A question to our foreign cutlery connoisseurs...

I like USA made knives, and I admire the rich knife industry and designers. At the moment, I have only Japanese and German made knives though (as Im not collector per se). Anything really goes and I love seeing knives made around the world, but I never buy chinese knives.
 
I do not care were the knives are made in that much, but I will have to admit that living in japan
had made me realise the amout of dedication people gives their jobs and that makes me like
Japanese knives a lot.
 
I wonder, do people put as much thought and research into everything they buy as they do knives? Do you even care?

My Levi jeans (what could be more American than Levi's?) are made in Haiti. I have no idea who makes them, how much they are paid, how they are treated, how many hours they are required to work, etc, etc. And short of traveling to Haiti and taking a tour of a Levi's plant and personally talking to the workers, I have no way of knowing the answers to those questions. For all I know my jeans might have been made by children working 16 hours a day and getting paid 10 cents an hour. Should I not buy Levi's?

How about Apple products? Iphones, Ipods, Ipads, computers, etc, are made in China. Do those of you who own Apple products know who is making them, how they're being treated, what they're being paid, etc, etc? Do you really care? Or will you buy Apple products regardless?

I'm guessing if you look at the back of the computer moniter and the underside of the keyboard in front of you that no matter the brand, they probably say "made in China".

Personally, I'll buy "made in America" if I can find what I want and need made in America. And if I can find it at a affordable price. It would be my preference to support American workers and I wish there were more manufacturing jobs in America, but there is the way I would like things to be, and then there is the way things are. I'm poor, so my policy is to buy the best quality I can afford, regardless of where it was made. As far as who makes the stuff, working conditions, wages, the ethics of the company, etc, etc, call me callous but I've got bigger things to worry about in my life.
 
Some U.S. made brands appeal to me like GEC, Queen, Northwoods, Bark River and knives in that traditional style.
It's the same with older Solingen products from Germany and todays state of the art Japanese knives.
Naturally I like the Scandiknives from our own Swedish heritage, but it's easy to appreciate any wellmade product from overseas.

Regards

Mikael
 
Made in U.S. definitely means something to me although I have only few of such things. Oakley sunglasses, some of my old climbing gears of Black Diamond and the like.
They all share the same character, which I cannot say well enough in my poor English. They are revolutionary in design and superbe in quality at the same time.
They are perfect from the very beginning. And they worth every penny. It is a real joy to use these products.
Here in iJapan it is true that we have a long tradition of making edged tools but as far as western style hand-held cutting tools are concerned, I think U.S. products are the best.
Maybe because modern steel material science has its major root in the U.S. and also because the people in the U.S. is very innovative.
 
On this forum, I've learned how many Americans care about their knives being made in the US. I respect it alot.

But personally, I don't really care where a knife is made. I'm interested in how the knife is, and how it fulfills m needs and taste. The rest doesn't matter :)

:cool:
 
in croatia, many many things are usually made in italy. i remember being younger getting balisongs there and little fun folders. they were made of inox steel from italy. in croatia not much is "made in china" . once upon a time products were made to last you forever. GE appliances for example, now the average life of a toaster is a few years. US made products are guaranteed to last, and are backed up with very nice guarantees and warranties to fight the "made in china". america is an industrial country that experienced a great deal of lack of quality once the mass production was up. croatia still has many fine quality things from italy, and they do not really care where it is made. The more expensive it is the better it is, that's just how it goes.
 
I support the maker/company for their products and how they conduct themselves, regardless of where they are made.

However, there is pride of ownership supporting a local maker before buying anything foreign.
 
"Made in the USA" doesn't mean as much to me since I'm not American. "Made in Germany" or "Made in England" mean just as much. I prefer traditional patterns of knives to be made in their traditional homeland (Case knives in the US, etc) but it's not a big issue, especially with modern knives. If the quality is there...

However, all things equal, I'd still rather have a knife that said "Made in the USA" than one that said "Made in China". It just has more name brand appeal.
 
Made in America doesn't matter for me the quality not the country of origin means more. I guess it is because Americans are very patriotic and we don't have a knife industry in Australia :(
 
I find it hard to research knives from the USA as there is a lot of difference in the mentality of knife making and, for a lack of better word, " followers" of a brand.

Most often, in my opinion, US knives fall in to 2 categories, Good knives from okay material and okay knives from good material.
Of Course some people will make good knives from good material and vice versa.

I also get to pay at least 37 % extra for any knife I buy directly from the USA. (I bought a Hudson bay blanket, queen size recently, still hurting from that one)

I guess my first thought is " Ouch that's gonna be expensive". (Compare to a French, Germany or Swedish knife)

I do believe that USA are trying to develop new knife materials and that they are one of the leading countries in that category.
 
momouppa said:
Made in America doesn't matter for me the quality not the country of origin means more. I guess it is because Americans are very patriotic and we don't have a knife industry in Australia :(
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Yes we do, check my website. We make everything in Australia and our order book for a knew combat knife opens soon.
 
