Classic Folder Brands vs. Civivi and WE - Is it just me?

[Skar]

I get the soul analogy, I can agree with the meaning there.

 

[Knives&Lint]

Damn, somewhere I actually have a pic I snapped on the back porch with my knives next to my phone playing Sam Cooke (Summertime)

I get the soul thing too, though I notice people often find fault with it (similarly with the mechanical/quartz debate in watches). For me some terms I would use are "pride of ownership" and even "cool factor". The fact is I don't find knives made in China cool to me personally, and have no desire to own them, simple as that. I do, however, have people I consider friends here on the forums that enjoy them, and I'm not really the type to go around crapping on what other people dig. Perhaps if the Chinese knife craze had came along when I was still in my "must have all the knives" phase, things would be different. As it stands, there are currently any number of factors that push a knife off of my want list, Made in China being one of them. I don't "need" any more knives at this point, and can't imagine exhausting my want list from countries I do enjoy owning knives from to the point where I would change my stance. So to answer the OP's question, No.

 

[Hashishiin]

I have a few Ruikes that were gifted to me, good and remarkably smooth, 14c28n steel, good knives, will teach me about sharpening, but I agree with whoever called Chinese knives like this "without soul" in some cases esp. knowing where it is manufactured.

 

[Hashishiin]

I do see how their shapes are useful but I have an answer to most of them that I prefer. Mini Buster looks great but I have a Yojumbo with a hollow-grind (or my choice of Cruwear or 20CV Yojimbo2) and a sheepsfoot AD20.5 for harder use.

 

[Chronovore]

Chronovore

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. You are and everyone else here. They are also entitled to buy what they want for whatever reason or react to posts any way they want.

You have found a way, yet again, to insert your feelings on china made knives. I did not bring any politics into my posts whatsoever.
This is not sticking to the object of the thread title.

No but if you actually read my comment, you'd see that I didn't share any opinion on China. My issue is people regularly sharing what are necessarily or ultimately political anti-China positions in non-political GKD threads on Chinese knives. I was also explicit that you got tagged for "liking" one of them.

... And there is two sides to the Chinese issue. Some say we exploit them, some say they exploit us.

What always surprised me is the number of American designers that put their names on products that came from the countries that have been out enemies, or enemies of the state .... I like the idea that the xenophobic remarks are banished to the political area on BF...

Chronovore, see my post in PA.
Rob

Save your lectures for the political forums.

That's how it is supposed to work. I just got home but I'll check on it later this evening.

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

No but if you actually read my comment, you'd see that I didn't share any opinion on China. My issue is people regularly sharing what are necessarily or ultimately political anti-China positions in non-political GKD threads on Chinese knives. I was also explicit that you got tagged for "liking" one of them.







That's how it is supposed to work. I just got home but I'll check on it later this evening.

I now realize that the tag was for me to come to the PA to discuss with you. I’m not interested, as I have no problem with people’s choice in knife brands.
I did misunderstand the tag.

No need to make assumptions on why I may have “liked” a post.

 

[bdmicarta]

I don't know about the soul thing. I prefer not to buy foreign when possible but I do buy foreign occasionally. I've owned Kershaws in the past and they have some products that are imported, same for Spyderco. I got interested in some of these brands when I spotted youtube videos titled something like "great knives under $40". I watched some of those videos, picked out some designs that I liked, and started shopping. But they weren't under $40, they were more like $70-80. For that price I could add a few dollars and buy a Spyderco. I will say that I looked through a lot of designs and only a very small percentage appealed to me.
I haven't kept up with all of the different Chinese brands, at one point I thought just a few years ago there was a forum rule to not discuss these brands. I don't know if that rule is still in effect, or what exact brands it covered.

 

[Monofletch]

But a Taiwan Spyderco is okay?

 

[Triton]

Then why look at this thread in the first place, or bother to type a response on your Chinese device?

Seriously, some people just love to take these weak, low-effort, and ultimately meaningless stands as if they are actually accomplishing something. It's as if they don't understand how the current market or economic situation became the case, what factors caused it, or what factors might make even the tiniest difference towards changing it. If you want to do something besides farting up threads on quality knives, head on over to the political forum and we can have a real conversation about it. That also goes for D DMG , Sharp & Fiery , and anyone else applauding such vapid comments.

… and some people are willing to spend their discretionary dollars for knives made by low paid near slaves of the Chicom government, a government who incidentally does not have their best interests at heart, But hey… they are a good value…or maybe not. It depends on what you value.

