Base hockey

[Sniper9 530]

Got this email from them today

 

Dear BASE Hockey Customers,

 

We are thrilled to announce that BASE Hockey is officially resuming business after a year and a half hiatus. Where were we? As the world was emerging from COVID, our founder, Ron Kunisaki, was jogging one evening and suffered a heart attack. After 3 months in the hospital, Ron was faced with a decision to either close the company or find a new partner to help manage the factory. Being in his mid-60s, working on the factory floor was no longer feasible.

 

Ron also knew that the hockey industry had reached an inflection point. All of the major hockey brands had relocated their primary manufacturing to China/Asia due to lower manufacturing costs (an option that was never really on the table for BASE Hockey, as he wanted to maintain the technology protection and quality control gained with manufacturing in North America). 

 

How is a North American factory supposed to function in an environment where low cost overseas manufacturing dominates and you refuse to use inferior materials to arrive at preset retail price points?

 

Ron reached out to a friend, Aleks Maslov, an ex-Amazon/Microsoft employee who invested in a number of brands and factories from Gary Loomis, a fishing industry icon, and over the last few years transformed them into US-manufactured, factory-direct-to-consumer success stories making antennas, golf shafts and fishing rods.

 

After a number of months of negotiations, an agreement was reached for Aleks Maslov’s company, Composite Ventures (the parent company of the antenna, golf shaft and fishing rod companies), to buy the assets of Base Hockey, keep all of the Base Hockey factory employees (including all key employees) and re-launch BASE Hockey.

 

WHY FACTORY DIRECT TO CONSUMER?

Low prices drive sales at retail stores, resulting in retail buyers forcing manufacturers to make products with predetermined prices in mind, limiting them to cheaper raw materials and components. By removing retail margins – we can again unleash our talent, imaginations, and capabilities without boundaries. Our designs and products are created with the world’s finest materials, technologies and manufacturing; and, we deliver them to you directly with no retail markup. The payoff? Significantly better products at incredible prices. Instead of worrying about retail margins, we can put more effort into R&D and the customer experience.

 

Here’s what you can expect from the new Base Hockey:

 

EXCITING PRODUCT INNOVATIONS: We’ve been hard at work developing cutting-edge hockey gear that combines the latest technology with the feedback we’ve received from our dedicated customers. From new stick designs to manufacturing tech (and everything in between), our new lineup is designed to elevate your game – in fact, Ron is heading up design and R&D, as this aspect of the business continues to excite him.

 

REVAMPED SERVICE AND LEADTIMES.

Whether you have questions about products, orders or anything else, we’re here for you. Live chat is enabled, and we are happy to answer your questions.

 

Most "custom" hockey stick companies take 4 plus months to fill orders, our goal is to get our orders out within 5 to 8 weeks.

 

UPDATED ONLINE PLATFROM:

Our website has undergoing a makeover to make your online shopping experience even more seamless. Your account history has been preserved - so if there is a stick you would like manufactured again, you can duplicate an order. If you forgot your password, you can reset it as well.

 

SPECIAL WELCOME BACK OFFER:

Use the coupon code: FREESHIPPING during checkout, and we will pick up the tab of getting a custom stick to your door. Many companies have raised their prices several times post COVID - we have not raised them a cent.

 

Our Team is eager to serve you once again and be part of your hockey journey. Thank you for being an integral part of the BASE Hockey Community. We can’t wait to get back on the ice with you and continue our shared passion for the sport.

 

Ron Kunisaki, Cliff Ronning, Aleks Maslov, Edgar Guzman and the entire Base Hockey Team

[BenBreeg 493]

Interesting, G Loomis is the real deal.

[Dmitrakov 8]

We're 128 days in now, over 18 weeks. Maybe the claimed 5 week lead time was a typo, they actually meant 5 months LOL

[Monty22 832]

8 hours ago, Dmitrakov said:

We're 128 days in now, over 18 weeks. Maybe the claimed 5 week lead time was a typo, they actually meant 5 months 

Did they charge your card already? If so I'd do a charge back at this point if you haven't heard anything from them

[Sniper9 530]

On another note... The prices they are charging is absolutely insane imo. I don't see them really staying in business long. Good luck to them though 

[Dmitrakov 8]

It is uploaded to USPS tracking, expected delivery date June 3rd! I'll follow up with the quality/pics when it arrives.

[Dmitrakov 8]

So my stick arrived Friday, and if I'm being honest I'm disappointed! I ordered a Base Nasty - silver, 65 flex, BC01, grip gloss, X-stiff blade, extend 2", naked blade. The stick does not have the "nasty" colorway, it is just an all black paint, a prototype looking stick that has "Base" in dark grey on both sides in the middle of the shaft - kind of cool kind of not. The stick was only extended about an inch and the end of the shaft was uneven, so I had to trim some off. That really didn't help the fact this "65 flex" feels more like a 90 flex! I Expected 12k carbon weave in the blade but I got a 3k carbon weave. And to boot this thing probably weighs 500 grams, very bottom heavy. As others have said, I'm not sure how they will stay in business if that's what I get for waiting over 5 months for a subpar product amongst sticks that come 330-350 grams nowadays. Do I ask for a return/remake? I may not even bother.

