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

Hi Harry,

Thanx for posting. I cannot say that I disagree that much of our "old work ethic" culture seems to be degrading, and I must agree that I see this more than I like to as I go through my daily life. Only in America, do I hear, "Don't work too hard". In most other countries to which I travel, the attitude is, "work hard, be successful".

On the other hand, America is a great country that is just a little off course. Knowing that there is a problem is the beginning of a solution and a course change.

In defense of our crew at Spyderco, Most (85%) of our crew works the "old" way. They're responsible, punctual, team players that try hard to do a good job. I will admit that it's taken a long time to find such a team (25+ years), and we saw much of which you speak while finding them.

Since you are aware of the problem, it's your obligation and responsibility to try to be part of the solution. ;)

Back on topic, The Sage series not only uses many (most) US made materials, it was created by US designers, it is marketed and distributed by US workers, QC'd by US workers, shipped by US workers, Warranteed by a US company, and reparied by US knifemakers.

I have also noticed that there does not seem to be any other companies that have created or are producing such a series to honor innovators in our industry. I will also add (please forgive the shameless plug :o) that a percentage of the sales of all Sage's goes to Alzheimers research.

sal
 
Sal,
IMHO anytime a company gives money to a worthwhile cause it is not a "shameless" plug.
Keep up the good work and continued success.
Dozier (not bob)
 
I think people have it into their heads that Taiwan = China.

Taiwan is a firm partner of the USA both in terms of economic development and political ideology.

But oh well, your money your choice- doesn't affect me so its a non issue to be honest. :)
 
Sal Glesser said:
Hi Harry,

Thanx for posting. I cannot say that I disagree that much of our "old work ethic" culture seems to be degrading, and I must agree that I see this more than I like to as I go through my daily life. Only in America, do I hear, "Don't work too hard". In most other countries to which I travel, the attitude is, "work hard, be successful".

On the other hand, America is a great country that is just a little off course. Knowing that there is a problem is the beginning of a solution and a course change.

In defense of our crew at Spyderco, Most (85%) of our crew works the "old" way. They're responsible, punctual, team players that try hard to do a good job. I will admit that it's taken a long time to find such a team (25+ years), and we saw much of which you speak while finding them.

Since you are aware of the problem, it's your obligation and responsibility to try to be part of the solution. ;)

Back on topic, The Sage series not only uses many (most) US made materials, it was created by US designers, it is marketed and distributed by US workers, QC'd by US workers, shipped by US workers, Warranteed by a US company, and reparied by US knifemakers.

I have also noticed that there does not seem to be any other companies that have created or are producing such a series to honor innovators in our industry. I will also add (please forgive the shameless plug :o) that a percentage of the sales of all Sage's goes to Alzheimers research.

sal
Click to expand...

Hi Sal,

I am one of those old work ethic guys and have been stomped on, back stabbed, laid off, fired due to Corp Politics more times over the past 25 years I can't count that high. :grumpy:

All hard work, loyalty and integrity has gotten me was the Unemployment line over and over again... :mad:

I will not change however because I will not sacrifice my integrity for anyone.


Jim
 
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jurisprudence said:
The citation fails to answer the question. Yes, Spyderco works with two different makers, but the cite does not clarify which makers were responsible for which knives.
Click to expand...

In another thread on the Spyderco forum, it was once mentioned (I think by Sal himself) that Cat & Chicago were from a different outsourcing partner than the much loved Sages, Gayle Bradley, Chokwe and Bushcraft.
I'm too lazy myself to hunt for this info, but I am sure you could find it.
 
jurisprudence said:
The citation fails to answer the question. Yes, Spyderco works with two different makers, but the cite does not clarify which makers were responsible for which knives.
Click to expand...

The question is answered by common sense I would think. If the maker that produced the Chicago and Cat did such a unsatisfactory job with those 2 knives - I doubt Sal would allow them to continue with the Sage, Gayle Bradley, PPT, and BushcraftUK knives.
As Liveitloud mentioned, the spalted maple burl wood was not stabilized properly and cracked with the climactic changes. I do believe the issue was clarified with the Chicago and Cat on the Spyderco forums during the time it was discontinued.
 
