Chinese-made Traditionals--Oxymoron?

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Peregrin said:
I have a number of wonderful custom slip joints made by a Japanese maker. It's the pattern that makes the knife traditional, not where it was made. At least that's true in this forum.
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Yep. I buy quality wherever it is. China isn't known NOW for stellar knives but then again Japan wasn't known for stellar cars for a time. I get why someone would buy local but there are other people in the world busting their butt to feed their family. American's don't have a monopoly on that.

Then again I don't get the nostalgic aspect of your post seeing as I had a dad who used slippies with "Solingen" on them. :D
 
I definitely began my traditional collection with the thought of it consisting of only domestic made knives. Then, I got one from that country, another from another country, and then realized my collection was becoming very international. There was a particular country I pretty much stayed away from, not based on quality, since I knew they had come far... but for political reasons. Well, my collection having become so diverse, I recently decided to buy one..... two.... or maybe 10!... lol! Anyhow, not only am I happy with the decent workmanship, the cost of them all does not equal much more than just one of my domestically made Queen Cutlery knives... so the value is amazing. In this display, my knives simply all say... "Can't we all just get along!"... ;)

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USA, Spain, France, Germany, China, Switzerland, Italy :)
 
A.G.Russell seems to have been able to harness quality Chinese manufacturers for both newer and 'traditional' styles; I'd guess it is quite a symbiotic relationship between his group and the Chinese. I lust after several of them, especially the sowbelly trapper. I've handled a CRKT toothpick and thought it tight and well-fitted. I own two Zubeng tamahagane knives, both smaller kitchen/utility models, and the ancient methodology of the steel manufacture, combined with the build quality and wicked-sharp edge grind and hardness leads to easy respect. Patriotism aside, I feel OK swimming in some of the the waters of the world market, so long as I make it back to my own shore before the Candiru bites.....
 
Only USA made for my slipjoints and the few tacticools I own as well. It's one thing that I can make that choice about and I choose to do so.
 
Cutty73 said:
Only USA made for my slipjoints and the few tacticools I own as well. It's one thing that I can make that choice about and I choose to do so.
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Seriously curious --- have any idea where the steels in your "USA made" knives originate?
 
As long as we still have knife factories in this country, there is no need to buy a knife imported from any country. And if those factories all close up, I will buy used USA made knives from the auction site.
 
LEOGREG said:
Chinese knife
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Okay, I am really digging that knife. I wonder if there is a place for U.S. folks to buy traditional Chinese knives (traditional to China) reasonably? That would be an interesting tangent.

Oh, and I just got my $3.74 Rough Rider Elephant Toenail in the mail today. Here is a bad phone pic taken with my Chestnut smooth bone Case Mini-Trapper (2006 made) that lives in my right pocket. (I don't do rotations except on rare occasions) Both knives look much better in person. That's dust and fingerprint on the bolsters of the RR.



I happened to catch it nearing auction completion with a starting bid of $.99 and no bids with about 12 minutes remaining. Shipping was a whopping $2.75. Couldn't pass that up as like another member mentioned, I've been wanting to test drive the pattern and have at least one. I'm a cheap old wolf and rarely go above $35 for my Case knives on the auction site for regular patterns. I'm definitely not going $95 and up on an Elephant Toenail or a Sunfish before I figure out if I want a Case or other yet.

Truth is, the walk and talk is on par, maybe a tad better, than the Case smooth chestnut Canoe (2013 made) I recently bought to go along with my EDC mini-trapper. I actually had to tweak the both blades (forgot the knifey term) to the side a little on the Case as they were rubbing and one was hanging on the other on closing. No issues with the RR.

The RR and Steel Warriors are generally pretty good knives. IIRC earlier they were 440C (Steel Warrior at least), but the RR seem to be 440A now. Still not bad for a general pocket carry. To me they don't have the same "soul" if you will or the same underlying connection to me that an American or European made knife in what we here generally call a traditional pattern. So they don't hold the same mental or emotional attachment for me.

Even my Boker Magnum Canoe, which logically is a nice knife, doesn't give me the same warm and fuzzies as the patina'd, Boker Solingen made Canoe beside it. Both are fine, serviceable knives, but the slightly less attractive German made Boker just has that little extra for me. Illogical to a Vulcan, but understandable to a nostalgic old country boy.
 
Amos Iron Wolf said:
Okay, I am really digging that knife. I wonder if there is a place for U.S. folks to buy traditional Chinese knives (traditional to China) reasonably? That would be an interesting tangent.

Oh, and I just got my $3.74 Rough Rider Elephant Toenail in the mail today. Here is a bad phone pic taken with my Chestnut smooth bone Case Mini-Trapper (2006 made) that lives in my right pocket. (I don't do rotations except on rare occasions) Both knives look much better in person. That's dust and fingerprint on the bolsters of the RR.



I happened to catch it nearing auction completion with a starting bid of $.99 and no bids with about 12 minutes remaining. Shipping was a whopping $2.75. Couldn't pass that up as like another member mentioned, I've been wanting to test drive the pattern and have at least one. I'm a cheap old wolf and rarely go above $35 for my Case knives on the auction site for regular patterns. I'm definitely not going $95 and up on an Elephant Toenail or a Sunfish before I figure out if I want a Case or other yet.

