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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2009 13:58:14 GMT
Hi everyone,
I wanted to get some opinions on a purchase I made yesterday. I went over to KOA and picked up a Valiant Armoury Signature Edition Bristol. It's a really nice sword but I noticed when I got home that there were a couple of cracks in the guard. Is this something I should worry about? It is a sword I will be using for cutting, and being prone to sometimes hitting the guard on the cutting stand when cutting too close, I wonder if it might be made worse. Maybe it's just a cosmetic flaw that shouldn't be a big concern but I was wondering what everyone thinks. I don't have any pictures at the moment but one crack is in the center of the guard, on the side, and the other is around where the blade fits into the guard. That last one is the more serious one. Opinions?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2009 14:15:06 GMT
Kristie, that is unfortunate; you should contact KoA to get a return started- a cracked guard, especially in multiple places, is a safety issue or injury waiting to happen. With just the right whack on the cutting stand, it could send a piece flying up and out and into something, your eye for instance. I understand that they have excellent customer service, email them or give them a ring- I'm sure they'll take care of you.
Keep us posted as to how it all turns out, ok?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2009 14:37:26 GMT
Yeah, I was afraid it might result in something like that but didn't know how likely it was. I just e-mailed them to see what they say. I shall report their response....
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2009 15:13:05 GMT
I've had excellent luck in contacting the VA owner, Sonny Suttles, right here on the site. I am 100% certain that he would send you a new guard right away or replace the sword if needed. There is nothing to worry about really, he stands behind his products and always does the right thing quickly to resolve any QC issues. You can IM him from his profile page: /index.cgi?action=viewprofile&user=valiantarmoury
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2009 15:41:17 GMT
Odingaard, she should probably take it up with KoA first since that is who she bought the sword from; don't get me wrong, my first instinct was to tell her exactly what you did, but I think in this case, KoA should make this right. They can take it up with Sonny if they feel like it, but since she got it from KoA, KoA should be more than willing to rectify the situation. Just my opinion.
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Post by jpfranco on Jun 17, 2009 16:22:37 GMT
Call KOA, Ryan is a great guy and the company has a great customer service policy. They will probably replace the sword for you.
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Post by code on Jun 17, 2009 16:44:29 GMT
I've dealt with both KoA and VA as well, whoever you decide to contact you can't go wrong.
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Post by Sonny Suttles on Jun 17, 2009 18:00:28 GMT
Actually, I would prefer to have Kristie contact us Directly. It makes it so much easier to communicate.
Kristie, PM sent
Sonny
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SlayerofDarkness
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Post by SlayerofDarkness on Jun 17, 2009 18:03:45 GMT
What can we say? VA rocks. ;D
-Slayer
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2009 18:23:35 GMT
Sonny, I would've advocated for that but I was wondering if that was something you'd want to get involved in, seeing as that flaw could've occurred at some point in KoA's warehouse- but I'm even happier to see you take care of it personally.
That is exemplary customer service and every vendor, no matter the field, should take note- this is how it should be done. Kudos and as paltry as it is, +1 to you.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2009 19:43:48 GMT
My recommendation was not offered without experience. Since I have experienced the great VA customer service firsthand in the past, I merely suggested what was recommended in the past from Sonny personally when dealing with VA products from KoA. Doubt not the Odingaard...
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2009 19:56:10 GMT
So I see...your first ale's on me should we ever meet up.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2009 21:15:36 GMT
Call KOA, Ryan is a great guy and the company has a great customer service policy. They will probably replace the sword for you. This, my experience with KoA was very positive. EDIT: Although with Sonny going out of his way like this how can you NOT take him up on his offer Something thats impressed me from the beginning is the exemplary service you'll find from both makers and vendors in this industry. They really stand by their products.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2009 21:27:28 GMT
I think its awesome, if you look at it everyones being super helpfull with major effort not to step on anyones toes. I give a salute to all of you particularly Sonny who stands by product as always.
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Post by shadowhowler on Jun 17, 2009 22:13:15 GMT
I wanted to get some opinions on a purchase I made yesterday. I went over to KOA and picked up a Valiant Armoury Signature Edition Bristol. It looks like your in good hands as far as getting the problem with the sword taken care off... so I'll ask this. You went over to KOA... so you live near there showroom? So jealious... I'd LOVE to go in there and see all those beautiful swords first hand.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2009 14:22:21 GMT
What I ended up doing was going up to KoA yesterday and they replaced it with no problem. They do have excellent customer service. I also appreciate the effort of VA contacting me. It is a great community we have here. Shadowhowler, I'm not sure I can say I exactly live near their showroom. Does an hour and a half sound near? I suppose it's near enough. I don't get up there that much, though. It is a very nice opportunity. There is such a difference between shopping for swords by looking at pics and stats on the internet and holding a sword in your hand and looking at the specific model yourself. I wasn't even considering getting the Bristol because I wasn't that impressed with the looks of it online but once I picked it up, it had me! Of course, it's not fool proof, as this example shows. I thought I had looked over this sword carefully before getting it the other day but I missed those cracks. I was more worried about the leatherwork and the blade and was pretty miffed at myself for not taking a closer look at the hilt components. Anyway, thanks to everyone for your opinions and comments!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2009 15:06:28 GMT
So, this sword had cracks in the guard? So it appears that KOA has mediocre QC perhaps? If this sword was purchased from Valiant, Did you get to see and go over it first Sonny? Or did it come directly from the forge in china? I remember you mentioning that you guys bought blades and would fit and finish them here in the US. Just wondering how something like this got through the "defenses".
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Post by Sonny Suttles on Jun 18, 2009 15:34:36 GMT
As I have not seen the guard yet nor do I know what exactly the defect is I can't comment. I will examine it upon its return though.
Sonny
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Post by shadowhowler on Jun 18, 2009 18:07:31 GMT
Shadowhowler, I'm not sure I can say I exactly live near their showroom. Does an hour and a half sound near? I suppose it's near enough. I don't get up there that much, though. It is a very nice opportunity. There is such a difference between shopping for swords by looking at pics and stats on the internet and holding a sword in your hand and looking at the specific model yourself. I wasn't even considering getting the Bristol because I wasn't that impressed with the looks of it online but once I picked it up, it had me! Of course, it's not fool proof, as this example shows. I thought I had looked over this sword carefully before getting it the other day but I missed those cracks. I was more worried about the leatherwork and the blade and was pretty miffed at myself for not taking a closer look at the hilt components. You are SO 100% right... You never know if your going to like a sword just by reading it's statistics or looking at pictures... you HAVE to have the sword in hand to know how it will feel to you. Thats the reason I buy/sell/trade so many swords... because I can not handle them before I buy them... so I buy em... handle them a bit... some speak to me... some don't... and I sell/trade the ones that don't, buy more, and again and again. I wish there was a showroom of some sort where I could handle them all before buying... it would be AWESOME.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2009 18:31:34 GMT
Sam, I can't say KoA is to blame for not catching this. The particular sword I purchased wasn't out on the floor so I have reason to suspect they haven't seen it. They took the box out of the back, cut the tape and opened the box right in front of me so I'm assuming it hadn't been opened before.
Dang, I wish I'd taken time to take some photos before I took it back. I just wanted to get it taken care of right away so I rushed right back to the store the following day. Maybe Sonny will share some photos when he receives it back.
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