Lead Time for Koster Orders - Your Experience?

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JoeFriday77

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Just curious what people are seeing for lead times on orders for Koster knives. I'm at 1 year and 7 months post order and haven't seen a knife yet. Last update from Dan was that my WSS was off to heat treat and should be done before the end of August 2014.
 
Lead time is variable - some have been waiting since 2013 for their orders - and it depends on the knife since I do things in batches. I had to stop taking orders 1/1/15 because the backlog was getting too great. I'm about halfway caught up so far - with any luck I'll be caught up completely sometime in 2016.
 
LOL-No offense to Dan as he makes great knives and are worth the wait and Lord knows I have waited( and frankly Randall knives have a four year++ wait) I have come up with a formula that I go by:
Dan says 1 year then multiply that by 2 then add 50%(6 months from original time estimate) then add 2~3 months buffer...
FYI-1 year x 2=2years + 50% of original year (+6 months)= 2 years 6 months + 2~3 months buffer time= 2 years 6~9 months then you get your knife and take back all those bad things you said about Dan during the year and half past the first year you said about him. Then cut up some stuff with your new knife!
I tried to express this as an actual mathematic formula but my keyboard won't let me do it??
So JoeFriday77 you got about a year left to wait.
 
superfluities has it right - no offense taken. :p

I've tried to avoid battles with karma/irony over the years. It never fails. If I say "tomorrow", it will be done the day after. If I say "the day after" it will take an extra day after that. If I say "next month", it will take 2 months. So, I've learned to quit tempting karma/murphy's law and just not say anything at all.

One of the guys here said it best a while back:

"Place an order and forget about it. Then, when it gets finished you'll be pleasantly surprised and excited about it."
(I'm paraphrasing)

Those guys end up the most satisfied.
 
Been a year this month since placing an order that said it would take a year. Very simple knife, seen many sell here on the forums that I would have been happy to buy, the prices were more than attractive, guess I will wait and see if I am still in the mood to take it when and if. I thought wtf, so I bought a $40 knife blank from usa knife, some nice burl scales and micarta just to see it, a few corbys, colorful liners, some glue and sandpaper and wa-la, I made a darn nice serviceable knife for less than $100 in material. I always wondered why there were so many guys making knives, its quite a fun weekend project, who needs to wait years for someone to grind off a piece of
D2, (which isn't rocket science either) when you can buy such quality blanks from a dozen places? I don't collect, so someones "logo" doesn't mean a lot. Such is the knife making business I guess, if people wish to wait 3-4 or more years, that's cool with me, but time isn't the same when your retired and your next job might be pushing up daiseys,,ha ha, life is good! I guess I left out the main reason for waiting the long wait, Custom, its all about the "Custom Made" everyone likes to say it when you show off your new knife, I agree, its a draw but the non-knife people could care less, they see no difference between yours, mine, or thee's.
 
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Yeah I have been waiting a while. I think the 3 year mark was reached last Month, so now it is 3 years and nearly 2 months.
Have never used a Koster knife, but heard great things about them. Hope to get my order someday so I can judge for myself.
 
I placed an order for a 3.5" EDC in April 2013 and the quoted lead time was 3-6 months. I was told it was ready for glue up in June 2014 and sent the final payment. In Oct 2014 I asked if I could get a refund and was told he would put it up for sale when it was finished and send me the funds. As of today I am still awaiting a refund so I assume it isn't finished.
 
Looks like it's gonna be a long wait for the folding Bushcrafter I am on this list for; I think I am on this list - reply email said I was.
 
Norse Steel said:
I placed an order for a 3.5" EDC in April 2013 and the quoted lead time was 3-6 months. I was told it was ready for glue up in June 2014 and sent the final payment. In Oct 2014 I asked if I could get a refund and was told he would put it up for sale when it was finished and send me the funds. As of today I am still awaiting a refund so I assume it isn't finished.
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Gaaawd Dayuum. That's some shady ass shit.
 
Placed an order for a Bushcraft about 3 years ago. But like Daniel said just place an order and forget about it. When the knife is done you will get a nice surprise.
 
Everyone hoping to get something from him, don't waste your time. I have been on the wait list for a Muck knife for 1.5 years. I was on (or am I guess) the list for the first 20 bushcraft folding knife and got passed over on the first batch. I have requested my deposit back about 2 weeks ago. No response to my request.

No one should do business with this man. HORRIBLE BUSINESS!!!!!!!! It has become his standard to forget about orders and enjoy having the deposits to live on.

DO NOT PLACE A DEPOSIT!!!!!

I REPEAT, DO NOT BUY FROM HIM DIRECTLY, IF YOU WANT ONE BUY FROM A DEALER!!!!! I recommend www.knivesshipfree.com. Great operation!!!

Martin Roberts
 
yup I'm not sure why he isn't banned from here yet considering his history.

The way I see it is that he's Borderline Martin Swinkels, he got greedy and took orders more than what he can take. And his list of people that have paid partially for the knives are not accurate.
 
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I don't request deposits and haven't for a while.
I stopped taking orders 1/1/15

I haven't forgotten about any orders. I still plan on completing every order on the books right now.

I'm catching up and have brought in a helper.

I'm still in the process of making updates and get easily swamped with bookkeeping.

If I haven't responded to anyone's email, I truly apologize and will make sure I take care of it this week.

Thanks for understanding.

Dan
 
Well Dan that does not explain why you notify customers that their knife is about to be finished and request the remaining monies due then still take six to eight months to get the knife shipped after full payment has been made. It seems a bit shaddy that's all.
 
NOEXCUSES said:
Well Dan that does not explain why you notify customers that their knife is about to be finished and request the remaining monies due then still take six to eight months to get the knife shipped after full payment has been made. It seems a bit shaddy that's all.
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^^^^^

And to "plan" on completing orders means it not being made anytime soon. it's still on planning mode......for all we know the steels haven't even been ordered or maybe it's still being planned to be bought.
 
I kind of wish this topic had come up a few months earlier. Was told my folder would be ready within two weeks on July 28th and asked for payment. I paid immediately. Every contact since has been, "almost ready" or "another week, possibly two". That was almost 4 months ago and I can even see the folder list that isn't moving very much or often. I've never paid for a knife until it was ready other than a small deposit for special materials and such. This is the reason why. Wish I had known how this was going to play out when he asked for payment.
 
I guess it helped that I amongst some of the nice places I've been on this world I once spend about 3,5 months in Samoa, they have this great thing called island-time.
Must help to have gotten used to that long before I placed an order with Daniel, someday it'll get there and it will make me very happy! :)
Just a shame waiting in Amsterdam, NL the weather doesn't suit island-time as well as some of the tropical places where people have perfected it. ;)
 
I'm on 2 years for a Bushcraft; hoping to receive in 2016. Ignoring communication is not ok for the average pre order buyer; tends to make people very nervous. Just a quick 'sorry it's gonna be at least xx months' goes a long way. I have faith that Dan will come thru though, ultimately.

In a semi related story, I backed the E-Ink Earl GPS tablet. Kind of a GPS/Kindle. Well, that's a whole 'nother story that went much MUCH worse. 2200 backers at $250 a pop and...NUTHIN :thumbdn: No updates, no product, no hope.
 
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