Chinese steel - Is it worse than other steels?

As long as I trust the person who had it made on their quality control. ...I don't worry about WHERE something is made.

China is a BIG Country. A small city there has 3 million people in it.

Along with some of the crappy business practices I'm pretty sure there are some good businesses among the 1 BILLION inhabitants.
 
The main problem I've seen with Chinese steels is the consistency, or actually the lack thereof.

Take the Spyderco Tenacious with it's 8CR13MoV steel, for example. You'll see several good reviews, commending the performance of the steel, then a few more who rate say it's awful. Obviously, opinions and test criteria vary but I've seen it for myself.

A friend of mine bought a Tenacious and was very pleased with the toughness and edge holding ability.

I bought one based on his recommendation and it was a joke. It dulled quickly cutting light cardboard. and the edge chipped cutting a small zip tie.
 
crom said:
For me it's a trust issue. They had been exporting drywall that is suspected to cause illness, baby formula that contained melamine, and putting lead based paint on kids toys. I have to wonder if the steel is irradiated, i'm half joking, half serious...
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I'm really not tryin to "stir the pot" or be disrespectful at all but could it be that the people who say this, the people who can only afford one of the lowest quality models spyderco puts out can't afford a quality torx driver and that's why they're stripping screws?

I could be totally off on the theory but do the people saying the screws in their Chinese spyderco's have American/Japanese spyderco's for comparison that they use the same tools on?

Just because little Joe Schmoe has said the screws on his Tenacious strip easily doesn't mean they're inferior to the screws on US/JAP models. They're afterall tiny little T6 screws, even the very best tiny little screws will strip without much force.

Edit: Glocker this comment wasn't directed at you or anyone else, I didn't even read the 2nd page when I posted and its just coincidence your post talking about a tenacious came one before mine.
 
Goosey said:
The steel in the receivers, etc of Norinco 1911s and M14 clones is supposedly pretty good stuff...
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I have 2 870 clones, one's a hawk 982, the other a New England Firearms Pardner and both are exceptional firearms and I don't just mean for the money ($199/each new, I have just over that in the pair). I have them as loaners for hunting/ "SHTF", I use an 870 marine mag. I have upgraded all the parts that are a direct swap to remington factory parts, you can even use an 870 barrel on the clones (with a spacer between the lug and barrel nut) but not vice-versa (I'm using aftermarket 870 barrels on both of mine)

They both get treated far worse than my remmy and other than a bore snake/ oiled cloth rub-down after use receive very little care. They're without a doubt "used hard and put away wet" yet my purchased new 870MM has been back to the factory twice with issues that crippled it while both chicoms are 100% reliable. I have no experience with any other chicom, clone/copy or original design, but even in all factory, non-upgraded forum I wouldn't hesitate to trust either of my chicom 870 clones.

My story is one of many that are exactly the same on all the different gun forums I frequent, remmy's CQ is slacking greatly while chicom's is continuing to rise. A 870 from 20 years ago would no doubt best the chicom's, alot of the old ones are still running unmolested to this day, but the current crap is, well crap.
 
We need to talk about the topic (Chinese steel) and not bring politics into it.
 
8cr13mov is great. I've never had a bad knife with that material. Like it equally as much as s30, 154cm and vg10. Its soft and great for utility work around the house. It cuts everything quick and sharpens up well with zero hassle or skill involved! If you are on with that profile than its great. I.e. don't take it to the woods use it hard and not have a stone on you to touch it up!
 
Yea id like to check this app out if you could let us know what its called, sounds handy.

Good thread!
Thanks!
 
我是一个中国人
我有很多朋友都爱刀，他们几乎都喜欢国外的材料，对中国材料很失望
中国公司最重视利润，其次是质量。
同一个公司，同一种产品，质量不同。出口比内销的质量好。因为国外市场的标准更高。所以当你拿到让你不满意的8cr13mov时。比我的好
大多数中国人都不在意他们用到的是什么材料，没有这方面的知识。市场也不会监管。中国式悲哀。
好的新闻是，中国的年青人明白问题。尝试改变

‘Chinese steel - Is it worse than other steels?’
Is not absolute。 ：） 不是绝对 pronounce [bʊl] [ʃ] [dre] [de]
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LadyEarth said:
o-CHINESE-LABOR-CAMP-LETTER-570.jpg


Does the end products of any Chinese objects still justify the mean? How do we prove, let alone keep track of, the quality of steels/knives with no real Western oversight across the sea?
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i am a chinese , in the middle class , and do not know those things ,i can not prove or disprove it.

Chinese made knives mostly come from yangjiang city , guangdong provence .
There are many small factories in this town ,lots of U.S. companies OEM here , and the products are under the control by those . so those things are your American goods , you can trust it.

there are some small factroies or iindividuals , they produces knock offs , those things are bad, even we chinese , especially adult like me , do not buy those things , cause you can not trust it .

in this small town , there are lots of decent guys(manufactruers) who wanta build good name in your U.S. knife market with their own "goods" .

so , there is no complicated Q here , first do not buy knock offs , this is your responsibility；second who and where made it is not important , who offer it is really a Q that need to be considered.
 
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Cereal_killer said:
I have 2 870 clones, one's a hawk 982, the other a New England Firearms Pardner and both are exceptional firearms and I don't just mean for the money ($199/each new, I have just over that in the pair). I have them as loaners for hunting/ "SHTF", I use an 870 marine mag. I have upgraded all the parts that are a direct swap to remington factory parts, you can even use an 870 barrel on the clones (with a spacer between the lug and barrel nut) but not vice-versa (I'm using aftermarket 870 barrels on both of mine)

They both get treated far worse than my remmy and other than a bore snake/ oiled cloth rub-down after use receive very little care. They're without a doubt "used hard and put away wet" yet my purchased new 870MM has been back to the factory twice with issues that crippled it while both chicoms are 100% reliable. I have no experience with any other chicom, clone/copy or original design, but even in all factory, non-upgraded forum I wouldn't hesitate to trust either of my chicom 870 clones.

