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

[mambro]

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

Another +1 to this. I am enjoying my ZTs and such, and would like to see a "better" version of Kershaw's Injection import item... but that didn't stop me from buying one.

 

[Zidfeldts]

Yes with a caveat: I will buy custom knives from other countries. Production knives from U.S. I live in Canada but the States has been our largest trading partner for as long as I remember.

 

[Boggs]

To many great custom makers on this forum coming from Canada, Poland, Spain, Czech Republic, Romania and Russia to look the other way so USA made is not even considered....though production knives Japan, Taiwan and USA will always be equally considered.

 

[ArchVV]

I would love to say yes, but.....

Quality matters more
and as a poor middle class American myself, Value means just as much (if not more)...

As an American, who served my country, (as my father and his father also did) and who has been halfway around the world and back (to the east coast), and who also has a few years experience in manufacturing under my belt, from pillows to plastics to steel (current,l I know all too well "made in USA" does not automatically equate to higher quality, unfortunately, (and certainly not in value very often)... No more then a USA plumber is automatically a better plumber then a Yugoslavian one, or a USA bricklayer is automatically better then an Irish one., etc. People are people, and we all suffer from the human condition. The US produces plenty of it's very own homegrown crap, and a made in USA stamp/tag doesn't magically fix that and make it golden...

Further more, while I'm proud to be an American, I've come to realize over the years I don't automatically like people more because they are "made in the USA", I frankly find most people in general, Americans included, not my cup of tea, (and vice versa), and find many foreigners are simply more grateful (and generous) people as a whole in general then us spoiled Americans are. Nothing personal, and it's not everyone, just my experiences...

Then there's the corporate side of things, be it greed, wealthy ceo's and board members who don't care about me anymore then i do about them as they get richer, (and spend much of their money on foreign products anyways, be it cars, Knives, imvestments, vacations, whatever), Or foreign shareholders, or the the foreign " ingredients" used in many USA products, (but not all), it's a messy tangled web of international commerce in today's market, no matter how you slice the pie... Sure there's your 100% custom makers using 100% American parts, but I simply don't care eenough to pay those prices to feed his/her family when I'm trying to feed my own. When i see my budget, i have a hard time justifying a car payment (or more) on a home grown product, just because it's home grown, when a similar one made over seas will handle all my needs just as well for 1/4 the price or less... I hate to sound heartless but before i am american, i am human, i am a father, and a husband, etc... "American" is not my #1, and as a human being first, we're all in this (world) together. while I'm proud to be American, as my home is here, the only people I really truly care most about is my friends and family (not all of who are American)... I don't care about a stranger across town any more (or less) then a stranger across the sea simply because of his nationality. I care about the character and integrity of the man much more then the flag he roots for during the Olympics... If I see a stranger in need, I will help them be they from America, or Ghana, or China, all the same, but I won't send 'em Christmas cards or birthday wishes any more then I expect them. I don't have blind nationalism pumping through my veins, and while I'd love to see our nation rise to prominence again, I won't do it at the cost of my own families budget, and it's at the core, the political and corporate levels that are truly destroying the fabric of country at the seams, incl. the manufacturing business, moreso then the foreign markets competing for said business... The simple fact that it is economically MUCH more profitable to manufacture overseas, and pay transportation and shipping costs back across the globe, as well as import fees, is mind blowing...

That all said, comparatively, a $50 foreign knife I like and a $60 American knife of similar design and quality, I'll more often then not buy American, i don't mind paying a little extra... But a $100 foreign knife i like and a $300 usa knife of similar design, i'm taking my chances and saving $200, then taking the family out somewhere...

Wow, in my opinion, this was very well-put. Refreshing explanation full of logical pragmatism.

 

[n7titan]

I would prefer US made knives only because it's easier to get in contact with any issues, returns, etc.

As long as the company is reputable and is true in their advertising I don't care.

 

[Cosmic Superchunk]

Likewise, I prefer a US made knife, but I won't turn away knives made in other countries as long as they are well made.

 

[fetzer85]

Doesn't mean much to me. If I prefer Toyotas and Nissans I don't know why I'd go out of my way to buy a US knife. There are skilled companies and people all around the globe.

 

[Hackenslash]

I have many considerations when purchasing a knife.

One of those considerations is "Country of Origin", predominately for two reasons:
1. I like to think that purchasing US made products is one of the most direct ways I have, as a consumer, to return the dollars I earn to the local economy.
2. "US made" usually infers a higher degree of access to warranty repair or service. Often, "US made" includes a greater level of warranty service or repair.

The price of a knife is one of the first considerations I have, and that price affects where "Country of Origin" fits in the hierarchy of considerations for a given knife. The more expensive a knife, the more important it will be for me to purchase a US made product. For inexpensive beaters, Country of Origin becomes less important as reason #2 above is less important.

