K3 Frame Replacement

[bigharge]

Got the email as well as an additional personal email from Mark as I was one of those 1% guys that had a frame break this year. (Why cant I be a 1% guy when it comes to income or draw odds?) Anyways, they swapped out the frame within days this season when it happened and I was perfectly satisfied. Was interesting to see this announcement today that they were going back to the other frame.

Excellent customer service as always with these guys. I feel bad as I know this has to be punch in the gut for them. Wish them nothing but the best going forward, and will have an exo on my back again this fall.

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[Rob5589]

I listened to their podcast today where they laid it all out. They had a few frames crack; some cracks were easy to see; some needed a magnifying glass to see. Failure rate was about 1 in 150 but being unable to know which ones were potentially flawed, they are replacing them all. They are also going back to titanium since they know it works, based on the K2. Listening to Steve speak about it, you get the sense it hurts, but they want to do right by their customers. Being proactive and not replacing it if or when it breaks is some top notch CS for sure.

https://exomtngear.com/pages/k3-frame-replacement
is the address they provided in case you don't get an email.

 

[bamagun]

Didnt they just have to replace lids as well ?

Yes they did. Buckles were sewn on the opposite sides and made the lid look/work really funky. To be honest, this companies customer service is the best I've ever seen out of any company I've purchased from, but the QA and attention to detail really sucks. I couldnt understand how a company that only builds a backpack could build up hype and take thousands of orders of the only product they make and then have them go out the door incorrect. This isnt a cheap jansport POS.. These things the same as the other big names. The crappy part with the lids was they didnt get the correct stuff to people until December.. Now to have structural issues/failures because they tried to get cute and save some grams looks pretty bad. All that being said, their customer service should be an example (although their customer service/quality assurance combo is probably a recipe for a minimally profitable company) for other folks. Hopefully for them, they hit a homerun with their next product release and can put this disaster behind them. I freaking love the pack by the way and will buy another from them in the future (I just wont be pre ordering it)

 

[Mike Islander]

Yes they did. Buckles were sewn on the opposite sides and made the lid look/work really funky. To be honest, this companies customer service is the best I've ever seen out of any company I've purchased from, but the QA and attention to detail really sucks. I couldnt understand how a company that only builds a backpack could build up hype and take thousands of orders of the only product they make and then have them go out the door incorrect. This isnt a cheap jansport POS.. These things the same as the other big names. The crappy part with the lids was they didnt get the correct stuff to people until December.. Now to have structural issues/failures because they tried to get cute and save some grams looks pretty bad. All that being said, their customer service should be an example (although their customer service/quality assurance combo is probably a recipe for a minimally profitable company) for other folks. Hopefully for them, they hit a homerun with their next product release and can put this disaster behind them. I freaking love the pack by the way and will buy another from them in the future (I just wont be pre ordering it)

My lid was just wider. Everything else worked exactly the same. In fact, I can probably use this lid for larger loads. It's still a good piece of kit. It just fit a little wider and didn't look as nice. It worked just fine.

Right now, I don't think you can find better customer service from an pack company. I love my K3 4800 and look forward to many happy years of use. Hopefully EXO can deal with the inevitable growing pains that come with having an excellent product in the age in instant fads and followings.

 

[MuleDeerMike]

Unfortunate. Will be interesting to see if this tanks them or if they'll be able to survive to see the K4 considering they already had to replace the lids and I would imagine the actual frame portion of their frame is the most expensive part for them to source. This reminds me, I need to call them about the buckles that constantly come loose on the horizontal compression straps on my 4800...

 

[S&S ARCHERY]

Unfortunate. Will be interesting to see if this tanks them or if they'll be able to survive to see the K4 considering they already had to replace the lids and I would imagine the actual frame portion of their frame is the most expensive part for them to source. This reminds me, I need to call them about the buckles that constantly come loose on the horizontal compression straps on my 4800...

Mike, definitely sends up some pics on your horizontal compression straps. One of the main reasons we use the Rock Lockster buckle is because it grabs the webbing so well and doesn't slip compared to others. Pretty rare to hear the webbing is working loose. Are you strapping around a gun or bow where the buckle possibly sits at an awkward angle?

Replacing all of the metal frames is definitely a kick to the gut but we know its the right thing to do for our customers. No doubt it's a big financial pill to swallow but I built this company extremely lean and efficient to be able to absorb down turns in the economy or something like this happening. Its hurts but we've already moved on from it from a financial standpoint. The K4 frame is actually already in the works but we are looking at 2022 for a release.

 

[S&S ARCHERY]

Didnt they just have to replace lids as well ?

Yeah we did have to replace some lids but it was a small percentage of sales. That was truly a fluke deal where the digital pattern of the file got messed up and we didn't catch it until it was too late. The issue was the lid was wider than it was supposed to be so it didn't sit snugly on top of the frame.

