# My experience with JNS



## 4phantom (Dec 6, 2020)

Hi all,

For the longest time I was looking at getting myself a new jknife as I was finding my santoku to be just a tad short for my general kitchen uses. I went through a lot of options, did plenty of resesarch and asked many people numerous times on what their recommendations would be. I finally landed on the Tanaka Yoshikazu 210mm White #1 Gyuto from JNS, because it hit all my specifications: wa handle, carbon steel with no stainless cladding, classic aesthetic and not a thick grind. Moreover I was enticed by the free shipping that Maksim offers on high value orders, whereas many other overseas jknife stores (JKI, Korin, MTC) charge upwards of $70 USD which is about $100 AUD for me in just shipping costs.


I placed my order on the 22nd of november, a sunday and by the 25th there was no update on whether it had been shipped or not, so I sent Maksim a message on messenger asking about when it would be shipped, and he left my message as read, but later on I checked my order status and it had been updated to 'shipped' so I assumed it had been sent out and that would be the end of it.


The next day, I received my order update email but didn't receive any tracking information which I thought was strange as JNS states they only ship with DHL who always provide tracking information with orders of this value. So I messaged Maksim again, requesting a tracking number that I'd be able to use to follow my order as I was understandably excited to see when my new knife would come in. Again I was ignored and he left my message on read. I figured I would give it a couple of days to see if the order just arrived, as I know from personal experience and working with another small e-commerce business that DHL is relatively fast, and usually only takes 2-3 days to arrive even for international deliveries.


Then Black Friday sales arrived and I wanted to know a bit more about one of the Jnats that was on sale, so I messaged Maksim yet again on messenger and to my surprise this time I actually got a response, yet he seemingly just blindsided all my past messages about my order/requesting tracking and answered what I asked about the Jnat. I gave it another day, but at this point I was getting really impatient as I knew something was wrong because DHL doesn't take this long to deliver something, as well as the fact that I'd contacted Maksim multiple times at this point about my order and he'd just ignored all my communication attempts. Screenshots are attached below.


I sent yet another message on the 3rd asking about some nagura and my tracking number and surprise surprise, was ignored. I actually had it open on my second screen and he 'saw' the message about an hour after I sent it and until this day has just decided to completely ignore it. To make sure there wasn't any issues with messenger I also sent him an email, but at this point it's been 5 days with no reply.


This has been a pretty frustrating and unpleasant experience for me, as I've heard from numerous places that Maksim offers great customer service and fast shipping with DHL but I have received almost none of that in my interactions with him. At this point it has been exactly 2 weeks since I've placed my order with no update on where it is, or whether it's even on it's way to me. I wouldn't have even minded the wait if he'd just be able to tell me when it's actually going to be shipped/if it's coming any time soon at all. If JNS is telling the truth about using DHL Express only, it means that he's lied about when it was shipped or they've lied about who they used to ship it.


This is just beyond unprofessional and not what I expected at all. I'll be requesting a refund in the next week or so if there still isn't any update, and the only thing that's really stopping me from requesting one now is that I really want this knife. I also purchased another Kaeru Stainless Gyuto for a friend of mine to gift to his mother, and he's also been pestering me about when it'll arrive and it really sucks when he trusted me with a $200 purchase and all I can say is 'sorry dude idk when its coming'.


I'm a uni student who just recently found a part time job, so a $400 purchase isn't something small that I can just brush off.


Just wanted to post this as a warning to others that may be considering purchasing from JNS. I know that Maksim runs/posts on this forum so hopefully I can get some attention here and finally get an explanation/tracking number. My order was #12724.


Thanks for reading

Imgur Screenshot Album link: 


Edit 1: The real kicker is this email that I received today, (name edited out)






Edit 2: Got my tracking number through messenger, I was 100% wrong about DHL, didn't expect them to have delays this heavy during christmas but I still stand by the fact that just ignoring my messages is still pretty poor customer service, no matter how small the operation is I personally don't understand how he wouldn't have 10 seconds to send me my tracking number as he did just then, most likely in response to me posting this thread.

Edit 3: It's all been sorted and Maksim has been nothing short of helpful since the knives arrived. The Tanaka arrived with a chip on the heel, presumably from rough handling and gave me great advice on how to fix it and even offered to exchange it if I screwed up the repair. It was a bit of a rough journey there but since then Maksim has been aboslutely outstanding with his advice and responsiveness. Also for anyone wanting a high quality gyuto on a budget I cannot recommend the Kaeru series enough, they're absolutely amazing value for the quality of knife you receive.


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## inferno (Dec 6, 2020)

if you dont want to get spammed with dick enlargement pills and/or other cool stuff for the next 200 years, give or take. you should edit and remove your email address from the post. 

regarding shops that ship **** on time i can recommend cleancut. 
also japanesechefsknives.com (jck) send out stuff very quickly.


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## daddy yo yo (Dec 6, 2020)

Patience is a virtue that many of us (including myself) have to learn, little Padawan.

While I can understand you and your impatience, Maksim runs a one man business. Just imagine the amount of work he has when doing a thing like Black Friday sales where many of us go completely nuts. I have done business with Maksim before on a few occasions. Maybe others do ship quicker, maybe others communicate better - but most don’t. At least this is my experience.


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## 4phantom (Dec 6, 2020)

daddy yo yo said:


> Patience is a virtue that many of us (including myself) have to learn, little Padawan.
> 
> While I can understand you and your impatience, Maksim runs a one man business. Just imagine the amount of work he has when doing a thing like Black Friday sales where many of us go completely nuts. I have done business with Maksim before on a few occasions. Maybe others do ship quicker, maybe others communicate better - but most don’t. At least this is my experience.



It's been a full 2 weeks at this point, and my order was placed 5 days before his black friday sales even started/or were listed. If that is indeed why it's so delayed it wouldn't have killed him to say "I'm a bit behind on my orders because of I've been busy" and I would've been fine with it but nothing but radio silence for 2 weeks is just unacceptable imo, especially when I can see him blatantly ignoring me on messenger.


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## ModRQC (Dec 6, 2020)

Wow...

Step into Canada and my world, get a visa, you might want to stay.

Any specialized shop from Canada usually ships same day/next day or so. I don't care if it's BF, or whatever sale they are running. They ship. They answer.


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## 4phantom (Dec 6, 2020)

inferno said:


> if you dont want to get spammed with dick enlargement pills and/or other cool stuff for the next 200 years, give or take. you should edit and remove your email address from the post.
> 
> regarding shops that ship **** on time i can recommend cleancut.
> also japanesechefsknives.com (jck) send out stuff very quickly.


Thanks for the heads up, didn't know people still did stuff like that ahaha. Unforunately I'm in Australia, meaning that most overseas stores charge hellishly high shipping fees. 


JCK seemed like a great option, but didn't find anything in there that matched what I wanted at the price point I was looking at, and I also noticed it's hard to find a lot of information about their inhouse brand knives like reviews or such which is why I strayed away from them. 


I appreciate the recommendations though, thanks!


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## zizirex (Dec 6, 2020)

ModRQC said:


> Wow...
> 
> Step into Canada and my world, get a visa, you might want to stay.
> 
> Any specialized shop from Canada usually ships same day/next day or so. I don't care if it's BF, or whatever sale they are running. They ship. They answer.


make friends with the shop and you get a better deal/early bird than most people.


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## inferno (Dec 6, 2020)

phantom. you will find plenty info right here. 

their house brand knives are very good. i had a blue moon santoku. cheap handle but the blade was very good. quite beefy though.
i also have vortex damascus r2 blade. this one is ultra thin. and ultra hard. a lazer.

before the covid ****. jck sent stuff out with ems post and that was 7 dollars, and the packages arrived in about 2-3 days to scandiland. no vat either. it flew under the radar. now i think he uses dhl. and then you will get hit with customs and vat for sure.


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## ModRQC (Dec 6, 2020)

zizirex said:


> make friends with the shop and you get a better deal/early bird than most people.



Yup they are amazing. Have a couple of such places that had most of my business. But I encourage them all and am not particularly after such rarities... or at least I have a taste for what it seems most people don’t look at. Deals though are always great to have in one’s pocket for sure.


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## alterwisser (Dec 6, 2020)

daddy yo yo said:


> Patience is a virtue that many of us (including myself) have to learn, little Padawan.
> 
> While I can understand you and your impatience, Maksim runs a one man business. Just imagine the amount of work he has when doing a thing like Black Friday sales where many of us go completely nuts. I have done business with Maksim before on a few occasions. Maybe others do ship quicker, maybe others communicate better - but most don’t. At least this is my experience.



I would normally agree with you, BUT: in this case I can’t. There’s literally zero reason for answering a question about a stone (potential sale, wink wink) but not previous messages about an existing order. That cannot be explained with “one man show, little time”.

If he has time to answer the stone inquiry he has time to give a shipping update, period.


