High end chinese producers in the market

[The Aflac Duck]

Hmmmm. I suspect that pricing their knives the same would be a REALLY hard sell for Chinese knife manufacturers to make and nigh onto impossible to make to someone like me. See I don't care if Chinese-manufactured knives are as good as Sebenzas, Hinderers or some midtechs. I already know how good they are. I care if Chinese manufacturers are willing to make a real commitment to North American knife buyers like me by parking Stateside service and support here. Until they do that, I intend to limit my exposure. $200 is the most I'll spend on any Chinese-manufactured knife regardless of how good it is . . . period. YMMV.

How do you guys feel about something like a Rockstead? Made in Japan with a warranty that involves sending the knife to Japan.

Regardless of their price, how do you feel about their warranty? There is no question to wether the quality is there or not, they are amazing knives! However, I'm curious how people feel about sending their knife out of the country if the knife is known for its craftsmanship.

 

[Danke42]

Sending stuff out of the country (Canada) is a huge pain. Pretty well always a deal breaker for me in the event of warranty or service. The price to send a package to Asia is usually going to wreck any kind of bargain I may have swung.

Sending to the US less of a headache but it would still have to be something pretty special.

 

[bld522]

The price to send a package to Asia is usually going to wreck any kind of bargain I may have swung.

That pretty well summarizes it for me as well. And as far as the Rockstead goes, I really don't think you can take its price out of the equation. If you can afford to buy a Rockstead, you can afford to send it to Japan to get it fixed.

 

[Wheeler80]

I'd have no problem with shipping to Asia if it's an established, well respected company. I've shipped plenty of stuff all over the world and once you get the paperwork down its not a big deal. Small, light boxes don't cost much either. I'd be more upset by the fact that my >$500 blade needed warranty service.

 

[bld522]

True. And then there's the question of what constitutes "an established, well-respected company". Do any of the current crop of Chinese manufacturers fall into that category? I realize that's a question each person has to answer for themselves. But for me the answer is "no, not yet". None of them have been around long enough to be "established" like a KAI or a Benchmade or a Spyderco is and gaining respect takes time. I don't think there's enough experience of how well Chinese manufacturers deal with warranty claims to fall back on yet.

 

[Wheeler80]

True. And then there's the question of what constitutes "an established, well-respected company". Do any of the current crop of Chinese manufacturers fall into that category? I realize that's a question each person has to answer for themselves. But for me the answer is "no, not yet". Gaining respect takes time. And there's not enough experience of how well Chinese manufacturers deal with warranty claims to fall back on yet.

They're not established enough for me to drop more than $125* on one. I've had a couple of Kizers and they were really well built. I was going to pick up a Gemini but I went with a 0450. Same materials, better aesthetics to me, cheaper, and stateside support if I needed it.

*I bought a D9-A out of curiousity. That one was a perfectly executed tank but I don't know how anyone could stand to carry it. Way too heavy for me.*

 

[bld522]

They're not established enough for me to drop more than $125* on one.

That's pretty much my limit as well. But I did stretch that a little to buy the Gemini based on my confidence in Ray Laconico. Fortunately, my confidence was justified. The Gemini is a spectacular knife. Take it from an 0450 owner like yourself, I can all but guarantee you won't be disappointed if you pick one up.

 

[Danke42]

Here's another "headache" for exporting stuff for warranty. They're got a magic formula over at customs on what you can import before you're charged duty. For me to send a $200 Spyderco to Colorado is not a big deal (as long as I can deal with a down time and separation anxiety).

Bump that up to a $850.00 blade and now we're looking at something that you'll get tagged for duty. Yes you can apply for a temporary export permit but that's more hassle.

And while there are deals for shipping stuff it's unlikely that it'll go without a required signature and insurance.

It's really a very unlikely circumstance that the folks on here from the way they post up issues about their knives would roll the dice on a $1000.00 Chinese knife that you have to send overseas if it has a problem.

It's a perfect storm of do not want.

 

[Wheeler80]

That's pretty much my limit as well. But I did stretch that a little to buy the Gemini based on my confidence in Ray Laconico. I can tell you that my confidence was justified. The Gemini is a spectacular knife. Take it from an 0450 owner, I can all but guarantee you won't be disappointed if you pick one up.

I'm planning on picking one up around the first of the year after the dust settles from the holidays. I've heard enough good about that particular one to take a chance. Maybe I'll luck out and find a used one cheap.

 

[bld522]

Which of course brings us right back to the problem. If you buy a used one cheap and something's wrong with it, getting it fixed could turn out to be an adventure. For now at least, I'm buying all of my Chinese-manufactured knives from dealers who will take the time to inspect them before they ship them to me and give me a decent return privilege if I need to send it back. It's worth a few extra dollars to buy new for the peace of mind it gives me.

 

[Wheeler80]

If I find one cheap enough (around $100) it would be worth it. Much over that and I'll contact a forum sponsor and ask them to handpick one as close to my standards as they can.

 

[bld522]

It's really a very unlikely circumstance that the folks on here from the way they post up issues about their knives would roll the dice on a $1000.00 Chinese knife that you have to send overseas if it has a problem.

