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Harry Marinakis
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 Posted: Sun 05 Aug, 2012 10:12 am Post subject: Review of vendors? |
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Perhaps I've not been able to find the proper thread but..
I'm new to all of this, and have noticed vast differences between various vendors when it comes to customer service. I would prefer not to re-invent the sword... So is there a place here where vendors are rated by consumers?
Thanks
Firesteel Designs
Hand-crafted good lovingly infused with hemoglobin
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Chad Arnow
myArmoury Team
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| Posted: Sun 05 Aug, 2012 11:36 am Post subject: |
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Hello and welcome to myArmoury.  You can check out our Reviews section for formal reviews. You can also check out our informal, user-submitted reviews for info.
Beyond that, you can search for individual makers' names using the forum Search function.
ChadA
http://chadarnow.com/
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Harry Marinakis
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| Posted: Wed 08 Aug, 2012 5:06 am Post subject: |
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Thanks, I have been reading many of those reviews.
I was more interested in information on which vendors to avoid.
Firesteel Designs
Hand-crafted good lovingly infused with hemoglobin
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David Clark
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| Posted: Wed 08 Aug, 2012 6:33 am Post subject: |
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I am not sure that myArmoury can do that sort of thing. Liability issues, slander, etc.
You never know
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T. Arndt
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| Posted: Wed 08 Aug, 2012 8:47 am Post subject: |
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| Harry Marinakis wrote: | Thanks, I have been reading many of those reviews.
I was more interested in information on which vendors to avoid. |
I think reading as many threads as containing mentions of the vendor is the best approach.
| David Clark wrote: | I am not sure that myArmoury can do that sort of thing. Liability issues, slander, etc.
You never know |
While this maybe be true, I think the above reading of myArmoury users comments gives idea of what vendors to avoid. It just takes a little more effort than someone compiling a short list would
Wisconsin Historical Fencing Association (WHFA) - La Crosse
A HEMA Alliance Affiliate
“Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” -Juvenal
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Chad Arnow
myArmoury Team
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| Posted: Wed 08 Aug, 2012 9:14 am Post subject: |
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| Harry Marinakis wrote: | | I was more interested in information on which vendors to avoid. |
That may seem like an easy thing, but it's complicated, fluid, and subjective.
The reasons for avoiding a maker are varied but could include: poor build quality, poor balance, lack of attention to historical look, poor price-to-quality ratio, long wait times, inability to stick to agreed upon delivery date (not the same as long wait times), lack of accuracy in sticking to what was agreed upon, poor communication, specialization in an area that doesn't interest you, and many other reasons.
Some people don't consider certain items to be drawbacks and not all "drawbacks" mean the smith should be avoided for everything. Some people don't care about wait times. Others want unrealistic durability at the expense of historical accuracy (so they don't care as much about balance). Some want the smith to have artistic freedom to deviate from design/spec., while some want perceived performance benefits instead of historical looks. Some don't care to hold smiths to to deadlines they set, so an inability to meet deadline is no big deal.
Part of choosing a smith involves knowing exactly what you want out of the end result in terms of price, design, historical accuracy (if applicable), balance, or whatever other factors you feel are important. Then you start looking at smiths that fit the bill. There is certain work I won't send to certain companies, because it doesn't fit their skill set or my needs, even though they might be my first choice for a different project.
ChadA
http://chadarnow.com/
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Mark T
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| Posted: Wed 08 Aug, 2012 4:03 pm Post subject: |
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What Chad said ... and it's important to read all reviews, including the dissenting ones. One armourer who is notorious for not delivering, actually makes pretty good stuff; another well-known custom swordsmith has something of a following, but I have a couple of his pieces and they are very ordinary.
Chief Librarian/Curator, Isaac Leibowitz Librarmoury
Schallern sind sehr sexy!
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Paul Hansen
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| Posted: Thu 09 Aug, 2012 3:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Mark T wrote: | | What Chad said ... and it's important to read all reviews, including the dissenting ones. One armourer who is notorious for not delivering, actually makes pretty good stuff; another well-known custom swordsmith has something of a following, but I have a couple of his pieces and they are very ordinary. |
That is correct.
What is one person's cup of tea, may not appeal to someone else. Regardless of their level of knowledge / experience even. Opinions simply vary.
But is the original poster asking about makers or about vendors a.k.a. shops? Or both?
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Harry Marinakis
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| Posted: Mon 27 Aug, 2012 9:05 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you
Firesteel Designs
Hand-crafted good lovingly infused with hemoglobin
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This is a standard topic