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## alterwisser (Dec 6, 2020)

4phantom said:


> Thanks for the heads up, didn't know people still did stuff like that ahaha. Unforunately I'm in Australia, meaning that most overseas stores charge hellishly high shipping fees.
> 
> 
> JCK seemed like a great option, but didn't find anything in there that matched what I wanted at the price point I was looking at, and I also noticed it's hard to find a lot of information about their inhouse brand knives like reviews or such which is why I strayed away from them.
> ...



you have a pretty darn good vendor in Australia, you can get stuff shipped for reasonable prices from Japan AND you have amazing custom makers in Australia. Why do you even bother with European/American vendors? And no offense: the Knife you ordered isn’t a unicorn once in a lifetime knife that doesn’t know equals....


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## ModRQC (Dec 6, 2020)

"*We ship packages almost every day, however latest within 7 buiness days* "

'Nuff said. Barring the poor english.

Then answering about a stone. Is he holding you off because he's out but knows he's getting some soon enough - which these days, can be much later than sooner?

Just send a mail with his own Terms and Conditions, and ask for an immediate update, or a refund, that if no answer within 24 hours, you'll dispute the payment.

I'm thinking one guy gets a bit too much attention with his rarities and thinks he's a head above the crowd. He has about 10 different knives in stock at a time, how can it be so hard to overcome rush periods when he's left with 5?


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## Matus (Dec 6, 2020)

This is not a ModPost in the case anyone wonders ...

Full disclosure - let me start with saying that I know Maksim personally and consider him to be my friend, so take that into account.

@4phantom , you are new around here so let me mention that JNS is a one man operation and it simply is not manageable to reply to every question within hours (it has been much worse when it was all emails and got better with social media) - especially it you contact him via several social media in parallel. Imagine having hundreds of unread messages in your Messenger - not easy to manage. Ordering 1 month before Christmas will easily yield a few days of a delay before the package ships - I did a few orders in a course of November and got the stuff shipped within 2-3 working days, not the day I ordered them.

The tracking information is normally provided automatically by DHL Express, not by JNS (just check my past order-update emails, no tracking there), so if they fail to do so, then yes, contacting JNS is the way to go and apparently that did not go optimally - I am not arguing that point. You asked about the stone and he missed your earlier messages.

DHL Express is most likely overwhelmed as they - as most other companies - are having hard time to operate while the world is fighting a pandemic.

BTW, to my knowledge you should have received the tracking information by now and your package should be delivered tomorrow. So yes, it was shipped normally and DHL Expressed failed to notify you, they are not perfect either.

If it makes you feel any better - I am waiting for a package from a small company in US and it first needed 7 days to move from the point of where it was shipped to the next USPS center and as of today it did not leave US for Germany. I am most likely going to wait at least 2 more weeks to receive it.


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## damiano (Dec 6, 2020)

Short answer: Maksim is probably busy right now, but he is fully trustworthy. And yes, if you are in Australia, why not check out knivesandstones, all the more because he stocks Y Tanaka too!

Okay so JNS. I placed an order last August, and got my package within 3 days. I live nearby, the Netherlands. Not sure whether I got tracking info, I think I did through the carrier. Last Thursday I placed my second order with JNS and this morning I've seen a notification from JNS that it is shipped. Not sure whether I will the have same experience as you are having, but I expect this sometime in the coming week. 

Yes, Maksim doesn't answer all emails. I had asked a question on Toyama in an email conversation we had after me buying a Munetoshi back in September, and he stopped replying at some point. Another thing that is a negative for me is JNS charging restocking fees of 10%. MEaning if I send back a knife for a full refund, I only get 90% back. To me this means that I need to consider JNS as any other Japanese/Australian vendor, that is buy with the intention of not being able to return it. 

If I were in your shoes I'd probably ask Maksim to cancel the order. Then start looking at knivesandstones and perhaps JCK (excellent customer service from Koki), and also don't rule out Watanabe in Japan (similar knives as the Toyama from JNS).


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## 4phantom (Dec 6, 2020)

alterwisser said:


> you have a pretty darn good vendor in Australia, you can get stuff shipped for reasonable prices from Japan AND you have amazing custom makers in Australia. Why do you even bother with European/American vendors? And no offense: the Knife you ordered isn’t a unicorn once in a lifetime knife that doesn’t know equals....



K&S didn't have what I wanted, I was really picky about the specs that I wanted which is why I took so long choosing which knife I wanted. I was looking since the start of October. I was specifically looking for a 210mm wa-gyuto made from either AS or shirogami, with a plain migaki/kasumi finish as I personally don't like the aesthetic of nashiji/damascus/tsuchime. I didn't know we had custom knife makers in Aus, or at least who to talk about with them and even then I'm not sure they'd suit my budget of ~400ish AUD.


I know it's not a once in a lifetime knife, but many people had good things to say about it and it was the first knife that ticked all my boxes + was in stock + I really like the look of.


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## ModRQC (Dec 6, 2020)

That's alright, you're entitled to your choices. 

@Matus seems adamant you shouldn't worry too much. A thousand members here can tell you they ordered with JNS. If that's the one, if price was fit, just be a bit more patient, although I personally find this to be quite ridiculous.


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## 4phantom (Dec 6, 2020)

Matus said:


> This is not a ModPost in the case anyone wonders ...
> 
> Full disclosure - let me start with saying that I know Maksim personally and consider him to be my friend, so take that into account.
> 
> ...



I'm 100% aware that JNS is a one-man operation, however as outlined previously if he has the time to answer my stone question he has the time to give me my tracking information. As for 'unread messages' in messenger, they have a feature that tells you when they've been read. All of mine were read by Maksim, because it literally says 'read @ x:xx'.

I was definitely wrong about DHL and I admit that, but I still don't think there's any viable excuse for Maksim to just be blatantly ignoring messages that don't relate to potential sales. And yes, I did receive my tracking information but if it really takes making a KKF thread exposing poor customer service practices to receive one after asking multiple times/giving multiple chances.. I have nothing to say anymore


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## 4phantom (Dec 6, 2020)

Wahnamhong said:


> Short answer: Maksim is probably busy right now, but he is fully trustworthy. And yes, if you are in Australia, why not check out knivesandstones, all the more because he stocks Y Tanaka too!
> 
> Okay so JNS. I placed an order last August, and got my package within 3 days. I live nearby, the Netherlands. Not sure whether I got tracking info, I think I did through the carrier. Last Thursday I placed my second order with JNS and this morning I've seen a notification from JNS that it is shipped. Not sure whether I will the have same experience as you are having, but I expect this sometime in the coming week.
> 
> ...



They do have y.tanaka, but at 2x the cost of what I paid on JNS + it doesn't suit the aesthetic that I wanted. It's a damascus blue knife thats listed for ~800 incl GST and I paid a little over 400 for my y.tanaka from JNS. The emails I understand, the messenger messages left on 'read' I really don't. I haven't heard too much about watanabe before, I'll check them out, thanks for the suggestion!


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## damiano (Dec 6, 2020)

Here is the website for Watanabe. Best professional chef cookware | PROFESSIONAL

A lot of people here, including me, have a Watanabe Pro. Typically it's blue stainless clad, but he also stocks iron clad and other steels. See also the Special tab. Plus if you contact him you can ask for customisation.


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## Jovidah (Dec 6, 2020)

Wahnamhong said:


> Yes, Maksim doesn't answer all emails. I had asked a question on Toyama in an email conversation we had after me buying a Munetoshi back in September, and he stopped replying at some point. Another thing that is a negative for me is JNS charging restocking fees of 10%. MEaning if I send back a knife for a full refund, I only get 90% back. To me this means that I need to consider JNS as any other Japanese/Australian vendor, that is buy with the intention of not being able to return it.



I don't have any opinion or bone to pick in this entire JNS-argument, but on this aspect: I'd be very surprised if restocking fees were legal under EU consumer laws. Never saw any other store get away with it.

I can second positive mentions of JCK (a store I do have experience with), but don't have any experience with any of the others mentioned in this thread, so don't take that as a negative opinion on any of the others.


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## ModRQC (Dec 6, 2020)

So depending on when tracking was really issued, he is four days late on his timeline. Could happen with BF, that. He answered about the stone because he had the info at the ready from memory. Your tracking verification required some more steps; perhaps he didn't have the time to do that, perhaps your case wasn't the worse of his actual problems with the carrier.

He should have acknowledged your demand on some level, though, ask for patience and that he would check if after x days you didn't get the tracking still. 

Did he?