Or in my case, a $200 knife. But the knives are worth rolling the dice if you set a reasonable spending limit and you buy from top notch retailers . . . at least that's been my experience. These Chinese manufacturers are making terrific knives for the money. There's just no way of getting around that.

 

[RamZar]

What these overseas knife manufacturers need to do is setup a U.S. address where you can send your knives for warranty/repair/service. That keeps the cost down for the consumer.

Spyderco basically does that for the Taichung knives. You send it to Colorado and in turn as needed Spyderco sends it to Taichung. That's why it sometimes takes several weeks.

LionSteel started with a U.S. address for service in Summer 2015. The new replacement or repaired knives are shipped to you directly from Italy. They're pretty fast unless you hit them around the August recess.

Communication does not need to be by phone but even by email they all need to respond within 1-2 business days.

Of course, customer service by the likes of KAI and Benchmade have spoiled us.

 

[bld522]

If I find one cheap enough (around $100) it would be worth it. Much over that and I'll contact a forum sponsor and ask them to handpick one as close to my standards as they can.

Absolutely, especially if you have a little skill at fixing your own knife if need be. I'm a klutz when it comes to working on anything mechanical, so I wouldn't even try it.

 

[bld522]

What these overseas knife manufacturers need to do is setup a U.S. address where you can send your knives for warranty/repair/service. That keeps the cost down for the consumer.

Spyderco basically does that for the Taichung knives. You send it to Colorado and in turn as needed Spyderco sends it to Taichung. That's why it sometimes takes several weeks.

LionSteel started with a U.S. address for service in Summer 2015. The new replacement or repaired knives are shipped to you directly from Italy. They're pretty fast unless you hit them around the August recess.

Communication does not need to be by phone but even by email they all need to respond within 1-2 business days.

Of course, customer service by the likes of KAI and Benchmade have spoiled us.

All true. The problem is that customer service by the likes of KAI and Benchmade are what we've come to expect. It's hard for me to lower my expectations unless there's a REALLY compelling reason for me to do that or I'm not spending so much that I'll feel like I've lost a whole lot if something goes wrong. But I agree that setting up a U.S. address where folks can send their knives in for warranty/repair/service would be a great first step for Chinese manufacturers to adopt.

 

[RamZar]

As for quality of Chinese knives I've been very satisfied with Reate and Kizer. Reate has been moving to the high-end market with related pricing. Kizer has managed to improve a lot on knife features and designers while keeping prices at a modest increase. I tried a Stedemon SHY but had to send it back to KnifeCenter due to tool marks inside the integral frame.

Reate is in a class by itself. Todd Begg started his Steelcraft series by having Reate make the Kwaiken for $445 each. You can only appreciate one if you handle it. It's every bit what his custom Kwaikens are but those sell for $2,000+. Todd Begg Knives will have Reate produce 1,200 of these!

Custom Knife Factory of Russia has Chinese shops do the CNC machining, etc. but final assembly and fitting are done in Russia. This way they're able to produce high-quality pieces at reasonable prices.

 

[Stays Sharp]

As for quality of Chinese knives I've been very satisfied with Reate and Kizer. Reate has been moving to the high-end market with related pricing. Kizer has managed to improve a lot on knife features and designers while keeping prices at a modest increase. I tried a Stedemon SHY but had to send it back to KnifeCenter due to tool marks inside the integral frame.

Reate is in a class by itself. Todd Begg started his Steelcraft series by having Reate make the Kwaiken for $445 each. You can only appreciate one if you handle it. It's every bit what his custom Kwaikens are but those sell for $2,000+. Todd Begg Knives will have Reate produce 1,200 of these!

Custom Knife Factory of Russia has Chinese shops do the CNC machining, etc. but final assembly and fitting are done in Russia. This way they're able to produce high-quality pieces at reasonable prices.

That says a lot, knowing your vast collection and experience with fine knives.

 

[cchu518]

Here's a throwback from years ago on the high quality, maybe not high end Chinese knife front. I had passed on it when it was still for sale retail as I had just gotten into knives and was anti lockback.

But I finally found one recently on the used front. Super high quality and the steel is tough and heat treated well. It's a Kai DM0905 made in China.

 

[clearkevin]

Hmmmm. I suspect that pricing their knives the same would be a REALLY hard sell for Chinese knife manufacturers to make and nigh onto impossible to make to someone like me. See I don't care if Chinese-manufactured knives are as good as Sebenzas, Hinderers or some midtechs. I already know how good they are. I care if Chinese manufacturers are willing to make a real commitment to North American knife buyers like me by parking Stateside service and support here. Until they do that, I intend to limit my exposure. $200 is the most I'll spend on any Chinese-manufactured knife regardless of how good it is . . . period. YMMV.

Maybe so but they are doing it look at the Reate typhoon or Horizon D Steadmon has a $350 knife there are a few others offering very expensive knives Real Steel has a few over $300, there are a few others as well. I suspect we'll see the same from Kizer shortly.