Then there are those times that I throw all the logical considerations out the window and impulse buy the latest knife to catch my eye

 

[McBokerson]

Nowadays with companies like Reate and Kizer coming up, plus companies like Kershaw and Spyderco having the majority of their knives outsourced to other countries, I really don't care where my knife is made or who makes it. As long as I like the knife in my hand, it doesn't matter to me.

 

[GrReaper]

Since there are only a handful of American companies that actually make their knives in the USA (TOPS, some of Ontario and Kabar, Bark River, Buck, and some smaller makers as well that are popping up these days), I tend to associate their quality with the made in USA label. For the most part, when it comes to knives, made in USA really does seem to be of superior quality, even at the lower price points. Of course, it's still up to the buyer to do his research and make sure he's getting good quality before spending his hard earned money.

 

[Makael]

I think of jobs lost.

 

[RamZar]

What's significant is that only 15% absolutely positively have to have it made 100% in the U.S. Welcome to the global order where U.S. companies move their HQ overseas just to pay less exorbitant corporate taxes.

I go for what I like regardless of country of origin.

Remember that even country of origin is deceiving with pros and cons. For instance, while Spyderco makes excellent knives out of the Taichung plant the materials, overhead and most designs are U.S. sourced. While ZT produces most if not all materials and manufacturing in the U.S. not all designs are from the U.S. and the company is Japanese owned.

Overall, these are small scale manufacturing.

 

[metal0321]

Means the world to me....especially when small U.S. companies stay small....small enough to keep overhead low....not big enough to warrant worrying about the "exorbitant corporate taxes", which I understand as well. I still purchase things made overseas, but my most precious items are those made by small caveat American companies where the people doing the grinding or stitching have some vested interest. It usually goes hand in hand with quality that you have to see and feel to understand.

 

[whitty]

I would like to thank each and every one of you for your responses. I hope there will be more! While a few people got political, most every response was honest and heartfelt. While I disagree with some, that is not the point of this poll or this thread.

While our companies ultimate goal is to push knife manufacturers to make more knives in the United States, that has not been a major part of our marketing. The point of this poll was to help us with our future marketing. We do not plan to change our concept at all but are just looking at how we market it. We don't push American Made on our customers, rather we focus on the quality of the knives we sell. Considering this a public forum I believe everyone is entitled to their opinion and I certainly respect that. This poll helps us answer how much we need to address the differences we and our customers have seen between knives made in the USA and knives made overseas. With certain type and priced knives there are major differences, with others they are much less noticeable or non existent. Regardless this information will help us on how to address those differences in the future.

Thank you once again to everyone who replied with honest (non political feedback). Your feedback is much appreciated and respected!

 

[Jamesh Bond]

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.

Noice.

Like Low Carb, Going Green, Metallica, and Hard Use, the phrase "Made in America" has now become a worn out parody of blind extremism that began as a good thing, then escalated into a ridiculous cliche of pompous self righteousness.

Has serious roots, but whatever the original intention, it's hard to listen to these days without throwing up a little in the mouth.

As stated by another, quality is quality.

To me, "Made in the USA" now means "Porsche Club."

 

[DShiflet]

To me that means it was made in the USA. Nothing beyond that. A good knife is a good knife, regardless of rather it's made in the US, made in Japan, made in China, or whatever. The prices on some of the American made stuff does bother me a bit. I mean, Ontario can put out a great US made fix blade at a very nice price, Spyderco's Golden Colorado models are very reasonably priced, but some others it's like the "made in the US" label is just a ticket to jack up the price.

 

[Chris Larrikin]

The point of this poll was to help us with our future marketing. We do not plan to change our concept at all but are just looking at how we market it. We don't push American Made on our customers, rather we focus on the quality of the knives we sell

I think that's an excellent approach. High quality, known production standards and accountability and recourse in the case of issues. These have real value and are some of the things people expect from "American made".

I look forward to seeing the new marketing!

 

[Pomsbz]

I'm not American and have been less than impressed recently with 'Made in USA' goods so I'm afraid it makes no difference. Not willing to pay the premium unless I am getting superior quality.

 

[walleyeguy7]

It used to feel preferable, nowadays I just don't care haha.

 

[twl]

I prefer to buy USA products, providing that they are a quality made item. I don't buy USA just because of that, if the item is crap.

The USA has lost a LOT of its manufacturing base, and it will take some effort to build it back, if we even can. I work witha couple of US machine shops to make the products that I design in another field, and it is pure hell to get shops in the USA to do anything new, or anything less than 10,000 pieces. To find these shops that would work with my smaller quantities was like finding a needle in a haystack.
It is almost at a point that if you want anything manufactured here, you need to make your own machine shop, because almost no existing shops will work with you.