Buying American ?

[softrockrenegade]

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.

Yes!!!! No matter which way you want to look at it or justify the way things are, bottom line is outsourcing is very bad for the economy , and makes very few people very wealthy !!!

 

[HKBM45]

Yes!!!! No matter which way you want to look at it or justify the way things are, bottom line is outsourcing is very bad for the economy , and makes very few people very wealthy !!!

I wouldnt say its all bad. We need outsourcing and imports to keep domestic products and prices honest. Say an American company charges too much because they control the whole market, or an American company makes a bad product (ie. US car companies). We need the competition from overseas to keep our domestic products in check.

So if I can buy a good American product, of course I will. But with so many things these days there isnt even an American option. Most computers, electronics, clothes, etc are all imported and the domestic companies are out of business or have sold out and outsourced. Its sad.

 

[jimh0220]

I wouldnt say its all bad. We need outsourcing and imports to keep domestic products and prices honest. Say an American company charges too much because they control the whole market, or an American company makes a bad product (ie. US car companies). We need the competition from overseas to keep our domestic products in check.

So if I can buy a good American product, of course I will. But with so many things these days there isnt even an American option. Most computers, electronics, clothes, etc are all imported and the domestic companies are out of business or have sold out and outsourced. Its sad.

We are just like every other country in the world, BTW. We want it good and as cheap as possible. Why buy a $5000 Zenith (oops, sorry Zenith, bye bye), whan you can go to Costco and buy a $2000 Panasonic that rates at the top of the heap for quality to boot.

We are an economy of buyers and sellers, not manufacturers (for the most part). We found ways to get that part done better and cheaper so we can spend less. Progression, like it or not.

 

[fmajor007]

This is a very tempting topic to hi-jack.
Must-exercise-self-control.
Must-exercise-self-control.
Must-exercise-self-control.

OK, exercise of self-control for today is over.

Can you say Labor Union (greed/corruption is obvious)? Can you say inept/greedy executives and middle-management? If you study/have studied economics beyond high-school the answers are very simple. Development and implementation of a solution to these problems is astronomically more difficult.

Simply go to Flint, MI (heck, anywhere on the east side of Michigan) and see all the non-functioning factories and the results of union and management greed. It really is pretty simple to understand why we buy knives (and nearly everything else) made in other countries.

 

[A.P.F.]

This is a very tempting topic to hi-jack.
Must-exercise-self-control.
Must-exercise-self-control.
Must-exercise-self-control.

OK, exercise of self-control for today is over.

Can you say Labor Union (greed/corruption is obvious)? Can you say inept/greedy executives and middle-management? If you study/have studied economics beyond high-school the answers are very simple. Development and implementation of a solution to these problems is astronomically more difficult.

Simply go to Flint, MI (heck, anywhere on the east side of Michigan) and see all the non-functioning factories and the results of union and management greed. It really is pretty simple to understand why we buy knives (and nearly everything else) made in other countries.

You do have a point.

 

[softrockrenegade]

This is a very tempting topic to hi-jack.
Must-exercise-self-control.
Must-exercise-self-control.
Must-exercise-self-control.

OK, exercise of self-control for today is over.

Can you say Labor Union (greed/corruption is obvious)? Can you say inept/greedy executives and middle-management? If you study/have studied economics beyond high-school the answers are very simple. Development and implementation of a solution to these problems is astronomically more difficult.

Simply go to Flint, MI (heck, anywhere on the east side of Michigan) and see all the non-functioning factories and the results of union and management greed. It really is pretty simple to understand why we buy knives (and nearly everything else) made in other countries.

I would have to say the happenings in flit were less about union greed and more of the greed of CEO Roger Smith who closed the plant in order to het cheaper labor in Mexico and dump the flint workers who were actually making a fair middle classs salary !!! This just further makes my point of how outsourcing is bad for the economy and only makes a select few very wealthy !!!

 

[5.56]

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!

Nope, and here is why.

Let's use Spyderco as an example. I want to see more USA made Spyderco's and less Chinese made Spyderco's. Wouldn't you? Well continuing to support Spyderco's outsourced products is not helping, even if the profits come home. The bottom line, if we keep buying them, they'll keep making them. Well, I'm not buying them. If everyone followed this advice, there would be no demand for Chinese knives.

I won't even go into the recent Taiwan models Spyderco had to discontinue because of poor quality.

 

[RevDevil]

Nope, and here is why.

Let's use Spyderco as an example. I want to see more USA made Spyderco's and less Chinese made Spyderco's. Wouldn't you? Well continuing to support Spyderco's outsourced products is not helping, even if the profits come home. The bottom line, if we keep buying them, they'll keep making them. Well, I'm not buying them. If everyone followed this advice, there would be no demand for Chinese knives.

I won't even go into the recent Taiwan models Spyderco had to discontinue because of poor quality.

I understand your point. But the fact is, almost everything is made in other countries or has components made in other countries. Unfortunate as it may be, that is the way of the world.

 

[stevekt]

I'm an American conusmer and I buy knives from all over the world. If a knife company wants my money the best way to do it is offer high quality at a low price. That will get my attention a lot more effectively than what country is engraved on the blade.

In my opinion buying American for the sake of buying American is hurting America. It's like teaching a child a game by letting him win all the time. When he faces real competition he will get his butt kicked.

 

[spraay]

Since there are so many great knives made here in the US, I buy them almost exclusively. So many other things are being made off-shore, that I figure my knife hobby money is best spent here in the states.

Benchmade has been my favorite maker of late, and all of the knives I've bought from them have been produced in the US. I've recently purchased a couple of ESEEs, which I understand are made by Rowen here in the US.