My story is one of many that are exactly the same on all the different gun forums I frequent, remmy's CQ is slacking greatly while chicom's is continuing to rise. A 870 from 20 years ago would no doubt best the chicom's, alot of the old ones are still running unmolested to this day, but the current crap is, well crap.
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Got a Hawk 982 too and love it. A Parkerized 870 for less than 200 bucks, heck yeah sign me up. Mine is......insanely accurate with brenneke slugs and the Centurion multi defence load.

As for never ever buying a chinese made anything......its sort of impossible. Plus.......exactly how many of us know first hand that these people are being worked to death to make our knives? Maybe its just a working class guy trying to make money. Im not sure either way so i just look at the product more than the politics
 
You trust China?
I've used Chinese rebuild kits on Ford and GM transmissions. NEVER again, bearing failures ect.
Chinese steel has failed structural steel NDT inspections at a much higher rate than other suppliers and can't be used on Federal projects.
I was a heavy equipment mechanic and now do structural steel inspection.
India has issues as well.
 
biggest problem with Chinese steel, is that you just don't know what you are getting, when you buy. Some is pretty good, most sucks. There do not seem to be any maintained standards there.
 
I have a pile of USA made buck knives in me drawer and I love every one of them. I have a 30 years old 110 on my belt right now that I would trust my life with. If I'm not carrying my 110, I have a Tenacious in my pocket. Of all the knives I own, the Tenacious will take the sharpest edge of all. I also carry a little Sanrenmu that I paid 10 bucks for it it's a great little knife too. The axis type lock on it works flawlessly. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this but most of the Chinese made knives I own I love. If you are worried about Chinese knives, just do a little research before you buy. As for the knockoff/counterfeit knives, I'm completely against that and choose not to buy them
 
There is also the fact that many good US companies have moved operations to China or the name has been sold or for whatever reason that formerly good product is now coming out of China with inferior steel. This can cause people to be suspicious.

I have a Chinese made Kershaw which I find to be great steel for the price. The consistency of the better Chinese steel I can not speak to, but they do make a lot of products with inferior steel.
 
Somewhere I have a paper from Australia about a Chinese stainless steel.The quality is variable as is the type of steel you buy.So get an American from your company to deal with QC. Get serious specs on type from the maker, make checks on the material, pick only a maker with very good reputation and hope for the best !!! The poor reputation is real and trust and politics should not be part of the discussion.
 
theAntihero said:
A Parkerized 870 for less than 200 bucks, heck yeah sign me up. Mine is......insanely accurate with brenneke slugs and the Centurion multi defence load.
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I think this pretty well sums up. Conceived, designed and engineered entirely in USA the Remington 870 came about from wartime military manufacturing experience geared to expedite simplicity of manufacture (compared to the earlier Rem model 31 and Win model 12) and retain reliability but lower costs for folks that otherwise could not afford a repeater. But then when the patents expired (870 went into production in 1949) we get even cheaper-skates that will gloat about the cost and wonder of offshore clones. The Rem 870 "Express" model is already about as crude and cheap a manufactured domestic version as can be had and yet the allure of a "Hong Kong even-cheaper" copy stills draws in buyers. Good luck. Who do you propose to sue if it blows up due to defects, impure metals or careless workmanship?
 
300Six said:
I think this pretty well sums up. Conceived, designed and engineered entirely in USA the Remington 870 came about from wartime military manufacturing experience geared to expedite simplicity of manufacture (compared to the earlier Rem model 31 and Win model 12) and retain reliability but lower costs for folks that otherwise could not afford a repeater. But then when the patents expired (870 went into production in 1949) we get even cheaper-skates that will gloat about the cost and wonder of offshore clones. The Rem 870 "Express" model is already about as crude and cheap a manufactured domestic version as can be had and yet the allure of a "Hong Kong even-cheaper" copy stills draws in buyers. Good luck. Who do you propose to sue if it blows up due to defects, impure metals or careless workmanship?
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The Remington Express is worse than crude, some ive handled have been pure crap, the fit and finish are horrid.

I know they do now have a Tactical Express with ghost ring sights and such but when i bought mine they didnt. I got a nicely finished 870 clone with ghost ring sights and parkerized finish for $149 bucks.....new from Big 5. Now why should i take my hard earned money and give it to Remington for a subpar product for literally twice the price? I agree that buying american is best but why should i give my money out for a crappy product?

Its a old design thats stood the test of time, sort of like the old Ford 300 I6 that i assume your user name comes from. I look at it as the 1911, yes Colt made it first but there are better, and cheaper, versions of the gun out there.
 
numbersman said:
I read something interesting about Chinese business ethics once. Apparently they are pretty rapacious. They will sign a contract to deliver a certain product at a certain price. They will deliver as promised for a while, then they start taking shortcuts. They will substitute cheaper screws, or cheaper dyes or something. If the company notices, they will apologise and fire some middle level manager. After a few months they will try again. of course the guy they fired walks down the street and gets a job somewhere else, because of course he was following orders, and saving the company money. Just as a matter of interest, I notice that a few people have mentioned that their Tenacious has screws that are easily stripped.....
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I have seen and heard about this in chinese MFG. As far as the chinese mixes of steel, If they are heat treated properly and are really the elements listed? Then they should work fine.
The problem is many times they may not what is stated and they may not be heat treated properly.

I prefer to buy from the USA, Northern European countries and Japan for finished cutlery and only use USA made steels in my custom knives.
 
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