Country of origin

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Blues Bender said:
Awww, how cute!

Tells us more about your worldly views, right here in General Knife Discussion.
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The OP asked about country of origin in knife purchases. Obviously, it allows for some discussion of reasons why you would consider country of origin, including the political. If you dislike it, why are you even here reading it? Your snide remark doesn't add anything to the discussion.
 
Wolverine666 said:
I may give Kizer a look. But I just have it in my head that China-made (knives) are crap. Especially reading some posts here from people who are more knowledgeable about such things than I am.
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Anyone who says that isn't knowledgeable about knives.
 
Quiet said:
Also, Kizer? You mean the same Kizer who now sells their Ti/S35vn knives at the same same $250-$350 price points as American companies do? That Kizer?
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Assuming you're talking about retail price, point me to a single Kizer knife that is $250 or higher.
 
I own knives from China, Japan, Taiwan, France and USA. All good quality, but given the option I would pay a little more for a USA made knife of the same quality.
 
I couldn't even begin to describe how much I don't care about county of origin. I only care about the company. If the company is trustworthy, why should I be bothered?

I find it interesting that Americans seem to be the only ones who have the mindset of only wanting to buy from their homeland (I don't mean this as an insult, it's just interesting). I guess a lot of places don't have that option for everything.

The only times I care if something is Swiss is if it's (some) food for freshness.

I don't feel unpatriotic for buying a knife from another country. Nor do I feel bad buying a melon from France (they're the best!).
 
Twinsdad said:
How many of you guys are kind of particular about where their knives come from?
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I buy knives made in many countries but there are some countries whose products I will not buy. The People's Republic of China and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam are among them. I've yet to see anything from Pakistan that interests me.
 
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I try to buy quality knives wherever they may be made. If I had a million bazillion dollars, I'd buy a couple of fine cutlery specimens from every country in the world; I think it would be a pretty freakin' sa-weet collection! :thumbup::cool:

That said, I understand and respect individual purchasing biases...

Kumbaya, anyone? ;):p:D

-Brett
 
leghog said:
Face it, both politics and business ethics count for something to many of us.
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Face it? I did that a long time ago. Now if I can just stop smirking. :rolleyes:

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein

timberweasel said:
Kumbaya, anyone? ;) :p :D
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If only. Unfortunately, Sheldon's got it right. What nature doesn't do to us will be done by our fellow man.
 
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All factors considered Taiwanese knives are the best (better than American-made knives if price is a consideration). Call me a Sinophobe if you want; I don't buy Chinese knives. I'm not really in to supporting communism. China's government has no regard for human rights.
 
AmosPaul said:
All factors considered Taiwanese knives are the best (better than American-made knives if price is a consideration). Call me a Sinophobe if you want; I don't buy Chinese knives. I'm not really in to supporting communism. China's government has no regard for human rights.
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And yet somehow, 1.4 billion people manage to survive there. And their population just keeps growing and growing and growing. A government with no regard for human rights would have converted at least half of them into Soylent Green by now just to reduce the surplus population, don't you think?

Don't get me wrong. I don't have any great love for China. But continuing to make enemies of them and refusing to recognize the impact the sheer magnitude of their numbers makes on your life and mine is like running down a tunnel over and over again with no cheese at the end. A rat won't do that but human beings will. Which brings me back to the Einstein quote I posted earlier . . .

PS: Here's another favorite quote of mine. It's a little longer than the Einstein quote but it's appropriate to this discussion, I think:

Life is a game.

In order to have a game, something has to be more important than something else.

Now if what IS is more important than what ISN'T, the game is over.

So life is a game in which what ISN'T is more important than what IS . . .

Let the good times roll.

-- Werner Erhard
 
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I don't care if it's solid and made by well treated employees.

AmosPaul said:
All factors considered Taiwanese knives are the best (better than American-made knives if price is a consideration). Call me a Sinophobe if you want; I don't buy Chinese knives. I'm not really in to supporting communism. China's government has no regard for human rights.
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In China is aggressive capitalism not communism. And sorry, but even western countries don't care about human rights in some cases. How many manufactures from USA and Europe have their factory in China/Bangladesh where people are working like slaves. But anyway, I'm trying to avoid chinese knives and other stuff. But now 90% of everything is made in China/Bangladesh.
 
