Does Made in the USA mean anything to you (knife specific)?

[whitty]

I am not changing anything with USA Made Blade just looking for some honest feedback! Feel free to add any comments. I am aware this is very much an international community so those beyond the U.S. feel free to chime in as well!

 

[MIGUY]

Simple answer: yes, I like having a blade made in the US, though personally it is not a deal breaker if it is not, but I do like to support American business, and most of my recent purchases have been US made

 

[LG&M]

What he said,
All else being equal I go USA.

 

[stabman]

Being closer to Canada, it is a bit easier if I need to send it in for warranty work (hate that border crossing though, so I generally fix things myself when at all possible).

It sort of, kind of, almost feels like buying it in my own country...but not really. When I buy a knife made here, I like that even more.

In general, I trust that the materials specified will actually be what gets used when made in the USA, although with any reputable company I don't worry too much (like with Spyderco's offshore production). In general though, I have less doubts than with stuff made in China, although I have some Chinese-made knives that are pretty good.

Most of the companies that produce the knives I make are based in the USA, so most of my knives are made there, or made for an American company (like Spyderco).

 

[Ernie1980]

I prefer it, but quality is quality no matter where it is made.

 

[netguy1999]

There are many countries that make great knives. I must admit I like knives made in the USA, but that doesn't stop me from buying knives made elsewhere. There is, however, one country that I do not buy knives from. Call me what you want, but I won't buy knives made in China. Not even kitchen knives. I just bought a brand new set of steak knives. I thought it would be fitting to buy Laguiole in light of recent events.

 

[highestpoint]

Like most other guys here I prefer USA made blades.. pun intended lol.

Recently all my knives are made in the US with exceptions from Seki City (love H1) and my Opinel.

I would like to have a Taichung Spydero Southard or Gayle Bradley though.

 

[Wowbagger]

As I seem to keep repeating : Case has done very well for me this year ! All the Case knives I bought this year are USA made and their quality has been very good and the spring action of all the slip joints have been very constant within each multi blade knife as well as consistent from knife to knife. Not too stiff and not too weak. I have issues with other knives I have bought from other countries in approximately the same price ranges so I am very pleased with my USA made Case Knives.

I too look at quality first and for most and then I consider where it is made. If I can get the same quality made in the USA even if it costs more I go US.

 

[Kwon Kwang]

I'm not American, so all "made in America" means to me is "not made by slaves in China".

 

[Yalius]

All things being equal, I like to go a step more local than even US-made. There's a certain reassurance from being able to drop by the factory where my knife was made in case I need warranty work or a spare part. Luckily I live in close enough proximity to KAI, Benchmade, and Leatherman that I can just drop by whenever I have the time. Failing that, I do have a little more faith in US-based support. This may be an outgrowth of my experiences in PC and telecom tech support.

 

[Makael]

As long as it is not a copy of a USA knife it's fine, these nasty S.O.B copy cats don't deserve to sell here.

 

[Etna]

Not an American. 100% penny pincher and dead opposed to the TPP proposed by Obama, so anything stamped with a 'Made in USA' label is as good sticking a giant 'Do Not Buy' label on it. Will buy an American brand manufactured in China or Taiwan if price is reasonable.

'Made in Japan' is also a no-go. Too costly for the penny pincher.

About 70% of my knives are Chinese, anyway.

 

[stabman]

Not an American. 100% penny pincher and dead opposed to the TPP proposed by Obama, so anything stamped with a 'Made in USA' label is as good sticking a giant 'Do Not Buy' label on it.

About 70% of my knives are Chinese, anyway.

Always one guy that has to make it all political...

Get a paid membership, then you can spew all the politics you want to in the correct forum.

 

[Nfd538]

Not an American. 100% penny pincher and dead opposed to the TPP proposed by Obama, so anything stamped with a 'Made in USA' label is as good sticking a giant 'Do Not Buy' label on it. Will buy an American brand manufactured in China or Taiwan if price is reasonable.

'Made in Japan' is also a no-go. Too costly for the penny pincher.

About 70% of my knives are Chinese, anyway.

Obama is not USA made either.
All but two of my knives are USA made. I do like some of the Russian blades.

 

[stabman]

Oh well, it was a nice try by the OP at getting a nice thread going.
Too bad the usual stuff ends up happening.

So I'll go spend time with my newest knife which just showed up today; a Battle Horse Knives Tree Frog, made in the USA (and the only folder that they make).

 

[The Jer]

i hear you stabby. i wish there was more nice Canadian knives. and now that our govt is... not my preference, i try to connect with my USA side.

 

[Etna]

Obama is not USA made either.

You just made my afternoon. Excuse me for a bit; i need to clean the water off my monitor and explain to my manager why I was on bladeforums during office hours.

 

[jc57]

Most of my knives were made in USA, with Switzerland coming in second place, followed by a few from China and one from Japan. I buy based on the design, features, quality, and service provided, for a price point that I can afford.

 

[SurfisLove]

I don't have a good reason why but I only buy made in the USA knives (except for SAK, love a nice Vic) like I said I don't have a great reason why other than it makes me happy to know an American builds knives for a living and I'm supporting that with my purchase.

 

[killgar]

US citizen here, and I don't care where something is made.

People in this country often say "I buy American to support American jobs". But the fact is, the importation of foreign-made goods into the US, and their sale, provides quite a lot of employment for US citizens. Here's a list of several occupations in the US that benefit from, and in some cases depend on the importation of foreign-made goods-

Cargo ship workers (the people who transport the goods from their source country to the US).

Dock workers (the people who unload the cargo from the cargo ships).

Customs workers (the people who oversee and inspect incoming cargo).

Truck drivers (the people who transport the goods from the docks to the wholesale distributors).

The people who work for the wholesale distributors.

Shipping company personnel who ship the goods from the distributors to the retailers (UPS, Fedex, trucking companies).

The people who work for the retailers.



There are a lot of Americans who have jobs as a direct result of foreign-made goods being imported and sold in the US who otherwise might not have jobs.

When I buy a foreign-made knife, I don't think of the people who made it, I think of all the Americans who have jobs because I bought it.