Anyone Like or Collect Knives from the Various Chinese Makers??

[The Grendels]

Canada customs hates knives more than anything, so no imports for me.

That said from what I can see there are more independent knifemakers on AliExpress than anywhere else I've ever seen and some day I'd love to start collecting them.

I'm pretty loathe to import folders, because of the vagueness of the rules regarding flippy openers, but there are a bunch of Canadian knife stores that ship these knives across Canada. There's always the odd brand that are difficult to source domestically, but you can get most knives you want in Canada (provided they're not autos).

I have a few Chinese folders from Kizer, Pivot, WE, Civivi, QSP, and Artisan Cutlery. One of these days, I'll pick up something from Two Suns, Petrified Fish, and/or Kansept.

 

[EatingSarma]

I don't own any knife made in china, but I might get myself a fixed blade from RealSteel as I heard so much good about them.

I'm not into politics, I'll buy whatever I like.

I usually try to buy European brands because of quality and materials to price ratio is the best and I am European.

Sadly, except ESEE3 I had and Ka-Bars I had and sold... I doubt I'll buy another American made knife. They're too expensive for what I'm getting.
Before you flame me - it's because of import tax and all other fees that need to be paid to bring an US product here. So I'm not blaming US for that.

 

[chalby]

I'm not a collector, and I only have a Ruike and a QSP, but both knives are very impressive quality-wise.

 

[Daniel Dorn]

Got a couple Rike, which seem fairly uncommon around here. Probably because they have a limited selection. Also a couple Reate-made sub-brands, Liong Mah, Pena. These 2 are of exceptional quality. I've had Kizer as well and for the price (at least on the secondarymarket) they can't be beat.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

I checked out a few offerings from WE yesterday. Great fit send finish, but just too flashy for my taste. The LKS only had 4 models. 2 were too small for my needs. 2 looked overly garish to the point that the quality of the materials and finish were lost in something that came across as costume jewelry.

Still digging my new knife from Brother, though.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

I checked out a few offerings from WE yesterday. Great fit send finish, but just too flashy for my taste. The LKS only had 4 models. 2 were too small for my needs. 2 looked overly garish to the point that the quality of the materials and finish were lost in something that came across as costume jewelry.

Still digging my new knife from Brother, though.

I honestly find their CIVIVI line is, for me, not only less expensive but more appealing. It tends to be a bit more subdued. I will say that the WE button lock Malice they previewed at SHOT looks like something I might pick up, though.

 

[DMG]

To me, something is collectible because of scarcity. Mass produced Chinese knives seem the opposite of that. Plus I am at a point in my life where I don’t collect anything. I want stuff I use or that has sent value because my ancestors used it.

 

[POCEH KOCEB]

With few exceptions, unless there is a well known designer working with particular Chinese company, I'm not really interested of those knives,
especially when we're talking about designs and price. lately every company, including Chinese that are on US market,
pumped up their prices and this is another factor to pick exactly what I like and to cut little bit on the impulsive purchases.
With this said, there are few independent Chinese knife makers that have impressive quality. It is true, I can't find most of those inline,
appears that they sell only via Instagram and other social media. I can't find a US retailer selling those.
There are few budget models of Sitivien, sold on the river site that I like, particularly this "German" theme knife:

This other maker, I find to have impeccable models, some original, some that he modified.
I left the Instagram handle on purpose if someone is interested.
Some of those models are not really what I'd buy, some I find to be too expensive. Either way, this particular guy sell every piece like crazy
and he's booked long ahead. He does all polishing by hand, generally, I like few models and if I can get to them, wouldn't mind buying it.
I do care about the political part of this, but I think such makers are too small to make impact on it, so I just dismiss it if there is a design I really like.

 

[AF]

The Chinese brands have come on strong over the past few years. They make high quality knives at a lower cost. It appears that they've really put the hurt on some American brands like ZT while others like Spyderco have been able to differentiate themselves and stay popular.
I can understand why the topic would be politically charged. That aside, the quality is undeniable. Reate, WE, Kizer, and TwoSun are the ones I have the most experience with.

 

[toker]

It appears that they've really put the hurt on some American brands like ZT while others like Spyderco have been able to differentiate themselves and stay popular.

I don't think ZT is having any issues selling their knives. Their reps have stated that the last two years have seen a large increase in demand for both Kershaw and ZT. They said their factories are working non-stop just to keep up with catalog demand.

 

[AF]

Ok, I was speculating. It's hard to know when you're an outsider, albeit one that closely follows the industry. I'd be shocked if ZT hasn't lost market share to various Chinese companies.