4phantom said:


> I'm 100% aware that JNS is a one-man operation, however as outlined previously if he has the time to answer my stone question he has the time to give me my tracking information. As for 'unread messages' in messenger, they have a feature that tells you when they've been read. All of mine were read by Maksim, because it literally says 'read @ x:xx'.
> 
> I was definitely wrong about DHL and I admit that, but I still don't think there's any viable excuse for Maksim to just be blatantly ignoring messages that don't relate to potential sales. And yes, I did receive my tracking information but if it really takes making a KKF thread exposing poor customer service practices to receive one after asking multiple times/giving multiple chances.. I have nothing to say anymore


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## alterwisser (Dec 6, 2020)

4phantom said:


> I'm 100% aware that JNS is a one-man operation, however as outlined previously if he has the time to answer my stone question he has the time to give me my tracking information. As for 'unread messages' in messenger, they have a feature that tells you when they've been read. All of mine were read by Maksim, because it literally says 'read @ x:xx'.
> 
> I was definitely wrong about DHL and I admit that, but I still don't think there's any viable excuse for Maksim to just be blatantly ignoring messages that don't relate to potential sales. And yes, I did receive my tracking information but if it really takes making a KKF thread exposing poor customer service practices to receive one after asking multiple times/giving multiple chances.. I have nothing to say anymore



Depending on where you read them (web browser, app etc) a message in messenger (if we’re talking Facebook here) will show up as read even if the recipient was just clicking through the messages.
There’s no guarantee Someone actually read them.

matus said that you should’ve received the tracking number by now. It sounds like he checked in with Maksim about it.

If you indeed received it by now, it would be nice to confirm that. We kind of all agree what what happened to you wasn’t ok, but IF you have the tracking number now it’s kind of a moot point because the issue has been solved ...

Edit: I see it has been confirmed in the meantime


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## Jeezuinn (Dec 6, 2020)

OP, I can relate when it comes to JNS responses in general. I have bought from there a few times and while I may not always get the response I am expecting, I have always received my stuffs in good order. Not sure if that makes you feel better


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## alterwisser (Dec 6, 2020)

Jovidah said:


> I don't have any opinion or bone to pick in this entire JNS-argument, but on this aspect: I'd be very surprised if restocking fees were legal under EU consumer laws. Never saw any other store get away with it.
> 
> I can second positive mentions of JCK (a store I do have experience with), but don't have any experience with any of the others mentioned in this thread, so don't take that as a negative opinion on any of the others.



EU law: you can return the item within 14 days, no question asked for a FULL refund INCLUDING shipping (but not return shipping) cost, unless you asked for express shipping.

you then have another 14 days to return the goods. So the previous 14 days are just the time to cancel your purchase agreement, from the second you clicked “buy”...

so yeah, if he charges a restocking fee you can tell him to give you a full refund...


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## ModRQC (Dec 6, 2020)

Not saying this applies to EU laws, but over here I get some customers sometimes arguing the right to return the article they bought within 14 days. Turns out however this law only applies to door-to-door sale; any purchase done "willingly", without previous attempt from the vendor to actually sell you anything, the law doesn't apply, and it's up to the merchant's discretion to either or not apply a restocking fee.


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## Matus (Dec 6, 2020)

alterwisser said:


> so yeah, if he charges a restocking fee you can tell him to give you a full refund...



He doesn't. He did that once to a guy from outside EU who returned 10 knives after he used them.


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## damiano (Dec 6, 2020)

Jovidah said:


> I don't have any opinion or bone to pick in this entire JNS-argument, but on this aspect: I'd be very surprised if restocking fees were legal under EU consumer laws. Never saw any other store get away with it.


That's actually a good point. Hadn't thought of that but yes it shouldn't be legal I guess. I had bought a 210 euro Munetoshi gyuto, so in all I lost maybe 20 euro, not enough to pursue it. What it has done though is make me less willing to buy again from JNS. Basically the only reason I'm still buying there is because he stocks the excellent value Munetoshi line.

I've now placed three orders at JCK and it has been excellent all over. Also a good experience with Cleancut.


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## bryan03 (Dec 6, 2020)

amazon killed the game .... every thing "should" be Prime service now.... 
free shipping, free return, free test for 30 days , no questions asked...


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## 4phantom (Dec 6, 2020)

ModRQC said:


> So depending on when tracking was really issued, he is four days late on his timeline. Could happen with BF, that. He answered about the stone because he had the info at the ready from memory. Your tracking verification required some more steps; perhaps he didn't have the time to do that, perhaps your case wasn't the worse of his actual problems with the carrier.
> 
> He should have acknowledged your demand on some level, though, ask for patience and that he would check if after x days you didn't get the tracking still.
> 
> Did he?


I got nothing from him regarding tracking. Nothing at all. I wouldn't even be annoyed if he'd just dropped a message saying something along the lines of 'I'm super busy at the moment could you give me a few days to catch up and get you the tracking' but I didn't get anything of the sort which is why I was irritated.


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## 4phantom (Dec 6, 2020)

Jeezuinn said:


> OP, I can relate when it comes to JNS responses in general. I have bought from there a few times and while I may not always get the response I am expecting, I have always received my stuffs in good order. Not sure if that makes you feel better


Yeah I'm kind of getting the vibe that this is what happens with most people. Orders are made because he carries stuff others don't but you shouldn't expect stellar or responsive service. There are other things I want to purchase on JNS but this experience kind of soured me off it. Not sure if I will want to buy in the future, probably will depend on how much I want it haha


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## damiano (Dec 6, 2020)

Matus said:


> He doesn't. He did that once to a guy from outside EU who returned 10 knives after he used them.


He did charge me a restocking fee and I believe I also had to pay back the free shipping I got with the initial order. I believe I got 170 euro back from a 210 euro 100% unused knife.


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## alterwisser (Dec 6, 2020)

Matus said:


> He doesn't. He did that once to a guy from outside EU who returned 10 knives after he used them.



he doesn’t what?

he doesn’t give a full refund? Well, he might have to by law ....


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## Matus (Dec 6, 2020)

alterwisser said:


> he doesn’t what?
> 
> he doesn’t give a full refund? Well, he might have to by law ....



He did not have to take them back at all, since they were in used condition


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## Matus (Dec 6, 2020)

Wahnamhong said:


> He did charge me a restocking fee and I believe I also had to pay back the free shipping I got with the initial order. I believe I got 170 euro back from a 210 euro 100% unused knife.View attachment 105323



Since I got myself too deep in this thread already (something I now regret) - You ordered 2 knives and qualified for free shipping, then returned one. So you were refunded the knife, but charged the shipping because ordering just one in the first place would have not qualified for free shipping. Do you think that was unfair? Or you just hoped to use this little trick to get free shipping?

And about the 10% restocking - he may very well take them if the order is from outside EU, or if the return happens outside the time frame specified by the EU law, so it makes absolutely sense to mention it. However in reality, that fee gets applied only in rare cases.


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## maxim (Dec 6, 2020)

damit i have then to comment that one  Tried to stay away it is Sunday 

First point on the OP
ofc it is my fault when I don't answer as I am only one that do answering 
.But when dealing with 4 platforms to answer on mistakes can happen and this is 5th platform
.Package was shipped 25th November so it took total* 7 working days* to reach Australia from DK ( personally I think it is fast )
.On new Facebook Bussnes messaging it can be tricky as it hides some messages even so it looks like it is read it can be just a notification that was opened on a phone
. when I do sale and with covid situation it seems that my costumers have more time to send me emails and messages soo I do get double amount of emails in those covid times
. I do not deal with DHL directly I send with Currier so I get tracking in many cases later then package arrives
. DHL should send message to my costumer with tracking and delivery as I add they email in the booking but they system sometimes fail too 


. Now restocking fees, most of my returns happens after 14 days that is by law, and I always take returns even if its used or even if its over 30 days many off my costumers know that and I always give full refund
10 % is really for people that only buy to return or some that is unfair return that I can claim that 10 % that's why it say so on my web
Also most of my costumers is not in EU
And most of return is stuff that have been used like stones, as I sell more stones then knives
And yes if you make order that qualify for free shipping and return most expensive stuff from that order and keep cheap one then I do claim shipping of return goods, I think it is fair as DHL Express as you all know is not cheap


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## Michi (Dec 6, 2020)

To me, this thread is another example of trial by social media. Almost always unwarranted and unnecessary.


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## damiano (Dec 6, 2020)

Matus said:


> Do you think that was unfair? Or you just hoped to use this little trick to get free shipping?


I am only laying out the JNS' rules. I did not complain to Maksim at the time. 

As to the point of 'fair': if I qualify for free shipping by ordering an extra knife, and with the intention of sending it back as a 'little trick'...

I'm only shooting myself in the foot as I now have to pay for the return shipping myself. 

So in this case I was charged shipping both ways for the purchase of a single knife. And to be clear my intention was to keep both knives, but decided against keeping the gyuto. Which again was unused, I opened the box, felt it, and sent it back 1-2 days later.


