(VIDEO) MSK-1 Used in Jungle
over 7 years ago
– Fri, Jan 06, 2017 at 10:27:24 AM
Hey Guys,
MSK-1 Featured in YouTube Video
I just posted Episode 5 from my Jungle Training in the Amazon Rainforest in Columbia and in it... the MSK-1 and Mini Neck Knife are being used by myself and the Binee of the Matis Tribe. The whole video is worth a watch but if you want to skip to the main section where the MSK-1 is used, you can skip to 5:03.
Enjoy!
~David
Heres a link:
A QUICK Update + Minor Ship Date Confusion (see photo) & Boss Survival Training
over 7 years ago
– Tue, Jan 03, 2017 at 01:16:23 PM
Hey Guys... Happy New Year!
As we are now firmly planted in 2017, I wanted to give you a brief update...
Get MSK-1 Updates, News and Tips - Delivered Directly to You
First, if you would like updates directly from me (David) on MSK-1, MSK-1 Knife Care and Maintenance, MSK-1 Usage Tips and Tricks and Future Add-On Gear... You can sign up right now @: http://ultimatesurvivaltips.com/msk-1-updates/
Shipping Date Confusion - WHAT!??
Okay, so... One person contacted me recently a bit confused about shipping dates for MSK-1... so I figured that this probably means there are others...
NOW specifically there seems to be a tiny bit of ship date confusion because some of you are watching our BackerKit Pre-Order website "Estimated Shipping Date". Which currently says, "Estimate Shipping Date: May 2017".
The GOOD thing is that this date is NOT for our Kickstarter Backers or MOST of our Pre-Order backers... (see photo below).
Let me explain... Because BackerKit is the "Front Door" for those wanting to Pre-Order an MSK-1 (today), the date on the Pre-Order website changes (and will continue to change) over time.
Why? Well, the clock keeps ticking and for new pre-orders (placed today) there is currently a 4-5 month lead time to get newly ordered MSK-1 gear shipped.
So, the date on our Pre-order site is ONLY for those people placing a Pre-Order on that day.
For instance... I just changed the "Estimated Shipping Date" on the Pre-Order website to "May 2017"... this date is ONLY for those who are currently pre-ordering (and have pre-ordered AFTER January 1, 2017).
This is NOT for our Kickstarter Backers OR the vast majority of our Pre-Order Backers.
We are still on schedule to begin shipping on February 21, 2017 (as I reported in our last update). COOL!? Check out our last update: http://tinyurl.com/MSk-1-Update-12-23-16
So if you have Backed this project with a Pledge or Pre-Order Prior to January 1st, 2017... PLEASE do NOT follow the "Estimated Shipping Date" on our BackerKit Pre-Order website - it's NOT for you!
As always, your updates will come directly from me...
Yesterday I submitted the FINAL laser markings for the MSK-1 Mini Knives. Today or tomorrow, I am expecting the VERY first sharpened MSK-1 Mongo (AKA - the Big Knife) to arrive so I can check it out.
About 300 MSK-1 Mini Neck knives are in the later build stages: coating, laser brand marks and sharpening. Approximately 100 MSK-1 Mongo Knives are not too far behind them and the others are being ground next week until they are complete (with even more Mini Neck knives and MSK-1s to follow).
But in the meantime - we are assembling MSK-1 kit parts.
Our team will begin assembling pieces of your MSK-1 kit this week. There's a TON of stuff to do...
For instance, every Ultimate Survival Tips ferro rod gets 10 inches of heavy duty shock cord attached to hold the rod in it's sheath and make it easier to hang onto when it's in your hand. This is just one example of the many items we will begin preparing for MSK-1 kits in coming days.
It's exciting to be moving forward!
Okay, that's it for now,
You're gonna love this knife!!! I can't wait to get it in your hands!
