The Customer Service Thread

[Greenbriel]

I was going to post this in the new knife thread but I thought it might be nice for us to have a place to recognize exceptional customer service from the makers and vendors we love.

Here's my TF tale...

I direct ordered a 195mm yo Denka gyuto a year ago, waited four months beyond the two months they said it would take and then cancelled. Next I bought a 240mm wa gyuto domestically. When it arrived I noticed a weird flaw - there was a small imperfection in the spine with what looked like a piece of white plastic wedged in it. Very odd. It was also rife with excess wabi sabi - the grind was, ahem, creative and it wedged like that was its purpose. A recommended TF whisperer asked for measurements and declared it unfixable.

Anyway, long story short, I got no support from the US vendor, who frankly should never have sold the knife. I tried to get in touch with TF but couldn’t get an email back. In desperation I tried sending a FAX and quickly got a reply from Miho’s boss, Syutaro (I asked permission to use his name here).

This guy is an absolute prince. He said he would take the flawed knife (that they did not sell to me) back and make me a new one. Paid for return shipping, paid return import duty, even refunded the $80 I lost in the transaction due to currency fluctuations(!), and kept in touch every step of the way. It still took another six months to get the knife but I am a very happy camper.

I was given a choice between two blades and four handles (photos of blades and handles were provided). I couldn’t resist the urushi. Apparently they have an in-house specialist. I haven't seen one before and it’s certainly striking on my knife block. The knife cuts fantastically, F&F is outstanding and the grind is excellent and even. I get all the fuss about these knives now. It handles like a smaller knife, and the cutting feel is unique and amazing. I reach for it more than any other right now and the damn thing seems to never need sharpening. No wedging at all.

Sorry for the epic! I just wanted to acknowledge the absolutely stellar treatment I received from TF. I was blown away and couldn’t be happier with the outcome at the end of a lengthy journey.

Anyone else received noteworthy support recently?

EDIT: 240mm not 230mm

Barenaked pre-notch and grinding/sharpening:

Handle options:

1 : Red colored Urushi (lacquered) handle with buffalo horn bolster
2 : Black ebony handle with buffalo horn bolster
3 : Brown rosewood handle with buffalo horn bolster
4 : Magnolia handle with buffalo horn bolster

And the weird flaw in the original bought domestically:

 

[Duukt]

Spill the vendor's name!

 

[Heckel7302]

Sorry to hear of your trials and tribulations. Glad it worked out in the end!

I have to say that all my communication with Miho via email was very pleasant. Replies came within a day or so and was clear in answering my questions. Granted this was back in July of 2022, just at the start of the Yen meltdown that I think led to an abundance of direct orders. The knife I got arrived a few weeks sooner than the initial timeline quote. They honored my request to keep the handle loose and the knife I received was on the taller side, as requested, and grind was actually quite good. I since have polished off the vertical grind marks on one side (just haven't gotten around to the other side yet) and there were no significant low spots or other grind issues.

Overall I'm very happy with my 210 Denka I got direct. I just used it as my 1 Knife April knife and after using it exclusively, I love it even more.

 

[Greenbriel]

Spill the vendor's name!

Nah, this is a celebratory post, but I'll DM you.

 

[Greenbriel]

Sorry to hear of your trials and tribulations. Glad it worked out in the end!

I have to say that all my communication with Miho via email was very pleasant. Replies came within a day or so and was clear in answering my questions. Granted this was back in July of 2022, just at the start of the Yen meltdown that I think led to an abundance of direct orders. The knife I got arrived a few weeks sooner than the initial timeline quote. They honored my request to keep the handle loose and the knife I received was on the taller side, as requested, and grind was actually quite good. I since have polished off the vertical grind marks on one side (just haven't gotten around to the other side yet) and there were no significant low spots or other grind issues.

Overall I'm very happy with my 210 Denka I got direct. I just used it as my 1 Knife April knife and after using it exclusively, I love it even more.

Thank you!! Miho was great in the beginning and to be fair I do think there was some mail routing issues that were preventing her (I was surprised too, for some reason ) from getting my messages. Anyway, I was very lucky that Syutaro took an interest and handled things so amazingly.

I missed the One Knife April thing, I'll have to find the thread!

I generally go for 210s more than bigger knives but I swear this 240 feels like a 210 (OK maybe 220). I think it's the notch and pinch grip being further up the blade than normal. I love it.