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## Brian Weekley (Dec 6, 2020)

The whole shipping issue has become a major consideration for me. Knives are my third “thing” that has involved international shipments ... primarily with the United States. Two big time hobbies and one full blown import wholesale distribution business. Over the years I’d say I’ve done well over a thousand international shipments. It has just been the last year where the cost/unreliability of international shipments is affecting my decision to purchase an item. My take on the OP’s issue with JNS is that I get his pain. A kiss of death between me and any vendor ... individual or business, is if I get a sense that they are lying to me or, once they have my money, they are ignoring me. I won’t make a big issue of it, I’ll just vote with my feet. That will be the last time I will deal with them. To me it’s just not worth the anxiety. I will say that of the hundred or so purchases I’ve made through BST, KKF members are fabulous. With only a couple of exceptions shipping has been quick, communication ... like tracking numbers ... has been excellent and the product I received was exactly what was represented. In all cases I’ve asked for a telephone number where the vendor can be reached as part of the deal. I’ve never had to use it. Knife vendors/makers haven’t been so good. One Canadian vendor tried to justify not shipping because “there was a snowstorm and Canada Post wasn’t picking up courier shipments”. I checked the weather and there was no snowstorm. I asked for and received a refund. Lying to me is worse than ignoring me. I don’t even check their site anymore. The anxiety associated with purchasing from them would be too great. Another major US vendor charged and marked a shipment to me to travel by commercial courier .... then gave the shipment to USPS. Each time it took over a month for the error to be corrected and the shipment to arrive. I love that vendors product line, but that’s it. No more purchases from them. Again it’s not that I wish to punish them, it’s that an expensive optional purchase should be a pleasurable event, not one filled with anxiety over whether the product will arrive once paid for. All in all I would say that my shipping experience has, with a very small number of exceptions, been positive until recently. Prompt shipment, or at least good communication is part of being in business. A business should avoid leaving a bad taste in the buyers mouth if they expect repeat customers. 

Now ... this brings me to the biggest problem in my opinion ... USPS and courier costs. USPS is simply a CF. About twice as expensive as Canada Post, there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to the service you will receive. Worse than that you can be assured that you will receive absolutely no assistance if a parcel goes astray ... insured or not. Even US vendors recognize that shipping USPS is a crap shoot. Many US sellers now indicate that they won’t ship outside the continental US. Their choice but if they don’t trust USPS to deliver an out of CONUS shipment I certainly won’t either. Courier ... to date they have been reliable but the costs are exorbitant. I recently paid $145 to ship an $800 knife from the US to myself in Canada. I really have to want the knife to pay a shipping premium like that, even ignoring the $50 brokerage fee the courier charges to clear Canadian Customs. The sad truth is that shipping by courier is the only viable way to ship a purchase out of the US, unless you are prepared to accept the anxiety of whether the shipment will actually arrive. I would say that I haven’t purchased at least twenty knives over the past four months from BST due to USPS anxiety and high courier costs. Too bad. 

As an aside I have to muse over the idea that Americans would expect USPS to run an election when they can’t reliably deliver a parcel to the Canadian border ... but that’s a subject for another forum in another site.


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## MarcelNL (Dec 6, 2020)

Guarantees, cancelling and returning your purchases - Your Europe


How to claim the 2-year guarantee for EU purchases, get a repair, replacement or refund, how to cancel orders made outside shops (online, by phone, mail order).




europa.eu


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## Runner_up (Dec 6, 2020)

Ah the younger generation, now so used to Amazon we expect everything delivered tomorrow. If I were Maksim I probably would've stopped responding to the OP too  . The guy has better things to do than respond to the 15 messages you sent him on different platforms regarding your order that was, in fact, shipped on time.


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## Matus (Dec 6, 2020)

Nah, I see it as two sides handling the situation differently - I don’t see any ill intentions on either side.


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## BillHanna (Dec 6, 2020)

I read OPs post as someone looking for assurance from a community that he wasn’t getting ripped off. Which is better; PMing 1K people or making a post for all to see, and respond to?


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## Nemo (Dec 6, 2020)

I have ordered from JNS on 4 or 5 occasions over the years. These were all delivered very quickly to Aus. 

I'm guessing that Covid has probably slowed delivery somewhat.


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## tchan001 (Dec 6, 2020)

I've bought lots of knives in the past few months including 3 orders from JNS. Cost of shipping is a concern and therefore the free shipping deal from JNS is very attractive. Have had no problems with my orders from JNS and delivery was very quick. 
Purchases from the US to HK have been received in good condition even via USPS. The timing has varied from 2 weeks to over 1 month. So far the worst shipping was from Germany where it was stuck in Germany for over a month before arriving in HK after nearly 2 months. 
In all cases, having a tracking number is very important to me so that I can see if there is any problems with the shipment and can contact the supplier to help out if needed.


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## Ruso (Dec 6, 2020)

I never had issues with JNS myslef, but I understand the frustration of the OP. It feels fishy when the vendor cherry picks the questions to answer. A “negative” update is also much better than no update at all.


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## Brian Weekley (Dec 6, 2020)

In business ... just tell the truth. People will accept that even if they don’t like it. Don’t ignore them. Once you have gone to all the effort to get a customer to buy from you, the last thing you want to do is to send them away with a bad taste in their mouth. In a small business word of mouth is the most valuable advertising you can get. Treat your existing customers well and they will repay the good service by bringing their friends to you. Treat them poorly and you won’t see them again ... or their friends ... or their friends friends. You might get away with it if you have a monopoly but when you have competition and your customers have choices, treating your customers poorly is a guarantee that you will eventually be out of business.


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## Luftmensch (Dec 6, 2020)

On returns... and restocking fees....

In Australia, consumer law only protects consumers if the product is defective/faulty or it was sold without full disclosures (information withheld). The law does _*not*_ protect consumers from changing their mind. The fact that big retailers offer a "no questions asked" return policy within a certain time window is a strategy that is used to engender customer loyalty.

Customers treat this 'good will' as a right and may make flippant purchasing decisions based on that expectation: "I'll buy three different ones and only keep the one I like". The internet has turbo-charged the prevalence of these attitudes. The end result is a larger cost to retailers: lost revenue if the packaging has been opened or the product has been used. More administration costs for handling trivial returns. Of course, this ends up getting passed onto the consumer and creates unnecessary waste!

Back to consumer law in Australia, if a retailer is required by law to provide a refund (e.g. defective product) they are _not_ allowed to place fees or conditions on the refund. In any other case they are free to do so if those terms are displayed. So if a product is fit for purpose and purchased with full information available, retailers are in a position to _refuse_ returns. Alternatively they can publish return policies that include conditions such as restocking fees.


I am mixed about the EU's rules:



> In the EU you have the right to return purchases made online or through other types of distance selling, such as by phone, mail order or from a door-to-door salesperson, within 14 days for a full refund. You can do so for any reason – even if you simply changed your mind.



The problem with the internet is that it enables consumers to make purchases sight-unseen. To what degree should this be protected? Should we protect this vulnerability? Or should we accept there is inherent risk to purchasing something we have not seen?

I am not entirely sure where I stand. For now I think I am on the side of minimising wasteful consumerism - in which case, perhaps the EU's position is too forgiving of consumers??


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## RockyBasel (Dec 6, 2020)

I have bought lots of stuff from Maksim and no problems at all the shipping. Stuff arrives in 3-4 days. Also, Maksim offered me full refund, no question asked when I did not like one knife

the issue here is more shipping to Australia. I just shipped a knife to aus by UPS. It takes 2 days to get to the US but a week to get to Oz. It also ran into customs and all other kids of things in Aus as well.

I boughtJiro from Australia and ANP (post) put it via ocean! I got that knife in 4 months! Poor Paul - but he sold me another Jiro at cost with free DHL - he was a true gent

I can vouch for Maksim -he does not have time to track your package and he only responds to some emails, not all. But he sells with complete integrity


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## AFKitchenknivesguy (Dec 6, 2020)

There are too many long posts to read, other than the original. Yeah, its the morning and I'm being lazy.

JNS is pretty awesome, Maxim is a great guy, and the WORLD is affected by Covid, so patience is a virtue. People have essentially made delivery service, i.e. mail/delivery, their primary means of getting things. In my opinion, the services are maxing out. This includes one man operations like JNS. Patience is a virtue we can all incorporate into our lives, especially these days.


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## WildBoar (Dec 6, 2020)

Brian Weekley said:


> The whole shipping issue has become a major consideration for me. Knives are my third “thing” that has involved international shipments ... primarily with the United States. Two big time hobbies and one full blown import wholesale distribution business. Over the years I’d say I’ve done well over a thousand international shipments. It has just been the last year where the cost/unreliability of international shipments is affecting my decision to purchase an item. My take on the OP’s issue with JNS is that I get his pain. A kiss of death between me and any vendor ... individual or business, is if I get a sense that they are lying to me or, once they have my money, they are ignoring me. I won’t make a big issue of it, I’ll just vote with my feet. That will be the last time I will deal with them. To me it’s just not worth the anxiety. I will say that of the hundred or so purchases I’ve made through BST, KKF members are fabulous. With only a couple of exceptions shipping has been quick, communication ... like tracking numbers ... has been excellent and the product I received was exactly what was represented. In all cases I’ve asked for a telephone number where the vendor can be reached as part of the deal. I’ve never had to use it. Knife vendors/makers haven’t been so good. One Canadian vendor tried to justify not shipping because “there was a snowstorm and Canada Post wasn’t picking up courier shipments”. I checked the weather and there was no snowstorm. I asked for and received a refund. Lying to me is worse than ignoring me. I don’t even check their site anymore. The anxiety associated with purchasing from them would be too great. Another major US vendor charged and marked a shipment to me to travel by commercial courier .... then gave the shipment to USPS. Each time it took over a month for the error to be corrected and the shipment to arrive. I love that vendors product line, but that’s it. No more purchases from them. Again it’s not that I wish to punish them, it’s that an expensive optional purchase should be a pleasurable event, not one filled with anxiety over whether the product will arrive once paid for. All in all I would say that my shipping experience has, with a very small number of exceptions, been positive until recently. Prompt shipment, or at least good communication is part of being in business. A business should avoid leaving a bad taste in the buyers mouth if they expect repeat customers.
> 
> Now ... this brings me to the biggest problem in my opinion ... USPS and courier costs. USPS is simply a CF. About twice as expensive as Canada Post, there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to the service you will receive. Worse than that you can be assured that you will receive absolutely no assistance if a parcel goes astray ... insured or not. Even US vendors recognize that shipping USPS is a crap shoot. Many US sellers now indicate that they won’t ship outside the continental US. Their choice but if they don’t trust USPS to deliver an out of CONUS shipment I certainly won’t either. Courier ... to date they have been reliable but the costs are exorbitant. I recently paid $145 to ship an $800 knife from the US to myself in Canada. I really have to want the knife to pay a shipping premium like that, even ignoring the $50 brokerage fee the courier charges to clear Canadian Customs. The sad truth is that shipping by courier is the only viable way to ship a purchase out of the US, unless you are prepared to accept the anxiety of whether the shipment will actually arrive. I would say that I haven’t purchased at least twenty knives over the past four months from BST due to USPS anxiety and high courier costs. Too bad.
> 
> As an aside I have to muse over the idea that Americans would expect USPS to run an election when they can’t reliably deliver a parcel to the Canadian border ... but that’s a subject for another forum in another site.


Geeze, this reeks of hearing soundbites. 

Anywho, this morning I checked USPS rates for Priority Mail International for shipping a $1k+ knife to Canada, and it was $40.55 USD plus whatever the insurance amount winds up being.

Most of the issues with USPS sending/ receiving international packages has more to do with US Custom (which is NOT anything USPS has any influence on) than anything else.


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## Matus (Dec 6, 2020)

We all know that USPS is not in the best shape (though discussing the reasons would probably get political real fast so let’s just not go there). As I mentioned above - I am (impatiently) waiting for a delivery from US and USPS is really taking their time. I addressed it with the seller (TRM if you need to ask) and they told me that they use USPS because they had serious issues with DHL and UPS (packages being left outside local petrol station and such) - mostly because of their somewhat remote location.

And indeed - if one uses USPS (or whatever the local carrier is) - the package coming ‘from outside’ will go through customs and at least here in Germany it adds about 1 week.

Bottom line - any shipping can go south when it comes to timing and now on top of that we have the pandemic.


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## Leo Barr (Dec 6, 2020)

I just bought a selection of stones from Japanese Natural Stones - Tomo Nagora Extra -Aiiwatani Koppa-Asano Nagora & have to say from order to delivery it was quite rapid slowed slightly by a weekend. 
The stones were well packaged & of high quality I can only assume that "4phantom," was just unlucky I have only heard of good things about JNS.


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## Leo Barr (Dec 6, 2020)

Having read Matus reply customs anywhere are a law unto themselves I used to live in Palma de Mallorca & can say they are exactly the same as UK customs it also seems the more valuable the package the longer they hold onto it. I had an order of a dozen knives from Japan (Tsubaya) UK customs held on to it for 6 weeks. 
In the past in Mallorca nearly everyone took August off so even post was often delayed for a month; times have changed!
The other consideration is that many such offices are running on skeleton staff through Covid


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## AFKitchenknivesguy (Dec 6, 2020)

Their stones are amazing in quality.


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## 4phantom (Dec 6, 2020)

Runner_up said:


> Ah the younger generation, now so used to Amazon we expect everything delivered tomorrow. If I were Maksim I probably would've stopped responding to the OP too  . The guy has better things to do than respond to the 15 messages you sent him on different platforms regarding your order that was, in fact, shipped on time.




I rarely order from amazon and I'm not delusional enough to expect next day shipping from a one-man service that's halfway across the world. I've stated multiple times in this thread I wouldn't have minded the extra wait at all if there'd just been a little more communication about what was going on from JNS. Providing a tracking number is a form on 'confirmation' that my order was shipped on time, and I didn't even receive that until late yesterday, 11 days after I was told it was shipped.


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## AFKitchenknivesguy (Dec 6, 2020)

I understand.

@maxim


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## ian (Dec 6, 2020)

Seems reasonable that the OP was frustrated, and also seems reasonable that Maxim was overwhelmed. I think Maxim explained himself pretty well, and I'm glad the OP is getting his package. I don't blame him for starting the thread. I also had one not so responsive interaction with Maxim a while ago, but when I bought a knife it arrived 2 days after purchase to the US (pre covid). Wouldn't hesitate to buy again.


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## NO ChoP! (Dec 6, 2020)

As Maksim sits in his egg chair playing with Legos while wearing his horned helmet and sweater, eating danish after danish, trying to warm up before a long bike ride to drop off your knives and stones, he should definitely take a moment to respond to messages. 

I would assume often questions are asked that within time answers will be automatically given; like via DHL correspondence. 

As to speak of Maksim, he is a good dude. I have had numerous dealings with him, going years back. He's always done right by me, even through issues.


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## labor of love (Dec 6, 2020)

Michi said:


> To me, this thread is another example of trial by social media. Almost always unwarranted and unnecessary.


The OP was sharing his experience, which as far as I can tell was very accurate. There’s no trial...If Maxim responded to his inquiries this thread wouldn’t exist. Simple as that.


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## Luftmensch (Dec 6, 2020)

Re-reading some of this...



maxim said:


> .But when dealing with 4 platforms to answer on mistakes can happen and this is 5th platform



From a marketing point of view, I understand the need to get as broad exposure as possible. But having a constellation of media just sounds exhausting! I can't help but feel like this inevitably leads to messages falling through the cracks.

If I were running a small business (one man show), I would use these platforms for marketing (one way communication). Turn comments off or have a clear disclaimer that I only respond to business through email. Email seems like a better way of archiving interactions should their be disputes later. Email is also well suited to setting up local-part topics so that it is easy to configure your filters: e.g. [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]....

But that is just me  My opinion is worth what ya'll payed for it...


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## labor of love (Dec 6, 2020)

bryan03 said:


> amazon killed the game .... every thing "should" be Prime service now....
> free shipping, free return, free test for 30 days , no questions asked...


I think I missed whatever point you’re making here. Amazon does cost like a $100 a year, people pay so they can get 2 day shipping plus all the other services. 
The OP was just looking for customer service post purchase and he was even okay with delays in shipping...it’s just like a basic thing anyone in business should be able to provide.
Obviously, mistakes happen. But at the same time maybe it’s valuable knowledge that should be out there that some vendors aren’t as easy to get a hold of as others.


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## Matus (Dec 7, 2020)

Gentlemen, I am all in for a good discussion, but I am slowly getting the impression that this is a dead parrot thread ...


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## Dhoff (Dec 7, 2020)

Matus said:


> Gentlemen, I am all in for a good discussion, but I am slowly getting the impression that this is a dead parrot thread ...




Is it time, then, to derail it? It is against tradition to leave a thread on trail so long.

I suggest the topic of pancakes vs. crepes. I personally prefer crepes.


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## nutmeg (Dec 7, 2020)

Dhoff said:


> Is it time, then, to derail it? It is against tradition to leave a thread on trail so long.
> 
> I suggest the topic of pancakes vs. crepes. I personally prefer crepes.


then, very thick crêpes.


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## RDalman (Dec 7, 2020)

Regular/thin crepes with some fried chanterelles and cloudberry jam.


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## Carl Kotte (Dec 7, 2020)

Am I the only person here to appreciate really poor customer service? Come on: that’s Europe for you. Buying stuff should come with agony. And the best way to make that happen is to make sure the vendor behaves really poorly: like issuing threats and the like. Maksim doesn’t. Maybe his custom service actually isn’t poor enough


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## Carl Kotte (Dec 7, 2020)

Ugnspannkaka ftw!


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## Dhoff (Dec 7, 2020)

nutmeg said:


> then, very thick crêpes.



Pure blasphemy! Crêpes must be thin, otherwise they are pancakes!

And it needs to have nutella and slices of banana in it!

Or icecream....mmmhhhh


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## Dhoff (Dec 7, 2020)

RDalman said:


> chanterelles



Never tried that. I guess I have to visit you and taste, while you shower me with knives you want me to test over the next 80 years or so.

EDIT: on the other hand, getting a shower of your knives might be very hazardous to my health...


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## RockyBasel (Dec 7, 2020)

For me it’s what I had in Paris - thin crepes, chantilly cream, and apples apples and maple syrup


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## daveb (Dec 7, 2020)

Crepes. With Nutella and anything. FTW.

Matus, our work is done here.


