Tsourkan knives news?

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dAtron

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Anyone know if Tsourkan is still in business? Was interested in getting a custom done through him but his instagram seems abandoned and his website isn't working anymore. Could be misremembering but I recall people were complaining about bad communication from him recently.
 
dAtron said:
Anyone know if Tsourkan is still in business? Was interested in getting a custom done through him but his instagram seems abandoned and his website isn't working anymore. Could be misremembering but I recall people were complaining about bad communication from him recently.
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..... Recently?
 
Hockey3081 said:
If you read the post above yours, I think the latest consensus is that even if you email him, he’ll just ghost you. If he’ll do it to a paying customer, someone without established business shouldn’t really expect a response or a great experience.
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Maybe, but the OP didn't state he attempted via email. What harm is there to try?
 
And honestly his heat treats suck. Though people that own his knives will likely argue that point with me to protect their investments/collections.
 
labor of love said:
And honestly his heat treats suck. Though people that own his knives will likely argue that point with me to protect their investments/collections.
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Hey now, I have Markos in 52100 and ABEL and they're among the best I own. May part with some (or all) of the 52100 soon but only because I'm retiring (again) and like the AEBL a lot.

And yes I wish he treated his business like a business. 3 years for a "completed" scimitar.
 
daveb said:
Hey now, I have Markos in 52100 and ABEL and they're among the best I own. May part with some (or all) of the 52100 soon but only because I'm retiring (again) and like the AEBL a lot.

And yes I wish he treated his business like a business. 3 years for a "completed" scimitar.
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Grats on second (third?) retirement!

Please feel free to DM with anything you plan on letting go, before sharing with the rest of these ruffians.
 
labor of love said:
And honestly his heat treats suck. Though people that own his knives will likely argue that point with me to protect their investments/collections.
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I’m not countering this but I’m surprised to hear it. I thought he was doing it by the book and he has partnered with Devin Thomas in the past, comparing notes, etc.. I’ve owned a few from him and I couldn’t tell if the heat treat was sub par but I wasn’t necessarily doing any tests.

Marko is a flake. Do not prepay for anything, even partially completed work. With that said I still like him. Unfortunately his hands are shot. Last time he made some knives he had cortisone shots that helped he feel better temporarily.

He has a classic sort of profile that is timeless. Won’t blow your mind in one aspect but just feels pretty good all around. No fuss, no frills. They are good knives imho. Not having one though is not a big deal.
 
Bico Doce said:
I’m not countering this but I’m surprised to hear it. I thought he was doing it by the book and he has partnered with Devin Thomas in the past, comparing notes, etc.. I’ve owned a few from him and I couldn’t tell if the heat treat was sub par but I wasn’t necessarily doing any tests.
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You are not the only one surprised, first I hear it in all the years he made knives. His heat treats on a2, aebl and 52100 are some of the best. Like him or not as a maker or a person, but his knives have always been very good, some of the best.
 
Bico Doce said:
Marko is a flake. Do not prepay for anything, even partially completed work. With that said I still like him. Unfortunately his hands are shot. Last time he made some knives he had cortisone shots that helped he feel better temporarily.
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His home country has also been under attack, facing mass casualties and destruction, for the last two years. I wouldn't recommend anyone try to commission work from him, but I think we can show him a little sympathy as a community. Life is bigger than nerding out about kitchen knives...
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. Seems at the moment it's not worth getting into his books and BST is the best option. Such a shame to read that thread. His knives look awesome in my opinion.
 
Barmoley said:
You are not the only one surprised, first I hear it in all the years he made knives. His heat treats on a2, aebl and 52100 are some of the best. Like him or not as a maker or a person, but his knives have always been very good, some of the best.
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I’ve had his knives in A2 and 52100 and really liked the heat treatment. Actually his A2 might be one of my favorite steels - the combination of edge retention, sharpness, toughness and low maintenance (while still taking a nice and slow patina) is fantastic IMO.

I’ve only bought from BST though. Sad to hear about all the issues. I hope he’s getting by despite health and business problems.
 
