Walnut Hollow Products

Eddy Smiles · #1 11-01-2007, 05:02 PM

There might be a few of our carvers out there that are contemplating purchasing Walnut Hollow products because they see them in craft store such as Michaels and JoAnn's and with a coupon they are relatively inexpensive. My first set of palm tools was a Walnut Hollow set because at the time I didn't know about such places as Little Shavers and SMWC. And for years I used a Walnut Hollow woodburning pen for my pyrography work until I finally broke down and bought my Coldwood. I never had a complaint about the Walnut Hollow pens. They were work horses. I just wanted something that would do more delicate work.

But I had never bought one of their knives and I was curious to see what quality they were. Obviously by the packaging they had to be better that the stuff that Harbor Freight carries, right?

So I took my 50% off coupon down to Michaels a couple of months ago and bought one of the Walnut Hollow carving knives. But when I got it home I found that the blade wasn't much good for anything other than carving soap.

I checked the packaging to see if the manufacturer stated anything about sharpening before use. Much to my surprise the packaging says, and I quote... "This knife is pre-sharpened and ready to use. It may require additional honing for a keen edge." Now I ask you, what does that mean? Is it sharp and ready to go, or does it need to be sharpened?

Not one for being bashful I wrote Walnut Hollow to find out the answer. I explained that with the existing grind that the knife was useless for carving and that it would take extensive time and effort to get it to that point.

And with that I headed off to Tennessee where with the help of a good friend and his power sharpening and stropping equipment we were able to put a satisfactory edge on it. However, in the process all the brass rivets holding the tang to the handle fell out and I still can't use the knife until I epoxy the two back together again.

Then much to my surprise on my return home a large UPS package from Walnut Hollow was stuck in my door. In it was a replacement knife, a small white sharpening stone, and two small basswood country rounds with an apology from the Customer Inventory Management Supervisor for letting an unfinished product slip through their inventory.

I haven't opened the packaging up on the new knife but from what I can see there doesn't appear top be much difference between the old one and this new one. The grind is still improper and in all likelihood won't perform any better that the first one.

But the good side of this is that Walnut Hollow does seem to be mindful of their P.R. and they did make an effort to satisfy the customer. Its just that unfortunately, they just don't seem to understand what the word sharp means!

Has anyone else had a similiar customer service experience?

Ashbys · #2 11-01-2007, 05:13 PM

Eddy ,

Hurry up and open it ! I want to see when you are heading back to TN !.

When I first starting carving, I bought a knife and a set of chisels. It was a real shame to spend that money , if I had started a campfire with it at least it would have been worth something. I still have them as a reminder to remind every new carver, save your money and purchase a good set of tools. For 10.00 more you can get ones that work.

Asy

Lindy · #3 11-01-2007, 05:29 PM

I have never bought any of their tools for carving or burning. Fortunately I started out in carving by taking lessons at Lee Valley and I learned right away to buy the best tools you can afford. Naturally I bought my tools at Lee Valley and have been really happy with them.

I do however use a lot of the Walnut Hollow Basswood blanks in my work and quite enjoy them, So for me, they have a place in what I do, even if it's not in the tool section.

Lindy

gene messer · #4 11-01-2007, 05:37 PM

Eddy .. Nothing against local hobby stores .. but I found most of them are expensive and carry inferior materials .. Their basswood is priced outrageous and most of their carving tools are cheap ..

I remember buying a Whittlin jack knife from a local hobby store and now I use it to cut open boxes ..

Like Ash said and I know you already know this .. cheap tools are a headache .. and I have stuck with Ron Wells knives and flexcut palm v tools and I love them ..

Remember .. most all local hobby stores carry cheaper overseas brands and thats exactually what most of them are ..

You also have to be careful on e-bay as well .. they do the same at times ..

Your carving houses are the best bet ..

Gene

Eddy Smiles · #5 11-01-2007, 08:03 PM

I couldn't agree more with one and all. I myself am a regular at SMWC. I just decided to see what the Walnut Hollow knife was like on a whim! As it turned out I haven't lost a dime on the deal because I've ended up with a couple of the basswood rounds that Lindy likes for free. And I needed a small stone v'd at one one side and rounded on the other for my Palm tools.