 

[knarfeng]

Take the politics and economics to the political forum. They don't belong in the knife discussion area. Here, we just talk about the knives.

 

[Chronovore]

Back to "soul", sometimes an item is close to what you want, or provides a good canvas to make it what you want. Knives like the WE Beacon and their premium version of the Elementum are good candidates for custom milling. Now that can have soul.

Here is a Beacon I sent over to the Knife Modders. They are the same couple who do the in-house modding for Monterrey Bay Knives. It was customized to my specifications (and has since picked up a little wear and tear). The total cost including the knife and shipping all ways was comfortably less than a plain-Jane Olamic. While Olamic might do a better heat treatment, WE's 20CV is good enough for my EDC needs. On everything else, I actually like it better than the fully customized Wayfarer 247 I sold off at around the same time.

 

[DMG]

But a Taiwan Spyderco is okay?

Yes

1. We aren’t in a Cold War with Taiwan. Taiwan isn’t a genocidal dictatorship.
2. Spyderco is a US company that makes knives in many places.

 

[Monofletch]

I thought Taiwan was a republic of China.

They do make knives there! Pretty good ones!

 

[XJ-linux]

I just don’t get good vibes sending my money there. It’s bad enough they build everyone computers. If I could I’d buy even less from China. Then again, maybe once we finally go toe to toe it won’t matter anymore. YMMV

 

[DMG]

I thought Taiwan was a republic of China.

They do make knives there! Pretty good ones!

Taiwan is a republic of China the same way the Ukraine is a part of Russia.

 

[sharp_edge]

LMAO I did not want to participate in this thread but cannot hold back anymore. Knives have "soul?" Give me a break. If you say knives have characteristics (material, country of origin, maker, length, weight, blade grinding, handle ergo, intended use, price, etc.) that appeal to you or do not appeal to you, I can get it totally. Or if you say a knife is an expression of the maker's mind, I can understand that too, although that is already too much of a stretch as 99% of the knives in the market express nothing as far as I can tell. However, let's not mystify these simple and tangible characteristics of knives as some abstract/absurd "soul."

 

[Knives&Lint]

But a Taiwan Spyderco is okay?

I know this post wasn't directed at mine, but I'll answer in relation to my post above, and to me personally they are just that...just "okay". I own a couple of Taiwan made knives, and I realize that the most premium of the Spyderco line are made there, and that it doesn't come with the baggage associated with knives made in mainland China; but for me there are definitely some cool points lost and they provide me personally with less pride in ownership than they would if they were made in the US, Europe, or Japan. I can think of a couple of Taiwan Spydercos off hand that I probably could have been pushed over the edge on and purchased were they produced elsewhere.

I completely understand the logic that these knives, as well as the Chinese knives from the good brands, are high in quality and offer great value for the materials compared to the cost if they were US made. However in hobbies it is not always logic that dictates our decisions.

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

LMAO I did not want to participate in this thread but cannot hold back anymore. Knives have "soul?" Give me a break. If you say knives have characteristics (material, country of origin, maker, length, weight, blade grinding, handle ergo, intended use, price, etc.) that appeal to you or do not appeal to you, I can get it totally. Or if you say a knife is an expression of the maker's mind, I can understand that too, although that is already too much of a stretch as 99% of the knives in the market express nothing as far as I can tell. However, let's not mystify these simple and tangible characteristics of knives as some abstract/absurd "soul."

How can cars have soul? Just hunks of metal as well. Heck, they named a car the “Soul.” How can music have soul? Just words and notes. Except we have “soul” music.

I get where your coming from and the nitpick on the word I used. Doesn’t mean I’m wrong.

If ya don’t get it, ya don’t get it. Won’t hold it against ya. ;

I agree with the rest.

 

[DMG]

How can cars have soul? Just hunks of metal as well. Heck, they named a car the “Soul.” How can music have soul? Just words and notes. Except we have “soul” music.

I get where your coming from and the nitpick on the word I used. Doesn’t mean I’m wrong.

If ya don’t get it, ya don’t get it. Won’t hold it against ya. ;

I agree with the rest.

Ironically, the car named the soul has less soul than most.

I dont believe knives are born or made with souls but the knife my dad used for 50 years 100 has something comparable

 

[helobite]

I thought Taiwan was a republic of China.

They do make knives there! Pretty good ones!

Yes they do make good knives. Some from the "gifts" the Chinese sent over:

Those are artillery shells they are making into knives