 

[afishhunter]

I like and accumulate Rough Ryder (formerly "Rough Rider") slipjoints of various patterns.
The quality and performance is much higher than their price point.
They also make patterns others don't normally produce, such as the large sunfish, and in the case of Case, the Barlow.

 

[jill jackson]

WE 037, I just started carrying and it has impressed me with how well it carries for such a large knife.

https://imgur.com/a/FWfeqg7

 

[UNBLF]

The Chinese brands have come on strong over the past few years. They make high quality knives at a lower cost. It appears that they've really put the hurt on some American brands like ZT while others like Spyderco have been able to differentiate themselves and stay popular.
I can understand why the topic would be politically charged. That aside, the quality is undeniable. Reate, WE, Kizer, and TwoSun are the ones I have the most experience with.

From my understanding ZT is a Japanese company?
ZT belongs to KAI.

 

[UNBLF]

With few exceptions, unless there is a well known designer working with particular Chinese company, I'm not really interested of those knives,
especially when we're talking about designs and price. lately every company, including Chinese that are on US market,
pumped up their prices and this is another factor to pick exactly what I like and to cut little bit on the impulsive purchases.
With this said, there are few independent Chinese knife makers that have impressive quality. It is true, I can't find most of those inline,
appears that they sell only via Instagram and other social media. I can't find a US retailer selling those.
There are few budget models of Sitivien, sold on the river site that I like, particularly this "German" theme knife:

This other maker, I find to have impeccable models, some original, some that he modified.
I left the Instagram handle on purpose if someone is interested.
Some of those models are not really what I'd buy, some I find to be too expensive. Either way, this particular guy sell every piece like crazy
and he's booked long ahead. He does all polishing by hand, generally, I like few models and if I can get to them, wouldn't mind buying it.
I do care about the political part of this, but I think such makers are too small to make impact on it, so I just dismiss it if there is a design I really like.

Genex is very popular and reputable among domestic Chinese knife collectors / enthusiasts. I'm a bit surprised it ever gets mentioned in this forum because yes it's struggling to just meet its domestic demand.

 

[toker]

From my understanding ZT is a Japanese company?
ZT belongs to KAI.

Kai is the mother company. ZT is their USA made brand. Some Kershaw are also made in the USA.

Ok, I was speculating. It's hard to know when you're an outsider, albeit one that closely follows the industry. I'd be shocked if ZT hasn't lost market share to various Chinese companies.

I'm sure they've lost sales to Chinese companies, but they're still doing great. Or people are just buying a lot of knives across brands.

 

[POCEH KOCEB]

Genex is very popular and reputable among domestic Chinese knife collectors / enthusiasts. I'm a bit surprised it ever gets mentioned in this forum because yes it's struggling to just meet its domestic demand.

You’d be even more surprised if you know that I’m not very fond of Chinese knifes in general… My opinion was formed long time ago, the days of Kevin John and other such carbon copy Chinese companies.
‘But times are changing and I can’t say “Black” to something that is obviously “White”, they are new, legitimate companies and independent makers there that does very good job and I don’t have any issues mentioning it.
I had my share of Chinese knock offs that I used to buy “just to see if the original worth the money…” a very lame excuse as I found out later, comparing the amount of $$ I spent for those vs the price of the real thing…
im not crazy about all new Chinese designs and I’m not shocked of their quality much. My point is that if they don’t do colabs with the designs, they have to have at least impeccable manufacturing and they do, everyone can see it…
I have no problem buying a well manufactured Chinese knife if I like the design, I always go for the elements of the design before to care how well is manufactured this particular knife.
‘What impressed me with Genex is the way he cut and polished the blades, as someone that long time ago worked with such machinery, I think he is doing very good work and concentrating on details, no wonder he got such good reputation !

 

[POCEH KOCEB]

Sorry for the double post, I hate this iPad…

 

[Chronovore]

I checked out a few offerings from WE yesterday. Great fit send finish, but just too flashy for my taste. The LKS only had 4 models. 2 were too small for my needs. 2 looked overly garish to the point that the quality of the materials and finish were lost in something that came across as costume jewelry.

Still digging my new knife from Brother, though.

That's been my general impression of WE over the last few years. The flashiness or over-complication of many WE designs kept me at the Civivi level, but that's been okay. They're fantastic budget knives.

Some of the more recent offerings from WE have been an exception for me. Notable examples include the Beacon, Saakshi, Seer, Snick, and their premium version of the Elementum. Those models seem much more functional and the ones I've picked up have been impressive.

 

[POCEH KOCEB]

I’d say save your dollars right now. Usually all those knife and gun companies, releasing their new models few weeks after the SHOT in Vegas. You’ll have much better choice and some of the older models, if you still like those, will be on sale.