[flip12 714]

1 hour ago, Dmitrakov said:

So my stick arrived Friday, and if I'm being honest I'm disappointed! I ordered a Base Nasty - silver, 65 flex, BC01, grip gloss, X-stiff blade, extend 2", naked blade. The stick does not have the "nasty" colorway, it is just an all black paint, a prototype looking stick that has "Base" in dark grey on both sides in the middle of the shaft - kind of cool kind of not. The stick was only extended about an inch and the end of the shaft was uneven, so I had to trim some off. That really didn't help the fact this "65 flex" feels more like a 90 flex! I Expected 12k carbon weave in the blade but I got a 3k carbon weave. And to boot this thing probably weighs 500 grams, very bottom heavy. As others have said, I'm not sure how they will stay in business if that's what I get for waiting over 5 months for a subpar product amongst sticks that come 330-350 grams nowadays. Do I ask for a return/remake? I may not even bother.

Sorry to hear you got a bummer stick at the end of your wait. If I were you, I would complain. It's not reasonable to wait as long as you did. That on its own. On top of that to have a product that doesn't match the spec or live up to reasonable expectations (if they weren't going to paint it the way it looks like it does on their relaunched website, they should have given a heads up) is just the sandy sprinkles on a shit cake. You're doing them a favor saying something. As you said, they won't stay in business long if they alienate their previously loyal customers that want to give them the benefit of the doubt. You shouldn't be out a decent amount of cash, or any amount for that matter, for a product that's honestly way below what it should be.

[Dmitrakov 8]

2 hours ago, flip12 said:

Sorry to hear you got a bummer stick at the end of your wait. If I were you, I would complain. It's not reasonable to wait as long as you did. That on its own. On top of that to have a product that doesn't match the spec or live up to reasonable expectations (if they weren't going to paint it the way it looks like it does on their relaunched website, they should have given a heads up) is just the sandy sprinkles on a shit cake. You're doing them a favor saying something. As you said, they won't stay in business long if they alienate their previously loyal customers that want to give them the benefit of the doubt. You shouldn't be out a decent amount of cash, or any amount for that matter, for a product that's honestly way below what it should be.

Yeah you're right. I have ordered from Base a few years ago and the product was much better, I loved my sticks back then. it could be any number of issues from their position but I expected better especially after all these emails from Base boasting their rebirth from the dead lol.

[start_today 770]

If you complain, worst they’ll do is ignore you. Plus, we are all curious how they’ll respond! 

[krisdrum 233]

18 hours ago, Dmitrakov said:

Yeah you're right. I have ordered from Base a few years ago and the product was much better, I loved my sticks back then. it could be any number of issues from their position but I expected better especially after all these emails from Base boasting their rebirth from the dead lol.

You are taking this way better than I would be.  I would have been screaming and kicking just from the delay.  After that - the stick should have been perfect.  The fact that it isn't, man, I'd be fuming.  Sounds like they have A LOT to sort out.  Very curious (as others are) to see how they respond to your feedback.  If they have any business sense they'll remake the stick ASAP at no charge.  

[Dmitrakov 8]

(updated) What I sent to Customer service over email - I'm trying to be nice about it but I mean come on

"Hello,

I placed an order (USA-3751) in January for a stick which I recently received. My stick didn't feature the "nasty" silver colorway as depicted on the website, just black paint with a grey "base" logo in the middle. I ordered a 65 flex intermediate, but this is more like a 85-90, very stiff, stiffer than my 75 flex I had ordered in previous years. 

In previous talks with customer service I was told the shaft would feature a gloss grip with carbon fiber weave visible, this stick however has thick black paint throughout. I would prefer the stick to have minimal paint, maybe just graphics applied with grip for weight reduction if possible, because when weighed it's closer to 500 grams than it is to the advertised 435 grams for an intermediate. I expected a 12k carbon weave on the blade as it's an "extra stiff" option but the blade came with a 3k carbon weave which seems softer.

The stick was only extended about an inch, uneven at the end so I had to trim off not helping the flex by any means. I am disappointed as I've had positive experiences with Base before and I have two other additional custom stick orders in the Base order queue. This was a let down, especially given the 5 month wait and the fact that this could happen again with my pending 2 orders. Please let me know if there's anything I can do.

Best regards

(Dmitrakov)"

Edited June 11 by Dmitrakov

[flip12 714]

3 hours ago, krisdrum said:

You are taking this way better than I would be.  I would have been screaming and kicking just from the delay.  After that - the stick should have been perfect.  The fact that it isn't, man, I'd be fuming.  Sounds like they have A LOT to sort out.  Very curious (as others are) to see how they respond to your feedback.  If they have any business sense they'll remake the stick ASAP at no charge.  