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## nutmeg (Dec 7, 2020)

I stir-fry my sourdough with cumin. Very tasty pancakes and matches perfectly to old Gouda cheese.


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## BillHanna (Dec 7, 2020)

Is a pancake a workhorse crepe?


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## esoo (Dec 7, 2020)

My grandmother made wonderful ham and asparagus crepes. She'd make a tray full of them, cover with bechamel. Now I'm nostalgic - going to miss those cottage mornings.


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## nutmeg (Dec 7, 2020)

esoo said:


> My grandmother made wonderful ham and asparagus crepes. She'd make a tray full of them, cover with bechamel. Now I'm nostalgic - going to miss those cottage mornings.


sexy


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## ian (Dec 7, 2020)

nutmeg said:


> I stir-fry my sourdough with cumin. Very tasty pancakes and matches perfectly to old Gouda cheese.



I think we have different definitions of pancakes.


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## nutmeg (Dec 7, 2020)

ian said:


> I think we have different definitions of pancakes.


if you do your sourdough liquid enough, about same as pancake dough, they are awesome pancakes.


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## ian (Dec 7, 2020)

nutmeg said:


> if you do your sourdough liquid enough, about same as pancake dough, they are awesome pancakes.



Oh, I see. Yea, I often use up leftover 100% hydration starter by frying it in oil topped with sesame seeds and scallions. Similar principle. 

When you said "stir frying sourdough" I thought you meant cutting up some bread into cubes and stir frying it with cumin.


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## nutmeg (Dec 7, 2020)

ian said:


> Oh, I see. Yea, I often use up leftover 100% hydration starter by frying it in oil topped with sesame seeds and scallions. Similar principle.
> 
> When you said "stir frying sourdough" I thought you meant cutting up some bread into cubes and stir frying it with cumin.


Exactly same as you do but with cumin seeds instead of sesam. With sesam is delicious as well though.
We served it in a Michelin-starred restaurant with a quenelle of firm honey-rosemary custard for the coffee drinkers.

With my parter we use stir fried sourdough as pizza dough, today. She likes when the kitchen is kept clean during cooking lol.


One day, I'll try stir fry it in a turbot or lobster butter..


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## Jovidah (Dec 7, 2020)

Not to dig up a dead horse to beat it again but...


Michi said:


> To me, this thread is another example of trial by social media. Almost always unwarranted and unnecessary.


Nothing the OP posted or said seemed overly unreasonable or outlandish to me. This isn't Chinese junk on alibaba for 3 dollars we're talking here. He asked for a tracking code and didn't get one. It's not unreasonable to start asking around in a community when you're getting no response after making a multiple hundred dollar purchase.
Isn't this supposed to be an independent platform for knife consumers? From that perspective, shopping experiences are 'fair game' to me. People are allowed (and likely) to disagree.



labor of love said:


> The OP was sharing his experience, which as far as I can tell was very accurate. There’s no trial...If Maxim responded to his inquiries this thread wouldn’t exist. Simple as that.


Exactly. If other people have different experiences; great! That's equally valid and perfectly fine to mention...but that doesn't invalidate the OP's experience. Both can be true at the same time. Everyone make's mistakes.

Even the most insignificant of webshops usually give you a tracking code within a day. That's not 'amazon prime special treatment' - that's standard business practise for pretty much any place I ever bought something from.
And while I can understand arguments like 'too busy', 'too many communication platforms' , etc. on a personal level, but to be blunt that's not the consumer's problem. If your business is running so well you can't handle communications anymore, either simplify your messaging / communication streams, or hire more people. Or simply give people a short response to at least acknowledge them and tell them you'll get back to them. 

I've worked on customer support for a really poor internet company, and honestly you'd be surprised how much people can accept as long as you're open and honest to them. Consumers are fine with waiting for a bit longer for X, as long as they know the reason why and at least get acknowledged / don't feel ignored.


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## Corradobrit1 (Dec 7, 2020)

It all comes down to definitions. Whens a crepe not a crepe? When its an English pancake. 
American vs English. I can safely say the English version is more towards the crepe end of the scale.


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## RockyBasel (Dec 7, 2020)

Corradobrit1 said:


> It all comes down to definitions. Whens a crepe not a crepe? When its an English pancake.
> American vs English. I can safely say the English version is more towards the crepe end of the scale.
> View attachment 105461


The pics are truly mouth watering, hey it’s 17:00 here, before dinner hunger, pics like these will whip up appetite faster than you can say chiuhuahua


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## M1k3 (Dec 7, 2020)

Workpony pancakes  

Lingonberries


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## RockyBasel (Dec 7, 2020)

I had the best pancakes with berries (forgot what type) for lunch an hour outside of Stockholm - it was kind of a traditional Swedish lunch thing


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## Carl Kotte (Dec 7, 2020)

The customer is always wrong!
In particular about pancakes.
And that concludes my defense of JNS during the pandemic.


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## RDalman (Dec 7, 2020)

RockyBasel said:


> I had the best pancakes with berries (forgot what type) for lunch an hour outside of Stockholm - it was kind of a traditional Swedish lunch thing


It was probably a thursday. Thats peasoup and pancake day here


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## M1k3 (Dec 7, 2020)

Carl Kotte said:


> The customer is always wrong!
> In particular about pancakes.
> And that concludes my defense of JNS during the pandemic.


TFTFTFTF


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## RockyBasel (Dec 7, 2020)

RDalman said:


> It was probably a thursday. Thats peasoup and pancake day here


Yes it was a Thursday! That was it - simple, but delicious


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## NO ChoP! (Dec 7, 2020)

Why can I order a tall stack of pancakes, which is enough food to fill me up twice, but order a crepe at a crepe shop and I get one crepe with a tbsp of filling and whipped cream for like $11.95. I can eat a half dozen of those.


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## RDalman (Dec 7, 2020)

NO ChoP! said:


> Why can I order a tall stack of pancakes, which is enough food to fill me up twice, but order a crepe at a crepe shop and I get one crepe with a tbsp of filling and whipped cream for like $11.95. I can eat a half dozen of those.


Wrong continent it seems 
Dyi them. Two cast iron skillets make a pile quickly!


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## TSF415 (Dec 7, 2020)

Japanese style crepe, thin and crispy, smeared with Nutella, layered with banana and strawberry, and folded into a cone!


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## Nagakin (Dec 7, 2020)

TSF415 said:


> Japanese style crepe, thin and crispy, smeared with Nutella, layered with banana and strawberry, and folded into a cone!


Upside down wok trick is the best trick.


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## Matus (Dec 7, 2020)

RDalman said:


> Wrong continent it seems
> Dyi them. Two cast iron skillets make a pile quickly!



A piece of a fine Swedish cast iron is about the best way to get there


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## thebradleycrew (Dec 7, 2020)

This thread has gone off the rails so I'll chime in related to the OP.

My experiences with JNS are mixed and I think the OP has valid concerns (for JNS, or any business for that matter).

Communication is the issue at hand in my view. I've had four messages in two different platforms over 6 months go unanswered by Maxim. Not a single response, on any questions, about anything. That's just a poor way to run a business and is disappointing. If he has too many places where he receives messages, he alone has the power to slim that list down. But there is no doubt that he should respond to customers who ask valid questions, or at least acknowledge them. If he can't or won't do it himself, there are many ways to hire such help, digital, virtual, or physical.

That said, I've ordered from JNS and been happy with what I've purchased. The shipping was reasonable and I got all products in a decent time frame given the international shipment. I don't have any issue with the products or the shipping/timing. I'm grateful for the products Maxim imports/exports and value JNS from that perspective.

Like all things in life, it's not black or white; the grey area always wins.


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## Dhoff (Dec 7, 2020)

thebradleycrew said:


> This thread has gone off the rails so I'll chime in related to the OP.
> 
> My experiences with JNS are mixed and I think the OP has valid concerns (for JNS, or any business for that matter).
> 
> ...



As always a very well mannered and thought out response.

Now, could I interest you in uttering an opinion on whether pancakes or crêpes are best?

Maybe a laser pancake with maple sirup as ferrule, with powdered sugar as spacer and a variety of fruits as handle, such as Kiwi, strawberry and banana. Of course with a saya of homemade vanilla icecream topped with whipped cream and shavings of dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate?


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## thebradleycrew (Dec 7, 2020)

Dhoff said:


> As always a very well mannered and thought out response.
> 
> Now, could I interest you in uttering an opinion on whether pancakes or crêpes are best?
> 
> Maybe a laser pancake with maple sirup as ferrule, with powdered sugar as spacer and a variety of fruits as handle, such as Kiwi, strawberry and banana. Of course with a saya of homemade vanilla icecream topped with whipped cream and shavings of dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate?



I put it on the rails, and then I take it back off? Yikes.

Crepes for me. And yeah, I'm a savory guy. My crepes are best avec des oeufs, bacon and cheese. Soooo, good. Bacon handle, egg over easy on the top cap, and cheese in the middle. Beat that.


