Buying American ?

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I'm not trying to flare things up, this is an honest question; For those of you who will buy Japanese knives but not Taiwan, what is your reasoning? It's my understanding that both are small Islands with limited resources and U.S allies. Maybe I'm missing something.
 
I find it amusing to have a conversation like this via the internet, where we're all using computers, keyboards and monitors made overseas to share our opinions on buying U.S. made knives.;)

I buy only U.S. made knives. It's my money, it's my preference. Spend your money how you will, get products you enjoy and are proud to own--wherever they may come from and for whatever reason.

Even with my preference with knives, I still prefer Hondas over Harleys and Jeeps above anything else-although I've been told my Cherokee has a transmission made by Nissan. Probably why the transmissions on Cherokees last forever.:D

Choice is always a good thing, nationalism and pride can be as well--assuming a little wisdom, perspective and common sense.

Best,

Heekma
 
Well i know i should stay out of this one but i can't .
growing up here in the U.S i was alway's proud to buy whatever i could to support "American". back then America,Japan,Sweden, Germany,then Taiwan were the "Best" tool's you could buy ,after leaving the U.S for a little while over many years ,i found that there was a lot of Great thing's made in other countries . im a very firm believer in buying only the best Quality available. it Was as i listed above, but not anymore .. i personally think too many "American's" have hurt themselves by complaining/bitching/moaning about too much trivial stuff that other non american companies have simply stepped up and replaced what used to be "American" made . im not trying to "Bash" anyone here but in many other part's of the world people are just happy to have a job /any job so they can work their ass off to get their house/car /ect this is something that many here have forgotten ,i Deserve to make $xxx per hour and full medical/dental/vision/life insurance benefit's ,lot's of paid sick/vacation day's .. im really sorry to tell anyone this but people like that have very succesfully negotiated their way out of a job ..i honestly hope these thing's change someday sooner rather than latter .. i became a custom "Maker beacuse i love knives but had a very hard time finding the Quality i wanted i remember looking at a SOG knife and thinking for the price they wanted i could make 2 out of better material.
American's have hurt themselves by being too proud of Made in America.. other countries have great skilled craftsmen and can/Do compete with "America " i hope America fight's real hard to stay a respected Quality producing place for the few remaining thing's that are actually made here if it doesn't it will 100% loose to another country for a quality product.
ho many thing's in your house are Made in the U.S.A im betting not very many .your computer is made in indonesia/vietnam/china/mexico/phillipines
Like i said i should stay out of this but someone has to be willing to speak based on fact only.. im sorry to be the one to tell anyone this .
 
I myself have never had a made in china knife last more than a year. For this reason i stay away and dont purchase them anymore.
 
heekma said:
I find it amusing to have a conversation like this via the internet, where we're all using computers, keyboards and monitors made overseas to share our opinions on buying U.S. made knives.;)

I buy only U.S. made knives. It's my money, it's my preference. Spend your money how you will, get products you enjoy and are proud to own--wherever they may come from and for whatever reason.

Even with my preference with knives, I still prefer Hondas over Harleys and Jeeps above anything else-although I've been told my Cherokee has a transmission made by Nissan. Probably why the transmissions on Cherokees last forever.:D

Choice is always a good thing, nationalism and pride can be as well--assuming a little wisdom, perspective and common sense.

Best,

Heekma
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Heekma & Pinoy Knife hit the nail on the head. Might as well scour your home and start donating destroying all items made overseas. Make sure you get your TV, computer, iPod/mp3 player, vehicle, phone, clothing, etc.
The bottom line is that people buy what they like, it's their money to spend anyway they want. I am a fan of quality as most people here. I choose quality like many others here. I buy Spyderco instead of Taylor Brands, Kershaw over United Cutlery, etc.

For people to blatantly ignore the fact that we have a global economy in this day and age is beyond me, and it implies a lack of perspective and understanding of the world we live in. Sure I buy knives made in the USA, and I support companies like Spyderco, Kershaw, & Benchmade, why can't it be that simple? Adding the detail of where a company makes 1 or 2 knives takes the "nobility" aspect and throws it out the window, only to support an uninformed ideaology.
 
heekma said:
I find it amusing to have a conversation like this via the internet, where we're all using computers, keyboards and monitors made overseas to share our opinions on buying U.S. made knives.;)

I buy only U.S. made knives. It's my money, it's my preference. Spend your money how you will, get products you enjoy and are proud to own--wherever they may come from and for whatever reason.

Even with my preference with knives, I still prefer Hondas over Harleys and Jeeps above anything else-although I've been told my Cherokee has a transmission made by Nissan. Probably why the transmissions on Cherokees last forever.:D

Choice is always a good thing, nationalism and pride can be as well--assuming a little wisdom, perspective and common sense.

Best,

Heekma
Click to expand...

[youtube]OIh78GiTqrE[/youtube]

"American components, Russian components, all made in Taiwan!" :D
 
I am very hesitent when it comes to buying high end knives to make sure that it comes from the USA, Japan, Europe, in that order of consideration. To be honest the reason that I dont own a a few knives that i realy like design wise is because they are made in Taiwan.
 
If I designed knives I would outsource the manufacture to whatever company did the best work at a cost that supports my ROI targets. Whether that company was in China, Italy, or Ohio really would not concern me.

With that in mind, I buy whatever I like from whatever company I prefer. If I get junk then I don't buy from them anymore. I would blame the company for marketing a trashy knife, not the company they worked with to manufacture it or the country of that manufacturer.
 
If i *ever* buy a "high-end" knife, it'll be from one of the custom, *privately produced* artisans found here.

