Evolution props: the great experiment

Kthur

Jr Hunter
Some background:
To build my first ROTJ Fett costume I bought all the soft parts from Evolution Props for budget reasons and had a positive experience, but I bought through ebay and I've read several reviews saying if you buy directly from their website the customer service is much worse (broken pieces, no product at all, late shipping). So I decided to put the theory to the test and ordered the complete knee armor ($110.00+shipping).
Now let me just say that I like this shop and Gabe (I'm not above admitting I'm wrong when I need to), but that will in no way effect how I report this experience. I will NOT fudge the numbers in any way!

The Test:
The order is in, and the payment is sent. I plan on keeping track of everything- number of emails sent/received, time it takes to ship, total shipping time, and quality of the product once/if it is received.

The Reason:
To find out if evolution has such a bad rep for a reason or are these isolated events when individuals are being ripped off, scammed, and basically robbed.

Disclaimer:
Do not take this the wrong way. I'm not saying that you got what you paid for and should be happy, nor am I saying that all of Evolution Props' actions reflect that of a saint. I'm posting my experience buying from the website, hard numbers, and simple facts. You be the judge and draw your own conclusions.

Transaction so far:
Last night around 9:30PM CST I placed an order for a pair of completed knee armor, and sent the payment. Directly after sending the money via PP I sent an email to their customer support team asking what kind of time frame I'll be looking at before shipping, and went to bed (because I placed the order so late I won't be counting this as day one).

Day 1:
I wake up this morning and still no email and began to think I would eat all the words I've ever said about Gabe and his company. I look at the email I sent last night and it was to SC@evolution ect, then I go back to my emails that were sent back a forth from my eBay transaction and it's to customerservice@evolution. I start to think maybe it just wasn't sent to the inbox I need to send it to, so I resend the exact same email to the second box. 45 mins later I get a response (the tally now for sent/received is 2/1).
Now the clock starts till the package is shipped. And as I send emails I'll tally those as well.
Let the great experiment begin!
 
He knows we are talking about him on here so yes he will get back to you fast . Like I said I will put a link to my you tube page what the parts I do have and then all can see . I will be looking to see how this goes .3 others looked at the stuff I have and their going to put up something up about the parts I do have.
 
let me just say this...making a set of knee armor is in no way the same as making a full costume...:eek: you are comparing apples to oranges man...this, imho, has absolutely no relevance to what other customers have purchased...$110 doesnt equal $2200, and time frame for doing a set of knee armor is as well not equal to making a complete costume...

buy a completed costume from Evo, and ill gladly support your experiment...(y)

i am so glad that you had a positive experience with this seller, along with other members...IF this seller had great customer service in the beginning with SnoopDog, he wouldve sent a full refund, or replacement parts right off the bat to replace what was causing the problem...:) if you are confident in what you sell, then you shouldnt have a problem with taking care of the customer...not once has this seller sent proof on his part, shown any evidence that he is in the right, and snoopy is in the wrong, he has just given words...so ya, skeptical to say the least...
 
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I've taken all that into consideration.
If posting this would effect his reaction. Knee armor compared to a complete costume.
And if I can refer you to my 1st post I didn't compare anything to anything. While I'll admit snoopy's comment did spark this idea it's separate and only fueled by my own curiosity not to prove anyone right or wrong as you two seem to be hell bent on.
I know it's not the same and if you don't like Evolution now then you never will. I'm finding out the experience for myself and posting it. If you're not interested don't read this thread.
I decided to post it as things happen so I don't miss details, and I didn't buy a whole suit because 1.I don't have the money 2.I don't think the gauntlets or jet packs look that good.
I'm not going to get roped into an argument about how you're right and know everything and I'm just a young one, so if you want a fight you came to the wrong place.
The experiment continues!
 
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WOW 110 for knee armor thats UMMMMM ALOT really even if it comes with the metal darts and all theyre not accurate at all in size, and the paint probably wont look right either. IMHO this is a waste of $ as you can get FP V3 armor for a pretty decent price you just have to look around and even v2 oh well your money bud. But you really should start looking to reputable vendors. Gabes stuff is OK at best. And his best is his metals parts, theyre far from accurate though. Good luck and hope you end up with something that will work for you but again I really think for $110 you could have gotten better
 
Fett 4 Real said:
WOW 110 for knee armor thats UMMMMM ALOT really even if it comes with the metal darts and all theyre not accurate at all in size, and the paint probably wont look right either. IMHO this is a waste of $ as you can get FP V3 armor for a pretty decent price you just have to look around and even v2 oh well your money bud. But you really should start looking to reputable vendors. Gabes stuff is OK at best. And his best is his metals parts, theyre far from accurate though. Good luck and hope you end up with something that will work for you but again I really think for $110 you could have gotten better

I know, I know. My curiosity gets the best of me most of the time though. I had to find out how painful this process is mainly. You won't hear me complaining, I know what I'm getting into.
 