 

[JayS20]

I mostly go for custom knives and rarely encountered anything bad.
My favourites have to be the Swedish guys. Only pleasant experiences.
I'm usually quite relaxed and have learned to never expect them to be finished on the date which was mentioned though.
Simon Lönsted, had a knife by him which developed a strange delam. Sent it to him, he ground over it and even months later in his kitchen it was still fine but he nevertheless made a new one for me.
I was in talks with Mattias Lundbergs quite some time until I got my custom. He wanted to make the right one for me and I told him he had all the time he needed. We had several talks about geometry and stuff. He then proposed to send me two similar but different ground knives for testing and we made a PA out of it. After that the time for my knife came up and it's quite nice. Still occasionally in talks with him. Just a super nice guy and I like his knives, therefore I will get another one from him.
Robin Dalman, I had one of his first batch of collab knives and it wasn't totally cleaned up. He told me I could send it to him for a spa whenever I wanted to. It developed a slight warp and I sent it to him. He fixed it and the edge was straight again, he also improved fit and finish, cleaned up grind marks, rounded spine and choil even better and also slightly thinned it for an even greater performance. Had several nice interactions with him. Standup guy when something is not right and he can help you.
Isasmedjan. Jonas has probably the best customer service in the game and that means quite something. He always tries to make you right and goes above and beyond. He will fix everything for you and even if there is no fault in the knife he will overwork it if you are not happy. I once bought one from his website and simply had a question regarding reddish KU, similar to TF ones. He told me it's from the clay he used and he could get it off if I wanted to. Was just a question out of curiosity and he tried to be more than helpful. There were also other instances where he tried to make something more than right and I have only heard good from other guys. He even offers to pay for shipping which I will never accept. Jonas is phenomenal and his work is also great. He should be more popular.

Another maker I have to mention is Dan Bidinger. Dan is such a nice guy and his work is absolutely great. When I got my Custom from him, he tried to make it right for me. We had talks regarding the handle shape and came to something we both liked, slight adjustments to the profile... Always kept me up to date and sent me vids. Even ordered a ShiHan edge guard for me.
What I also really appreciate that he tries his knives and if he is not happy with it, he will work on it until he is.

 

[Greenbriel]

Great to hear. A lot of good folks in this field. I had a nice interaction with Robin Dalman too.

 

[superworrier]

+1 for Dalman and Zahocho. Also JKI is awesome but everyone already knows that.


-1 for Syoukon (shipped me a poorly packed blade that got damaged in transit. No recourse other than normal return policy which is pretty meh despite it being 100% their fault)

 

[tylerleach]

+1 for Lundbergs and Dan (Bidinger).

Both incredibly friendly and more than accommodating

And Dan’s “guarantee” is basically unheard of. Absolutely amazing customer service. (Also maybe one of the best handle wizards in the game)

 

[SwampDonkey]

I've had nothing but excellent experiences with Michael at KnifeJapan. On the most recent purchase I asked for a custom k-tip gyuto from Unshu Yukimitsu. Michael was prompt and wonderfully communicative with Kusunoki san and me to hammer out details and finishing preferences. He even donated a lovely ebony handle pro gratis and provided me about 5 different options to choose from.

The end result was precisely the knife I was hoping for; a 230x52 veggie machine. The handle perfectly balanced at the pinch and, despite my expectations of a 4 month wait, I got it in about a month. Just a wonderful experience and Michael is excellent to work with. I'll be back

 

[Greenbriel]

Good story and great knife! Your cutting board is easy on the eyes as well!

+1 one for Jon at JKI, of course!

 

[Choppin]

+1 for Jon at JKI, not much to add. I interacted several times with him by email asking about knives and stones and communication was always great.

+1 for Michael at KnifeJapan. The guy is obviously passionate about his makers and always super helpful. I get the quickest and most detailed emails from him.

I’ll add Herbeer at HSC///. I ordered a petty from him early this year and had a great experience. Communication was easy and he made valuable suggestions. He works quickly and shipped the knife in no time. I’m definitely getting a gyuto from him in the future.

 

[Heckel7302]

I’ll add in Carbon Knife Co. Craig has always been great at answering questions and worked with Hitohira to get a custom handle on a Togashi for me. I was able to stop in once and spent a few hours with him hanging and talking knives. Great shop.

 

[DitmasPork]

For me, great, responsive vendors (in no particular order) with integrity, that I trust are—Jon at JKI; Craig at CKC; Josh at Bernal; John at The Boardsmith; and Knifewear.

 

[jedy617]

Knives and stone, strata, tosho, homebutcher are all some of my favs in terms of customer service

 

[Ruso]

The only time I had to use Customer Service, I had a negative experience.
-10 Watanabee

 

[Greenbriel]

I think we're seeing a trend here. Jon Broida/JKI FTW!

Sorry to hear about that @Ruso! What happened, if you don't mind sharing? I bought a 180 nakiri direct and luckily all was good.

I'll second some of what @DitmasPork said - CKC were great and KnifeWear were super. I have also had only good experiences with Chef Knives to those whose name shall not be mentioned here.

