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Buyer Beware!! My experience with Ed Mehler of McKinney, Texas

Wish I had found this thread before I bought one from him at the Bell County show today. At least he was charging the same prices as Knives Ranch. I was talking to one of the other knife makers at the show, and he said there were only 3 actual knife makers there, but lots that will tell you they are. Guess he meant Ed Mehler! When I was listening to Ed's spiel, I asked why he didn't have his mark on the knives. He said he hadn't gotten his laser engraver yet. Anyway, the good news is it's real damascus, not etched like the NRA give aways. And it is a pretty cool looking and massive Bowie. Even though I don't feel I overpaid, it's still disappointing to know there are ripoff artists in our hobby. Interesting note is that the embossment on the snap of the sheath is "The Great Seal of the State of Oklahoma". Maybe the sheaths are made by actual woo-woo Indians, not dot heads... But then Ed claims he makes the sheaths, too!
 
Nope, those snaps are used on lots of stuff coming out of Pakistan. Lots of leather motorcycle gear made there has those same snaps. I have no idea why.
 
I have ran into this guys stuff in Nacogdoches. At first it looked ok but some red flags went up. No makers mark, the Oklahoma snaps, and then the large numbers of his new Stake knives. A basket full is just unrealistic for hand made. A lot of this guys custom work looks just like SZCO. The shop has been told by Ed that his original work is being copied and his is made from Pennsylvania Damascus. I have talked with SZCO and sent some photos and am waiting to here back.
 
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Like several others in this thread, I wish I'd known about Ed Mehler before buying from him. I encountered him today at the Gun & Blade Show put on by Silver Spur Trade Shows in Midland, TX at the Horseshoe Arena & Pavillion. I've added all of that info so anyone else doing an internet search will find it. He had his wares displayed along with stacks of his business cards which say "Artistry in Steel," and "Knives by Ed Mehler," along with "Damascus & D2 Steel." He told me he was a retired Air Force full bird Colonel who retired back in 1986, flew B-52 bombers, is 85 years old, half Apache, and made all of the knives, swords, and axes on the table. Being retired Air Force myself, I bought it hook, line, and sinker. He has his story down pat. Anyway, I was looking for American-made Christmas gifts and thought the knives would be good for that. I bought 4 of them. He gave me a discount for buying 4, but after finding out they weren't hand-made by an artisan here in Texas (or anywhere in the US for that matter), I feel defrauded. He told me repeatedly how he made each one. But the exact same knives are available on multiple websites. The - exact - same - knives. Down to every tiny detail, they are the same, including the snaps and stamping on the leather sheaths. Even with his "discount" I still paid more than I would've had I bought them from one of the multitude of online retailers selling the exact same knives. I seriously doubt he was ever in the Air Force or is half Apache. Exposing those two things alone could ruin him, if someone really wanted to. Ed Mehler of Artistry in Steel a huge fraud.
 
Those knives abound on the big auction site and the big river site under several different "makers marks" a couple that I am familiar with are CFK Knives (custom fabricated knives) who claim they are made in England or USA, iPak (get it? Pak = Pakistan), Perkin Knives (also claim England, at least the company is), Poshland Knives (also claim England, again the company). All of these are made in Pakistan.

I actually own a D2 CFK Knife, it is very nice, the sheaths are VERY nice quality as well. I bid and won my knife in an auction for just over $20 and it is well worth that price, the sheath alone is worth $20 IMO. I use mine as a kitchen knife. Mine is about 1/4 thick, 6 1/4" cutting edge, full tang D2 with micarta scales, wharncliffe style blade and I am very happy with it. I knew going in that it was made in Pakistan.

They are not a bad deal, at least mine isn't as long as you know what you are buying and not mislead to overpay for it or flat out lied to.




 
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I have ran into this guys stuff in Nacogdoches. At first it looked ok but some red flags went up. No makers mark, the Oklahoma snaps, and then the large numbers of his new Stake knives. A basket full is just unrealistic for hand made. A lot of this guys custom work looks just like SZCO. The shop has been told by Ed that his original work is being copied and his is made from Pennsylvania Damascus. I have talked with SZCO and sent some photos and am waiting to here back.

The Poshland knives on the big river site also have the "Oklahoma" snaps. Here is a quote from one of the Q&A's.

"Question: Where is it made?
Answer: I'm thinking in Oklahoma. The snap has Oklahoma on it but that doesn't mean it was made there for sure."

LOL, yeah buddy the snap says Oklahoma so that must be where it is made, LOLOLOL
 
I have ran into this guys stuff in Nacogdoches. At first it looked ok but some red flags went up. No makers mark, the Oklahoma snaps, and then the large numbers of his new Stake knives. A basket full is just unrealistic for hand made. A lot of this guys custom work looks just like SZCO. The shop has been told by Ed that his original work is being copied and his is made from Pennsylvania Damascus. I have talked with SZCO and sent some photos and am waiting to here back.
Follow up to call. First person I spoke with at SZCO was very nice and said I could send them pictures and they would take a look and let me know if it was their products or custom made. He then put me through to his boss who went into damage control mode letting me know that a lot of guys he sells to tell him up front they plan to remove the decal that say the place they are made and sell them as custom but SZCO can not do anything to stop them. (How about stamping them?). They never responded to the photos I sent and I’m thinking they never will.
 
