Could these Chinese knives really be that good?

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I've been looking at various Chinese companies and some of their folding and fixed blade knives and I have to say they look pretty dang nice for the money. They also claim to use decent steels like D2 and 14c28n to name a few, which I like, but the prices just seem too good to be true ranging from $25 to $60 for most of them and that's honestly what's stopping me from seeing for myself.

Now I did read some of the people's reviews on some of the knives and they are mostly all positive and claim they have great fit and finish and look and feel better then what the pricetags suggest, but I also know people can do fake reviews just so people are suckered into buying the product. So that makes me kinda skeptical also.

Does anyone on here have any or tried any of these Chinese brand knives? If so do they seem to have good HT's or are they just decent steels that are run too soft? I'm willing to pull the trigger on one, but don't wanna go and waste my money without the total confidence in what I'm buying, so could these Chinese brand knives really be that good? Are they actually made to the high standards of more expensive knives made by more reputable companies or are they just the same old Chinese junk knives you find in gas stations? Thoughts and opinions?
 
You'll need to name specific brands and models to get any usable feedback.

It was just noted in a thread here that some of the companies that clone and or counterfeit knives are also not using the advertised steels.

As always if the deal seems too good to be true it probably is.
 
I have a $25 Chinese knock-off of the Buck 110. It was purchased as a "beater" and "loaner."

I've been amazed at how well it has held up to some fairly hard use. Holds an edge about the same as a Buck.
 
Buy the $25 knife and carry it for 30 days and then write a review and post it here on the forums.

Challenge someone else to do the same thing with another knife.

After that happens a few times, most of the popular models will be covered and the mystery of foreign budget knives will be solved.
 
You'll need to name specific brands and models to get any usable feedback.

It was just noted in a thread here that some of the companies that clone and or counterfeit knives are also not using the advertised steels.

As always if the deal seems too good to be true it probably is.
Yeah I'm leaning more towards too good to be true tbh. Plus like you said how do people know they're actually getting the advertised steel. I can't remember specific models off hand, but some of the companies names were Eafengrow, Katsu, Albatross and Kubey. Oh and Bastion was another one also.
 
I've been carrying a Ruike P-108 for about 8 months. The 14C28N blade steel has a pretty decent heat treat, it takes and holds a good edge, and is still fairly easy to sharpen. Worth more than the $35 I paid for it, in my opinion...
 
Yeah I'm leaning more towards too good to be true tbh. Plus like you said how do people know they're actually getting the advertised steel. I can't remember specific models off hand, but some of the companies names were Eafengrow, Katsu, Albatross and Kubey. Oh and Bastion was another one also.
Those smell like rip off artists.

Hard pass.
 
Until a brand has been tested, its hard to say. The steel may even not be what they claim. Being the biggest liars and fakes in the whole world, I'd say always use caution. A great example is silver, most silver items that are stamped silver from china are not silver at all. There's a huge exportation of fake metals,so I would be careful of knife steel metals as well being labeled falsely.
 
D2 and 14c28n are not expensive steels, it's not a surprise to see knives made of them in 25-60 range, but currently they have a high chance to be made in China, no matter what brand it is.

As long as the production scale reaches certain level, paired with an efficient industry chain, price is gonna drop for no surprise, and the price can be ridiculously low. Again, D2 and 14c28n are not expensive steel, and knives made of them are not too expensive, which means it tends to sell more and thus the production scale may be larger. More American company outsourcing production to China can increase the scale and thus further reduce price.

The thing is if an American knife company uses Chinese company for production, they can set the right quality control and thus filter out bad Chinese companies doing production. Same can be done to Chinese knife companies. So I would trust more on the reputation of the companies.
 
my states side kershaw leek is 14c28n and about $40... highly preferred over bargains from asia
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The ones with a good reputation are good. It's kind of hard to deny really. Reate, Kizer, We, even that Ruike is good for the money. And many prove that they are buying American steels when they use them.

Without making this too political, I would assume they come out so inexpensive due to the currency and lack of labor laws.
 
I can't speak for the "modern" knives or fixed blades, since I've never had or handeled one of them.
However, the Rough Rider, Marbles, Colt, Schrade family of brands, and off-shore Buck traditional knives that I have are that good. Insofar as quality, edge holding, and sharpness out of the box is concerned.
At least as good as, if not better than, my few Case and (USA) Buck, and Schrade (USA) family of brands traditional knives are.
 
With the exception of a few European countries, I'd say your best bet is to buy American or Japanese made blades.
All the knives I carry are either American or Japanese and I don't ever worry about the quality, mostly because the proof
is in everyday I use them at work.

I have one knife made in Taiwan, the Ikuchi from Spyderco, and it seems to be on par with my usual USA or Japanese made knives.
In other words, Taiwan is probably a safe bet.

Also, as mentioned above, there are plenty of affordable blades made in the U.S.A, Japan, Europe etc. that are also quality blades meant to be used.
I realize there are a few exceptions like Kizer or Reate, but generally speaking your best bet is to stay away from Chinese made knives.
 
I owned a front flipper Katsu...it was a decent knife...pretty sure it wasnt a clone. The other companies im not so sure about.
Im not a supporter of clones at all.
 
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