Hope that helps folks determine just where their 7/7 order sits. :mad:
 
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I saw an instagram update that their premises burnt down last month. That can't help the process.
 
Its good some people are beginning to see their blades but its completely stuffed that an order placed TWO YEARS after starter packages has been cleared first. Once I get my gear I am running a mile from this lot. Its rare for me to really lash out but I have had a gut full.
 
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You know, there was a sneaky way to make this work for you.
All you had to do was cancel your starter order and then order a second, or pick up a knife used.
Now that they aren't taking orders for seconds I feel free to share the "cheat code". ;)
P.S. Full disclosure, I've never cancelled any of my Survive orders.
 
Fancier said:
It wasn't their shop but I'm sure that it was traumatic and distracting.
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This was an article from the local paper a week after the fire:

http://www.shoshonenewspress.com/article/20170906/ARTICLE/170909992

Imagine that it's any other day.
You are at your regular job, when you begin to not feel well.
You make the choice to finally head home and as you step outside you notice that the air is smokier than usual, which is probably why you aren’t feeling well.
You know that the air is smoky due to fires burning around your area and you’ve seen on social media that a fire had just occurred in the town down the road.
You get in your car to head home and as you pull out of the parking lot, you notice there is also smoke coming from a building just a few blocks away.
As you drive closer and closer, you begin to realize that the smoke is coming from another fire inside one of the biggest and most historic buildings in the city and that you just happen to own.
Now, you are helplessly watching as firefighters try to put out the blaze that has engulfed the entire building.
Forgetting the fact you don’t feel well, you are now running on pure adrenaline, but there is nothing you can do to get rid of it.

That was last Tuesday in a nutshell for Ellie Seiferd.

Ellie and her husband Guy were the owners of the McConnell Hotel.
“We’re just putting one foot in front of the other at this point,” Ellie said. “We’re really thankful no one was seriously hurt.”
The Seiferds had owned the building for a year and a half prior to the fire and were planning on transitioning the building into a place they could live in among other things.
“The McConnell was totally an emotional purchase for us,” Ellie said. “We always loved that building, it had so much character and was just a beautiful building.”
...
Ellie also wanted to reaffirm the fact that despite the catastrophe, her and her husband are not planning on selling the property.
“We haven’t really had a chance to talk, but we aren’t planning to sell it,” Ellie said.
...
Overall, Ellie is just thankful for the first responders and emergency crews for how quickly they responded.
“It was one of those things that was amazing to watch,” Ellie said. “It’s amazing to see a fire like this until you’re the owner, but the crews were so quick to get control of the situation and did a good job making sure that everyone was safe. I’m so thankful for them and the great job they did.”
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A few weeks later: http://www.shoshonenewspress.com/article/20170920/ARTICLE/170929996

This past weekend the owners of McConnell Hotel decided to have a “Block Party” for most of Saturday to help raise some money and bring a little closure to the community.
After the building was gutted by a devastating fire last month, the building was demolished and since then people had been asking about what would become of the bricks.
“Since so many people expressed interest in getting some of the bricks we were thinking about doing a block party,” owner Guy Seiferd said. “It will allow folks to come and get some bricks in exchange for donations.”

The donations Seiferd mentioned will go directly to the local fire department for building and equipment improvements.

Many of the bricks were still in great shape but could not be considered structural anymore.
“The extreme heat and large fall means they could be substantially compromised so do not take bricks for construction projects,” Ellie Seiferd said. “They are pretty and have a ton of character so they would be great for a facade, walkway, or other decorative uses.”
The event was a huge success as a steady stream of residents came to get their piece of McConnell history before the bricks get cleaned up and taken away for good.
“The event went pretty great,” Guy said. “People stopped by and collected a few thousand bricks and we raised $600 for the fire department.”
It was also a way for the Seiferds to get closure themselves before getting back into their regular routine.
“A lot of folks wanted us to do it again Sunday,” Guy said. “But we really needed to get back to our real jobs, which is our knife business (the Seiferds own and operate SURVIVE! A knife manufacturer in Kellogg).
...
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Armalite Native said:
Its good some people are beginning to see their blades but its completely stuffed that an order placed TWO YEARS after starter packages has been cleared first. Once I get my gear I am running a mile from this lot. Its rare for me to really lash out but I have had a gut full.
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Amen to this!
 
I feel very bad for their misfortune. But I just gotta wonder ... why? Everything I've read on here in the last few years... i read of them struggling to get machinery fixed so they can produce the knives they've already sold (at full price, not deposits)... I see them struggling for quality control of those knife designs... I see them contracting out to a milling/grinding operation to produce their knives... apparently because the original grinder of their blades wasn't good enough? meanwhile they've bought a hotel?! I'm ... conflicted. The blades I've gotten from them are great knives. They're sharp. They work. The scales are great. Just like 99.9% of the rest of the knives I've gotten from various craftsmen much more expeditiously. I mean, good god... does anyone have a longer wait time on their knives, other than Randall? Really?!
I like the simple design of their blades. I really do. I like that it is a young couple trying to start a big business building the best damn knives anyone can build. I want to support them. I really do. But good GOD!!! You bought a hotel!?! Really?! Come ON!!!