Warmest regards,
~David
P.S. One last thing... bring your MSK-1 knife and GET TRAINED – HAVE FUN – TEST YOUR SKILLS and COMPETE FOR OVER $1,100 in PRIZES @ the Ultimate Survival Challenge in July. Seats started to go fast this week - so don't wait too long. SAVE $200 on Registration until Feb. 3rd.
Yay!!! MSK-1 and Mini Neck Knife Ship Dates - Photos BELOW…
over 7 years ago
– Fri, Dec 23, 2016 at 08:03:16 PM
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Y'all…
So, after months of production, some disappointing hiccups in our manufacturing schedule, and a HUGE learning curve (at least for me) in what it takes to make a great “made-in-the-USA-with- 100%- American-made-materials” knife…
I have some pretty good news and solid dates that I can stand by for when we will be able to start shipping MSK-1 and Mini Neck Knives.
First Some Background, So You Understand How We Will Roll Things Out…
As I have written in previous updates, there are about 30 stages of manufacturing through various processes and nearly a dozen top American companies helping us to make the components for your MSK-1 knife kit.
To make up your MSK-1 Pledge or BackerKit Pre-Order… there are over 40 individual part numbers, most of which represent an actual piece of the MSK-1 kit.
These include stuff like: Titan paracord, handle survival kits, 2” firesteel for your Mini Neck knife, necklace clasps, lanyards, our very own Ultimate Survival Tips ferro rods, 11 sheath component parts, 4 colors of handle slab sets, and MSK-1 and Mini knives with hardware.
I currently have over 50% of all the parts and pieces that will make up your MKS-1 Survival Knife Kit in stock (yee haw!) …
Parts are Rolling in Here in Pennsylvania
As parts roll in here… we will assemble MSK-1 pledge / pre-orders fulfilling Kickstarter Pledges first…
Then we will ship post-Kickstarter, BackerKit Pre-Orders in the order of the date that each was placed.
So, for example a Pre-Order placed in July would be fulfilled prior to a Pre-Order placed in October…
HERE’s Where We Are Right Now…
As the first (almost finished) knife samples roll in for Jeff and I to final approve before they get the finishing touches, our two sheath makers get the first blades so that they can do the tooling and molding of the sheaths. (See Photos Below). Holy Cow!!! The knives are better than I imagined!
Knives will then start arriving here in batches of 100 at a time, right around the time sheaths arrive.
So what I really need everyone to understand is that NOT all of the MSK-1 knives will be here at the same time. So shipping will roll out as knives roll in.
Here is My Best Effort at a Conservative and Realistic Schedule…
We will begin shipping MSK-1 Knife Kits beginning February 21st, 2017 @ a rate of approximately 100 per week (since the knives will be arriving here at approximately 100 per week). This will continue for 6 additional weeks until all current pledges and pre-orders are fulfilled.
This means that all pre-orders should be delivered no later than the middle of April… with the bulk being delivered in March and some as early as late February 2017.
So, if someone pre-ordered an MSK-1 today, they would receive it sometime in the later half of April.
Also, know that if we can beat this schedule we will… but I am not promising this.
IMPORTANT!!! HERE’s What Will Happen Before We Ship Your MSK-1
Before we ship your MSK-1 kit… you will receive an email (to the email address you gave us) asking you to verify your mailing address.
Until then, you CAN update your address and contact info at any time using the link that you were sent to fill out your BackerKit survey from Kickstarter or when you Pre-ordered on Backer Kit.
ALSO… If your email address changes between now and February… PLEASE PLEASE let us know so that we can update it.
7 People - RIGHT NOW - Who Have Undeliverable Addresses - OUCH!
YES, I’m checking your addresses, even now, because I want you to get your MSK-1 knife kit…
So, there are 7 folks (that I know of) who need to get me their correct addresses ASAP.
Here’s the first name initial and last names:
A. Lin
J. Nielsen
P. Ishll
N. Schubert
J. Ramos
G. Crockett
T. Emerson
If you are one of the above. Please respond and contact me with your full name and current mailing address. THANK YOU :)
Okay guys… That’s it!
