American made?

I concur; regardless of which country it's made in, it's the Spyderco name that assures me of consistent high quality.
OTHER THINGS BEING EQUAL, if the final deciding factor for me is "US Made"; not knocking any other country's workers, but just supporting mine; and if thats important enough for me to overlook the stigma of my being patriotic, then so be it.
 
Sal Glesser wrote:
Try to keep in mind that we are all but tiny drops of life stuck on the side of a round rock whirling through space. We are all one people...connected. Let's not blame our ancestors or governments for their failings. It is our responsibility to make it a better world.
Click to expand...
Sal, I salute you! "All One"

Of course, all things being equal, I prefer to buy products made in the U.S.A. and if not made in the U.S.A., at least owned by corporations headquartered in the U.S.A. (this of course excludes those cursed tax cheats (may they get a pox in their guts) who have moved their putative headquarters to tax free Caribbean islands). I do this not because I'm xenophobic but because I see it as being patriotic. However, I won't encourage crappy businesses who aren't willing to stay competitive in quality and price just because they slap "Made in the U.S.A." on their products.
 
Thanx Enkidu. Ther is nothing wrong with being Patriotic and buying American is also good in that it helps our economy. My Toyota Truck is made in Flint Michigan by American workers.

We have a few probs in that some "American Made" products really aren't, but that's an honesty problem, not a patriotic one.

I think that it is important in our space and time to realize that only "we" can make things better. and "We" seem to exist in many parts of the world.

If you want a better world, be a better person. Then you will have, IMO, improved our world a little bit.

sal
 
I agree with Sal on all that he stated...

But when it comes to tools, I think we do a better job on our shores then anywhere else in the world when it comes to tolerances on mass produced goods.

Thanks for Bringing this one back :D

Hotrod
 
Hi Hotrod,

"But when it comes to tools, I think we do a better job on our shores then anywhere else in the world when it comes to tolerances on mass produced goods".

I tend to agree that we can, when we choose to.

sal
 
Tools????? I am in the machining industry and find more Mitutoyo in guys/gals toolboxes than Starrett???? Not because they are cheaper either. I would be interested to know what Spyderco uses for their QC precision measuring tools. If you are comparing Craftman/Snap-on wrenches(you said you are in the auto industry) to China made well sure. Look at the price difference 2 bucks for a half inch wrench as opposed to 10 bucks. Everything is relative. If it came down to a Toyota or a Chev...The Toyota will run three times as far but without a body on it because they are not made for our weather(salt on the roads)and will rust to pieces...
 
All around... even the heavy weight machining centers pail in comparison to a big antique American made mill... they plain out dont last as long!

It imo comes down to the dollar per year factor... How much is it worth for it to last a life time.

I must just be screwed up in the head, but I think if you keep the dollars on our shores we dont repeat history... hard to have another Great Depression if everyone has a job! :cool:
 
Yes that is true hotrod. It would be nice to be able to buy only from your own shores but that is impossible. In theory yes it would be an ideal world but in isn't going to happen. No matter how hard you try you cannot solely buy from your own country. If you did you would be missing a whole lot of better things that are out there.
 
Oh I agree whole heartedly with that statement... But, given the choice of a foreign spidey and a millie... I'd take the mil, if only for the fact its american made. If the product is comparable to here, I try to buy here!

Kinda on the same line of shoes, I havent had great luck with chinese made shoes, or jeans made south of the border...

I guess the one big thing is a certain german made pair of flops! :D
 
Birks are the BEST. I have 2 pairs and I am working on a 3rd. Got Married this summer in them. All my Groomsmen were in Birks with SS PE Flys clipped to their pockets. Take Care!!!
 
What about when Dialex's designs are so irresistable and expensive that Sal has to give him ownership of Spyderco just to be able to bring the designs to life?

Spyderco would no longer be American-based (unless someone wants to immigrate), but I'd still buy from them.
 
Lets see,
If I buy something German, am I supporting people who were enemies in WW2?

If I buy japanese, am I supporting people who were enemies in WW2?

If I buy Chinese, am I supporting people who allow no freedoms as we do here?

If I buy American, how do I know it is not a foreign worker with one of those ancestries who has actually had a hand in making the product for an American company?

If I buy an American car [ Ford ], most of the parts are made overseas, the front end is British in design now, the tires come from overseas, the other parts of the car come from all over the world and the US.

You can buy American and still have foreigners that are benefiting from your purchase. Whether it is inadvertent on your part or by design, most everything you buy today will have hands from other countries thumbprints on them.

In todays world, it is nearly impossible to say every part of the process was by an Americans hands with any product.

To not buy something based on where it was or was not manufactured/produced seems to be harder and harder to do these days. The world has shrunk to the point where it will be nearly impossible to buy something that didn't have a hand in the process from somewhere other than USA, Earth.

I buy an American car, and get foreign parts on it. Did I buy American? Not totally. So I don't buy the Ford for that reason?

Do you buy your kids toys? Your grandkids toys? Think they are made in the US? How far do we carry the theory and digress to the point of not owning something well made for that reason alone?

If I like it, it is of the quality I desire, I buy it with nary a thought of origin [ though it may be known or unknown to me at the time of purchase ].

I hold much resentment toward a certain country in SE Asia. IF they made something that was of quality and also desired, I'd buy it. Chances are the people making the item were not around during the time I was there and had no hand in their governments actions against the US. They need to eat as well as anyone. Wouldn't make me happy to buy it from there but if it is what I wanted, it would be purchased.

I'd love to buy a handmade weapon [ knife ] from the mojahadin in Afhganistan. Does that mean I'm supporting Al Queda buying something from that country? I don't think so.

If you are not taking it to the limit and purchasing only those items that no one had a hand in except US workers, you would not own much I'm afraid.

Brownie
 
Brownie...

I try to be loyal to companies that still try an keep production on our shores... Stuff that says made in the USA, not made in the USA with foreign components... or Made some where else with USA componenets.

Case in point, try finding an American made set of Sunglasses that are relatively cheap... never happen.

I dislike dealing with companys that charge the same price as they always have even after they have moved the manufacturing facility to another country... You say profit, I say they layed off how many people when they moved out?

No offense ment, but I thought I was as clear as mud when trying to buy from our own shores! I agree that its a hard fight to fight... but it makes me think I might be keeping a job on our shores.

A harley for instance... Has a japanese front end, a japanese carb, and lighting/electrical system. Crawl under any late model car... and you'll see made in china, made in canada, made in mexico. Under a mazda you find ford stamps, under a suzuki or Izuzu, you find GM, Under a chrysler you find a mistobishi motor... Crate motors from GM assembled in Mexico. I can live with some of this stuff, but I want my Knife for one to be built with Quality!

What can I say... we live in a disposable world, and I'm living like we arent :)
 
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