Cost gap-USA vs. Offshore

soc_monki said:
All these people worrying about if we/civivi, reate and Kizer are on the level. Multiple tests done that back up what the steels are. They all have built reputations in the knife community, and I doubt they want to lose that, especially making knives for high profile makers and designers. They surely wouldn't want to lose that business, it prints money. When do Sharp by Design, Chaves, Pena knives stay in stock? They sell out as fast as a new run of exclusive Pm2s!

I understand if they were brand new companies... But they're not. Doesn't matter that they are Chinese, they've been around for a bit.
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It's not 1945 anymore... and there are many other makers besides KaBar, Buck and Case.

Plenty of independent "qualified" entities have verified the steel content from Reate, We, Kizer, et al. All one needs do is to go to YT to see the independent verified lab tests.
 
There are some nice knives being made overseas…… the problem is theft of property. I know first hand as my products are being copied in China as well as India . So yes they do some nice work….. but I can’t support them…. Buy American
 
Michael Pardue said:
There are some nice knives being made overseas…… the problem is theft of property. I know first hand as my products are being copied in China as well as India . So yes they do some nice work….. but I can’t support them…. Buy American
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The entire nation is guilty of stealing your intellectual property, even the companies that are not doing that?

Edit to add- condolences on the counterfeiting or cloning that's happening to you. Hopefully a few people get inspired to try the real thing after handling a knockoff of the design
 
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NG VI said:
The entire nation is guilty of stealing your intellectual property, even the companies that are not doing that?

Edit to add- condolences on the counterfeiting or cloning that's happening to you. Hopefully a few people get inspired to try the real thing after handling a knockoff of the design
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Michael Pardue said:
I didn’t say the entire country was…… and rather than get off on politics and the how’s and why’s of this…..I’ll say buy what you choose… as for myself, I’ll buy American…for the reasons I stated.
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I am sure there are many companies and makers that are legit in China and it sure does seem like the ones mentioned here, may be. And hopefully, their factories are not being used to produce counterfeits, which is fully supported by the government of China(with a wink, a nod and a payment to the PRC) which ultimately owns all IP within the confines of China. At the end of the day we all buy products from China, we really don't have a choice. At least these products seem to be of high quality and worth your money, unlike so much that comes out of China. I might even try one some day.
 
Your right, I agree 100%. However given a choice or chance, I will buy American. I have said over again, there is some nice stuff being made overseas.
 
My preference is always a good knife design, and I'm drawn as much by knife designers as by steel.

If I'm buying a Puuko, it's probably going to be European. I buy a lot of Scandinavian, Spanish, and Italian made knives. There are so many quality folders out there it's hard to keep up. You could specialize on one brand only and still be a lifetime collecting them all. With Spyderco, their knives are made all over the world, including China. If Boker makes a knife in China I'll still buy it, but I won't buy a Buck knife made in China anymore. The lines get blurred even more when you have a lot of American knife designers building for Chinese knife companies. There are some very fine knives being made in China and some real dogs being made in the US, so it's more about chasing the steel and designers for me.
 
Cobalt said:
I am sure there are many companies and makers that are legit in China and it sure does seem like the ones mentioned here, may be. And hopefully, their factories are not being used to produce counterfeits, which is fully supported by the government of China(with a wink, a nod and a payment to the PRC) which ultimately owns all IP within the confines of China. At the end of the day we all buy products from China, we really don't have a choice. At least these products seem to be of high quality and worth your money, unlike so much that comes out of China. I might even try one some day.
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We're talking about businesses that are supporting members of BladeForums ffs
 
Michael Pardue said:
There are some nice knives being made overseas…… the problem is theft of property. I know first hand as my products are being copied in China as well as India . So yes they do some nice work….. but I can’t support them…. Buy American
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Michael Pardue said:
I didn’t say the entire country was…… and rather than get off on politics and the how’s and why’s of this…..I’ll say buy what you choose… as for myself, I’ll buy American…for the reasons I stated.
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Michael Pardue said:
Your right, I agree 100%. However given a choice or chance, I will buy American. I have said over again, there is some nice stuff being made overseas.
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I really appreciate you sharing this with us. I hate clones and IP theft; I’m vocal (to a fault) about that around here. I also defend original or collaborative designs from China. Would you consider sharing some of your experiences with us? I’m always trying to learn more.
 
If you want to buy strictly American then that of course is your prerogative. As mentioned, don’t do so because you feel the quality is better. That’s just silly. There are knife nuts in China just like over here and they have the same equipment, engineering skills and desire to produce an awesome product. Not all companies in China are equal of course, but that’s true everywhere.

I don’t want to get political but if you find fault with a countries policies, I can agree with you there. But I disagree with finding fault with an individual who is just like me but born on the other side of the planet.

I tried to have my knives produced in the USA but it was nearly impossible. I can tell you for a fact that the quality would not have been as good in the one company that I came close to pulling the trigger with. They also wanted $100k up front and, after I did the math, I would have to charge about $700, twice the price of what I currently charge.

What’s a fair premium to pay for a USA made knife? Answers are subjective.
 
Varga Knives said:
If you want to buy strictly American then that of course is your prerogative. As mentioned, don’t do so because you feel the quality is better. That’s just silly. There are knife nuts in China just like over here and they have the same equipment, engineering skills and desire to produce an awesome product. Not all companies in China are equal of course, but that’s true everywhere.

I don’t want to get political but if you find fault with a countries policies, I can agree with you there. But I disagree with finding fault with an individual who is just like me but born on the other side of the planet.

I tried to have my knives produced in the USA but it was nearly impossible. I can tell you for a fact that the quality would not have been as good in the one company that I came close to pulling the trigger with. They also wanted $100k up front and, after I did the math, I would have to charge about $700, twice the price of what I currently charge.

What’s a fair premium to pay for a USA made knife? Answers are subjective.
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Thanks for sharing this with us. I wish you the best and am now going to look for the knives you create!
 
I should add, where American manufacturers shine is in quantity. Had I requested 1,000 units or more the cost per unit would go way way down. Set up and tooling charges are the where the real costs come in.
 
That's how China does things, the "Third Shift," so to speak.

Amazing that the world has not stood up to them. It's a national security risk both for the copied weapon systems (though espionage) and as our economies are drained. The latter directly affects the ability of Americans to earn a living and feed our families.

And yes, this belongs in this thread because the theme is comparing and contrasting US vs. offshore production and, by extension, the factors that go into creating the differences.
 
I manage to stay away from chinese knives lately. I only have a 3" Cutjack and a Ti Ruike Hussar. But I can't stop buying chinese tea, especially P'u-erh from Yunnan. Some of those tea cakes are in the $200 - $300 range and the sky is the limit.
 
Asian companies have a history of of gaining a market buy selling at low prices, even losing money.
They insure they are of the highest quality.
Gaining the market share they want..........
They raise prices and will let their product have normal market quality.
I have been waiting for prices to go up.
I also only buy USA made knives or Taiwan as they try to remain independent.
 
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