Well, to add to this experiment ... here is the set of knees that I received from evolution as part of my full Boba Fett costume. These are exactly as they arrived. A picture tells a thousand words...here's two:

IMG_0707.JPG

IMG_0708.JPG
 
berkal said:
Well, to add to this experiment ... here is the set of knees that I received from evolution as part of my full Boba Fett costume. These are exactly as they arrived. A picture tells a thousand words...here's two:

Holy business those look bad. I'll post pics when mine come in too. We'll see.
 
If you like that hold on I will do me videos tomorrow I to tired after a long but good troop today . I have TRYED to fix some of them but it still will not work . I had no choice but to TRY to fix them after 4 weeks w/o a email from Gabe ( until this and the other trend started) . The bucket is with a friend of mine now TRYING to get the 5 parts back together but he does not think he can save it . It could be to thin to work with .
 
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I just threw away my knees from evolution because they looked EXACTLY like that. The plastic he used is incredibly thin, I held mine with hot glue for a while. I thought I'd NEVER say this, but my SFP knees are better than Gabe's which says a lot on how poor Gabe's product is. And kthur, you obviously are trying to compare and prove a point otherwise why make this thread? And Fettdad is right, FP knees are entirely better on accuracy and price. Don't let curiosity cause you to spend a ton of cash on poor gear, you'll just end up spending more money on the better item anyway, again I speak from my experience with SFP. And no one is trying to tell you that you don't know anything and we know all, we're trying to save you from emptying your wallet out of hardheadedness, but if you're hellbent on buying inferior product and promoting poor vendors then so be it.
 
O OK the boots I have a kinda OK just their is a BIG cut in the side that I did have to supper glue together and the spikes are OK to BUT THAT IS IT . Their kinda hard on the feet w/o inserts in them .
 
Why do u keep saying that in every thread...he clearly isnt Gabe as he can type in American english. Gabes english is far from where this guys wording is. I really think hes gonna get the junk that evo sells, maybe in one piece but junk wrong colors and mis shaped
 
Are we back to that snoopy? I can't believe I have to defend my own identity. I don't write like him. I don't defend his actions. I'm Just posting my own experience, and would someone be so crazy as to make an entirely new facebook with friends, over a years worth of post, and over a hundred pictures just to defend their rep on a forum? Send a friends request, check out my honeymoon pictures, see how awesome my dog is running around on our property in TEXAS. So I'm asking, please stop throwing these wild accusations around. It just makes you look foolish.
If I'm wrong, I'm wrong and I'll admit it, but I still hold out hope. As much as people hate the company it won't sway me at all until I see it for myself. That's just the way I am, and always have been.
 
mandosoldier said:
I just threw away my knees from evolution because they looked EXACTLY like that. The plastic he used is incredibly thin, I held mine with hot glue for a while. I thought I'd NEVER say this, but my SFP knees are better than Gabe's which says a lot on how poor Gabe's product is. And kthur, you obviously are trying to compare and prove a point otherwise why make this thread? And Fettdad is right, FP knees are entirely better on accuracy and price. Don't let curiosity cause you to spend a ton of cash on poor gear, you'll just end up spending more money on the better item anyway, again I speak from my experience with SFP. And no one is trying to tell you that you don't know anything and we know all, we're trying to save you from emptying your wallet out of hardheadedness, but if you're hellbent on buying inferior product and promoting poor vendors then so be it.

My point is in the 1st post. What am I comparing? Did I make a reference to anything? And it's only a promotion if I scream how great it is, which I'm not. I'm posting what's happening with me during the transaction with a review of the product at the end.
 
I saw snoopytrooper's armor and props from Evolution today and I've seen better trashcan armor! This stuff was paper thin and brittle. The paint colors and scheme is completely off! I have nothing against Evolution personally, but the stuff I saw today in person was horrible! Wait till you see the video!

Scout Trooper
 
As someone who is new to prop costuming, the things I have read on this forum are enough to keep me from buying from this vendor. Them amount of unresolved cases paints a pretty clear picture. If it was one or two people that had issues that would be one thing. When a particular vendor has several threads filled with people who either recieved garbage or nothing at all it becomes apparent that they should be avoided. I'm actually quite surprised that he is allowed to be a part of this forum, but that is neither here nor there.

.02
 
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