I understand there are excellent blades made elsewhere, but I'm going to try to keep as much of my money here in the US as I can.

So, to answer the OP, I think buying American is a fine thing to do. As long as we don't disparage others for their purchases and opinions.

SP

 

[Havokk]

There is no way I would buy a USA-made knife just because it was made in the USA. I'd make a purchasing decision based on looks, quality and price.

A New Zealand made knife, on the other hand...

To move this thread slightly sideways, how do you USA folks feel about items made in your state as opposed to the rest of the USA? I've only been in the USA once but something I really noticed was how the people I met identified themselves as Californian/Texan/whateveran first and American second. How does this attitude affect your buying decisions?

B

 

[chperry]

The quality of chinese knives is too variable. I have had fits trying to put an edge on chinese blades and they seldom hold what little edge they will take. Japan, US, Swiss, Germany....all good knife makers. Chinese, not so much.

 

[sappyg]

To move this thread slightly sideways, how do you USA folks feel about items made in your state as opposed to the rest of the USA? I've only been in the USA once but something I really noticed was how the people I met identified themselves as Californian/Texan/whateveran first and American second. How does this attitude affect your buying decisions?

B

that is a good question... especially since BMW has a factory down the way from my home and employs 5-6000 people. there are so many here now from other states that honestly i hardly hear a southern accent anymore. the local dialect is changing or close to being lost. people here don't act or talk the way they did 20 years ago. i don't own a BMW... can't afford one nor do i identify with the experience/ lifestyle.

i do like to buy the best knives i can afford. it does'nt matter to me where they were made per se yet the ones i like are made in the US or switzerland ATM.

edit: i did'nt answer the question... i'm very proud to be a south carolinian. i have eleven (i think... have to ask my dad again... he keeps digging more up) direct ancestors that fought in the civil war. some served for georgia and at least one served the union. it's been my home and there is nowhere else i'd rather live. aside from BMW we have boeing and i dare say another manufacture heading this way with a strong american heritage.

 

[jimh0220]

I would have to say the happenings in flit were less about union greed and more of the greed of CEO Roger Smith who closed the plant in order to het cheaper labor in Mexico and dump the flint workers who were actually making a fair middle classs salary !!! This just further makes my point of how outsourcing is bad for the economy and only makes a select few very wealthy !!!

You made the point. Where did they go for cheaper labor? Away from unions. The real wealth in the unions goes to the leadership who make nearly as much as the corp executives. Their interest is getting membership dues to put in their coffers, and in holding businesses hostage until they are forced to seek other means to pay wages that allow them to continue to put out a competitve product WE are willing to pay for.

Non union companies' employees seem to make a nice living and can control their own destiny. Union staffed companies are always at the mercy of the unions' whims, both the company and employee.

Yeah, unions work......

BTW, anyone know how many of the best knife companies are union shops? I'd love to here, because I suspect very few.

 

[jimh0220]

The quality of chinese knives is too variable. I have had fits trying to put an edge on chinese blades and they seldom hold what little edge they will take. Japan, US, Swiss, Germany....all good knife makers. Chinese, not so much.

Crap and quality come from everywhere. The Swedes, Norwegeans, Finns, Russians, CHINESE, Taiwanese, et al, all make great knives. The question is do we see andbuy their best product without going there? Some yes, some no.

Centuries of fighting and living with the knife and sword make me suspect to the notion that Chian does no produce quality cutlery.

 

[mongomondo]

It's so hard to find anything that's American made anymore, so if there is an affordable opportunity like in knives I'll buy them. You can't even find a decent USA made radio right now. I think Bose still makes the wave radio in the US but it's like $350. For a radio.

 

[Brian Sargent]

I'm in the USA, work in the USA, hope others in the USA keep working so I buy from USA knife makers. Simple.

 

[Sal Glesser]

This is a very large and important issue with many points of view. I'd like to add some interesting "facts" that should be considered;

1. Size and money. America is too large to be a successful trading only nation. A smaller country like Netherlands can support the entire country by trading, but 350 million people cannot all trade. We MUST build product in America, we MUST grow food in America.

2. Global market and money. The concept of a Global market is skewed in that it is not an even playing field. An artificial currency valuation constantly changes the "global Market". 20 years ago, Japan was great value because the Yen was weak. Now the Yen is strong and the Chinese Yuan is weak. A US dollar is worth far more when it crosses the border into China. The US dollar is worth less when crossing the border into Europe or Japan. That's why there is so much deviation in the price of knives made in different places.

3. Import and money. The average US company having product made in China will generally make more profit selling that product in America than their Chinese partners make. If those funds are used to strengthen our manufacturing/food growing base, then it's an asset. If those funds are just undermining our Mfg/food gr base, then it will cause future problems.

4. Buying power and money. Continual lowering of wages in the US makes it more difficult for American workers to afford American products. We really need to focus on not only creating jobs, but they must be good paying jobs if we expect those workers to "buy American".

Just some thoughts to share.

sal

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"The opposite of war isn't peace, it's trade".

 

[Yorkshire Boy]

How many of you are happy to fly on a Jumbo Jet? Yet many of the parts are made in China.

 

[Damn_Animal]

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.

Japan is known world wide for their great blades. It has nothing to do with them being a island ect. It has to do with their history starting back with the first Katana that makes Japanese blades acceptable for most. I love classic japanese blades, also most japanese blades are made in seki city known for excelent blades through history.

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.

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.

I type on an ASUS laptop 100% made in Japan and own a Toyota and a Chevy lol, wont catch me typing on any other computer and wont catch me driving anything but Toyota or an American. Fun fact, most Toyota's sold in the US are made here.