GrReaper said:
The OP asked about country of origin in knife purchases. Obviously, it allows for some discussion of reasons why you would consider country of origin, including the political. If you dislike it, why are you even here reading it? Your snide remark doesn't add anything to the discussion.
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There is nothing political about knives...

If you want to discuss politics, go to our political forum. Talking about it here will either get you an infraction or get the thread closed.

Ps. Your political BS doesn't add anything to the discussion either;)
 
Blues Bender said:
There is nothing political about knives...
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But what about my toenail clippers? :confused:

The title of the topic itself contains the seeds of its own destruction. Maybe the reason it hasn't been shut down yet is because people are willing to yield enough to keep the thread from going completely off the rails. If the conversation stays on high ground, it may survive. The topic is, after all, worthy of discussion. But if it turns into a flame war as so often happens, it's doomed.
 
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Armadew said:
I find it interesting that Americans seem to be the only ones who have the mindset of only wanting to buy from their homeland (I don't mean this as an insult, it's just interesting). I guess a lot of places don't have that option for everything.

The only times I care if something is Swiss is if it's (some) food for freshness.

I don't feel unpatriotic for buying a knife from another country. Nor do I feel bad buying a melon from France (they're the best!).
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I have a theory about this. First, consider that the various American states could be compared to the various European nations in terms of different resources, ethnic backgrounds and customs. Individually, the states may not have the resources, skilled workforce or traditional inclination (for lack of a better word) to produce something as specific as knives, tools, watches, firearms or whatever you want to focus on. However, within a region of the country, you might have all of those components available, and if the quality and price are competitive with products imported from elsewhere, it can be just as much a matter of practicality as it is national pride. If an American manufacturer can make what I want, wouldn't it make sense for me to buy it, or consider doing so? Granted, in the global marketplace we have today, it is much less of a factor of practicality, but then bring generations of tradition into the picture, it doesn't even have to be practical. For instance, if my father and grandfather bought American-made Craftsman tools and told me that they were good tools, I might do the same rather than buy something from an unfamiliar manufacturer, even if the price and quality were comparable. My dad has always preferred General Motors cars, so that's what I looked at when buying my first car. If Americans have proven that they can make something, a lot of other Americans will look "locally" for any number of reasons, tangible or intangible.

I think that also explains the disdain for products offered by "trusted" American brands but manufactured overseas at the expense (real or perceived) of American jobs. Gerber would be a prime example, being that they still offer numerous American-made products but long ago started mixing in Chinese products of sometimes dubious quality. Meanwhile, brands like Camillus and Schrade were put on the auction block, and continue on in name only, serving as familiar American banners under which knives are imported from overseas. Most of the buying public doesn't care, but traditions run deeper for some people than others. Also, for better or worse, tradition may also dictate that some Americans won't buy products made in countries that they perceive as unfriendly, be that China, Vietnam, Russia or even modern-day allies like Japan. Even though the number of Americans alive when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor is quite low today, their children and grandchildren may have been brought up to dislike anything or anyone Japanese. Same for Vietnam. Same for communist or formerly communist countries during the Cold War. It's a long list. Obviously, it doesn't matter to everyone, but it matters to some.

Of course, some countries also don't have a tradition of making a certain type of product, so even with modern techniques available to them, lack of an established reputation will cause resistance among potential buyers.

And yet somehow, 1.4 billion people manage to survive there. Fascinating, isn't it?
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I suspect that a large number of those 1.4 billion, if given the opportunity to share their opinions unsuppressed and without fear of reprisal, would have some pretty harsh criticisms of how they "manage to survive" under China's communist regime. Freedom of speech doesn't exist there, and in many parts of China, conditions are in line with those of North Korea. Also consider that many Chinese companies are state-owned, so buying their products is putting money back in the government's hands.
 
I try to buy American made products to support our economy. I don't label people or call them names that disagree with my point of view.
 
I buy budget knives from China as I have said. There are many bad things about them and many good. I won't speak to that other than to say that I know there are some knives I can buy directly from China which are a good deal.

My big "problem with Chinese knives" is companies like Schrade and Camillus being purchased for the name and an inferior product being imported. I have experienced many instances of hearing people say "Schrade is a good knife" or "Camillus is good" and not knowing they were not the product they, or their dad had grown up with.

This is deception, and it's not the Chinese companies doing it, it's the company that bought the name.


Totally unrelated for bld522

[video=youtube;8BkTBJUcLTw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BkTBJUcLTw[/video]
 
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