I mean, I know I sound like an ass. I'm coming on here in the midst of their troubles and basically flinging sh**. But WHY are you buying new property to expand your space? Is your business REALLY limited by your space? It would seem not, when you're subbing out the grinding of your blades to other companies. Yes, if you had more space maybe you could do all grinding in house. But nothing I've EVER read anywhere associated with SURVIVE has any indication that your limitation is space.

I dunno. It is sad to say that their misfortune is the straw that's finally broken my patience. But it isn't their misfortune. It is the circumstance that led to their misfortune. They bought a hotel?!?! Really?! What am I missing here? And oh yeah, they've turned tragedy into a community closeness. That's great. They've donated back to the community that prevented their investment's demise from hurting anyone. I can appreciate that. Really. I respect that. But... what. the. he**!?! You bought a hotel to be ready for the future, when you can't keep up with the orders already placed!?!?

I sorry... I've totally lost my sh**!!
 
I think we've all had similar thoughts, maybe with a bit less conviction/anger. It was one thing to do the starter campaign so we could finance their move west and build a new shop. It's something else when they're taking that money for investment properties unrelated to getting the knives to the customers. And to then use its destruction as some new excuse for late knives/sympathy. Also while not responding customers requesting a refund. It just doesn't sit right.

I'll say this. Some article mentioned that the building was purchased for significantly less than the asking price of $250,000. So let's say $150,000. Let's say they put 20% down. That's $30,000. Or about 120 F2 7/7 orders. It's not that extravagant. When the goal is to get a property to run a business, that is not only reasonable; its pretty cheap. The fact that they were planning on revamping a historical landmark is nice, and if it creates more revenue for them in the future, fine. This was purchased over a year ago, and I think Guy and Ellie, at the time, truly miscalculated what their 2017 production would look like.

I'll also mention that since I got my shipping notification this week, I'm finding myself much less harsh on the Seiferds, lol
 
TommyG19 said:
I'll also mention that since I got my shipping notification this week, I'm finding myself much less harsh on the Seiferds, lol
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I think shipping notifications would help everyone feel like they were going to get their money's worth and not scammed....
 
TommyG19 said:
I'll say this. Some article mentioned that the building was purchased for significantly less than the asking price of $250,000. So let's say $150,000. Let's say they put 20% down. That's $30,000. Or about 120 F2 7/7 orders. It's not that extravagant. When the goal is to get a property to run a business, that is not only reasonable; its pretty cheap. The fact that they were planning on revamping a historical landmark is nice, and if it creates more revenue for them in the future, fine. This was purchased over a year ago, and I think Guy and Ellie, at the time, truly miscalculated what their 2017 production would look like.
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I think this is the first time I've been harsh on them. In the past, I've actually gotten angry at other people badgering them. But, over time, I've built up some anger myself. If they got it for a huge discount, good on them. I still don't see any indication that they needed to expand their business property, as all the reasons for delays that I have read indicated anything except a space issue.

I've almost completely quit coming to this forum to read anything about Survive, because every time I do, I read some other excuse for delays. I feel bad for them, as it seems nothing can go right for them. Except them collecting full payment up front for knives that take years to be delivered. Out of the orders they have apparently been working through for months (the entire year so far?), I have two of the models on order. Both pre-orders (not starters). I'll be shocked if I see either of them this year.
 
Armalite Native said:
Its good some people are beginning to see their blades but its completely stuffed that an order placed TWO YEARS after starter packages has been cleared first.
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That batch of shipping labels actually had more preorders than Factory 2nds go out. I can’t force everyone to come on here to say their order shipped.


As far as the building, we put a relatively small down payment (less than Tommy estimated) on it during better times. We are okay on size in our current location, but 1: it's a rental, 2: at the time, we were planning to do the SK Series ourselves, which would have required more space. The previous owner came to us with a low offer because he knew we loved the character of the building and were interested in buying it someday. He was tired of traveling up to take care of it so his next move was to start dismantling it brick by brick. We figured the new heat treat was figured out, the first few runs had been completed, things would start flowing more smoothly all around. The plan was to slowly start working on renovations. First to get SURVIVE! in there, then living spaces for us and Guy’s grandmother, saving a lot of money on rent and utilities. We figured in a few years we could put in some offices and retail spaces to rent out. Since production didn’t boom as we had originally expected, the building ended up just sitting there waiting for things to pick up.


Yep, we collected full payment up front as a way to help us invest in equipment, steel, and production runs (which is exactly what we did). We had no idea it was going to take years to deliver, but it has. I’ve said before, hindsight sucks and I can’t hop in a time machine and change the past. We have been changing the way we sell things, but there isn’t a quick fix. As much as Guy would like to scrap out some of these things that are in the workshop and start over, we can’t. So we are working our way through it. We are making changes for the future. We are always learning and adapting.
 
It really bugs me when I see 7/7's ship that were ordered after my order date which was 4/2015. That is wrong and should be addressed by Survive.
 
Wow, crickets.
The question is, am I surprised?

'Course it is Thanksgiving weekend, Black Friday, Sofa Sunday (really??!), and Cyber Monday. So, a lot of people probably have better things to do than I do.
 
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