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## Corradobrit1 (Dec 7, 2020)

Dhoff said:


> Maybe a laser pancake with maple sirup as ferrule, with powdered sugar as spacer and a variety of fruits as handle, such as Kiwi, strawberry and banana. Of course with a saya of homemade vanilla icecream topped with whipped cream and shavings of dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate?


Now I'm hungry


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## Corradobrit1 (Dec 7, 2020)

As @thebradleycrew says its a mixed bag. Although I've tried more times than I can remember to buy a knife I've only been successful once (on a Kato Ku 210WH). Yes the communication leaves a lot to be desired and I feel since English isn't his first language, there is some reticence to deal with regular communications. I've had many emails go un-replied over the years. 

That said the shipping via DHL has been quick and tracking info was provided by the Carrier and NOT the shipper. I will even say Maksim went above and beyond and slipped an extra handle in the box no questions asked. I would not have any problem ordering a Yo Shig kitaeji gyuto from him (wink wink Maksim)


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## Dhoff (Dec 7, 2020)

thebradleycrew said:


> I put it on the rails, and then I take it back off? Yikes.
> 
> Crepes for me. And yeah, I'm a savory guy. My crepes are best avec des oeufs, bacon and cheese. Soooo, good. Bacon handle, egg over easy on the top cap, and cheese in the middle. Beat that.



Mhhh, that sounds way too good for my health.... I'd love a picture of that. I consider myself beat in the crepes-that-is-not-desert category. 

What kind of cheese? more details man, you can't leave me starving. Are we talking pig bacon or wild boar bacon?


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## Corradobrit1 (Dec 7, 2020)

Dhoff said:


> What kind of cheese? more details man, you can't leave me starving. Are we talking pig bacon or wild boar bacon?


My vote is aged Emmental or a nice piece of Gruyere


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## mcwcdn (Dec 7, 2020)

Amazon has spoiled us...

I have purchased 4 knives from JNS over the past month...here is my experience. 

Toyama 210 and 270. Received them (shipped to canada) within 10 business days. Toyama 240, took 5 business days (shipped to canada)
Kaeru Stainless 240 Took 7 business days (shipped to canada) 

The Toyama 270 had a chipped tip which he graciously accepted an exchange on the 270. 

He has been excellent to deal with and responsive however a little patience goes a long way. 

A worthy point is that he does send an order acknowledgement, then an order status update without tracking...then sends tracking. I think it is very well done and professional.


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## Marcelo Amaral (Dec 7, 2020)

I've been buying from Maksim since 2014 and have had good experiences.

Nobody is perfect, but he does what he says and he tries to correct any situation that didn't work out as good as expected.

It is when things don't work smoothly that you can tell who's who and he has always done right by me.

Communication is not perfect, but that's a pretty high standard to keep for ourselves and others.


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## AFKitchenknivesguy (Dec 7, 2020)

Just to add again, we are in a global pandemic that's affects everything, including communication (the amount of it). Readjust your expectations.


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## WildBoar (Dec 7, 2020)

Someone needs to tie all of this together...

I've ordered crepes and pancakes from JNS a few times. He has always come through like a champ on the crepes, but I have run into issues once or with the packages. His communication with respect to maple syrup leaves a lot to be desired.


On a more serious note, I've ordered knives and accessories from him a few times and never had any issues. I've only had an email exchange with once (prepurchase) and he responded promptly. It was all a couple/ few years ago thought


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## Corradobrit1 (Dec 7, 2020)

AFKitchenknivesguy said:


> Just to add again, we are in a global pandemic that's affects everything, including communication (the amount of it). Readjust your expectations.


Concerns raised here have nothing to do with the Pandemic


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## esoo (Dec 7, 2020)

So I went back and finally fully read the OP. 

In part this highlights an issue with global commerce and instant messaging platforms. Time zone differences mean that you never know what the other end is doing when you send the message. Send a message and Maxim may be having lunch, going to bed or reading stuff in the washroom. He sees the message and says to himself "I'll get back to that when I get to the shop" and promptly gets distracted and forgets. Then by the time he gets seven other messages the one conversation has pushed off his screen. The one conversation that is so important to you is just one small part of the many that he has to have every day. 

Ok - I'm projecting onto Maxim what would happen to me, but it shows the example. I have no idea how Maxim organizes his day. 

It's easy to criticize when we're not the one having to run the shop. Especially when Amazon has set the bar to such a ridiculous level of same day delivery and thousands of customer service reps. But they have billions of dollars to play with. Maxim is a small business.


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## parbaked (Dec 7, 2020)

Let's please get this thread back on topic....
Chinese invented crepes and pancakes therefore jian bing and cong you bing are the best crepes and pancakes!


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## BillHanna (Dec 7, 2020)

I was just listening to David Chang talk about this.


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## Corradobrit1 (Dec 7, 2020)

parbaked said:


> Let's please get this thread back on topic....
> Chinese invented crepes and pancakes therefore jian bing and cong you bing are the best crepes and pancakes!


Chinese might have invented pancakes but us Brits pioneered the Olympic sport of Pancake Racing. Batter that


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## Jeezuinn (Dec 7, 2020)

parbaked said:


> Let's please get this thread back on topic....
> Chinese invented crepes and pancakes therefore jian bing and cong you bing are the best crepes and pancakes!


Love them!!!


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## daveb (Dec 7, 2020)

BillHanna said:


> I was just listening to David Chang talk.........



Why?


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## 4phantom (Dec 8, 2020)

4phantom said:


> Hi all,
> 
> For the longest time I was looking at getting myself a new jknife as I was finding my santoku to be just a tad short for my general kitchen uses. I went through a lot of options, did plenty of resesarch and asked many people numerous times on what their recommendations would be. I finally landed on the Tanaka Yoshikazu 210mm White #1 Gyuto from JNS, because it hit all my specifications: wa handle, carbon steel with no stainless cladding, classic aesthetic and not a thick grind. Moreover I was enticed by the free shipping that Maksim offers on high value orders, whereas many other overseas jknife stores (JKI, Korin, MTC) charge upwards of $70 USD which is about $100 AUD for me in just shipping costs.
> 
> ...





Edit 3: It's all been sorted and Maksim has been nothing short of helpful since the knives arrived. The Tanaka arrived with a chip on the heel, presumably from rough handling and gave me great advice on how to fix it and even offered to exchange it if I screwed up the repair. It was a bit of a rough journey there but since then Maksim has been aboslutely outstanding with his advice and responsiveness. Also for anyone wanting a high quality gyuto on a budget I cannot recommend the Kaeru series enough, they're absolutely amazing value for the quality of knife you receive.


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## Matus (Dec 8, 2020)

I am glad to hear that this complicated story came to a good end.


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## alterwisser (Dec 8, 2020)

RDalman said:


> It was probably a thursday. Thats peasoup and pancake day here



i Miss that


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## Garm (Dec 8, 2020)

alterwisser said:


> i Miss that


Me too. When I was a kid I lived outside Stockholm for a couple of years, and I always "happened" to knock on my neighbour's door Thursday afternoons to hang out. His mother made the best billberry jam to go with the pancakes after the pea soup.
And yes, billberries(we call them blueberries) are way better than blueberries.

Glad things worked out @4phantom!


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## DaBishop (Dec 8, 2020)

I feel silly getting involved now that we're mostly talking about Crepes but that said, I just ordered two knives from JNS, got confirmation from JNS and DHL on the day I ordered them, and had the knives in hand remarkable 4 days later here in the US. Thanks @maxim


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## j_eugj (Dec 8, 2020)

Hey man, don’t sweat it. Check out miura knives. Japan based store and can ship internationally. They’re also pretty easy to talk to, got my knife 3 days after payment. You’re from Australia, shipping fee should be cheap coming from Japan. Try sending them a message even in Instagram, they will reply to you within 1hr (during business hours) 

And by the way, they have a huge selection of Y Tanaka knives


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## Hz_zzzzzz (Dec 8, 2020)

japanese knife







miuraknives.com





To OP, this is another place you can find kasumi Y Tanaka Shiro 1. They have quite a few selections for Y Tanaka.


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## Hz_zzzzzz (Dec 8, 2020)

Regarding experience with JNS, I have mixed feeling too. Maksim sends me the knives I ordered within reasonable time frame. He does offer solution when there is a problem, but it is also my experience that he picks whatever emails/messages he likes to respond. And this is the 3rd thread (iirc) that I saw regarding Maksim not responding to customers since I joined KKF not too long ago in Oct 2019. And outside of these 3 threads there are some other posts mentioning that Maksim doesn't always respond.

I personally have lowered my expectation for Maksim from "good customer service" to "acceptable or essential customer service", which I think he does deliver. After all he sells rare or even exclusive stuff with competitive pricing, which matters most to me.


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## alterwisser (Dec 9, 2020)

Garm said:


> Me too. When I was a kid I lived outside Stockholm for a couple of years, and I always "happened" to knock on my neighbour's door Thursday afternoons to hang out. His mother made the best billberry jam to go with the pancakes after the pea soup.
> And yes, billberries(we call them blueberries) are way better than blueberries.
> 
> Glad things worked out @4phantom!



