Hideaway Knife Company

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Highpower1

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Dallas, Georgia
I was just on Hideawayknife.com and see that they have some "available" now knives. Has anyone had any problems with shipping from this company. I'm going to order one if there aren't any issues. I'd appreicate if anyone would let me know if there are any issues with recieving product from this company.

THANKS!
 
Some have reported problems and others have reported no problems. You can search here for the threads discussing the company.

I'd advise calling and speaking to someone that you can talk to while they pull the knife from inventory and earmark it for shipment to you.
 
I'd advise calling and speaking to someone that you can talk to while they pull the knife from inventory and earmark it for shipment to you.
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That's the only way I'd buy from them. And I'd still be worried!
 
Long story but I got mine in a couple weeks. However, the whole experience was very strange. There is no phone number listed to call and HAK wouldn't answer my emails confirming the knife order was being processed until I initiated a dispute with Paypal. Immediately I was contacted by the person in a series of emails that were satiric and shrill in tone. He complained of too much success and offered me a job to help him. He said he had no time to answer individual inquiries yet must have spent hours composing the emails he sent me. They were replete with photos of thousands of knives on the floor and long and rambling. The time he spent explaining and chastising could have been better spent. In any event I did get the knife in short order.
 
Always wanted a HAK. Quite a few people across the interwebs have said great things about them.

But like anything custom, it might have some hassle.

Was looking at them the other day.... But I am still buying my guns, as many as I can.....
 
Thanks for the replies from everyone. I didn't know if the situation had changed there.

Valkman, I wished you would come up with something like this design. You do beautiful work!
 
i have one, a utility model. i'm very happy with it, but i hear that some have had problems with customer service. when i bought mine, the lady known as Frontsight still ran the show. i talked to her over the phone quite a bit, and she was always very polite, professional, and friendly. the story behind her leaving the company is still a bit of a mystery; from what i know, she had some sort of family situation. the problems started during the transition period, and it seems to still be an issue. i'm sure if you get one of the ones that are "available now", you shouldn't have too many problems.
 
I appreciate that, I have never made anything that small. I also won't copy anyone else's work and it would be a major pain making all those different sizes without CNC.

He complained of too much success and offered me a job to help him.
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That's funny! But he inherited a poop-pile of problems also, it's not from from sucess as much as failure from the previous owner.
 
.....And what makes you think "William" was not a "owner" from the start that just stepped forward as another stepped back. :evil:
 
I don't know and don't care - it was the woman that had it that screwed it all up. When I see a bunch of custom makers get burned I don't like it.
 
from what i know, she had some sort of family situation
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actually that is more like what people are lead to believe.

And what makes you think "William" was not a "owner" from the start that just stepped forward as another stepped back.
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If that is the case , then they BOTH burned some makers whom I consider friends , and neither are worth the headache of dealing with.

Buyer beware.
 
From emails I received from "William" during the 2 years trying to get refunded for my deposit, I was led to believe that he had been a partner/owner right from the beginning...

If anyone is looking for a handmade "necker" with an original design & quality, made of D2 and going for $50+shipping, give Brad Fairall a holler. Brad is a pretty exceptional custom knifemaker

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=580105

www.fairalldesigns.com

(The only reason I'm sharing his name is because I'm already down for one of his First Runs! :D)
 
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There was a stocking dealer on the web, sorry, no link, a few months ago. I would find them and see if they could accomodate your order.

HAK is a one man show. The website is apparently the same designed by Frontsite with no changes and no access to the code to change it. It's arbitrary at best. Requests, emails, etc., (above and beyond asking for refunds,) are an apparent overload on the time one guy has in the day.

None of the knives are actually made on site, all the work seems to be subcontracted, so the one guy has to balance jobbing, infraservice vendor shipping, grinding, more shipping, finishing, sheaths, cord wrap, packaging, and final ship to destination. For hundreds of orders. By a generation of shoppers who demand instant gratification, and to be first in line anytime they send an email because it's one day late.

It's a tough market out there, is what I'm trying to say.


Someone should suggest Thomas sell only thru authorized distributors - it would be a major improvement and dramatically increase his productivity. Lots of us would like to see this turn out better than it has.
 
Tirod,

It's a simple matter of supply and demand. If Thomas or William or whoever is the guy running the business is too busy to fulfill orders in a timely manner or provide customer service in the form of communication, he can either:

1) Raise his price and sell less knives thus freeing up more of his time while making the same income...

or

2) If he is so successful that he doesn't have enough time to process orders then he can hire staff to help him while he builds his business.

Every other business, mine included, follows the same rules of economics. If I ignored my customers or did not provide my services and products in a timely manner I would be out of business in short order. In the times when I get too busy to provide goods and services to my clients in my normal manner then I hire people to help me.

I don't know why we in the gun/knife community are so quick to lambast (rightly so) large companies and manufacturers for their slowness or lack of customer service while giving the small companies a pass because they are one-man or mom-and-pop outfits.

The customer still is #1. Without the customer there is no business.
 
I bought one back in the spring. the web site said my size was IN STOCK so I ordered one. After waiting for a couple of weeks I called and he said he was waiting on a large batch on "Standard" non-custom ones (what I wanted) to come in.

No real answer to why they weren't in stock as stated but whatever...then some tale about a new building...

I emailed a few times too and got the "going out tomorrow" story...after 2-3 months I was getting ready to ask for money back when it showed up...if I had wanted to wait for one I would have ordered custom but they were "in stock".

The knife is OK and quite sharp...good idea...not as good delivery.

I probably wouldn't, strike that I wouldn't do it again...to bad
 
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