Biting my tongue RE: manufacturing companies management/ownership and organized (legalized) "labor".
 
mystro said:
Yea, I believe supporting your countries goods when you can is a good idea. :D

FLSTS.jpg
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And what percent of Harley-Davidson components are Made in the USA? I've read numbers that vary from 50% to 85%. Probably depends on the model.

All of the chrome is imported from China. Wheels come from Australia. Most accessories seem to be from China or Indonesia. Tires from Japan. Honda makes their shocks... Other components from South America, Mexico, Italy...

Notice that H-D motorcycles are ~not~ labeled "made in the USA."

I'm not trying to dog on H-D or wander too far off-topic. Just trying to make a point regarding the reality of modern manufacturing in a worldwide market. knives, motorcycles, cars, computers...
 
Damn_Animal said:
I am very hesitent when it comes to buying high end knives to make sure that it comes from the USA, Japan, Europe, in that order of consideration. To be honest the reason that I dont own a a few knives that i realy like design wise is because they are made in Taiwan.
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Still wondering what the reasoning is for accepting Japanese knives but not those from Taiwan? :confused:
 
You are misinformed. "Made in the USA" is on the frame of my bike. I watched the big twins being made from scratch. Fenders, frames, chrome, etc.. all use American steel and made in York Pa. The motors are made in Milwaukee Wisconsin and sent to York. Harley Davidson IS American Made. The only metric part on the entire bike is a 10mm bolt on the battery terminals.
Bob W said:
Notice that H-D motorcycles are ~not~ labeled "made in the USA."
.
Click to expand...
 
mystro said:
You are misinformed. "Made in the USA" is on the frame of my bike. I watched the big twins being made from scratch. Fenders, frames, chrome, etc.. all use American steel and made in York Pa. The motors are made in Milwaukee Wisconsin and sent to York. Harley Davidson IS American Made. The only metric part on the entire bike is a 10mm bolt on the battery terminals.
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Don't wish to get OT too much, but I'd like to know more. Maybe a topic in another forum section is in order? Maybe Gadgets and Gear?
 
I'm with you and for the most part don't carry blades made outside the U.S. , besides why would you want to? We make great knives and it helps the U.S. economy not the economies of one of our enemies.
 
citizensoldierNY said:
I'm with you and for the most part don't carry blades made outside the U.S. , besides why would you want to? We make great knives and it helps the U.S. economy not the economies of one of our enemies.
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So you don't purchase knives made by an American company if they are assembled (using all American parts) over seas? Even though the profit from those knives comes to the U.S. and pays the workers of those companies that live and work here? Brilliant!:D
 
I bought leatherman crater c33L... the box said made in US... the liner lock is problematic and gave me accident that cut my finger dangerously deep... i was expecting better reliability, fit and finish from this product but i pretty dissapointed.... my chinese sanrenmu knives are better built, more secure and much much more affordable...

i'm expecting good things from this c33L... its not a succed purchase for me. this is just my personal experience though...
 
As a Canadian I consider buying American made to be very important (and Canadian made if possible, but that is rarely an option).
The health of any economy depends on the people in that economy being self sustaining and producing something of value to export. Canada does an ok job on the self sustaining part, but is still very export focused.
Our economy is heavily tied to whoever buys the most Canadian goods.

Thus, I like American stuff.
 
RevDevil said:
Heekma & Pinoy Knife hit the nail on the head. Might as well scour your home and start donating destroying all items made overseas. Make sure you get your TV, computer, iPod/mp3 player, vehicle, phone, clothing, etc.
The bottom line is that people buy what they like, it's their money to spend anyway they want. I am a fan of quality as most people here. I choose quality like many others here. I buy Spyderco instead of Taylor Brands, Kershaw over United Cutlery, etc.

For people to blatantly ignore the fact that we have a global economy in this day and age is beyond me, and it implies a lack of perspective and understanding of the world we live in. Sure I buy knives made in the USA, and I support companies like Spyderco, Kershaw, & Benchmade, why can't it be that simple? Adding the detail of where a company makes 1 or 2 knives takes the "nobility" aspect and throws it out the window, only to support an uninformed ideaology.
Click to expand...

Well said! I come from a time when products were made to last and be repaired if necessary. Names such as Westinghouse, GE, RCA were an assurance of a well made and durable product, made by an individual with a cradle to grave job. We owned a Crosley fridge that reliably kept things cold for 40 years! It got sold with the house and is probably still ticking along. However, somewhere along the line, products were designed with a fixed service life and designed not to be repaired, but thrown out. It was at this point that labor costs came under focus and the 'cradle to grave' job was an obsolete concept. Industry moved to where labor was cheap and the American worker was left to swing in the breeze. Corporations became 'multinational' and beholding to no one country and profits over people became the mantra. Now, you may say that this is just good Capitalism, but IMO it is not. As an example of ethical Capitalism, look up the history of Milton Hershey. But I digress.

Chinese mass production is a reality that won't go away anytime soon. Personally, if I have the choice between an item made in N.America vs. China, I will go for the American product every time. But that is just me.
 
RevDevil said:
So you don't purchase knives made by an American company if they are assembled (using all American parts) over seas? Even though the profit from those knives comes to the U.S. and pays the workers of those companies that live and work here? Brilliant!:D
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Not all the profit comes back home. You buy an outsourced knife, you pay someone in china to do the work. Plenty of people here in the US would love to be able to go to work everyday and assemble knives.

Plus if you outsource the assembly and manufacture of a knife to offer cheaper products, you may drive the American companies out of business. Because some factory in China is willing to pay their workers nothing while it costs more to buy a knife made by decently paid Americans.

Take cold steel for example. All of their stuff is made overseas. Sure some of the profit comes back to the US and pays their employees here... but think of how many more people they would employ in their own country if they did all the work in house.
 
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