 

[3pointer]

So whos going to replace it right away and has anyone found a failed frame ? I took some heavy loads and need to inspect , figure out where to look

 

[S&S ARCHERY]

So whos going to replace it right away and has anyone found a failed frame ? I took some heavy loads and need to inspect , figure out where to look

Luckily we haven't had any customers find one yet but we are fairly sure there are at least a couple out there just based off percentages. Look in the two corner bends at the top of the frame but regardless of seeing anything please let us just replace it. Some of the cracks I have seen can be nearly impossible to see.

 

[3pointer]

Luckily we haven't had any customers find one yet but we are fairly sure there are at least a couple out there just based off percentages. Look in the two corner bends at the top of the frame but regardless of seeing anything please let us just replace it. Some of the cracks I have seen can be nearly impossible to see.

I’ve already filled out my replacement form , should I replace it right away ? Even if it hasn’t failed ?

 

[S&S ARCHERY]

I’ve already filled out my replacement form , should I replace it right away ? Even if it hasn’t failed ?

Yes, we want you to just pull the original frame out and put the Titanium one in. That way we know we've eliminated the possibility it could come up.

 

[Mike Islander]

Unfortunate. Will be interesting to see if this tanks them or if they'll be able to survive to see the K4 considering they already had to replace the lids and I would imagine the actual frame portion of their frame is the most expensive part for them to source. This reminds me, I need to call them about the buckles that constantly come loose on the horizontal compression straps on my 4800...

Mike, what were you carrying when this happened? I've done several hike and bikes with loads ranging from 36 to 68 pounds. My straps have stayed completely tight. Maybe there is a trick to it? You can sort of see in these photos from a couple different trips how my distribution is inside the pack. I stuff my bag in without a stuff sack, so it puffs out the main bag on all sides. I yank the side straps pretty tight.

 

[aion2come]

Love Exo. This great CS move shows their values and will, long-term, enhance the brand. But this is why I often wait until year 2 before I buy some of this stuff. Personally, I like to have the kinks worked out of the system before ponying up the $$$. That said, if they want me to field test stuff for free, I'm always happy to help. Just sayin.

 

[OSUsmokey]

Does anyone know how much weight the TI frame adds over the original K3 material?

Steve says only a few oz

 

[doncarpenter]

I got the email and put in for the replacement. I think it's great that they are being up front and taking responsibility of the issue.

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[Rob5589]

Having worked in QA I can assure you, it’s not that these other companies don’t have these issues. It’s simply that they won’t man up and take the responsibility. Like Steve said, they haven’t even had a customer run into this issue. You really think any other company would go through the financial and emotional pain of replacing all these frames if no customers even knew?
Great customer service EXO and great products. Keep up the good work.

My guess is that most companies would wait until or if it broke to replace it. Replacing them before any problems will benefit them in the end. If packs started breaking on hunts, the forums would be full of complaints which would hurt them far more.

 

[Olson]

I ordered a K3 4800 in November and haven't seen an email yet concerning this issue but this is good to know. Pack/frame has worked perfectly thus far.

 

[Steelhead]

It takes some really solid business planning and ethical practices to be proactive about a "potential" issue like this. I had a bad lid during elk season but just figured that was the way it was built even though I thought it was weird having a floppy lid when the pack was empty. I'm sure I wasn't the only one. I was pleased and surprised that was handled so efficiently.

I bought a "hybrid" coat during from one of the "big" yuppie hunting clothing mfr's that was supposed to be at least partially water-proof. It wasn't. The company made good and replaced it but I had to initiate, provide details, go back and forth. Truth in advertising is important and I believe EXO makes good on that.
I am naive to high-end hunting products but it still amazes me they can sell enough $500 packs to keep a USA manufactured product profitable. It was a financial stretch for me but one I don't regret.

FWIW, my K3 4800 with the potentially bad frame took part in hauling 2x6 point bulls last season with zero issues. For a 50 year old man with a sketchy back I was able to carry stupid pounds of meat for stupid number of miles and the pack didn't skip a beat. Love it. Beats the snot out of the cheap old external frame that has been squeaking and groaning and digging into my sides and shoulders for the past 20+ years.

 

[prm]

Having worked in QA I can assure you, it’s not that these other companies don’t have these issues. It’s simply that they won’t man up and take the responsibility. Like Steve said, they haven’t even had a customer run into this issue. You really think any other company would go through the financial and emotional pain of replacing all these frames if no customers even knew?
Great customer service EXO and great products. Keep up the good work.

To clarify, on their podcast they did say they have had customers report cracks. Not many, and I’m not trying to take away this great effort on their part.

 

[camping1601]

This just reassures my decision to by a K3. I'll admit I'm glad I waited this long.