I ran across this same A hole at a gun show in Las Cruces NM . Stood there listening to him giving customers the same exact story about his "custom knives" as I was thinking to myself, these knives are from Pakistan. :rolleyes:
 
Pretty sure I saw this guy at lone star rally last weekend. In fact, I saw plenty of Pakistani "Damascus" crapola being passed off as handmade knives. At least 5 booths.
 
Follow up to call. First person I spoke with at SZCO was very nice and said I could send them pictures and they would take a look and let me know if it was their products or custom made. He then put me through to his boss who went into damage control mode letting me know that a lot of guys he sells to tell him up front they plan to remove the decal that say the place they are made and sell them as custom but SZCO can not do anything to stop them. (How about stamping them?). They never responded to the photos I sent and I’m thinking they never will.
Update. Just saw Ed’s line of folders. In Nacogdoches. They have stickers on them with a blue Star of David and the letters AIS in black. Anyone recognize this mark? Like SZCO it’s a small decal that can easily be removed but this time he forgot to take them off.
 
Update. Just saw Ed’s line of folders. In Nacogdoches. They have stickers on them with a blue Star of David and the letters AIS in black. Anyone recognize this mark? Like SZCO it’s a small decal that can easily be removed but this time he forgot to take them off.
Follow up report. Ed’s most recent folders being sold in Nacogdoches Texas are being sold with Rite Edge snaps right on the sheathes that he “makes” himself as well. Knives that would retail for $25-40 are being sold for as much as $140. This guy is suck a fake, why doesn’t he get in trouble for falsely representing his products to buyers and retailers?
 
The environment is full of con men. We get about eight scam telephone calls per day. "Free" stuff - but need our credit card info for tax liability. IRS gonna' arrest me if I don't give debit card info. Lower interest rate on credit card - but need credit card info to do it. IRS sends out bills ("CP2000") that are known to contain errors in favor of the Government, but few question the scam out of fear. We're pretty much on our own.
 
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I just ran across this scumbag this weekend here in Shreveport LA. Lying about your occupation as a knife and sheath “artist” is one thing but he crossed the line when he told me he was a “veteran from Vietnam suffering from symptoms from agent orange “. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but if you lied for years about your “multi generational knife making” , you will probably lie about other things as well.
 
These Damascus blades go for $15 on Ebay all day long. Not bad if you can grind and sharpen.
 
Not really too much to add but wanted update that he’s still around. Same stories and everything. Bought a Bowie from him at the South Fork Ranch Dallas Arms Collectors show. Not very into knives so I ate up every bit of the story. Anyone other than OP return theirs. Going to follow up via phone call or go back up tomorrow.
 
Wow!! I just met this guy yesterday at the Texas South Fork Ranch gun show. I came upon some interesting looking knives and really needed something for my camping trip. I met Ed Mehler who was very nice to me and I am not very well educated in what to look for in a good knife so I was pretty easy to convince. I wished I did a simple online search like I usually do at these shows to see if the price is cheaper somewhere else before buying. I even came close to buying a knife that had the handle made from wood of a tree that was struck by lightning as if the knife now had mystical powers. I negotiated one of the knives down to what I thought was reasonable with cash. After reading this post and checking that website, I realized I probably would have paid the same once you add tax and shipping. I just don’t know how I can go back and pay the entrance fee again just for the slight possibility of him remembering me and refunding me on something I paid cash with no receipt.

Has anyone still kept the knife and not have him follow through with his lifetime warranty?
 
Not really too much to add but wanted update that he’s still around. Same stories and everything. Bought a Bowie from him at the South Fork Ranch Dallas Arms Collectors show. Not very into knives so I ate up every bit of the story. Anyone other than OP return theirs. Going to follow up via phone call or go back up tomorrow.

Good luck, I am betting he has a no refund policy and no one at the show will make him. I got burned on some fake Izula's years ago and that was my answer, almost got escorted out and banned protesting to the seller and person in charge of t he show. I don't remember his name but this really sounds like him. I knew better than to buy a $40 "real handmade damascus" knife but his story of selling his production inventory and focusing on custom's roped me in :oops: He probably had 100 of those Paki damascus knives that he "made" for the show.
 
I just ran across this scumbag this weekend here in Shreveport LA. Lying about your occupation as a knife and sheath “artist” is one thing but he crossed the line when he told me he was a “veteran from Vietnam suffering from symptoms from agent orange “. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but if you lied for years about your “multi generational knife making” , you will probably lie about other things as well.
He didn’t say anything about Vietnam and agent orange but he did say he became a knife maker to support him self because of how bad his military pension was taxed. I thought it was a little tmi but kind of just blew it by because he was an older man. But of course all of it is just a sob story.
Good luck, I am betting he has a no refund policy and no one at the show will make him. I got burned on some fake Izula's years ago and that was my answer, almost got escorted out and banned protesting to the seller and person in charge of t he show. I don't remember his name but this really sounds like him. I knew better than to buy a $40 "real handmade damascus" knife but his story of selling his production inventory and focusing on custom's roped me in :oops: He probably had 100 of those Paki damascus knives that he "made" for the show.
At this point I’m going to keep it. Sure it may be paki Damascus but I don’t think I would have paid much less for a Bowie knife from Knives Ranch or his other distributors, unless he’s now getting bottom of the barrel stuff. Also seems decently made, all things considered.
 
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