Thread: Alpha Knife Supply buying

Originally Posted by damascus63

Hello,
My personal experience with them is so bad (rude messages (!!!), no advice) that it is better to look elsewhere. It is in fact difficult to find a worse supplier even if the materials are OK.

One of my experiences with them was when they were selling stag carvers. I was concerned about buying from pictures on the internet, so Chuck sent my like 15 pieces and said send back any that I didn't want and he would charge my card for the ones that I kept. He paid for the shipping out and I paid for shipping the ones that went back. You don't see customer service like that very often. The only reason that I don't use them much now is that they no longer sell stag and I don't use titanium and have enough blade steel and fancy wood on hand to sink a barge. Most of what I buy these days are things like handle bolts, small pieces of G-10 or Micarta and abrasives. I get those from Jantz, USA Knifemaker and Pops. When I need more steel, I will buy it from Chuck or Aldo, depending on who has what I need and the best price.

I've bought from them several times now. It's been a better experience compared to most others because the inventory is live. Never had anything be out of stock. Never talked to them personally or even emailed with them. I do believe they have a new website now where you used to have to call in or email an order. No complaints here, especially considering the amount of stuff they have and the prices are very good. Also, very easy to find what i'm looking for.

I'll give Alpha an A-plus. I don't doubt others' stories, and I've only ordered from them once. They shipped lightening-fast, everything was friendly and professional. I use Jantz a lot ... USA Knifemaker less because things are often out of stock. My bias is to give merchants some slack on a public forum ... but I'm less charitable when "I'm" the one with the bad experience!