Hello im from Sweden and "Made in USA" dont make me trust the knife any more or less, its all about who made it and from what material. Also i know the "Made in USA" stomp can end up on CCS knives thats just put together in the states but is first made from rusty ships in <insert random backwater country.

Also OP you should look for the "Made in Sweden" stomp :P Fällkniven and Mora Knives is awsome.
 
Goosey said:
I don't care where it's made as long as it's good quality. I'm not even American so "made in USA" holds no special meaning for me... I'd rather have "made in USA" than "made in China" on my knife, because it seems more prestigious, but it's not a deciding factor. I sometimes get annoyed by people who absolutely refuse to buy products that aren't made in the US... it just seems close-minded to apply that policy to every purchase!
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Agreed!
 
A knife doesn't have to be "USA made" to have a reputation for quality. German knives have a good rep. Sheffield England, the list goes on.

The problem with China made knives isn't a lack of quality (or of quality steel) per se. I've read of good knives from China. The problem is that many USA manufacturers have outsourced to China with a resulting drop in quality. Often a USA manufacturer will fold and some yahoo will buy the NAME and contract with China to make an inferior product.

To me, that is actually a deceptive practice. With heat treat being as important as steel in cutting ability people will go by a proven manufacturer to make choices. I bought a Gerber a few years back because it had a name as a good knife. The words "made in China" are printed very tiny on the box and I wasn't happy with the knife.

I am coming to love old Schrade, USA made, knives for decent steel at a good price. I've been talking to a few guys at work lately. They are your everyday, non-anal, knife user. They have Old Timers, older USA made ones, and they talk about how Schrades are known to be great cutting pocket knives. None of them was aware that they are China made now and not as good.

The guy who bought the Schrade name was well aware that he could do well on name reputation alone for some time.

THAT'S the reason people watch out for China knives and are wary of them, not because they are intrinsically bad.
 
SurfingSalmon,

Since you asked, I will offer my views as a Canadian...

Regarding the Made in Idaho stamp question: I own a large and a small Sebenza (both pre-date the Idaho stamp).
The fact that they are made in the USA is definitely an asset for me, (considering our proximity to the US, which I travel to frequently, and the relationship between our countries).

I have about 6o knives in my collection and the majority originate from the USA (primarily Randall, CRK, ESEE, Becker, ZT).

I also have knives from German, Italy, Switzerland, Norway and Finland. The common elements that draw me to this diverse group of knives are: good basic design, quality of manufacture, durability and solid customer service.

The only country I adamantly refuse to buy knives from is China, as I refuse to support their ongoing theft of intellectual property from enterprising companies all over the world.

Greg

SurfingSalmon said:
Thanks for your responses everybody! I was sitting around with my Sebenza taking note of the "Made in Idaho" stamp on the scales and I wondered for a second, say if I was Canadian, if that would bear any significance to me.
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I honestly think it has more to do with the desired quality by the contracting company (and willingness to enforce good QC on the maker).

Gerber sold out and allowed the quality of their product to be overshadowed by other issues. It wasn't that they were made in China that killed their reputation. It was being made in china, and expecting to not have to take the care to make sure the product was up to snuff (because they didn't care).

I'd buy a spyderco knife made in China though, as it has more to do with the fact that I trust them not to put their name on a crap knife. I do not trust Gerber to do the same. I would have 20 years ago, but not today.

It's a perception problem. A factory in the US can put out just as bad of a product as China.............or equally as good. The difference is in the management of the work, rather than the location. Spyderco proves this. So does Gerber. Their goals are different. Gerber went short-run profit, and now they are paying for it.
 
Haze said:
Those high end knives be it production or custom are known world wide for good design, good quality materials and good workmanship as well as bringing new materials, designs and features in to play. The US does have a lot to be proud of as far as knives but just don't get carried away. :p:thumbup:
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well said..! for now it is US for quality knives maybe...but beware...sooner or later.. people are catching up, the Taiwanese, the Chinese, eventually the Pakistanis and Indians... just a matter of time... do not forget it was just not too long ago (20-30 years) that everything Made in Japan is deemed as inferior quality, copy cat design.... now things with the mark Made in Japan is known for quality! With contract manufacturers in Taiwan, China, Pakistan, India, Spain, Argentina manufacturing knives, in huge volume, people seeing knives day in day out, some of these people will become experts in certain areas, in knife fit and finish, in knife tolerances, and they will come up with their own designs with these experiences...

At one time, Nokia phones were made in Estonia (may still be made there!), a ex-soviet bloc country, which is just across the Baltic Sea from Finland, and the mark on the phones say "MADE BY NOKIA", instead of MADE IN ESTONIA!!
 
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