I’m not Swedish but I used to work for a Swedish company that made me come to HQ all the time.

I also really really miss the herring (3 ways) for breakfast lol


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## lumo (Dec 9, 2020)

RDalman said:


> Regular/thin crepes with some fried chanterelles and cloudberry jam.


@RDalman Berries and mushrooms...cloudberries? Thanks for introducing me to something new, even though I don't like sweets, more of an okonomiyaki or bánh xèo type of guy.



alterwisser said:


> I’m not Swedish but I used to work for a Swedish company that made me come to HQ all the time.
> 
> I also really really miss the herring (3 ways) for breakfast lol


Mmmmm, herring under a fur coat @WildBoar

50 or more A++ smooth transactions with JNS since 2012
Communications have suffered over the last few years but he always comes through.


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## RDalman (Dec 9, 2020)

lumo said:


> @RDalman Berries and mushrooms...cloudberries? Thanks for introducing me to something new, even though I don't like sweets, more of an okonomiyaki or bánh xèo type of guy.



Yes cloudberry is very special. Chanterelles fried in butter, some flour on and a couple dashes mushroom soy, cream and simmer to thicken. A spoon of that and cloudberry jam on a crepe, roll up. As per my grandma


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## Jville (Dec 9, 2020)

Now i want sone pancakes.


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## WildBoar (Dec 9, 2020)

lumo said:


> Mmmmm, herring under a fur coat @WildBoar


I can't believe you went there @lumo


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## RockyBasel (Dec 9, 2020)

Garm said:


> Me too. When I was a kid I lived outside Stockholm for a couple of years, and I always "happened" to knock on my neighbour's door Thursday afternoons to hang out. His mother made the best billberry jam to go with the pancakes after the pea soup.
> And yes, billberries(we call them blueberries) are way better than blueberries.
> 
> Glad things worked out @4phantom!



there are more cool sounding berries (cloudberries) in Sweden than any country I know


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## Garm (Dec 9, 2020)

RockyBasel said:


> there are more cool sounding berries (cloudberries) in Sweden than any country I know


Here in Norway cloudberries actually have a much more boring name. In Sweden too I believe.


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## Fynbo (Feb 21, 2021)

I just checked my order history with JNS. 
10 orders in total over the years, all parcels arrived in fine condition.
My first order with JNS was a 240mm gyoto. 
I place the order, the next day Maxim contact me and tells me the gyotos he recived from Japan had been mislabeled and was in fact 210mm and not 240mm, so my knife would be delayed by a week. He apologized for this and offered me a 240mm kiritsuke instead which cost a little more than the gyoto for the same price. I had my mind set on the gyoto, so I decided to wait. When the knife arrived Maxim put in a nice koppa size Tomo Nagura Extra for free. 
I am sorry to hear others had a less than ideal experience due to poor communication, my own dealings with JNS has been nothing but good.


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## RockyBasel (Feb 21, 2021)

Fynbo said:


> I just checked my order history with JNS.
> 10 orders in total over the years, all parcels arrived in fine condition.
> My first order with JNS was a 240mm gyoto.
> I place the order, the next day Maxim contact me and tells me the gyotos he recived from Japan had been mislabeled and was in fact 210mm and not 240mm, so my knife would be delayed by a week. He apologized for this and offered me a 240mm kiritsuke instead which cost a little more than the gyoto for the same price. I had my mind set on the gyoto, so I decided to wait. When the knife arrived Maxim put in a nice koppa size Tomo Nagura Extra for free.
> I am sorry to hear others had a less than ideal experience due to poor communication, my own dealings with JNS has been nothing but good.


I have only good dealings with Maksim - he does not reply to all emails, but if you put the subject as urgent -order or something, he will respond quickly 

and when I placed an order for 39 Kaeru 240 mm Gyuto, he was beyond great - exceptional service


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## WiriWiri (Feb 21, 2021)

RDalman said:


> Yes cloudberry is very special. Chanterelles fried in butter, some flour on and a couple dashes mushroom soy, cream and simmer to thicken. A spoon of that and cloudberry jam on a crepe, roll up. As per my grandma



I was going to join in the borderline-disruptive berry based banter by regaling you with a largely unamusing anecdote of being taken up to visit my cousins in Wales as a chupsty London teenager and being forced encouraged to pick a local delicacy, ‘Windberries’ on a blustery hillside. Needless to say, I was less than impressed: they had a much more unpleasantly **** name than cloudberries for a start (and I got mud on my newish jordans). 

It‘s only when google-researching the berry name to check I hadn’t imagined that brattish tale that I’ve realised that they were actually saying ’Winberries’ all along (aka braeberries or huckleberries apparently). 

FFS, for 30 years I’ve been carrying along that daft misconception.


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## DavidPF (Feb 23, 2021)

Garm said:


> Here in Norway cloudberries actually have a much more boring name. In Sweden too I believe.


Have I understood it right that it's deerberries? (Loudly and dramatically saying "Hjortron" in English makes it sound like the main bad guy in a movie - along with his henchmen Smultron and Hallon.)


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## Garm (Feb 24, 2021)

DavidPF said:


> Have I understood it right that it's deerberries? (Loudly and dramatically saying "Hjortron" in English makes it sound like the main bad guy in a movie - along with his henchmen Smultron and Hallon.)


In Swedish that sounds about right. In Norwegian they're simply called molte/multe bær, which I think is derived from an old form of "ripe" or "mature". Bær means berries. Norwegian is a much more boring language than Swedish. Your evil henchman Smultron would be called jordbær(literally earth/soil berries) in Norwegian, and his name would strike fear in the hearts of... no one.


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## RDalman (Feb 24, 2021)

Garm said:


> In Swedish that sounds about right. In Norwegian they're simply called molte/multe bær, which I think is derived from an old form of "ripe" or "mature". Bær means berries. Norwegian is a much more boring language than Swedish. Your evil henchman Smultron would be called jordbær(literally earth/soil berries) in Norwegian, and his name would strike fear in the hearts of... no one.


Really you don't think of strawberries? Jordgubbar (earth-oldmen) in swedish is strawberries.


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## RDalman (Feb 24, 2021)

Aaah there's a translational problem.. In sweden smultron is considered the quite different original tiny wild berry. But translated to english it's strawberry the same as jordgubbar we grow in the gardens.


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## Garm (Feb 24, 2021)

Yeah, I should have specified markjordbær, or "field earth berries".
How did this thread evolve into scandinavian berry etymology?


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## DavidPF (Feb 24, 2021)

Garm said:


> Your evil henchman Smultron would be called jordbær(literally earth/soil berries) in Norwegian, and his name would strike fear in the hearts of... no one.


It would definitely confuse them though. "Your bear" - "What? My bear? I don't have a bear!"

(And it's cute that in all of our languages we're afraid to say the bear's real name, so it's just called "the brown thing")


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## Sdo (Feb 24, 2021)

RockyBasel said:


> I have only good dealings with Maksim - he does not reply to all emails, but if you put the subject as urgent -order or something, he will respond quickly
> 
> and when I placed an order for 39 Kaeru 240 mm Gyuto, he was beyond great - exceptional service


Not sure if that is the best example for what happened with this mate. If I had a business like Maksim's being a "one man show "and consequently with poor Customer Service, having an order of 39 knives from one person I would surely provide beyond great service that day. It is business and understandable.

Note, I have ordered twice with Maksim. It was great and would order again as I honestly do not care if he answers to my most likely stupid questions or not. Truly believe he does not reply to everyone because he has no time or has more important stuff to deal with. Just my 10 cents, sorry!

Cheers!


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## mmiinngg (Feb 24, 2021)

Sdo said:


> Not sure if that is the best example for what happened with this mate. If I had a business like Maksim's being a "one man show "and consequently with poor Customer Service, having an order of 39 knives from one person I would surely provide beyond great service that day. It is business and understandable.
> 
> Note, I have ordered twice with Maksim. It was great and would order again as I honestly do not care if he answers to my most likely stupid questions or not. Truly believe he does not reply to everyone because he has no time or has more important stuff to deal with. Just my 10 cents, sorry!
> 
> Cheers!


Sure, but sorry to ask, what does it have to do with this thread?


Edit : truth is I might be jealous not to have so many French mates here on the forum to discuss how boring our grammar is. 

Edit 2: ordered twice at jns. Nothing to say particular except that shipping is fast within EU, maxims provided useful answer to my questions, and has great products. 
Only kudos to jns


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## DavidPF (Feb 24, 2021)

mmiinngg said:


> Edit : truth is I might be jealous not to have so many French mates here on the forum to discuss how boring our grammar is.


If the European French and the Canadian French could _hear_ each other all the time, it would certainly be interesting.


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## Sdo (Feb 24, 2021)

mmiinngg said:


> Sure, but sorry to ask, what does it have to do with this thread?
> 
> 
> Edit : truth is I might be jealous not to have so many French mates here on the forum to discuss how boring our grammar is.
> ...



- You are not alone 
2 - Absolutely right. Fast and great products!

Cheers!


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