Are all non US knives garbage?

19-3ben said:
It's your first post. Since you're new here, I'll go a little easy and assume you're not purposely kicking a hornet's nest...

... yes plenty of foreign manufacturers make excellent knives, many make decent knives, and some make crap knives. But the same can be said for USA made products. The foreign producers don't have the market cornered on making crap.
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Well said and to that I’d like to add you should be less concerned with country of origin and more concerned with whether it’s a blantant R.I.P. off of someoneelse’s design or a well made generic design and not a clone or knockoff.

If you buy from any of the BF’s dealers on the list you’ll be fine buying based on your needs. Good luck in your search. Oh and if you’re a little more specific as to your needs and intended uses you’re likely to get a more accurate response. If you’re planning on spending some time here I’d also recommend listening to 19-3ben advice about how to title your upcoming threads.

Welcome to BF.
 
Victorinox, Wenger, Mora, Opinel, Laguiole, Boker, most Soligen knives, Linder, Grohman, many Sheffield makers, Plus I guarantee you I missing many more companies after this.
 
Mr K said:
Thank you for a simple answer A lot of harsh responses I got. That don't bother me
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You're the new guy here. Nothing wrong with being a new guy. Everyone has been a new guy here at some point, and for me it wasn't even all that long ago. As the new guy, you really don't know the vibe of the forum yet, and like any new situation it's probably best to tread lightly and "read the room" before opening your mouth, especially when asking questions that are both incendiary (as @Dangerously so aptly put it), and very polarizing.

We have no problem with some level of heated debate here, but the mods tend to lock threads and "give points" to people when the language of the debate is not kept civilized. The folks here were trying to help you. Nobody means for you to be offended, but if I were you, I'd be bothered enough to craft my questions with a little more care in the future.
 
Hmm, well, I checked with the guys from US knives and they don't exist. So, there's that.

Just being cheeky.

You asked a silly question my man. Do you seriously doubt the entire world's ability to craft a appreciable pocket knife enough that you had to ask? You know, there are other countries with space programs.....

Reate, Custom Knife Factory, Kizer, Lion Steel, Spyderco, Kershaw, Ontario, and Coldsteel are among some of the brands you can buy with confidence. In fact, I'd venture to say that many of Spyderco's Taiwan/Japan made knives rival and sometimes even trump the American made ones...YMMV.
 
As others have already mentioned, there are great knives as well as very poorly-made knives made outside of the US, and there are great knives as well as very poorly-made knives made in the US. It's ridiculous to think that only companies in the USA can produce high quality. I know I've had (and just handled) some very poorly-made crap made right here in the USA.

When westerners ask if non-US knives are garbage, what they often tend to mean is, "Are knives produced in China or other Asian countries garbage?", since they often claim to like knives made in Europe. Like Europe, Asian countries are all unique and not monolithic, and each one has companies that produce knives of quality and others poorly. Sometimes even by the same maker, depending on the price point. It's not "the country" that makes knives; it's manufacturers IN that country.

That's my .02. Take it FWIW.

Jim
 
Never too late to edit your thread title if you want intelligent discussion getting to the root of the question -
Are US made knives the best in the world? To which I simply reply - absolutely not!

Ray
 
Saying all non-USA knives are garbage, has no more validity than saying US Manufacturers never make a bad knife. Lots of great foreign manufacturers in a wide variety of price ranges.
We, Kizer, Opinel, Arno Bernard, Enzo, Lionsteel, Morakniv, Shirogorov, Rockstead, Riate, Victorinox...
Lots of others who produce great knives, though not always across their entire line.
Also many USA companies that have some or all of their knives produced overseas. Steel Will is US owned but make knives in China and Italy. Most if not all Kershaw's are made overseas, and some of those knives are very good for the price. The company that owns Kershaw, also owns Zero Tolerance and is US based.
 
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sabre cat said:
What? I have been under the impression that Kershaw and ZT's parent company is overseas. Do I have the wrong information?
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Actually, you have correct information.

Having contacted and dealt with Kershaw / KAI HQ up in Oregon for customer service in the past, I believed that they were a US company, which is actually true and as I said, USA based. Your question however made me look it up to fact check - and we are both correct, though I bow to your interpretation in one very important respect.

Here is the straight - albeit long winded story.

Kershaw and ZT are brands owned and operated by KAI USA Limited. Which is a USA Company. All ZT's are reportedly made in the USA up in Oregon, and many of the Kershaw line of knives are US made in Oregon as well. Of the 9 Kershaw's I own, only my Leek is made in the USA. For those that care, the Link, Dividend, Blur, and Launch are some of the other USA made Kershaw's. I correctly stated that Kershaw made some knives here in the USA, but had farmed out others overseas. That is true, along with the fact that they are owned by a USA based company, also true.

