Anyone who will NOT buy a Sage because they are made in Taiwan?

jurisprudence said:
The Sage line and GB are often cited as examples of quality in the defense of Spyderco's Taiwan contractor. No doubt these are very good knives.

On the other hand, the Cat, Chicago, and first Bushcraft are other Spyderco's from Taiwan that did not turn out so well. In fact the problems with the the Cat and Chicago were so significant they were completely discontinued. The Bushcraft ended up being sold as a "second."
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That was a different Taiwanese contractor; not all Taiwanese knives are well made.
 
THG said:
Exactly lol

I don't really have a "problem" with the Sage being made in Taiwan. I'm sure the quality and all is superb. It's just that there are USA options at a better price. That's why I've been buying Kershaw lately. If I CAN buy USA, I SHOULD buy USA when the alternative is available.

So no, it's not a simple, "OMG CHINA/TAIWAN/JAPAN MAKES ME SICK!" thing.
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Yeah Kershaw! Oh, wait a minute, isn't Kershaw a Japanese company? Look it up in their own website!

BTW, Made in the USA, means all component parts come from Japan, Europe & China...
 
Precisely. I draw the line at counterfeits. Beyond that, I don't care where a knife comes from or whether it's a copy of someone else's design. My only concerns are (1) whether I like it, (2) if it's well made, and (3) if I can afford it.

.
 
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Golddust said:
I love Spyderco, I love the ergonomics, style, innovation, blades, so on and so forth. I have been looking for a strong EDC blade that will not make me think twice and I can have on my pocket for years which brought me to the Sage series of knives. The size, shape, materials, and simplicity are everything I am looking for in a knife and it would be perfect except for one thing, the knife is made in Taiwan and is stamped right on the blade. I know this shouldn't matter if the quality is solid but when I see it stamped on the blade it makes me sick to my stomach to think that it is the only thing stopping me from buying it. So I am wondering if anyone else has this problem and if anyone can help me overcome my thoughts?
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The fact that the Spyderco Gayle Bradley was made in Taiwan is what made me wait so long to get one.
I was leery as hell, and suspected a sub par knife.
What I got was the best work knife I've ever had.
These folks in Taiwan, if it's the same ones who made the GB, are producing top notch knives for a screamin' good price.

This American has a very big thumbs up for the results of the Taiwanese makers.
My eyes have been opened.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
This seems like the perfect thread to post a video of the "America - F**k Yeah!" song.
 
Hi Golddust,

I understand your concern. There are many that think as you do, which is why we continue to expand our Golden factory.

I think it's important for our country that we manufacture here in the US. I believe all manufacturers in the US should be expanding their US facilities.

On the Sage's, the steel is made in the US. The wire clip and barrel bolt are made in the US. On the Sage 3, the G-10 is made in the US. Extra work for purchasing and shipping to be shipping all of this stuff to Taiwan, but the maker is worth the effort.

Most of the profit stays in the US (Material suppliers, Spyderco, distributors, dealers, shipping companies, etc). We also sell them world wide which brings more money back to the US.

At Spyderco, we always try to do the right things for the right reasons. In this case, I believe we are providing good design, good concept, good quality at fair prices.

sal
 
If I see a design that fits my needs and liking and is made by a maker I trust like spyderco, it doesn't matter at all where its made. If they have stood the test of time, I trust the product.
 
Sal Glesser said:
Hi Golddust,

I understand your concern. There are many that think as you do, which is why we continue to expand our Golden factory.

I think it's important for our country that we manufacture here in the US. I believe all manufacturers in the US should be expanding their US facilities.

On the Sage's, the steel is made in the US. The wire clip and barrel bolt are made in the US. On the Sage 3, the G-10 is made in the US. Extra work for purchasing and shipping to be shipping all of this stuff to Taiwan, but the maker is worth the effort.

Most of the profit stays in the US (Material suppliers, Spyderco, distributors, dealers, shipping companies, etc). We also sell them world wide which brings more money back to the US.

At Spyderco, we always try to do the right things for the right reasons. In this case, I believe we are providing good design, good concept, good quality at fair prices.

sal
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Thanks Sal, that post goes a long way.
 
CWL said:
Yeah Kershaw! Oh, wait a minute, isn't Kershaw a Japanese company? Look it up in their own website!
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I'm well aware of that. However, they're putting Americans to work with their factories here in the US, as well as using US materials. True or not true?

