Country of Origin; does it matter to you?

Haze said:
I generally don't care as long as the quality of materials used and craftsmanship involved is there and guaranteed. I will buy handmade/custom knives from any country as I am buying from an individual craftsman. When it comes to factory made knives I am only really happy buying Eurpean and US made knives with a thin sprinkling of exceptions.

I have lived in Taiwan running a couple of businesses for about 8 years now and frankly I will never own any knives made here or in China. There are a number of reasons for that some are political some personal, but it is my choice and I am more than content I am making the right choice. :)
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Given your perspective, I would be very interested in learning about your preference to avoid knives made in Taiwan.
 
Yes. I prefer knives made in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest by far. Supports local economy and close for warranty work.

I try to avoid Asian made knives due to poor labor practices.
 
It matters to me. I'll buy cheap knives from China if they're <$30 and intended as beaters. If I'm spending decent money though it'll be on a blade made in the USA, Germany, Italy...

I won't spend money north of $30-40 on knives made in Taiwan either. I'm aware that the Taiwanese make some good blades & that Spyderco uses them for production. Maybe I'm silly but I'd never buy a Southard just because it says Taichung Taiwan on the blade. Sounds cheap to my ears.

Yes, image counts on blades over $100.
 
I won't buy anything made on the Mars. I do not support interplanetary labor outsourcing.
 
No, it doesn't matter at all as long the knives are from the reputable brand or makers.
Spyderco is the example. Some of their knives are made in Taiwan. They have very good quality as the QC is standardized by Spyderco. So, the spyderco knives will have the spyderco standard no matter where they are manufactured, IMO.
 
whp said:
Given your perspective, I would be very interested in learning about your preference to avoid knives made in Taiwan.
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There are good places to buy good knives from everywhere from Idaho to Ibach. :thumbup:
 
Yes and No....I own Spyderco's and Cold Steel knives that aren't made in the US...I rely alot on reviews people post before I just order a knife..BUT when someone asks about a knife I'm carrying I love to have one that's made in the USA on me..!!!!! and most of the time I do..
 
I prefer to buy things made in the U.S.A. as I want to help my fellow countrymen keep jobs.
 
I am sorry because I have not read through this entire thread but I did want to put in my thoughts. We sell only American Made knives and do it not just for the jobs but for the integrity of the industry. It is of my opinion that most (not all) of the best designs and ideas come out of the USA. Keeping manufacturing here and keeping interest in American made designs is one of the best ways to keep the industry thriving. As I have said many times I believe other countries make very good knives but I think when they are done right no one can beat out what the USA can make.
 
whitty said:
I am sorry because I have not read through this entire thread but I did want to put in my thoughts. We sell only American Made knives and do it not just for the jobs but for the integrity of the industry. It is of my opinion that most (not all) of the best designs and ideas come out of the USA. Keeping manufacturing here and keeping interest in American made designs is one of the best ways to keep the industry thriving. As I have said many times I believe other countries make very good knives but I think when they are done right no one can beat out what the USA can make.
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Well said, Whitty.

Personally, I try to avoid purchases from any country, where the profits stand an excellent chance of coming back to us in the way of bombs. But that is just me.
 
For me, It doesn't matter at all, If it comes from Taiwan, USA, Germany, Italy, It doesn't matter as long as the quality is good.
Although I think It's awesome to have a knife what says: Golden Colorado USA Earth :D
 
That statement in bold is just not true at all. Machine shops and knife workshops are the same all over the world and are just as capable as each other. I have seen mind boggling craftsmanship from all sorts of places in the world. There is really nothing exclusive to the US in that regard.
What the US does have is a large number of knife companies, individual makers and societies/organisatiuons (like the ABS and Knife Rights) as well as a solid knife culture. There are many firsts and much broken ground to come from the US knife industry, there is no taking that away from the US but don't let yourself get carried away with it. :)

whitty said:
I am sorry because I have not read through this entire thread but I did want to put in my thoughts. We sell only American Made knives and do it not just for the jobs but for the integrity of the industry. It is of my opinion that most (not all) of the best designs and ideas come out of the USA. Keeping manufacturing here and keeping interest in American made designs is one of the best ways to keep the industry thriving. As I have said many times I believe other countries make very good knives but I think when they are done right no one can beat out what the USA can make.
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On older knives I really appreciate seeing the words Sheffield or Solingen or 'Swedish steel'. Quality steel making was a black art at one time and advances in military technologies largely happened within Countries that could consistently make good steel. I noticed for instance that the first US smokeless powder and bolt action rifle (the 1892 Springfield Krag) required the importation of Swedish steel in order to make the barrels. Knife steel is not as critical of course but I seek out known good stuff anyway. Henkels of Germany for instance currently advertises that it uses Swedish steel for their knives.
 
I only avoid Pakistani make knives. I have yet to see a decent steel on a Pakistan made blade. I have seen plenty of pot metal, junk whatever and even what I swear was chrome plated plastic once. With China I'll buy if I know the source has done the QC checking ( Spyderco Byrds for instance) and the knives are priced well.

Any country that can send up satellites, shoot them down, mass produce reactors for their country and others amongst other things they do can make decent knives if that is what they want to do. They do need to be checked after though as the ( once again) problems with dog and cat treats poisoning and killing our pets has pointed out all too well.

I don't know if they do that sort of replacement of materials/ingredients thing to us only or they do that for their own consumers too.In any event it doesn't matter as long as the the QC people actually do their work and check up on the vendors.
 
When it's a choice, It's a transfer of wealth issue for me. Knives are like buying domestic or imported oil, is it enriching countrymen, allies or enemies current or future. The choices I make today could impact the future of my children, kind of the butterfly effect. "What difference does it make?"
 
What I don't get with you "USA only" guys is you'd still be supporting an American company by buying the knives they outsource. Spyderco would go bust, and everyone they employ would lose their job, if all of a sudden the sales on all of their foreign made knives cease. Same with Kershaw and CRKT. If you're truly a "USA only" supported why then would you even buy the US made knives from a company produces the majority of their models in a foreign country? You're supporting a US company that supports outsourcing labor to foreign markets.
 
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When I was working I was very picky, only American,. I have sense retired and my tastes have grown as my budget has fallen. With some good old fashioned research you can find quality blades from all over, yes even China. My edc rotation right now is two entry level, $30.00, Chinese knives. The Kershaw Cryo 1555ti and, my favorite, Spyderco Persistence. Both are of surprisingly high quality. Matter of fact I loved the Spydie so much, I just sprang for a Caly 3.5 G-10, VG10. For what it's worth.........
 
Yes, made in USA if given the option. With knives, I oftentimes have an option.

The only time I would make an exception would be if there was no USA made knives at the same price point AND it wouldn't prevent me from buying a USA made knife AND it was a knife I needed. Two examples I pondered recently were Mora and Opinel. I bought a Mora because there was no quality US equivelent for close to the price point, the price was low enough that it didn't stop me from buying a Swamp rat that same week, and I needed it as a back up knife. The opinel on the other hand, qualified for all of those points except for the last. There's nothing I can do with the opinel folder, that I can't do with folders I already had. The thing I could do with the Mora (and not my survive! or Bussekin) was throw it into storage and not feel bad about it.
 
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