Truth is, the walk and talk is on par, maybe a tad better, than the Case smooth chestnut Canoe (2013 made) I recently bought to go along with my EDC mini-trapper. I actually had to tweak the both blades (forgot the knifey term) to the side a little on the Case as they were rubbing and one was hanging on the other on closing. No issues with the RR.

The RR and Steel Warriors are generally pretty good knives. IIRC earlier they were 440C (Steel Warrior at least), but the RR seem to be 440A now. Still not bad for a general pocket carry. To me they don't have the same "soul" if you will or the same underlying connection to me that an American or European made knife in what we here generally call a traditional pattern. So they don't hold the same mental or emotional attachment for me.

Even my Boker Magnum Canoe, which logically is a nice knife, doesn't give me the same warm and fuzzies as the patina'd, Boker Solingen made Canoe beside it. Both are fine, serviceable knives, but the slightly less attractive German made Boker just has that little extra for me. Illogical to a Vulcan, but understandable to a nostalgic old country boy.
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Great commentary from the heart!
 
At some point, price may simply not make something justified. One would like to keep all manufacturers, domestic and abroad that make a good product, alive and in business... But, when an item is costing way higher than it's competition, things will happen, people will notice... and unless money is no object, and for the average knife owner, price will be a consideration. If quality is far superior, sure, they will go for the better made item. But, when the item becomes very expensive, and the competition not only is cheaper, but compares in quality.... again, people will take notice. My recent purchases of Rough Rider and Colt knives (both made in China)... are simply great buys. They are cheap in price and actually hold some merits over much more expensive domestic products... so of course, they will grab peoples attention. My current knife investment by far is on my domestically made knives... but I would be totally a liar if I said that the Asian imports are junk, or that they don't compare. The import quality and prices have reached a point of real competition. History showed us in the U.S. that imports can be of quality and of lower price (as with English and German knives). These blows to domestic pocketknives have happened before in history... and I can see where these blows to domestic pocketknives continue, they are too serious to ignore. It is real competition, measurable in better quality than ever expected before from certain countries, and at prices that we could never match domestically. My money has supported all but one of the remaining domestic traditional pocketknife manufacturers. The bulk of my investment are with these domestic firms... but I can no longer ignore foreign made knives that are offering comparable quality and prices that blow the domestic competition away. "Money is for nothing, checks for free"... only in a song, not in real life.
 
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I though I don't currently own any Chinese made knives currently, I'm not opposed to owning them. AG Russell has done a fantastic job finding a factory to turn out some fantastic traditional style knives. I had a chance to coon finger a medium gunstock and I found its construction to be on par with any mass produced knife made here. I think being traditional is more in the style of knife and how it's used than where it's made.
 
henryhide said:
As long as we still have knife factories in this country, there is no need to buy a knife imported from any country. And if those factories all close up, I will buy used USA made knives from the auction site.
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Again, keep it on topic.
 
I know I'm old and I know I'm thick but I just don't see where this thread is going let alone where it's been.

An imported knife is just that - an imported knife. No matter where you live any knife from any other country is imported.
 
As much as there are traditional pattern knives made locally that are of less than stellar quality, so too do we often see the lesser quality output of any particular nation.

There are I'm sure traditional pattern aficionados in other nations that could easily name off locally produced traditional pattern knives of excellent quality that have never heard of GEC. Or maybe Case,even. (I admit that this may be unlikely, but it is possible.)

It's a matter of maintaining a situational awareness of regional makers that consistently produce knives that meet one's own standard of quality.

I will admit to a preference for a particular traditional pattern that I have yet to see produced internationally at a consistent quality level, limiting me to mostly locally produced versions.

But I would readily purchase knives made anywhere if they meet my personal quality standards. (Quality being very subjective....)

This is a good question, but it does tread a very fine line....
 
Well I tried to let this run its course. This one is getting closed. To those of you who responded within the topic thanks.
 
I really don't care anymore. Case is my favorite company, I carry a buck 301, and Ive been eyeing a nice rough rider sowbelly at the farm store! I'm all screwed up! In all honesty I know a bunch of blue blood hard core american men who only carry domestic knives, and I also know a bunch of blue blood hard core american guys who carry off shore knives bc they aren't going to put a small fortune in a knife. I like what colt,RR, remington,and others are doing with their knives. I know for a fact that the bunch under the blue roof makes sure that their knives is top notch coming from china. They told us that they wanted to make a quality knife for a reasonable price. Also they make more money selling those knives bc most people coming through their doors aren't going to pay big bucks for a knife. Take me for instance, I love The look of GEC knives and hope they do great but iam not paying 100$ plus for a current production knife to use! I'm a knife abuser and use them hard. I never clean em and when they need oil they get what's ever handy. This is why Rough Riders is becoming so appealing to me. I collect vintage case but they never get used. I think there's a spot at the supper table for American, German, Swiss, French, China, Japan, or any others.
 
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