Please keep your comments civil. If you're just going to blast hate, keep it to yourself until you can use big-boy words and present an intellectually-sound argument that doesn't include broad sweeping generalizations or ad hominem.
I know this is a touchy subject for many people here, but there's no need to turn this into a pointless nationalist argument or start fights with people. We're a mature bunch. We carry sharp things and generally don't fantasize about stabbing people with them. Let's bask in our maturity and have a good, clean discussion.
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It's inevitable. Every time someone mentions a Chinese-manufactured brand, regardless of the context, people begin make negative statements whether or not they are relevant to the conversation at hand.
The most common stated reasons for disliking Chinese-manufactured goods seem to stem from concerns about
(1) quality,
(2) intellectual property, or
(3) economic competition / autonomy.
First, before I address those individually, I'd like to state something that seems to be ignored when discussing China:
(0) China isn't one singular company.
China is an incredibly large country undergoing an almost unprecedented economic boom, with new businesses and factories opening daily. Just because you have an issue with "X" knife that came from a Chinese manufacturer doesn't justify eschewing "Y" or "Z" knives from other manufacturers, as they are
separate and unrelated entities, the only shared characteristic being the country of origin. It's incredibly silly to generalize all knives made in China as if they are made in just a few factories. It is plainly not the case, given the broad spectrum of quality and materials being sold to US wholesalers and/or consumers.
(1) - Quality
This is related to
(0), in reference to the manner in which the concern is usually brought up. Someone will chime in with a statement along the lines of "Chinese knives are crap", which is an insane statement to make given that there are many prominent and known examples of Chinese knife manufacturers that produce quality products** - some simultaneously producing them for US companies. More on that later, though.
** Reate, Rike, SanRenMu, Kizer, and Enlan are fairly prominent on these boards, some with their very own Subforums.
(2) - Intellectual Property
It strikes me as a gross oversimplification that borders on xenophobia to swear off all Chinese-manufactured knives just because some manufacturers in the country produce products that violate intellectual property. It's a true double-standard that exposes one's unjustified prejudices. How so? Consider US knifemakers: Will you never buy a U.S.-made knife because Microtech copied the 0777 with their Matrix design? What about Cold Steel copying the GI Tanto? Those are just a couple examples, but the point is made.
(3) - Economic Competition / Autonomy
(Unavoidably, there is a lot of crossover with
(2) here.)
The perception of all Chinese goods being low-quality is actually largely a fault of our own desire for low-cost goods. US companies cannot afford to get the materials and pay the workers a living wage and still produce some goods at a price that consumers find acceptable. It is the US wholesalers that decide to pass on the inferior product to the consumer.
A perspective to consider:
If someone told you that they would pay you $5 to make something out of $1 worth of materials, you would take that job if you owned a manufacturing plant. That's just good business. If the client you sell to accepts the quality of the product, you're successfully filling the contract and that is all that matters from a business perspective. Your name isn't even on the product - someone else is just buying it from you and putting it in their own name.
"I'll just buy from US manufacturers, then! Support our own economy!"
There are a few problems with that sentiment:
- The US manufacturers are using many machines, parts, and materials that are
sourced from China.
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Trade between nations is a major benefit to our economy, undeniably. We do not have the natural resources to produce everything we want at a price we would find acceptable.
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US manufacturers can still make crap products.
I don't want to downplay the issues that counterfeits and clones present. I'm not saying that nothing crappy comes from China. What I am trying to get across is that you should reconsider making broad generalizations about China as if the entire country is culpable for the shoddy goods that
US manufacturers commissioned in the first place.
The counterfeits, while not commissioned, need a market to sustain the production. People are buying them. It's not a good thing, but, from their a business perspective, it's just a material good that can be produced for cheap without repercussions. However strongly you feel about intellectual property, it is not fair to lump all Chinese manufacturers together as if they all were mutually guilty.
Thank you for reading this and keeping your responses civil.