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Liveitloud said:
Got to poking around and found some more info on iPhone:

Software and design Apple USA
Assembly Foxconn?, Quanta, Unknown Taiwan
TFT-LCD Screen Sanyo Epson, Sharp, TMD Japan
Video processor chip Samsung Korea
Touch screen overlay Balda Germany
Bluetooth chip Cambridge Silicon Radio UK
Chip manufacture TSMC, UMC Taiwan
Baseband IC Infineon Technology Germany
WIFI Chip Marvell USA
Touch screen control chip Broadcom USA
CMOS chip Micron USA
NOR Flash ICs Intel, SST USA
Display Driver chip National Semi, Novatek US, TW
Case, Mechanical parts Catcher, Foxconn Tech Taiwan
Camera lens Largan Precision Taiwan
Camera module Altus-Tech, Primax, Lite On Taiwan
Battery Charger Delta Electronics Taiwan
Timing Crystal TXC Taiwan
Passive components Cyntec Taiwan
Connector and cables Cheng Uei, Entery Taiwan
Click to expand...

The so called software design and coding wasn't really in the USA, most likely outsourced to India like IT development of most US companies. Even large percentage of "on-shore" efforts are done by H1 India workers.
 
I blame the highest corporate income tax rate in the world, not the American worker (for at least part of) the comparative advantage of Taiwanese labor. I'd rather vote for people who would lower the corporate income tax rate, and reduce the size of government, than support protectionism.

...Unless we stand to gain from everyone losing; like if it hurts the Chinese more than it hurts us.

(I'm probably only 20% serious about this post.)
 
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hkpokes_you said:
I blame the highest corporate income tax rate in the world, not the American worker (for at least part of) the comparative advantage of Taiwanese labor. I'd rather vote for people who would lower the corporate income tax rate, and reduce the size of government, than support protectionism.

...Unless we stand to gain from everyone losing; like if it hurts the Chinese more than it hurts us.

(I'm probably only 20% serious about this post.)
Click to expand...

I blame our parents.
This is the country we inherited from them.
Can't wait to see what happens when the hippy judges retire and the gangsta judges fill their spots.
 
Sal Glesser said:
I will also add (please forgive the shameless plug :o) that a percentage of the sales of all Sage's goes to Alzheimers research.

sal
Click to expand...

The Sage series has blown me away with their top notch construction as well as fit and finish, but I was completely unaware that a percentage of each one sold goes to Alzheimers research. If I had the money, I would buy these out of stock from everywhere I could and send them to all the non believers for the charity alone.
 
Dagon said:
In another thread on the Spyderco forum, it was once mentioned (I think by Sal himself) that Cat & Chicago were from a different outsourcing partner than the much loved Sages, Gayle Bradley, Chokwe and Bushcraft.
I'm too lazy myself to hunt for this info, but I am sure you could find it.
Click to expand...

I haven't seen such a thread, but did a quick Google search that didn't reveal it. Further, I was responding to a poster that claimed there were two factories and merely asked for a reference. A link was produced that did not support the position that there were two factories.

RevDevil said:
The question is answered by common sense I would think. If the maker that produced the Chicago and Cat did such a unsatisfactory job with those 2 knives - I doubt Sal would allow them to continue with the Sage, Gayle Bradley, PPT, and BushcraftUK knives.
As Liveitloud mentioned, the spalted maple burl wood was not stabilized properly and cracked with the climactic changes. I do believe the issue was clarified with the Chicago and Cat on the Spyderco forums during the time it was discontinued.
Click to expand...

I agree that if there were two factories that reason would dictate that Spyderco would cease using the one that produced the Chicago and Cat. However, reason would also dictate that a company would do extensive due diligence prior to selecting a contractor.
 
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What makes you think Spyderco does not "due" extensive due diligence before they enter into a production contract with a third party factory?

jurisprudence said:
I haven't seen such a thread, but did a quick Google search that didn't reveal it. Further, I was responding to a poster that claimed there were two factories and merely asked for a reference. A link was produced that did not support the position that there were two factories.



I agree that if there were two factories that reason would dictate that Spyderco would cease using the one that produced the Chicago and Cat. However, reason would also dictate that a company would due extensive due diligence prior to selecting a contractor.
Click to expand...
 