I also need to note that I am an advid letter writer. It doesn't matter what the product or service, if my wife and I are disatisfied or even if we are extrememly pleased I'll write a letter to the company. You'd be surprised at some of the replies that I receive even in this day of off shore corporations. Many, many companies will provide refunds, coupons or replacement products. If you're unhappy with something, just don't throw it out, send it or the UPC and sales receipt to the manufacturer.... they're worth money! And many companies will send coupons and merchandise when you write them positive letters as well in appreciation for getting feedback.

AlArchie · #6 11-01-2007, 08:21 PM

Gene, those Whittlin' Jacks ( the Murphy style bench knives) are a couple of my favorites, BUT I purchased a 12 piece set and only two or three of them were well designed, and every one was in terrible shape as far as sharpening went. I checked under the glass and the edges were rough ground and not honed. That stainless steel is a bear to work over, but I will say this; once I got them sharpened, the are GREAT! Easy to hold, nice handles (both the wooden ones and the contoured rubber) and they stay sharp through rough use and work well even on detail work, although the blades area bit large.

Five of the 12 piece set are actually short bladed chisles, and I haven't quite figured out a resonable use for them yet, although I do have them razor sharp now.

That leaves five other "knives" including one "sloyde" style that makes a pretty decent whittler. The others are now sharp but unused.

There was also a "saw" that at first I thought would be totally useless but have found it nice for makeing "Hooey Sticks", so ther seems to be apurpose for most of them.

The only reason I bought this 12 piece set was because I loaned out one of my "bench" knives and it never came back. anyway with the purchase of the 12 piece set I now have three of the knives I like and a saw I can use, and it was all on closeout for like 40 bucks.

Can't comment on the Walnut Hollow knives because I don't own any, but do have the WH hobby burner pens and they are good for what they are designed and hold up well. I like em for burning fish scales, but I have to make my own scaleing tips.

Al

gene messer · #7 11-01-2007, 11:30 PM

Thanks Al ... Iam glad you had good luck with them .. The biggest problem I had with it was like you .. keeping it sharp and since I do small figures .. The blade was just too bulky ... Of course it's just a matter of preference in what your doing ..

I must admit it's not such a bad built knife .. but for my application .. it just didnt work well ..

Now I use only a 1 1/8 inch thin Ron Wells blade and it has spoiled me .. I guess it's just what you know feels right ..

Glad you had good luck with them ..

It's just my experience with that certain one wasnt a good one ..

Gene

AlArchie · #8 11-02-2007, 08:33 AM

I sure wouldn't recommend the Whittlin' Jack for a beginner......too much work to get it "carvin' sharp", and I meant to add that to my last post but got waylaid by my puppy ......needed OUT!

Sorry, he needed out again......pesky little guy sometimes. HA!

These are fairly thick heavy blades, too, and there are a lot better general all around knives with thinner more easily manuevered blades and I do have a few of them that I really like too. Also, the handles are really big, which I like because of my baseball mit sized paws. Size-wise it's comparable to Flexcut's KN14 roughing knife, and I think that's what "Jack" is designed for.

Just thought I'd comment on the bigger Whittlin' Jacks.

Al

SeaChips · #9 11-04-2007, 11:45 PM

The first thing I learned about carving was a bit of advice that chpster90bu shared with me. She said, "you will never be any better than the tools you use to carve with." And she's right. You can buy a really expensive knife but if it isn't sharpened and honed properly and taken care of, then it is no better than the cheapest butter knife you buy. So early on, I paid close attention to the condition of my tools and made sure they are honed and maintained! I have great tools, but I'm still working at being a great carver... probably won't get there, but I will have good tools even if I don't!

Hi_Ho_Sliver · #10 11-05-2007, 08:07 AM

The thing the cheap knives and gouges are good for ...is for newbies to sharpening to practice on! You can grind, "scary sharp" or whatever 'til your hearts content and you are not out much....mess up a good 25 to 50 dollar knife or chisel and we will hear you crying all the way over here!