The rub comes - to what saber cat is referring to - in the fact that KAI USA Ltd. is owned by parent company, KAI Group Worldwide which is headquartered in Tokyo Japan. KAI Group owns several of companies, mostly in the far east as well as 1 each in Germany and France. So while KAI USA Ltd is a US company, it's owner is not. So in strict definitions, saber cat is correct. The overall owner of Kershaw and ZT is in fact a Japanese based company.

So like my earlier post, saying Steel Will was a US company who is manufacturing their knives overseas (in Italy and China), KAI Group Worldwide is a Japanese company making knives in the USA, through their US company subsidiary. All of which adds up to what is referred to as "Globalization", defined as , the process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale. All of which distills down to the fact that the lines separating foreign and domestic are getting blurrier all the time. Little is black and white any more. So if one wants to say knives stamped made in china, are chinese knives, then knives stamped made in the USA are USA knives, regardless of who owns the overall company that is making and marketing the knife. It is a perfectly reasonable definition. But not necessarily an accurate one in many respects.

It has always irked me when people make a big deal out of their "buying American" and supporting "American jobs", elevating such a stance almost to the level of a patriotic duty. Problem with that perspective is tons of american jobs and investment are centered around "foreign" companies. Refusing to buy a Toyota affects the local dealer down the street - who is most often an American business man and all his American employees - the transit companies who got the car to the dealer, and oftentimes, the US factory where that car was actually made, all american jobs they are refusing to support by refusing to buy an Import. Mazda is partially owned by Ford. Last I heard, Ford owned 30% of Mazda. Also, in a related article this past January in Forbes Magazine, Foreign car manufacturers are making more cars in the USA than GM, Ford and all other US Manufacturers. So that imported car isn't imported anymore. And not buying "imported" means you are not supporting american manufacturing jobs after all, if that is truly, your intent. Here is a link to that article. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrob...w-making-more-cars-in-u-s-than-u-s-companies/

As already noted, ZT is American manufactured, but ultimately foreign owned. So are you really "Buying American" if the profits end up in Japan? I just asking the question, not taking a stance. Likewise, could Steel Will actually be considered buying American because they are USA based even though all their manufacturing is overseas? Not taking a stance on any of this, just pointing out that the world is not as cut and dried and simple as some wish to believe.

All of which only serves to further invalidate the OP's original question of " Are all non US knives garbage? " The obvious answer is no, of course not.

But it also begs the more complicated question of "how do you define US Knives"? Place of manufacture? Place of Parent Company HQ? Place of operating company HQ? Percentage of product line made in the USA? Assembled in USA? Designed in the USA? Manufactured from USA provided and made steel or other raw materials? What defines a US Knife? I think to be honest, many define "US made" out of convenience or some arbitrary manner that supports their own bias as opposed to a set, agreed upon definition of the term. But I could be wrong. Maybe it does just boil down to the "Made in..." stamp on the blade.

Like I said, long winded. lol
 
Usa owned, usa parts, usa built,. To me defines usa made. Ruana Knives still making knives in Bonner MT. They were going to do a collaboration with a major USA knife manufacturer. Due to a couple of the parts sourced overseas they changed direction and collaborated with Tops knives instead. Interesting story from a small 80 year old well respected knife company.

Unbelievable video. If you have a couple minutes it sure shows how an old fashioned hard working knife company builds knives. Very cool

 
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Dan of Bazz Clazz said:
...Maybe it does just boil down to the "Made in..." stamp on the blade.
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In a way, you may be right. It could boil down to where the knife is made. For everybody.

Many economists have said that an economy that stops being a "production" economy and becomes a "service" economy is doomed to failure. Here in the US, the business trend has been generally leaning towards more service-based opportunities and it has been that way for years. I have problems with that. Especially, here in the US, where we seem to have more resources than just about any other country.

If the economist are correct, to have a healthy economy, both production and service opportunities are needed. Retail sales and distribution are both considered service industries. Where is our production side? Overseas?

I have no control over a knife company's ownership or where the business is headquartered. Likewise, I have no control over what the company does with its earnings. Where or how it gets raw materials is also out of my reach. But, I do have a very, very small amount of control where the product is made. That is done by purchasing items made here in my own country, if possible.

Not only that, the closer that I am to production, the better my customer service should be. Look at the difficulties that Benchmade knife owners have in Europe when their knives need service work, as an example.

I think you're right, maybe "Made in..." is more important than we think.
 
Are there any knife companies big enough to be publicly traded? Never thought of that to be honest.
 
I am quite happy with my China Reates and Italy Vipers. I would even say they rival most “upper end” USA made knives in quality and fit/finish. Not all foreign companies are bad.
 
Except for my ZT's, Buck, and Benchmades, all my knives are foreign made. lol!
 
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