Karve Diem

[DSR]

I suspect a lot of people here already have a brass Karve razor, and some of them would have purchased it in the first half of 2018, like I did.
Back then people had to wait anywhere between 4-8 weeks from placing an order to the razor being shipped, as Chris was struggling big time to keep up with the demand.
To make thing worse, communication was suboptimal (to say the least...), and therefore I remember many similar posts from frustrated and angry customers.

He eventually managed to catch up with the orders for the brass razors, and the situation improved over the last few months of 2018 and the beginning of 2019.
Chris acknowledged that he had fallen short and promised things would improve when he was going to release the SS razor: he said he had some help in his shop, as well as getting Jack (from The Virtual Groomroom YouTube channel) to help with communication and customer service.
He said he was going to build a decent stock before the release, which would be immediately available for shipping, and then use the wait list, so that at least people knew what to expect, and could keep an eye on the list on the website to work out when their order would get close to shipping.

Unfortunately it all sounds like a repeat of last year, at least so far....
Suboptimal communication, continuously changing deadlines, etc, etc
He obviously has a very good quality product, but it’s a huge shame that it’s not matched by equally good customer service....

People debate on how large his original stock was, etc, but regardless I can’t understand why there are so many delays again in starting to ship those orders, however many...
Either he’s a perfectionist and wants to be personally involved at each stage of the process (manufacturing, quality control, packaging and shipping), or he still doesn’t have enough help in his shop, for whatever reason... who knows...

 

[DSR]

I suspect a lot of people here already have a brass Karve razor, and some of them would have purchased it in the first half of 2018, like I did.
Back then people had to wait anywhere between 4-8 weeks from placing an order to the razor being shipped, as Chris was struggling big time to keep up with the demand.
To make thing worse, communication was suboptimal (to say the least...), and therefore I remember many similar posts from frustrated and angry customers.

He eventually managed to catch up with the orders for the brass razors, and the situation improved over the last few months of 2018 and the beginning of 2019.
Chris acknowledged that he had fallen short and promised things would improve when he was going to release the SS razor: he said he had some help in his shop, as well as getting Jack (from The Virtual Groomroom YouTube channel) to help with communication and customer service.
He said he was going to build a decent stock before the release, which would be immediately available for shipping, and then use the wait list, so that at least people knew what to expect, and could keep an eye on the list on the website to work out when their order would get close to shipping.

Unfortunately it all sounds like a repeat of last year, at least so far....
Suboptimal communication, continuously changing deadlines, etc, etc
He obviously has a very good quality product, but it’s a huge shame that it’s not matched by equally good customer service....

People debate on how large his original stock was, etc, but regardless I can’t understand why there are so many delays again in starting to ship those orders, however many...
Either he’s a perfectionist and wants to be personally involved at each stage of the process (manufacturing, quality control, packaging and shipping), or he still doesn’t have enough help in his shop, for whatever reason... who knows...

 

[CobraX]

I think it's both. One man show and perfectionist. Also, would razors and accessories be the only thing he makes? Or is it just a side job? My impression is that communication has improved. He actually answers people's questions on IG and my recent e-mail also got answered compared to my e-mail last Summer which never got answered.

 

[Shavemd]

Must be something about that Western Canadian air. 2 great razor manufacturers but neither can keep up with demand. At least you got an order in with the Karve. It will get to you sooner than the other guy has a release

 

[tim33z]

Unfortunately society has become one of “I want that and I want it now”.

Give the man a break! This is not his full time job and to hire staff costs money.

Also regarding building up any sort of stocks before release etc would mean his cash flow suffers. As a side job, that would be a stretch for almost any family I know.

You all have plenty of razors that can be used to shave with in the meantime. Use something that doesn’t get a whole lotta love until your stainless steel Karve arrives.

Patience is a virtue.

I do not work for or know Chris personally, other than being a previous customer of his twice. I’m also waiting on my latest order of a stainless steel Karve to be shipped down under.

 

[Earcutter]

I think i’ll just wait until West Coast Shaving gets them in.

 

[uptown]

I ordered a stainless steel head on June 26. Like everyone else didn't received shipping notification. If I don't get the notification by next Friday July 12 I will cancel my order. I guess they didn't anticipate the volume of orders and now are scrambling to make more. After this is resolved I probably won't be doing business with them again. There are too many razor makers to put up with this nonsense.

 

[Bakker1964]

Unfortunately society has become one of “I want that and I want it now”.

No . . . I simply want what I paid for, and was led to believe was being sold on a "stock available" basis by the maker.

Give the man a break! This is not his full time job and to hire staff costs money.

Most people have, but 10 days of silence leads to understandable disaffection, especially when the past year has been spent assuring the customer base that these issues have been resolved.

Also regarding building up any sort of stocks before release etc would mean his cash flow suffers. As a side job, that would be a stretch for almost any family I know.

Then he should not have been alluding to that fact leading up to the razor being made available for sale. If people were told there would be up to a two week delay between purchase and shipping, I doubt anyone would have changed their order, and no one would be grumbling. That's on Chris.

You all have plenty of razors that can be used to shave with in the meantime. Use something that doesn’t get a whole lotta love until your stainless steel Karve arrives.

Not even close to being the point.

Patience is a virtue.

Yes, it is . . . so is diligence.