JDA_NC said:
His home country has also been under attack, facing mass casualties and destruction, for the last two years. I wouldn't recommend anyone try to commission work from him, but I think we can show him a little sympathy as a community. Life is bigger than nerding out about kitchen knives...
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2 things can be true at the same time. What you said is 100% valid. The issue is that if you’re still acting as an operational business in any capacity, at the very least some communication is expected. The preexisting internal issues are not the customer’s problem if you chose to take on work and don’t set expectations. He did a charity raffle, collected the money and then took a year (if I recall correctly) to even resurface and make an announcement that he’s going to start making those knives. I think he was cut a lot of slack by people not making noise. I think the bigger issue here is not whether he won’t respond to a new customer, it’s that paying customers don’t receive any communication from him even after he has started the work. That’s not ok. If you take someone’s money, that is a major change in the expectations to which you are held, rightfully so.
 
My 2 cents, I was in contact with him about that last batch of knives he posted and got to the point where he was just making a handle/saya combo for one. I payed him, heard back one more time, then silence since about August. It's frustrating, but no sense in whinging about it. I do hope he's well, but definitely wouldn't recommend bothering to reach out unless he comes back in a big way.
 
Even when he was producing a few years ago it was a sh!t show. As already mentioned, no great loss with so many worthy established and up-and-coming Western makers who are only too happy to demonstrate a modicum of customer service. I buy the maker as much as the knife which is why I will never own a CJA or a Tsourkan (the two Tsourkan's I had were either rust pitted (used Yo handled) or had an overgrind in the heel (new) from his mega release in 2019). Tbh I didn't like the feel of the san mai Western I had, which felt too light and unbalanced in the blade.
 
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labor of love said:
And honestly his heat treats suck. Though people that own his knives will likely argue that point with me to protect their investments/collections.
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I will say the 2019 Kato WH knockoff release did have an edge that bit into the board like no other blade I've tried, but the huge overgrind and uncomfortably narrow handle was enough for me to send it back. Didn't use it enough to know whether it was lacking in the HT dept. Given his training with DT I would not have expected any issue there.
 
JDA_NC said:
His home country has also been under attack, facing mass casualties and destruction, for the last two years. I wouldn't recommend anyone try to commission work from him, but I think we can show him a little sympathy as a community. Life is bigger than nerding out about kitchen knives...
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While I agree to a point, the 'issues' started way before Ukraine was invaded. And even if they didn't that doesn't give the dude a pass for ghosting and fraud some prepaying customers have and are experiencing.
 
JDA_NC said:
His home country has also been under attack, facing mass casualties and destruction, for the last two years. I wouldn't recommend anyone try to commission work from him, but I think we can show him a little sympathy as a community. Life is bigger than nerding out about kitchen knives...
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Honestly I thought I was showing him some sympathy 🤣.

I was only speaking facts and trying to prevent others from making the same mistakes I did. When he’s in a bind he may ask for money upfront but then his physical/mental health may prevent him from completing the job.

He had a raffle to raise $10k for the war effort. I don’t think he actually came thru with the knives from that.
 
I absolutely love Marko's knives but I also wouldn't pay him in advance for a knife unless you wouldn't miss the money if nothing ever came. Like loaning money to a friend and never expecting it to be paid back.
 
Corradobrit1 said:
Even when he was producing a few years ago it was a sh!t show. As already mentioned, no great loss with so many worthy established and up-and-coming Western makers who are only too happy to demonstrate a modicum of customer service. I buy the maker as much as the knife which is why I will never own a CJA or a Tsourkan (the two Tsourkan's I had were either rust pitted (used Yo handled) or had an overgrind in the heel (new) from his mega release in 2019). Tbh I didn't like the feel of the san mai Western I had, which felt too light and unbalanced in the blade.
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I bought my CJA (from a not-original owner) before reading about Cris falling off the edge and apparently being seen posting politically unsavory stuff on social media while not finishing orders. In this instance, I did not buy the maker at all. The knife is a pretty and well-made object, and I think it came from the time when he still honored the client.
 
Mikeadunne said:
I absolutely love Marko's knives but I also wouldn't pay him in advance for a knife unless you wouldn't miss the money if nothing ever came. Like loaning money to a friend and never expecting it to be paid back.
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Friend or not, this is a reasonable approach. Ironically, I've never prepaid anything for a knife. And I have more than anyone, most likely.
 
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