TOPIC: Why does Saber Forge takes so long?

Not condescending at all. I can appreciate that as a respose and truly I am pretty sure I will end up with a SF product. Also, those new apprentice sabers look amazing!

I don't have my first saber yet but said it before with what I can see is wait longer if I had to I gotta have one or two or ten

Anyone that joined the massive ASP crusade during the Kickstarter initiative should be getting periodic updates about how it has progressed. The last update (#13) was sent out December 14th which helped explain some of the delay and steps the company is going through without sacrificing quality. I have included a summary of the update below. It's been a little over a month since that update so I am hoping we hear a specific date soon.

Notes from update #13:
Kickstarter planned 100k in pledges, received nearly ten times that number.
ASP parts are nearly complete, have finished 80% of our parts. (again, as of December 14th)
Built the worlds largest custom saber factory, now ten thousand square foot facility.
6x larger showroom will open in 2016 after our ASP orders are completed.
Now have over 40 team members with many more soon to be hired.

Ramaloke wrote:
There was actually an update through the Saberforge FB page about a week ago regarding the current state of the ASP program and Saberforge.

I would assume that new ASP pre-orders would likely be filled in the normal 6-8 week time frame after the initial Kickstarter orders are complete as the materials, tools, and staff will be in place (maybe shorter given the expanded facility).

The other challenge the company probably faces it trying not to 'over hire' people. No doubt the ASP boom and the new Star Wars movie have created a large demand. It is natural that the monthly demand will slow slightly in the future, leaving true saber lovers as the bulk of SF's continued business. Nothing is worse than hiring 20 people just to have to let 5 of them go as things ease up.

In business, having a demand that outweighs current production capacity is probably the best 'problem' a company can have. In any situation you have 3 factors: 1) quality 2) cost and 3) time. You can choose any 2 you want but it will cost you the 3rd. In this case the company doesn't want to produce inferior quality products to meet demand. Similarly they want to keep the cost competitive. So that unfortunately means it will take time to expand and not simply throw money at the problem (raising cost).

That being said, SF also has a commitment to the customers. It's completely understandable that people are getting a little frustrated when they have paid for a product to arrive in 'November' and it is almost February without a delivery date. Could SF have ended the Kickstarter early because the demand made the November deadline unreasonable? I know some Kickstarter programs have a limited number of backers it allows for this reason. Sure most people will understand a couple extra weeks delay given the situation but there is a limit. You don't want to turn customers away, but it looks like they took on more business than they could support in the time period.

I guess my best advice would be to ask people to remain patient and I hope SF would continue to strive for best quality sabers AND best customer experience possible. I think we are at the point where 'keep waiting' is losing some of that positive experience. Thanks for the good topic guys!

Thanks.

Are all orders currently delayed because of the factory move? Even orders that aren't asp?

This is what the saberforge customer service people look like in my head, and when they see a question that can't be done, if it's not there it doesn't exsist

I just sent Justin an email to see if he can help me out.

I... uh.. don't look like an old woman o.0

Hi Knytiri,

I've been waiting for a chance to post this and I sincerely mean the thank you,



I have just finished a CSR Course in the UK so appreciate the efforts!

For Tyeth

The wait is rough but understandable once you realize the big picture and that your not the center of the universe. There's another company that's out there that does a lot of contrast cut black n silver sabers that remind me of those "cliche" Harley Davidson aftermarket parts.

Hold on... are you implying that I'm somehow not the center of SF's universe? Madness...

I ordered mine on the second of January and am happily and patiently waiting. My thought is that, at the end of the day, real quality takes time no matter what product you're talking about. I could have ordered from else where and already received a saber but I'd rather wait for a superior product.

I expected a 14-16 week wait, recieved my saber after 9 weeks.


Thanks Saberforge

Hopefully this doesn't qualify as a "wait thread." Don't want it getting deleted :/

I'll be at week 19 of my order as of this Thursday, week 7 since I entered build queue as of yesterday. I contacted Saberforge and they determined that something had gone awry with my order, and that my saber and some others that were delayed will be entering rushed production next week.

That said, I am still satisfied with my order. Saberforge has offered a 20% discount on my next order and a free t-shirt, which I will be using eventually to order another saber, some spare blades, and a belt. And once my Fury finally arrives, it will be all the sweeter because of the wait...