HISTORIC ENTERPRISES Review: Needle Bodkin
Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 12:02 am
Background: I have a hard time getting archery equipment that is apropriate to my research and LH work, because Hungarian gear is a little different, and in some respects more elaborated than western European gear.
I keep a close eye on HE's page, in case they get arrows I can use with my war bow -- which is no slight on their shafts, which are pretty good. It's just that I shoot an 83 lb.highly-reflexed composite... too powerful for what HE offers. So I was pleased to be able to pick up a half-dozen arrowheads... after reading various rave reviews, I was actively looking for an excuse to give them some business.
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Product: Needle Bodkins. I ordered their "needle bodkins," which are exceedingly long for an English context, and about typical in the one I pursue.
Quality: Very good to excellent.
The arrowheads are clearly hand-produced, and appear to be good steel (I haven't spark-tested them, but they're both stout and hard). No two of the arrowheads were quite the same length, which means that their weights will differ slightly -- better archers than me will wind up wanting to tune their shafts accordingly, but they're close enough that it's not a problem. These are clearly a cut above the bodkins generally available on the 'net.
Ordering: Painless. The only difficulty I had in observing the product was that I was unable to get a sense of scale. Since western European arrowheads use sockets, socket size is important.
Customer Service (intangible): Atrocious/Hostile.
I don't know whether I just rub these guys the wrong way, or whether they're just that busy, but both times I've tried to contact them with questions on this subject (in this case, the scale/mounting issue), I've been flat-out blown off. The response is definitely "I don't want to deal with you," rather than "we'd like your business." That's in pretty stark contrast to other folks' experience I've read, so it may be because I always seem to catch them on a bad day, or because I was looking to drop thirty to sixty bucks, rather than three to six hundred. Either way, I put in my order despite, rather than because of, the response I received.
Customer Service (tangible): Flat-out Great.
The other side of that coin, on the other hand, was just awesome. The arrowheads came nicely oiled, a touch that is overlooked surprisingly often -- there's very little more irritating than getting gear in the mail that has gone to rust in transit. The order was shipped promptly in a high-quality box, in a sealed baggie protected with wrap. Whoever shipped the stuff out had an eye for all the little details of fulfilling an order that a lot of folks blow off. Given my extremely unpleasant experience prior, the degree of care on this end was a very pleasant surprise.
Overall: [i]Awesome and Awful, All at Once.[i]
If this wasn't the second time I've sat looking at the response I've gotten to an inquiry and had to immediately double-check my original message in order to make sure I hadn't been a jerk, then this would be a rave review. Since I drop a grand or two a year on research/LH supplies, I've dealt with a lot of small businesses, and every last one, even ones I don't intend to order from again, was more pleasant to deal with by a huge margin.
On the other hand, the tangibles/mechanics are nearly perfect: if you're looking to just put in a stock order and not actually talk to anybody, these guys are definitely the folks to order from. The shipping was prompt, the gear was good, and the price was excellent.
I might order from them again.
I keep a close eye on HE's page, in case they get arrows I can use with my war bow -- which is no slight on their shafts, which are pretty good. It's just that I shoot an 83 lb.highly-reflexed composite... too powerful for what HE offers. So I was pleased to be able to pick up a half-dozen arrowheads... after reading various rave reviews, I was actively looking for an excuse to give them some business.
----------------------------
Product: Needle Bodkins. I ordered their "needle bodkins," which are exceedingly long for an English context, and about typical in the one I pursue.
Quality: Very good to excellent.
The arrowheads are clearly hand-produced, and appear to be good steel (I haven't spark-tested them, but they're both stout and hard). No two of the arrowheads were quite the same length, which means that their weights will differ slightly -- better archers than me will wind up wanting to tune their shafts accordingly, but they're close enough that it's not a problem. These are clearly a cut above the bodkins generally available on the 'net.
Ordering: Painless. The only difficulty I had in observing the product was that I was unable to get a sense of scale. Since western European arrowheads use sockets, socket size is important.
Customer Service (intangible): Atrocious/Hostile.
I don't know whether I just rub these guys the wrong way, or whether they're just that busy, but both times I've tried to contact them with questions on this subject (in this case, the scale/mounting issue), I've been flat-out blown off. The response is definitely "I don't want to deal with you," rather than "we'd like your business." That's in pretty stark contrast to other folks' experience I've read, so it may be because I always seem to catch them on a bad day, or because I was looking to drop thirty to sixty bucks, rather than three to six hundred. Either way, I put in my order despite, rather than because of, the response I received.
Customer Service (tangible): Flat-out Great.
The other side of that coin, on the other hand, was just awesome. The arrowheads came nicely oiled, a touch that is overlooked surprisingly often -- there's very little more irritating than getting gear in the mail that has gone to rust in transit. The order was shipped promptly in a high-quality box, in a sealed baggie protected with wrap. Whoever shipped the stuff out had an eye for all the little details of fulfilling an order that a lot of folks blow off. Given my extremely unpleasant experience prior, the degree of care on this end was a very pleasant surprise.
Overall: [i]Awesome and Awful, All at Once.[i]
If this wasn't the second time I've sat looking at the response I've gotten to an inquiry and had to immediately double-check my original message in order to make sure I hadn't been a jerk, then this would be a rave review. Since I drop a grand or two a year on research/LH supplies, I've dealt with a lot of small businesses, and every last one, even ones I don't intend to order from again, was more pleasant to deal with by a huge margin.
On the other hand, the tangibles/mechanics are nearly perfect: if you're looking to just put in a stock order and not actually talk to anybody, these guys are definitely the folks to order from. The shipping was prompt, the gear was good, and the price was excellent.
I might order from them again.
