Do you ever feel that some struggle to find fault with certain knives?

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Stahlmann

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Do you ever feel that some struggle to find fault with certain knives, no matter their actual quality of build or the actual quality of materials that went into them?

Probably the most obvious is discounting some good, even great knives because of where they are made. Today it's China, India and Pakistan. Before that it was Taiwan, and before that it was Japan. In each case there were grave reason for concern at the beginning of their respective productions. But in each case, the attacks continued (or continue) long after being universally warranted.

Some attack certain knives if they aren't made from the latest (and most expensive) whiz-bang steel available. If it's not made from CPM 3-V (or something even more expensive), it's necessarily garbage to them.

In other cases some will judge a knife harshly because its design is influenced by a classical design originating from another knife maker (I'm not talking about clones.)

Knives aren't (comparatively) high-tech products. They also aren't extremely complicated machines, nor does each one take a great deal of material or space-age processes to build. Unlike firearms they're also not tightly controlled by laws and trade restrictions.

Ultimately it seems like some are programmed to attack good, even excellent knives because of their low sales price. They're unable to recognize the value such knives represent, so they go searching for a "reason" to judge them as being junk.
 
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Of course they do. Just like some do for any retail product: Cars, Electronics, Bicycles, Fishing/Hunting gear, Guns, Archery, Box Fans, Wood Glue ... whatever.

"Fan Boys" knock everything but the brand(s) they like (and make excuses/give a "pass" for legitimate defects on their favorite bran(s), and come down on/ridicule/hate anyone who claims, their favorite brand(s) could possibly have even a minor cosmetic defect. (for the cutlery world, (in no particular order), Cold Steel, Spiderco, and GEC come to mind ... say something "bad" about those brands ... hooo boy ....)

I am pretty sure it's called "human nature".
 
You're blurring the refusal to support Communist China with disliking the knives they produce. I happen to think that, just because I got the worst knife of my life from RR, too many others have received terrific knives to ignore the quality potential. I won't buy another not because I fear another lemon but for political reasons.
 
We all have our preferences, standards, expectations, and that is fine. Some people seem to take it personally if anyone makes a decision that is at odds with their opinion. I think this is where you see the "attacks". It probably stems from the desire for affirmation or just elitism.

I know plenty of people who carry junk walmart/gas station knives. They abuse them and put them through hard use, but they work ok. When the knife gets lost or wears out, they go buy a new one and they don't lose any sleep over it.
 
Just as everything is someone's favorite, it's also someone else's least favorite. The latter are generally more vocal about it.

What I like, and why, are my business, tho I recognize that that is necessarily hypocritical if I post an opinion on an internet forum and invite critique. But generally, I don't much care what an anonymous internet forum voice says, until it says something that makes me think, or rethink something. THAT I can respect.
 
OP: Some people are relatively easily impressed. This is true of gear in many hobbies, btw. Nothing wrong with that, necessarily, and it drives a fairly healthy market segment. It also leaves more good knives for people who actually understand quality tools.
 
Just try being Gerber.

Doesn't matter what they come out with... even if it's the first light saber... legions of folks will jump out of the woodwork to tell us what crap it is.

Without trying it. Kinda like saying the soup is too salty before tasting it.

Now, to be sure, Gerber has a history of making some salty soup... but I think they are trying to be better cooks.

Won't matter for some people though.
 
I haven’t needed a knife for a long many years. I suspect few of us do; we each have more than enough knives around to keep us going for centuries. So when I buy a knife, I do so because I find some aspect of it interesting. This is truly the case where building a better mousetrap is far less important than making it innovative and stylish. Often it is not even about the knife; it is about a brand, a style, or a theme that fits our collection. So we don’t have to like the same thing and that’s a good thing. It adds to the depth and diversity of our hobby.

n2s
 
CAP55 said:
You're blurring the refusal to support Communist China with disliking the knives they produce. I happen to think that, just because I got the worst knife of my life from RR, too many others have received terrific knives to ignore the quality potential. I won't buy another not because I fear another lemon but for political reasons.
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No I am not. There are obviously legitimate reasons not to buy from different knife makers across the world for a number of different reasons in addition to product quality. One that comes to mind is the exploitation of workers, be it by a private company (China does have those) or the govt itself.

Yet there are those who condemn anything from places like China, India and Pakistan because of what they feel must be inferior product quality That's obviously nonsensical of course.
 
justjed said:
OP: Some people are relatively easily impressed. This is true of gear in many hobbies, btw. Nothing wrong with that, necessarily, and it drives a fairly healthy market segment. It also leaves more good knives for people who actually understand quality tools.
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You missed my question entirely. I asked it some people struggle to find fault with knives not based of their actual product quality, but because of who makes them, where they are made, or what they might have been inspired by?
 
Reallybigmonkey1 said:
Kinda like how I've seen a lot of folks hating Tom Browns Tracker even tho they have never owned or used one. Just hating because of the design.
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That's an excellent point. Certain designs don't appeal to certain people, no matter how technically sound the design. Rather than be honest and say "that really doesn't fit my personal taste", some try to attack the product quality of the knife (or in some cases the designer or maker.)
 
There are knife makers and models that I choose not to spend my money on but I refuse to bash them on social media.
Getting on a public forum and calling out others for what they like is not going to change a thing.
Everyone will continue to spend their money on what they want.
 
Velitrius said:
Just try being Gerber.

Doesn't matter what they come out with... even if it's the first light saber... legions of folks will jump out of the woodwork to tell us what crap it is.

Without trying it. Kinda like saying the soup is too salty before tasting it.

Now, to be sure, Gerber has a history of making some salty soup... but I think they are trying to be better cooks.

Won't matter for some people though.
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:rolleyes: Gerber , SOG and others worked hard to lose our trust ...don't ruin their well earned reps . o_O
 
Stahlmann said:
...Yet there are those who condemn anything from places like China, India and Pakistan because of what they feel must be inferior product quality That's obviously nonsensical of course.
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Nope. It is not obviously nonsensical. Every one of the places that you listed has a past history of producing inferior products for export.

Japan has a history of poor electronics. China and Pakistan both have histories with poor cutlery products.

Yet, Japan now exports excellent audio gear and China has done a very good job of stepping up their game.

Someone’s bias could be based on past experience or training. Does that make it nonsensical? I doubt it. Unjustified is probably more accurate.
 
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