How do you guys feel about China copies?

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xperiaarcs said:
i dont wanna support stealing but i dont wanna support the big buisness either, maybe i need a single person that makes private custom knives.. probably really expensive though.
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I don't know what you have against these "big businesses" when in fact knife companies like CRK, Hinderer, and Strider are really small companies with very little employees. All of the knives are American made. I don't know why you have so much animosity against them.

If you dislike them because you think they over charge for their knives, then that's your own problem. You have to pay to play buddy.
 
There are good, affordable, knives that aren't copies. I'd rather buy one of those than an imitation CRK, Strider or whatever.
 
Well, I'll tell you. Happy 4th of July. That's Independence Day. And right now, our country is about half-owned by China and I'm in NO hurry to give up the other half.
Our really fine companies, like Chris Reeve (with less than 30 employees IIRC) are trying to run a business while, at the same time, China is selling copies that look like the real thing. That's piracy, and China does it in everything from CD's to folding knives to silent-running submarine propellers to computer systems to our drones to top-secret helicopters...and on and on. They own much of our U.S. debt on top of it.
I suspect we are in a technological quasi-war with China and most of us aren't aware of it.
I'm sorry you can't afford the knife you really want, but most of the time I can't either. I'm trying to sell stuff to support my habit. But, to the extent that I am able, which isn't much these days, I will support U.S.-made products and U.S. companies.
Sonny
 
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xperiaarcs said:
but i dont wanna support the big buisness either, ...
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I would also imagine, that if you're buying a Chinese copy, you may well be supporting a "bigger" business, than if you bought an original. The scale of Chinese reproductions of Western produce, is a huge business.
 
i think they have a place and even if we all dont agree... they arent going nowhere, fakes will always be around.
i dont see anything wrong with someone buying a phony hinderer, strider or crk. not everyone can afford it, to each their own.

i personally have not purchased any (although i am a bit tempted) i'd rather save up for the real things.
its like a fake watch, itll never be the real thing and the only person your fooling is yourself.
 
I bought a China Strider SMF several weeks ago. It took 22 days to get here. It's very well made. It looks almost identical to a real one (I have 3 real Striders, SMF GG, SMF NSN, and AR). It's definitely Titanium, the blade steel I can't say for sure, but it's shaving sharp. Lockup is excellent, I mean 0 play. There's small F&F issues. It's a bit smaller, like a few mm shorter blade, actually all the measurements are a tiny bit smaller than my SMF NSN. I got it because I was curious, they looked good and got great reviews on utube. I paid $58 shipped. I edc it which I'm not too keen on doing w/my $550 GG or AR. My Striders are my favorite knives, I love the feel of the SMF and am happy to have a beater. I've dropped the China SMF on pavement, I do hard cutting, I'm a carpenter so I have to cut heavy stuff all the time and it's unblemished. I'm very happy w/mine. I've given Strider more than my share of $$$ so I don't feel bad at all. This kind of thing happens, it's the world we live in, there has always been fakes and copies of pricey products. Is it morally wrong? It all depends on the way the consumer feels. I don't have any guilt over it though. 99% of my large collection are made in USA, I wouldn't buy a Chinese copy for my colection because as nopyo said it doesn't satisfy that craving I have as a collector. I think that it's safe to say us knife guys have issues w/compulsive behavior, I do, I need to get new knives all the time. Sorry if long winded!
 
Jaiofspam said:
i think they have a place and even if we all dont agree... they arent going nowhere, fakes will always be around.
i dont see anything wrong with someone buying a phony hinderer, strider or crk. not everyone can afford it, to each their own.

i personally have not purchased any (although i am a bit tempted) i'd rather save up for the real things.
its like a fake watch, itll never be the real thing and the only person your fooling is yourself.
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im tempted because i tend to start saving for something, get almost all the money, and see how much i had to go through to get it and start feeling like what i wanted to get isnt worth the money, even if its not a whole ton of money.

I did it saving for an emerson, got like 250$ saved sat there and looked at it.. and decided to go out with my gf (spent like 100) then went out a few more times since then im sure its totaled 250 by now, we usually go out and spend like 20 but it felt good to go out and just be able to do anything we wanted order the expensive stuff on the menu and all that.
 
I think it's always better to buy the original. If you can't afford the original. Start saving some pennies because copies tend to be garbage.
 
If you are on a budget and want a great pocket knife, I highly recommend the Ontario Rat 1. I am not sure if like my combo edge or plain edge better. They are that good. However, if you are looking for a Chinese made knife with some of the higher end knife maker features I say go for it. I wouldnt buy a direct copy of a Strider or CRk but I do like Enlan knives like the EL-2b. This has a similar CRK type blade profile paired up with a benchmade style Axis lock. It even takes and holds a decent edge. I understand people should be compensated for their innovation. I do not recommend buying the Chinese Strider knives and CRK because they outright misrepresent what they are. I am totally against lying. If you use an idea for your product line then so be it but if you make a product and say I made it then you are lying and damaging my reputation. This copying thing has turned me off to buying knives on the secondary market. From now on, I will only purchase from reputable members or vendors associated with this forum.
 