Have a Blessed and Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
See you in 2017!
Warmest regards,
~David
The FIRST (Almost Finished) MSK-1 Approved and Shipped to AMSPRO (our ACS Black Kydex and Nylon Sheath System Maker) for Sheath Tooling and Molding!
An MSK-1 Knife in Time for Christmas??? And a MEGA Update...
over 7 years ago
– Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 10:25:03 PM
Will we ship any MSK-1s in time for Christmas?
Okay guys... so here goes...
I've held out as long as I can. Drum roll please... So, based on my most recent information from Jeff and our various manufacturers we will NOT be shipping any MSK-1s in time for Christmas. Most of you already knew or figured that... but it is NOW official.
Email Us if One (or More) of Your MSK-1s are Christmas Gifts
So if you have pledged for, or pre-ordered an MSK-1 or Mini neck knife for someone for Christmas this year... please let me know ASAP via email [email protected] with the word "GIFT" in the subject line... and we will send you a card announcing your gift.
If you have already let me know previously... would you please kindly let me know again so that I can make sure that you are taken care of?
NEW Way to GET the LATEST News on MSK-1 - COMING THIS WEEK...
This week every Kickstarter Backer and Pre-Order Backer will get an email to join our NEW MSK-1 News and Updates list from me (David).
Please do what the email says (like you will probably have to click a link to confirm that you want to opt-in to the list). Don't worry... I HATE spam and a crazy TON of emails. I'll only send you emails on the stuff I think you'll really want to know about... which is ALL of the latest news on the MSK-1 project and gear.
These emails will come direct from me NOT through the Kickstarter Platform - because, unfortunately, the Kickstarted updates have not been making it to MANY folks.
So please opt-in when you receive the email from me for the MSK-1 NEWS and UPDATES e-MAG.
And yes, I'll continue to post the most important updates to Kickstarter until we fulfill Kickstarter pledges... but most of the cool news will come via our MSK-1 NEWS and UPDATES e-MAG.
NOW, Here's a MEGA Update on the Knife...
We are REALLY PUSHING... to get solid answers on completion dates of various parts and components being milled and made for this project. Then Jeff and I are hoping to piece together some idea on real ship dates.
Once we make it through this first cycle... our production and ship estimates for the future should be more accurate - unless pre-order trends change dramatically once the MSK-1 gets out into the world.
COMING NEXT in Production - AWESOME Sheaths!
Once the absolute first Mini Neck Knife AND MSK-1 Survival Knife are complete - they will be RUSHED to our two sheath manufacturers - AMSPRO and Tie Tactical.
Neither has been able to start on the sheaths yet, because (as I mentioned in previous updates) I made minor upgrades to each knife that enhance overall performance of both.
This means that our prototype #5 knives (that you guys saw in the Kickstarter Campaign videos) could not be used for forming up the Kydex sheath for the MSK-1 or Mini Neck Knife.
This is my fault... I wanted the absolute best knife for you... and knew at the time, that there was a risk of delaying fulfillment because of this unless EVERYTHING went just right.
It was a hard choice... but my perfectionism wouldn't let me ship you a knife that wasn't as good as I thought it could be.
Many have asked, "SO what are the changes to the knives-David?"
Honestly, these changes are nothing that is going to sound major... but they significantly enhance the performance of each knife.
1) On the MSK-1 - We are pulling the primary bevel up slightly and the swedge (this is the false edge on the spine side) down a bit. Pulling the primary bevel up will greater improve fine cutting and slicing tasks because it moves more of the full quarter inch thick steel out of the way while still retaining the crazy ruggedness of the knife. Pulling the swedge down helps the piercing ability of the knife and for those who choose to sharpen the swedge (making the MSK-1 double edged) - the spine side edge will be more functional.
2) On the MSK-1 - We increased the diameter of the pommel-end firesteel striker so that it more efficiently throws sparks of thicker ferro rods up to 3/8" diameter.