CWL said:
BTW, Made in the USA, means all component parts come from Japan, Europe & China...
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It MEANS that they come from elsewhere? What the hell are you talking about? So the S30V or CPM-D2 or 154CM or 410 or S110V and all of the other steels that they use "comes from Japan, Europe & China..."? I remember from Thomas W that even their Sandvik steels are processed here (I don't know if that means they come from Sweeden or what, though.) Of course, they do have imported materials like ZDP-189, which I believe comes from Takefu or Hitachi in Japan, but the majority of their models use Sandvik or American steels.

Sal Glesser said:
On the Sage's, the steel is made in the US. The wire clip and barrel bolt are made in the US. On the Sage 3, the G-10 is made in the US. Extra work for purchasing and shipping to be shipping all of this stuff to Taiwan, but the maker is worth the effort.
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Honestly, I forget all of this sometimes. Thanks for bringing it back to our attention. It's definitely a +1 in my book.
 
Some people seem to be under the impression that Spyderco uses this Taiwan manufacturer mainly for cost reasons. They do not.

Every Sage I've held and examined has had F&F at least as good as American made Spydercos, Benchmades, and Kershaws.
 
I also find it quite amusing that some point to the failed Bushcraft models as examples of poor Taiwanese manufacturing when the problem was the poorly stabilized wood that was sourced from an American manufacturer.
 
I think you just have to learn to get over it. Just about anything you buy is from another country. Heck even knives that are made in the USA are packaged out of this country. Dont believe me, just check a Kershaw box that has the US flag.
 
Spyderco should re-stamp them to read "Made in Taiwan (Earth)". (I refuse to buy anything not made on Earth. Besides, the shipping from 'elsewhere' is a killer).
 
I still don't agree with you.

If you knew Kershaw is a Japanese company, then it is disingenuous in your post to make it seem like they are a true-blue "Buy America" company, because that is what readers of your post will assume. Not all their knives are "Made in USA" and certainly their components are not USA-made.

Personally, I understand the need for companies to move off-shore in order to stay competitive and survive in the modern world.
 
Interesting so many place no value on country of origin.

Knives are one of the few things where I still have a choice NOT to buy overseas made goods.

This makes the choice a no brainer for me.
 
Function/purpose, Quality/value combined with need are the criteria I use when selecting a kinfe. Where a blade might be made does not enter into the decision. Having said that, I do appreciate the fact that high quality knives, Made in America, are available to me.
 
CWL said:
I still don't agree with you.

If you knew Kershaw is a Japanese company, then it is disingenuous in your post to make it seem like they are a true-blue "Buy America" company, because that is what readers of your post will assume. Not all their knives are "Made in USA" and certainly their components are not USA-made.

Personally, I understand the need for companies to move off-shore in order to stay competitive and survive in the modern world.
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Where are you getting your information? :confused:

It is my understanding that essentially all the components of (Made in USA) Kershaw knives are made in-house.

In addition, the majority of Kershaw knives are made in America, and are sold in much greater numbers than made in America Spydercos and Benchmades.
 
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Call me old fashioned or whatever else you want but I try my hardest to buy USA made products whenever possible and I try to buy local on top of that as in Oregon made stuff. I'll pay more money for local goods. I do like several of the knives that come out of Japan though and Japan knives are usually not looked down on anyway. I also like a lot of the Japanese vehicles and especially their dirt bikes and atv's. I love American made guns also but I do make exceptions Glock being one of them. I just can't stomach paying as much for a Taiwan knife or anything else for that matter if I can get a USA product of equal or better quality even if I have to pay a little more. This is one of those topics like religion where everybody has their own opinion and nobody is going to change each others mind. At least there's nothing anybody could say to change my mind. Just agree to disagree lol ;)
 
Tsujigiri said:
That was a different Taiwanese contractor; not all Taiwanese knives are well made.
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I understand your general point, and agree that all contractors are equal. However, I have not seen any evidence that another contractor was involved. Can you provide a reference for that information?

Even if another contractor made the Cat and Chicago, Spyderco selected the contractor and is ultimately responsible for the production and quality, or lack thereof.

Let me give me comments some context here. Again, I started by noting the quality of the GB and Sage line. Spydero is a great company and my favorite knife manufacturer. I am simply offering up another point of view for the discussion of manufacturers.
 
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