Blade HQ Sponsorship
The site has an official sponsor now--Blade HQ. See the banner on the right hand side bar. They provided me with the review sample of the Protech Sprint PR1 that is still being tested (I am taking a little longer because it is my first Protech, S35VN blade, and auto that I have reviewed).
I was hesitant about this but after consideration and reading comments and feedback from readers, I have decided to use a sponsor. Blade HQ was the only place I contacted. It was not an easy decision, not because Blade HQ was an issue, but because I didn't really like the idea of a sponsor at all. It came down to this: I want to have the largest database of reviewed gear anywhere and doing that on my budget for the site (zero dollars) is very difficult. By pairing with Blade HQ I can still bring you good, informative reviews on new products without spending lots of my own money or taking away cash from the Haiku Giveaway.
I chose Blade HQ for a reason, or really a few reasons. Prior to starting the site I experienced their excellent customer service firsthand. Second, they have an enormous selection. Third, they have competitive prices. Finally and perhaps most importantly, they have real time inventory.
What happened when I ordered the Bradley Alias illustrates why all of this is important. During the process of ordering and shipping, the Alias II was in short supply and I had to change my order midstream. Blade HQ's real time inventory and great customer service was very helpful. Everything you see on their site they have in stock. Lots of places are merely displaying their catalog, that is, things they can order. This means that your order can take a long time to receive (they have to get it first and then ship it to you) and there is a chance that even though an item is in a given company's catalog it is backordered meaning you will have to wait even longer. This experience really sold me on them as a company.
So when I was considering who to look to for sponsorships, Blade HQ came out far ahead of the competition. I didn't bother really looking into anyone else. They have good connections both in the knife industry and in the enthusiast world. They also have helped pass laws that have a common sense approaches to knife regulation. It is one thing to say you support legislative efforts and it is another thing to actually do something.
So from now on you will see links to Blade HQ products in reviews (over Amazon) and you will see products sent to me for testing from Blade HQ. I will be looking for feedback, so let me know what you think and what your experiences have been with Blade HQ, both in the past and going forward.
I was hesitant about this but after consideration and reading comments and feedback from readers, I have decided to use a sponsor. Blade HQ was the only place I contacted. It was not an easy decision, not because Blade HQ was an issue, but because I didn't really like the idea of a sponsor at all. It came down to this: I want to have the largest database of reviewed gear anywhere and doing that on my budget for the site (zero dollars) is very difficult. By pairing with Blade HQ I can still bring you good, informative reviews on new products without spending lots of my own money or taking away cash from the Haiku Giveaway.
I chose Blade HQ for a reason, or really a few reasons. Prior to starting the site I experienced their excellent customer service firsthand. Second, they have an enormous selection. Third, they have competitive prices. Finally and perhaps most importantly, they have real time inventory.
What happened when I ordered the Bradley Alias illustrates why all of this is important. During the process of ordering and shipping, the Alias II was in short supply and I had to change my order midstream. Blade HQ's real time inventory and great customer service was very helpful. Everything you see on their site they have in stock. Lots of places are merely displaying their catalog, that is, things they can order. This means that your order can take a long time to receive (they have to get it first and then ship it to you) and there is a chance that even though an item is in a given company's catalog it is backordered meaning you will have to wait even longer. This experience really sold me on them as a company.
So when I was considering who to look to for sponsorships, Blade HQ came out far ahead of the competition. I didn't bother really looking into anyone else. They have good connections both in the knife industry and in the enthusiast world. They also have helped pass laws that have a common sense approaches to knife regulation. It is one thing to say you support legislative efforts and it is another thing to actually do something.
So from now on you will see links to Blade HQ products in reviews (over Amazon) and you will see products sent to me for testing from Blade HQ. I will be looking for feedback, so let me know what you think and what your experiences have been with Blade HQ, both in the past and going forward.