I do not work for or know Chris personally, other than being a previous customer of his twice. I’m also waiting on my latest order of a stainless steel Karve to be shipped down under.

See bolded.

 

[tim33z]

See bolded.

Expectations appear quite high in any event when skimming over previous posts.
You seem quick to bag someone for not delivering on time.
Any company, large or small has problems. Society has to let them get on with what they do and not require a message with an update every day. Life will continue and everyone will get their razors.

If this is too much for people, shop elsewhere - make a statement with one's wallet!

 

[Bakker1964]

No worries there.

And I am "bagging him" (whatever that means), for seemingly misleading Customers not once (stock build up), but twice (shipments starting last Friday). Don't promise what you cannot deliver, regardless of the size of the business. As stated, informing people of a delay in shipping from date of purchase would not likely have affected his sales one bit, and likely would have been praised as an honest and upfront frankness with his Customer base.

 

[merovirginian]

Before I ordered my brass Karve a while ago, I actually read the whole Karve Diem thread. I noted that some people waited weeks or months from order to delivery, particularly with releases. So here I am with a stainless steel Karve order. Am I happy with the less than accurate disclosure about shipping? No. Am I happy with the delay in shipping when led to believe that razors and parts were in stock? No.

Is this situation unreasonable? Well, I believe that Karve razors are artisan products, hand-made if not super carefully so and not made by a large scale commercial enterprise. I am willing to be flexible with delivery with that understanding. FWIW, I have never heard that Karve failed to deliver on a product, even if the delays were uncomfortably long. So, I will wait. The razor will be worth it. Quality products sometimes are. I am very sympathetic to everyone who believes that the communication leaves a lot to be desired. But, small company + great product leads to forgiveness.

 

[tim33z]

Before I ordered my brass Karve a while ago, I actually read the whole Karve Diem thread. I noted that some people waited weeks or months from order to delivery, particularly with releases. So here I am with a stainless steel Karve order. Am I happy with the less than accurate disclosure about shipping? No. Am I happy with the delay in shipping when led to believe that razors and parts were in stock? No.

Is this situation unreasonable? Well, I believe that Karve razors are artisan products, hand-made if not super carefully so and not made by a large scale commercial enterprise. I am willing to be flexible with delivery with that understanding. FWIW, I have never heard that Karve failed to deliver on a product, even if the delays were uncomfortably long. So, I will wait. The razor will be worth it. Quality products sometimes are. I am very sympathetic to everyone who believes that the communication leaves a lot to be desired. But, small company + great product leads to forgiveness.

Very well said. Good things will come once these start to hit all of our hot little hands....

 

[Zen Shaver]

There are a lot skills needed to successfully run a small business. An expert craftsman maybe lack other skills needed to run a business. I do think that it's important for a business owner to give an accurate estimate of product delivery.
Last Black Friday, I ordered a Rex Adjustable directly. The site had an estimate of Dec 21 shipment. Around the 28th, I received an email that the razor would ship the next week. Another week later, the razor would ship around Jan 16.
I then canceled my order. The experience left a bad taste in my mouth. I wouldn't call out RE, but similar experiences are well documented with that company. There are many who won't do business with them.
I have and enjoy my brass Karve. I would recommend that CB put a focus on customer service before souring community opinion.

 

[Rhody]

Ok not that i want to buy after reading all these complaints but what an i doing wrong. I see no ss on the website

 

[Stuart Ganis]

Just looked at his web site, SS razors open and closed comb.

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[Camilo0519]

thats why i stick to blackland... much better razors and usually in stock.

 

[korbz]

Expectations appear quite high in any event when skimming over previous posts.
You seem quick to bag someone for not delivering on time.
Any company, large or small has problems. Society has to let them get on with what they do and not require a message with an update every day. Life will continue and everyone will get their razors.

If this is too much for people, shop elsewhere - make a statement with one's wallet!

That’s the point mate. If he had been forthcoming with delays possible, people may have shopped elsewhere (I probably would have ordered the silversmith instead). It was deceptive to talk to stock on hand for release, then not issue any direct emails or comms advising of delays (shipping and lead time on website is still 3-5 days).


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[DSR]

It’s quite interesting (and funny, I guess...) to see very similar discussions and points raised (on both sides of the argument) to last year, when there were delays with the brass razor.

There are valid points on both sides, including the fact the we have all become impatient nowadays (myself included here...), and want every product to be available “now”, whilst also maintaining excellent quality.

There is no doubt that Chris is a very talented hardworking guy, with great attention to detail (which means great quality control, but also slower production, shipping, etc).
I really don’t think that he’s trying to trick people, by deliberately lying about timings, etc

But it looks like (so far anyway..), similar to last year, he’s letting himself down (and his customers...) by not communicating honestly and clearly, and setting expectations at the right level.
Having made all these mistakes last year, and then saying that he had learned from them, it’s a shame to see he’s apparently repeating them again...

 

[Rhody]

I guess my history saved an old page ...
The ss top cap is sold out. Too bad the customer service is so bad.

 

[vtmax]

No worries here at all.

It’s still a one man shop for the most part. I placed my order the second it was released and will use the brass CB and others before the stainless arrival.

I have used every high and low end razor over the last 20 years and yesterday shaved with my wonderful Wolfman WR2.

The Karve CB design and shave beats them all...including my Blackbird mentioned above.