3) On the MSK-1 - We have also dialed in the edge angle decreasing it by approximately 2 degrees which doesn't seem like much, but increases the blade's fine cutting and slicing ability without a significant reduction in blade strength.
4) On the MINI Neck Knife - the blades you saw in the Kickstarter videos were over .18" thick at the spine. With Jeff's awesome help and council, I made a decision (just before launching the Kickstarter campaign) to reduce the width of the neck knife to .15" and pull the swedge down and the primary grind up.
These two changes make the MSK-1 Mini better at piecing and drilling tasks and an even more BadA_ _ bushcraft and campcraft cutting machine.
Field dressing and processing of wild game will be more efficient and there will be a noticable increase in effectiveness during kitchen cutting, especially in the area of harder veggies like carrots and potatos.
All this was done without taking away from the super tough / rugged design of this knife.
NEXT Up: BATCHES - HERE'S How Shipping Will Go...
We will be shipping in a few different batches (in order to get MSK-1 flowing as soon as possible).
As knives and sheaths roll in here, there will likely be THREE batches of MSK-1s going out at different times:
FIRST BATCH - We will be fulfilling our Kickstarter Backer pledges first. You guys were the first to jump in... and as promised, you will get your MSK-1s first.
SECOND BATCH - There is a second batch of MSK-1s that entered production a little later than the first batch due to steel availablity and some other jazz above my pay grade.
We will begin fulfilling our BackerKit (post Kickstarter) Pre-Orders in the order that each was received - UNTIL we run out of the EXTRA knives that I ordered in the first production run.
Here's the deal with this...
The reality is that I am not wealthy, sponsored or owned by any company... so I could ONLY order XX amount of extra knives with the money pledged during the Kickstarter Campain. So I ordered as many as I could afford.
So, although I ordered extra knives beyond what was pledged for during the Kickstarter Campaign... I did not anticipate that pre-orders would continue at such a crazy pace as they have... and honestly could not afford to order any more knives than I did.
I had to be conservative which is my tendency in business matters.
I figured pre-orders would essentually dry up after the Kickstarter Campaign (THAT'S what seems to happen to just about every other campaign), But pre-orders have NOT dried up for THIS campaign.
So since I have chosen NOT to get an investor or seek any other speculative funding source (which could compromise the quality of this knife and it being Made in the USA)...You - friend - ARE the funding source of your own knife. POWER TO THE PEOPLE - Yeah!!!
I personally think this is pretty cool... but it can also be painful when you have to wait and can't just order an MSK-1 and get it tomorrow. Maybe someday... just not today!
But the honest truth is, the MSK-1 would NEVER have seen the light of day, had it not been for the modern miracle of Crowd Funding and YOU!
So, NOW is the time to pat yourself on the back and say..."The MSK-1 Exists Because of ME!!!" Which is quite true!
SO what the heck are we going to do?
THIRD BATCH - So Jeff and I are working out the details of getting another run of MSK-1s in production ASAP to meet back-ordered and continuing pre-order demand.
This is why the estimated ship date on our Pre-Order page is currently set at April 2017. Here's a link: http://tinyurl.com/MSK-PreOrder-Page (if you want to check this out).
This date is our current best guestimate for folks who pre-ordered from around the time the ship date (on the pre-order page) was set at Feburary 2017 (which has been moved as needed back to April 2017).
Following the "FIRST BATCH" and "SECOND BATCH"... production quarks should be worked out and pre-order delivery dates should stabilize.
At least that is our great hope.
ONE Last - But VERY Important Thing...
If you're not happy with our production schedule or waiting longer for your MSK-1 (than we anticipated) - and would like your money back - please let me know ASAP and I will gladly refund your FULL pledge amount.
Okay... that's it for now...
Thank YOU for your continued patience and kind support! You're going to love your MSK-1 knife.
I promise that it will be worth the wait!
Warmest regards to you and yours this Christmas Season!