Your logic that you don't want to support big business is based in misunderstanding.

I feel sorry for people that buy knock offs and think their peers mistake them for real. Passing something off as more than it is is fraud...act carefully. You are essentially admitting that you lie to your peers.

Stolen intellectual property is a sad thing.

Buy what you like, but please do not assume that you will gain any understanding of fine knives by purchasing look alikes. You could learn as much by staring at a photo of the real thing...after all this is the only thing you should have confidence in (the hope that it LOOKS like the real thing).

I'd seriously recommend a basic Kershaw, Buck, Spyderco, or Benchmade model. This way you will be able to carry with pride and use a knife that truly performs (instead of just looks neat).
 
I guess I'm one of the few on this topic.

I'd say go ahead, buy the copy, and play with it; at the same time, start saving funds. However, know that you are getting what you pay for.
By the time you have enough funds to buy the real one, the cheaper copy will more than likely have broken (or have developed a LOT of blade play). The next natural step would be to buy the real, better-made one.
This way, the real knife-maker doesn't lose you as a customer, and you get something to play with right now even though you're broke. Win-win situation.

As for the self shame, unless you have people around you who are also into knives who will see you and say "Hey, nice Reeve/Strider/etc.! Can I see it?" You don't need to worry about that.

As for the actual price, remember that the knives hold their value a LOT better than cars do. If you ever buy the real one with your hard-earned savings and afterwards say "I could have used this money a different/better way", go ahead and sell it.
 
nopyo said:
I guess I'm one of the few on this topic.

I'd say go ahead, buy the copy, and play with it; at the same time, start saving funds. However, know that you are getting what you pay for.
By the time you have enough funds to buy the real one, the cheaper copy will more than likely have broken (or have developed a LOT of blade play). The next natural step would be to buy the real, better-made one.
This way, the real knife-maker doesn't lose you as a customer, and you get something to play with right now even though you're broke. Win-win situation.

As for the self shame, unless you have people around you who are also into knives that will see you and say "Hey, nice Reeve/Strider/etc.! Can I see it?" You don't need to worry about that.

As for the actual price, remember that the knives hold their value a LOT better than cars do. If you ever buy the real one with your hard-earned savings and afterwards say "I could have used this money a different/better way", go ahead and sell it.
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very very interesting take of the situation, i like it, that gave me something to think about.
 
xperiaarcs said:
im tempted because i tend to start saving for something, get almost all the money, and see how much i had to go through to get it and start feeling like what i wanted to get isnt worth the money, even if its not a whole ton of money.

I did it saving for an emerson, got like 250$ saved sat there and looked at it.. and decided to go out with my gf (spent like 100) then went out a few more times since then im sure its totaled 250 by now, we usually go out and spend like 20 but it felt good to go out and just be able to do anything we wanted order the expensive stuff on the menu and all that.
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haha, and i bet even after that... you still want the emerson dont you? buying a fake wont replace the real thing. its just an expensive "cheap thrill". yes some of the fakes are incredible in build quality some would like to argue, but so are sub $100 non fake knives so why not buy one of those? ok ok, maybe youd like to argue that you would like to get a feel for the knife before investing $ on the real deal... ok, i see how this can benefit hinderer striker crk etc (not everyone has an awesome knife store that carries these things locally for us to fondle).
 
Doug C said:
Buy China copies.
Support thieves.
Simple.

Doug
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Plus there's no way a mass produced knock off is going to even HINT at the quality of a hand made folder.
It might look similar, but you are not going to get even a good knife, let alone an exquisite one.
 
I think anyone who buys these illegitimate copies is a fool and is doing their part to destroy this hobby. They are denying the labors of those that made the origional products, and supporting thieves who would profit from stealing these designs. A shame on anyone who thinks that purchasing one of these fakes doesn't hurt anyone. There are hundreds of perfectly good inexpensive knife designs out there that are not rip offs of respected makers. If you want a certain knife, and can't afford it, or can't acquire it somehow, than you don't want that knife enough. You are lying to yourself if you buy one of these fake, rip-off knives.
 
Jaiofspam said:
haha, and i bet even after that... you still want the emerson dont you? buying a fake wont replace the real thing. its just an expensive "cheap thrill". yes some of the fakes are incredible in build quality some would like to argue, but so are sub $100 non fake knives so why not buy one of those? ok ok, maybe youd like to argue that you would like to get a feel for the knife before investing $ on the real deal... ok, i see how this can benefit hinderer striker crk etc (not everyone has an awesome knife store that carries these things locally for us to fondle).
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yea i still want the emerson, also still want a benchmade, and i do wish i had a knife shop that carried those type of knives.

If i could just buy them and not have to think about it id have it in my hand or itd be in the mail right now.
Sadly though that thought of "if i didnt buy that _______ last month for 200$ i wouldnt have been late on my car insurance" is always in the back of my head.
 
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