Its not exactly like the Cat and Chicago were horrible pieces of trash. Even the worst of those appeared to have better fit and finish than folders made for a higher price point from other companies. It seems like someone is being a bit overly hostile here, there are two Taiwan factories, this has been discussed before, on this forum and on spyderco's home forum.

My point is Spyderco pulled a model that didn't meet their standards, but IMO definitely was up to snuff for what many other companies sell, that speaks of the quality of the company quite clearly, how someone can turn that into a negative is mind boggling.
 
Ankerson said:
Hi Sal,

I am one of those old work ethic guys and have been stomped on, back stabbed, laid off, fired due to Corp Politics more times over the past 25 years I can't count that high. :grumpy:

All hard work, loyalty and integrity has gotten me was the Unemployment line over and over again... :mad:

I will not change however because I will not sacrifice my integrity for anyone.


Jim
Click to expand...
Tell me about it! Its funny how the ass kissers, and slackers seem to be able to stay on a job forever and those of us with a deep routed commitment to doing a job well get the shaft when cuts need to be made.
 
Its strange how I was on the side of the fence who says "who cares where it's made" as long as it was of high quality. I bought the Sage 2 because it came highly recommended, and indeed it was a very high quality knife. All except for the big TAIWAN stamp on the back of the blade which cheapened it. It was just plain tacky looking. Too much cheap, junky stuff that I have grown up seeing through the years had that exact same stamp.

So when I got into knives, I not only wanted something nice to carry that is very functional, I wanted something to show my friends that I was proud of. A lot of people appreciate nice steel and titanium. But the reaction when looking at the back of the blade is always "what's this?? TAIWAN??". Then you have to explain - "oh, but they use a factory in Taiwan that does great work! Really, it's a high quality knife!......."

Then I was elated when I bought my next nice Spyderco - the Gayle Bradley. I thought it was amazing. So I had to show it to some friends. The very first reaction was "another one made in Taiwan??"....forget it..

Half of the fun of buying new toys is showing your friends what you got and talking about the specs and features, steel type, etc... I can't do that with my Spydercos because I'm too busy defending the big ugly TAIWAN stamp on the blade....

So, flipped the Sage 2...but, I'm keeping the Gayle Bradley. Much too amazing of a blade to get rid of it. Plus, they got a little smarter and included TAICHUNG above TAIWAN on version 2, which adds just a little more class rather than just the generic TAIWAN.
 
LightGuy said:
Its strange how I was on the side of the fence who says "who cares where it's made" as long as it was of high quality. I bought the Sage 2 because it came highly recommended, and indeed it was a very high quality knife. All except for the big TAIWAN stamp on the back of the blade which cheapened it. It was just plain tacky looking. Too much cheap, junky stuff that I have grown up seeing through the years had that exact same stamp.

So when I got into knives, I not only wanted something nice to carry that is very functional, I wanted something to show my friends that I was proud of. A lot of people appreciate nice steel and titanium. But the reaction when looking at the back of the blade is always "what's this?? TAIWAN??". Then you have to explain - "oh, but they use a factory in Taiwan that does great work! Really, it's a high quality knife!......."

Then I was elated when I bought my next nice Spyderco - the Gayle Bradley. I thought it was amazing. So I had to show it to some friends. The very first reaction was "another one made in Taiwan??"....forget it..

Half of the fun of buying new toys is showing your friends what you got and talking about the specs and features, steel type, etc... I can't do that with my Spydercos because I'm too busy defending the big ugly TAIWAN stamp on the blade....

So, flipped the Sage 2...but, I'm keeping the Gayle Bradley. Much too amazing of a blade to get rid of it. Plus, they got a little smarter and included TAICHUNG above TAIWAN on version 2, which adds just a little more class rather than just the generic TAIWAN.
Click to expand...

I think you hit the nail on the head right there. The "TAIWAN" stamp just seems kind of cheap. I have had the same reactions with my Sage 2. One of the coolest things about the Golden spyders is the whole "Golden, Colorado U.S.A Earth" stamp. Much better than just USA. I think they should add Earth to the Taiwan spyders as well, it would be a nice touch. Kind of makes you feel like the knife will last for a LONG time.
 
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