EEvansHilton
Hunter
Greetings all. Now before you go grousing at me for starting yet another thread here concerning FettPride, hear me out.
I first want to present you some cold, hard, objective facts and observations.
I do not know Chris personally. I have never met the man face to face. My only interactions with him have been via e-mail as a customer. I stand to neither gain nor lose anything by posting this. I am doing so simply because I feel it should be done.
I have been a member here since June 5th, 2015. I came here expressly to begin researching how to put together a Boba Fett kit. I wanted to start with the cornerstone, the helmet. I ask around and was fairly unanimously informed that the best maker of a screen accurate RotJ Boba Fett helmet was FettPride. I was warned that his communication might be spotty and prices were not cheap but that it was more than worth it in the long run.
So I got in touch with Chris and around the 15th of June 2015, placed an order and paid him.
Now my first impression was that I was very impressed with his communication and willingness to answer my questions.
My impression of his workmanship was formed by rubio95’s excellent review here (http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/f23/review-fettpride-fph2-rotj-52272/).
I was told that I could expect the helmet around the very end of October or the beginning of November in 2015.
I used to participate in full speed, full contact, heavy fighting in the SCA and was used to waiting a year or more for a full spring steel helmet to be manufactured by hand. 5-6 months was amazing!
In that time frame I did not receive the helmet. I contacted Chris. It did take a couple of tries but he did indeed get back to me. I was informed about the events in his personal life he was working through and told that while the helmet was not ready, that I could expect it as soon as life allowed. This was completely reasonable.
It was also around this time that I began seeing some very disparaging threads here by folks that had also ordered something from Chris and had not yet received their purchases. I will not lie, it made me nervous. I had been defrauded out of money through internet purchases from folks a time or two before and was not willing to let it happen yet again. However I also believe in giving the benefit of the doubt and that basically humans are good, well intentioned beings. So I chose to wait and simply keep up communication without necessarily ‘nagging’ Chris.
In the long run. I received my helmet yesterday, August 4th, 2016.
It has, in fact, been over a year since the initial order, ten months past the original delivery time quoted initially.
In all of that time however, Chris was able to keep up communication, provide updates and answer questions.
He also did this while going through some of the most difficult events in his life. Circumstances that would be difficult at best, and insurmountable for most.
Further, the quality of the product I received is exceptional. As I was told, it is worth every cent and the wait.
These are the facts.
Now, my personal, subjective opinions and thoughts.
Due to the pressure put upon Chris over the last couple of years by costumers, he has since closed up his shop. This is an extremely huge lose to this community. Huge.
Now I know there are others producing a quality product out there. That’s great. However I also believe you truly get what you pay for, in the value of time, patience, understanding, and basic human decency in addition to money. A little understanding goes an extremely long way. And this community has not only lost an exceptional artisan but a wealth of knowledge!
I not only received a product that is better than what I paid for, I also was given the opportunity to meet and get to know a truly respectable, hardworking, and all around quality guy.
Which is priceless.
I already know many will not agree or accept this. That’s fine. This is just a review by one customer.
However I would say that given my experience and some of the vitriol I saw thrown around that it would behoove all of use to remember that this is a hobby. A hobby of choice.
An ounce of kindness is worth a pound of service.
Just my two credits worth.
Ethan/MacFett
I first want to present you some cold, hard, objective facts and observations.
I do not know Chris personally. I have never met the man face to face. My only interactions with him have been via e-mail as a customer. I stand to neither gain nor lose anything by posting this. I am doing so simply because I feel it should be done.
I have been a member here since June 5th, 2015. I came here expressly to begin researching how to put together a Boba Fett kit. I wanted to start with the cornerstone, the helmet. I ask around and was fairly unanimously informed that the best maker of a screen accurate RotJ Boba Fett helmet was FettPride. I was warned that his communication might be spotty and prices were not cheap but that it was more than worth it in the long run.
So I got in touch with Chris and around the 15th of June 2015, placed an order and paid him.
Now my first impression was that I was very impressed with his communication and willingness to answer my questions.
My impression of his workmanship was formed by rubio95’s excellent review here (http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/f23/review-fettpride-fph2-rotj-52272/).
I was told that I could expect the helmet around the very end of October or the beginning of November in 2015.
I used to participate in full speed, full contact, heavy fighting in the SCA and was used to waiting a year or more for a full spring steel helmet to be manufactured by hand. 5-6 months was amazing!
In that time frame I did not receive the helmet. I contacted Chris. It did take a couple of tries but he did indeed get back to me. I was informed about the events in his personal life he was working through and told that while the helmet was not ready, that I could expect it as soon as life allowed. This was completely reasonable.
It was also around this time that I began seeing some very disparaging threads here by folks that had also ordered something from Chris and had not yet received their purchases. I will not lie, it made me nervous. I had been defrauded out of money through internet purchases from folks a time or two before and was not willing to let it happen yet again. However I also believe in giving the benefit of the doubt and that basically humans are good, well intentioned beings. So I chose to wait and simply keep up communication without necessarily ‘nagging’ Chris.
In the long run. I received my helmet yesterday, August 4th, 2016.
It has, in fact, been over a year since the initial order, ten months past the original delivery time quoted initially.
In all of that time however, Chris was able to keep up communication, provide updates and answer questions.
He also did this while going through some of the most difficult events in his life. Circumstances that would be difficult at best, and insurmountable for most.
Further, the quality of the product I received is exceptional. As I was told, it is worth every cent and the wait.
These are the facts.
Now, my personal, subjective opinions and thoughts.
Due to the pressure put upon Chris over the last couple of years by costumers, he has since closed up his shop. This is an extremely huge lose to this community. Huge.
Now I know there are others producing a quality product out there. That’s great. However I also believe you truly get what you pay for, in the value of time, patience, understanding, and basic human decency in addition to money. A little understanding goes an extremely long way. And this community has not only lost an exceptional artisan but a wealth of knowledge!
I not only received a product that is better than what I paid for, I also was given the opportunity to meet and get to know a truly respectable, hardworking, and all around quality guy.
Which is priceless.
I already know many will not agree or accept this. That’s fine. This is just a review by one customer.
However I would say that given my experience and some of the vitriol I saw thrown around that it would behoove all of use to remember that this is a hobby. A hobby of choice.
An ounce of kindness is worth a pound of service.
Just my two credits worth.
Ethan/MacFett