 

[blokey]

I find dealing with Miura to be pleasant, tho I never encountered any problems with my knives from them so I can’t say much about return or repair experience.

 

[blokey]

Knives and stone, strata, tosho, homebutcher are all some of my favs in terms of customer service

Knives and Stones are definitely great, James is a nice person, I once had little problem with my order, even tho it is not his fault he offered full refund and a coupon.

 

[simona]

I mostly buy over Japanese auctions, and on that score I can say that the proxy Yahoo! Japan Auctions English | eBay Japan | Japan Proxy Shopping has an excellent customer service, even if a little pricey around the edges.
I have bought a couple of knives from Knifewear | Canada's best selection of Japanese Knives and their customer service has been brilliant both times; once in terms of advice, another where there was a mistake in import duties which they fixed in minutes. So thumbs up for them.
Michael at Knife Japan ‐ fine Japanese knives, great service, free shipping. embodies great customer service - advice, enthusiasm, knowledge, pricing, shipping and a good touch of humour.
Others that offered good service for relatively small purchases; Zahocho Knives Tokyo | Best Japanese Knives ikkyu-japanavenue.online - Japanese kitchen knife specialty shop YAMASUKE Japanese Tools SHOP and SAMURAI Tool PRO SHOP HOKUTO who actually sold me a knife that was out of stock, the best knife I have.
Finally, 合羽橋 つば屋包丁店｜TSUBAYA who gave me a lesson in how to address Japanese knife sellers whilst being firm yet polite about my ignorance.

 

[blokey]

I mostly buy over Japanese auctions, and on that score I can say that the proxy Yahoo! Japan Auctions English | eBay Japan | Japan Proxy Shopping has an excellent customer service, even if a little pricey around the edges.
I have bought a couple of knives from Knifewear | Canada's best selection of Japanese Knives and their customer service has been brilliant both times; once in terms of advice, another where there was a mistake in import duties which they fixed in minutes. So thumbs up for them.
Michael at Knife Japan ‐ fine Japanese knives, great service, free shipping. embodies great customer service - advice, enthusiasm, knowledge, pricing, shipping and a good touch of humour.
Others that offered good service for relatively small purchases; Zahocho Knives Tokyo | Best Japanese Knives ikkyu-japanavenue.online - Japanese kitchen knife specialty shop YAMASUKE Japanese Tools SHOP and SAMURAI Tool PRO SHOP HOKUTO who actually sold me a knife that was out of stock, the best knife I have.
Finally, 合羽橋 つば屋包丁店｜TSUBAYA who gave me a lesson in how to address Japanese knife sellers whilst being firm yet polite about my ignorance.

Would love to hear the story about Tsubaya.

 

[OkayMode]

Would love to hear the story about Tsubaya.

Seconded

 

[BillHanna]

thirded

 

[esoo]

Ai & Om's service was great when I decided I wanted to return a Jiro (prior to them shipping) as I realized the weight would not be my thing.

Tosho wanted to charge a restock fee when I inquired about returning a knife that a had strongly right ground choil that was sold as ambidextrous. I will admit for this one I did handle the knife in store but there was time pressure on deciding if I was going to purchase the knife or not.

 

[More_Gyutos]

Forthed.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Michael of Knife Japan is unparalleled in customer service. Not only is he incredibly helpful and patient in answering questions and directing you to recommendations, but he's great if there are hiccups too. Michael's emails are always a genuine pleasure. A true standout among vendors.

@MSicardCutlery is excellent to work with. Very good about understanding your desired outcome, providing updates, and delivering a great product.

@Illyria aka Ryan D. Geiger is also awesome. Not only does he make a great knife, he'll take care of you if anything happens. I bought a knife off his Etsy site and unfortunately, before he had a chance to ship it, it was damaged through no fault of his own. Ryan swiftly contacted me and gave me a few choices of how to proceed and all were excellent, if not of even higher value than what I originally ordered.

Then, on the flipside, there is a shop or two I will never work with again...

 

[ethompson]

Michael from Knife Japan is the goodest egg

 

[esoo]

Anthony from Tokusho has excellent service as well.

 

[Choppin]

Michael from Knife Japan is the goodest egg

Michael of Knife Japan is unparalleled in customer service. Not only is he incredibly helpful and patient in answering questions and directing you to recommendations, but he's great if there are hiccups too. Michael's emails are always a genuine pleasure. A true standout among vendors.

this.

 

[SwampDonkey]

Anthony from Tokusho has excellent service as well.

+1 on him and Zach. They noticed I reordered the same handle within a week, followed up (it was my first install and I cracked the ferrule) so they comped the replacement handle and Zach sent me a list/pics of files and Dremel bits that are well-suited to the task, which has been quite helpful since I rehandle often now for grins.