Sog Tech Bowie made in Taiwan ?

[Slimegreencat]

I just got my Tech bowie home and opened it and noticed at the base of the blade on the opposite side of the SOG logo "Taiwan" is etched in the blade
My SOG Seal says Seki Japan. wich I thought was a good thing .... Japan steel is one of the best .. Taiwan ... not so good .
So what gives, are all Sogs made in Taiwan now or just certain models

Its a nice knife, but it would be nicer without the Taiwan crap written on it .... hope it holds up

[Carcajou]

Taiwan is not worse than another country...a sog knife is a sog knife ...whatever the country it is produced.(So what gives, are all Sogs made in Taiwan now)NO certains models Only.

[Culpeper]

Check this out. It's some dude abusing a cheapo Taiwan Ka-Bar to death...

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=528105

SOG Taiwan knives go through the same quality control as any of their other knives. The move was based on manufacturing economics without sacrificing manufacturing quality. It is a decision the company struggled with but I think they made the right choice to meet supply and demand. Trust me, I had my fair share of contempt prior to investigation on this topic. PM or email Chris@SOG. He is very honest and straightforward on this topic in such a way that allows you to formulate your own opinion on the topic.

In fact, this topic naturally keeps popping up and perhaps this thread would make a good start to a "sticky" thread. IMO.

[KnifeFury]

I have a Satin Tech Bowie marked "2005 Special Edition" on one side and "SOG Speciality Knives" on the other. Nothing about Taiwan!

Of course the knife is a few years old... were the Tech Bowies always made in Taiwan?

[Chris@SOG]

Yes, the Tech Bowie knives have always been made in Taiwan. At one point they had stickers instead of the engraved Taiwan. The sticker may have come off on yours at some point.

If this thread takes off I'll see about making it a sticky but I think some of the other older threads might be better suited for this.

[bigocean]

Hey Chris,

How about putting up a list of all the models SOG has produced to date with all relevant information regarding each model and make it a sticky?

Things like:

*When the model was introduced
*When it discontinued
*Type of steel used
*Measurements
*Variations of the model
*Place of manufacture
*Any changes brought about during the lifetime of that model
*Etc etc etc

What do you guys think?

[KnifeFury]

Originally Posted by bigocean

Hey Chris,

How about putting up a list of all the models SOG has produced to date with all relevant information regarding each model and make it a sticky?

Things like:

*When the model was introduced
*When it discontinued
*Type of steel used
*Measurements
*Variations of the model
*Place of manufacture
*Any changes brought about during the lifetime of that model
*Etc etc etc

What do you guys think?

The free catalog you can request online has a detailed summary sheet on the very last page... very nice. Direct link is below:
http://www.sogknives.com/contact/catalog.php

I was just comparing it to the Ka-bar catalog which also does a very similar thing on the last few pages. The key difference is that Ka-bar lists the Manufactured Location (which for Ka-bar includes: Taiwan, Japan, China, & USA).

Of course I am suggesting that SOG do something similar

[Culpeper]

Originally Posted by Chris@SOG

If this thread takes off I'll see about making it a sticky but I think some of the other older threads might be better suited for this.

No problem. Any one of your choice would make things easier than reinventing the wheel on this topic.

[Chris@SOG]

bigocean

that is a great idea and we are working on something like that for the SOG website. Sort of a collectors information resource / archive. I'll try and find the previous post where i have listed country of origin for current products and make that a sticky.

[Slimegreencat]

Thanks for the reply's guys, I guess my concerns are not needed .
Like I said .. it looks and feels like a great knife, its just the Taiwan thing scared me
I guess its just the way things are these days nothing is built in N. America anymore ...

[johnu2]

Taiwan is very capable of making fine cutlery. Try the knife out. Who knows, you may even be surprised

[noviomagus]

nothing wrong with Taiwan.
good steel can be made anywhere in the world.
it is the standards used by the manufacturer that makes it a good knife or not.
not the country where it is made in.

[XxDrAg0nxX]

Originally Posted by Chris@SOG

Yes, the Tech Bowie knives have always been made in Taiwan. At one point they had stickers instead of the engraved Taiwan. The sticker may have come off on yours at some point.

If this thread takes off I'll see about making it a sticky but I think some of the other older threads might be better suited for this.

Hi Chris,

Was there a reason why the word TAIWAN had to be engraved?

I would rather not know in that case

And how about the Trident 2.0? Is that Made in Japan?

[Culpeper]

Get a drill bit stone shaped like a cone and lightly rub it out. Free trade agreements make it a requirement to show where it was made.

[Culpeper]

Mar 22, 10:33 AM (ET)

By PETER ENAV

Full Image TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Taiwan's opposition candidate cruised to victory in the presidential election Saturday, promising to expand economic ties with China while protecting the island from being swallowed up politically by its giant communist neighbor.

So, is this going to effect subcontracting out to China?

[VanDro]

Ironically, outsourcing is a good thing.

If you look at knife-making history you had sequential centers of mastery. Toledo, Paris, Solingen, Sheffield, the U.S., and Japan should be the right order. They became more popular, productive, and wealthier then they dropped quality like a rock. The center moved on and the cycle restarted.

China and Taiwan may have been bad a couple of years ago, but they were rookies. Now, Asian factories are entering the handmade and luxury realm in quality knife-making, producing great knives at affordable prices. So it is only natural that the proverbial knife center should be there.

That is why SOG is focusing production in Taiwan, and the fact that the AUS-8 and VG-10 they are using are Asian trademarked steels (Japanese I am sure). Put your production where your material comes from I say.

[The Mastiff]

If the knives made in taiwan use AUS steels, VG steels or other well known steels they are importing the steel into taiwan for use in knifemaking. Taiwan doesn't make a lot of steel and imports it from Japan. Spyderco is sending S30V to taiwan for production of a knife there.

A SOG knife made in taiwan isn't the same animal as a PRC made knife. Not even close. Joe

[Culpeper]

I bought a set of Hen & Rooster steak knives claiming to be 440A and the blade edge started to rust soon after using them. These were stamped CHINA. We still need to be careful with some of these old brand names, the rights of which have been bought out by certain licensing companies,and having their products made in China, India, and so forth under those brand names. Today's fixed and folding blade knives that Talylor Brands LLC purchased the name and intellectual property from such companies as Schrade are not the same knives manufactured by Schrade and etc. These knives look the same and may even have the same model numbers but they are truly junk in every since of the word compared to the original manufacturer and I doubt seriously Taylor Brands LLC is looking toward better quality since Taylor Brands is a growing going concern with their current business mode, which is manufacturing junk under old well known brand names.

Of course, Schrade was making a decent knife in the USA but for every company like the old Schrade company the USA still had plenty of manufacturers making junk as well. In other words, why should China be any different.

[e3w2q1]

I am looking for a knife like the SOG Tech Bowie. It looks similar to a marine combat knife, yet it is a SOG. Is it a good knife for self-defense, whitling wood, and slashing things?

[john russell]

Alot of the new katanas that you see flooding the market are of exceptional quality and just about all of these are being churned out from forges in china , I own a few and have put them through their paces. Economically it's more viable especially when your closest competitors are saving money this way . Though I dont have any of the Taiwan stuff I dont think SOG would risk their name on a sub-par product. Try them out first.