Absolutely, and free express shipping to boot.

[Sniper9 530]

On 6/10/2024 at 12:53 PM, Dmitrakov said:

So my stick arrived Friday, and if I'm being honest I'm disappointed! I ordered a Base Nasty - silver, 65 flex, BC01, grip gloss, X-stiff blade, extend 2", naked blade. The stick does not have the "nasty" colorway, it is just an all black paint, a prototype looking stick that has "Base" in dark grey on both sides in the middle of the shaft - kind of cool kind of not. The stick was only extended about an inch and the end of the shaft was uneven, so I had to trim some off. That really didn't help the fact this "65 flex" feels more like a 90 flex! I Expected 12k carbon weave in the blade but I got a 3k carbon weave. And to boot this thing probably weighs 500 grams, very bottom heavy. As others have said, I'm not sure how they will stay in business if that's what I get for waiting over 5 months for a subpar product amongst sticks that come 330-350 grams nowadays. Do I ask for a return/remake? I may not even bother.

Can you post pics 

Edited June 12 by Sniper9

[Dmitrakov 8]

So here are some pictures, let me know if this link works. First timer here using imgur haha

https://imgur.com/a/fnLJGHm

 

Edited June 12 by Dmitrakov

[Dmitrakov 8]

On 6/11/2024 at 12:36 PM, krisdrum said:

You are taking this way better than I would be.  I would have been screaming and kicking just from the delay.  After that - the stick should have been perfect.  The fact that it isn't, man, I'd be fuming.  Sounds like they have A LOT to sort out.  Very curious (as others are) to see how they respond to your feedback.  If they have any business sense they'll remake the stick ASAP at no charge.  

I haven't heard anything back from base regarding my email, I tried to be nice about it so we'll see.

[Dmitrakov 8]

20 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

Can you post pics 

I posted some up there ^ as you can see it definitely is some old tech (fused tapered blade) and to be honest reminds me of the "all black hockey sticks" my friends used to get but with some base logos slapped on. Heavy and balanced like a two piece is. 

[krisdrum 233]

1 hour ago, Dmitrakov said:

I haven't heard anything back from base regarding my email, I tried to be nice about it so we'll see.

Way too nice in my opinion, but I can see some merit in taking that approach.  We'll see how they respond (if they do).

If they don't respond by end of week - I'd call your CC and dispute the charge, so you can at least get your money back and shop elsewhere.  

Edited June 13 by krisdrum

[Dmitrakov 8]

52 minutes ago, krisdrum said:

Way too nice in my opinion, but I can see some merit in taking that approach.  We'll see how they respond (if they do).

If they don't respond by end of week - I'd call your CC and dispute the charge, so you can at least get your money back and shop elsewhere.  

Funny enough, this was a Christmas present from my girlfriend so I'll have to bring it across her desk lol. I have 2 more pending orders with Base - one stick ordered in February and one ordered last month, I jumped the gun on this one. I find I never have enough sticks.

[krisdrum 233]

2 hours ago, Dmitrakov said:

Funny enough, this was a Christmas present from my girlfriend so I'll have to bring it across her desk lol. I have 2 more pending orders with Base - one stick ordered in February and one ordered last month, I jumped the gun on this one. I find I never have enough sticks.

Ouch.  G*d speed you get your other orders before Christmas.  Sounds like Base should try to keep you happy since you have already ordered a decent amount of stuff from them.

[Dmitrakov 8]

Nothing from Base, I guess I'll cancel both current orders! Good way to do business. 

[Dmitrakov 8]

I've reached out to Base a handful of times since getting my poorly made stick delivered and I'm pretty sure my messages just get sent into the ether that is Base hockey now. Anyone looking to buy into Bases rebirth be warned.

[flip12 714]

On 6/20/2024 at 10:06 PM, Dmitrakov said:

I've reached out to Base a handful of times since getting my poorly made stick delivered and I'm pretty sure my messages just get sent into the ether that is Base hockey now. Anyone looking to buy into Bases rebirth be warned.

It’s like a Dodo Phoenix out of the ashes and straight into the blade of a wind turbine. Sorry for your bad experience.

It’s sad because I really like the BC01 blade I have, and my old Dolomite still performs up to anything I’ve tried since. Their concept isn’t entirely wrong, but the execution sure is.

[Dmitrakov 8]

"Hello, Your order USA-3833 is cancelled and you should receive the refund within about 5 days. Your order USA-3796 is in production and will be completed within 2 weeks. Thank you for providing feedback regarding order USA-3751, it was escalated to the management and will be used to improve our production process. I am sorry the stick fell short of your expectations. Please let us know if we can help with anything else. Best regards, Veronika"

Yikes

[stoney066 0]

Thats good, pending you actually get a refund 😉