How Many Here Have Had Good Luck With Chinese / Pakistani, Etc. Knives ??

PURPLEDC said:
That is a rumor started by americans to help promote american sales. Problem is most US based companies were not utilizing china for anything but cheap lower quality knives. They did not make the leap to titanium and high end steels as well as impeccable finishing and machining techniques from what we were outsourcing to them. China has been making killer products in many areas for a number of years. I suspect the real reason we didnt see a market for high end chinese knives was because they didnt know there was a demand.




Americans lie all the time. Even well known high end companies. I highly doubt todd begg would utilize reate to make his steel craft series if they were liars and cheats. In fact kizer proved it was an american custom maker who was the deceitful one in their business venture. And really its insulting to pigeon hole an entire country. Let alone the most populated one on earth.
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Nailed it...and then nailed it again.

These "Chinese" threads invariably end up end up hitting on either of the those claims that you so elequently debunked:

1) That the Chinese are incapable of quality and needed us to go there are show them whats what; and/or
2) That somehow the Chinese are genetically dishonest.

Kinda ugly.
 
marcinek said:
Nailed it...and then nailed it again.

These "Chinese" threads invariably end up end up hitting on either of the those claims that you so elequently debunked:

1) That the Chinese are incapable of quality and needed us to go there are show them whats what; and/or
2) That somehow the Chinese are genetically dishonest.

Kinda ugly.
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I know that it's not exactly true, but it wasn't until there were a lot of us companies outsourcing to China that we started seeing companies like sanrenmu, enlon, and ganzo.
So at the very least we showed them that there was a market for them .
 
Hickory n steel said:
I know that it's not exactly true, but it wasn't until there were a lot of us companies outsourcing to China that we started seeing companies like sanrenmu, enlon, and ganzo.
So at the very least we showed them that there was a market for them .
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True. And saying that is entirely different than saying

Hickory n steel said:
The funny part is the fact that America is responsible for the good knives coming out of China.
If we hadn't started to outsource knives, they wouldn't have known what quality control is.
We've had them controlling quality on outsourced knives for long enough that they started to realize
" you know what this quality control thing is pretty easy, maybe we can use it on other stuff too"
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Be aware the very low-priced SOG stuff is probably Chinese made and will give you the impression it holds an edge well: They are hard but they are not tempered, so they will hold an edge but shatter like glass under hard use...: Check Mayor Fuglycool on Youtube, and how the SOG Jungle Warrior did...: It broke into three pieces from being rapped on a brick... Even a lowly Kabar will turn that same brick into dust with its spine, and without problems...

SOG has a mid-price range that is made in Taiwan (the Daggert being one of those): Those seem to hold up better to shock, as there are no reports of them breaking.

Some of the dirt-cheap Harbour Freight Chinese made stuff also appeared to hold up in other videos, even the cheap Aitor Jungle-King style hollow handle, but the fact they skip any real tempering on some Chinese blades makes every other blade suspicious, as this is a pretty basic step...

Maybe some of the dirt-cheap Mtech stuff will hold up, but the problem is you will never know for sure... I would avoid anything from China as a basic rule for that reason. Taiwan is probably fine. Even the cheap US stuff doesn't really work for me, but more for cosmetic reasons: Bk-9s with routine cooling curved blades, non spine-centered edges etc... Ontario seems to keep the blades straighter, so they could be a better bet on the low price end.

As for the Pakistani blades, they never appeared to me to be designed for function: They seem intended more as decorations or light use... In general, like clothes, paying more for knives is always for the better. Many say that above $300 there is a rule of diminishing returns for knives, but I haven't found this to be true on big fixed blades. Folders are probably another story.

Gaston
 
I wouldn't lump knives made in Pakistan and China together. Nothing much good comes out of the former and the latter can have a wide variance in quality.

There are some excellent knife manufacturers from China: Reate, Kizer, Rike, Maxace, Stedemon, Realsteel, etc.
 
Gaston444 said:
Be aware the very low-priced SOG stuff is probably Chinese made and will give you the impression it holds an edge well: They are hard but they are not tempered, so they will hold an edge but shatter like glass under hard use...:
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And that is SOG's fault, not "China's". If SOG wants someone in China to make a crap knife to sell to suckers...China will make it to their specs.

If SOG wants a someone in China to make a high quality knife....China will make it.

Just because China makes low quality knives for SOG, it doesn't mean they can't make a high-quality knife...it means SOG wants them to make a low-quality knife.
 
I've got a S&W 24-7 folder (3"blade 1/2 serrated, liner lock) i've had for years. I think I paid $15-$20 for it, and it's well made and bullet proof. I found a plain edge on Ebay for $12 and snagged it. It's 440c and has surprising edge retention.
 
marcinek said:
And that is SOG's fault, not "China's". If SOG wants someone in China to make a crap knife to sell to suckers...China will make it to their specs.

If SOG wants a someone in China to make a high quality knife....China will make it.

Just because China makes low quality knives for SOG, it doesn't mean they can't make a high-quality knife...it means SOG wants them to make a low-quality knife.
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Agree 100%. I'm a well documented SOG fan. Mind you their quality stuff. Not the garbage they make in China or all the new mall ninja marketed junk. It is up to the company to make a quality product not the country. Any company can make a quality product in most any country if they so choose. How much that will cost them in profit is the question.
 
I remember when Taiwan and Japan had less-than-stellar reputations for good quality products, yet now they are pretty well known for having very high F&F tolerances.
 
Revolverrodger said:
You need to have trust in a brand when you buy knives
It can be made of 440A and stamped Elmax
It could be advertised as 60 HRC but have a crappy HT
I prefer to stick with reputable makers

I have worked in China and there are many people who have no problem to lie and cheat to make a quick buck
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This is also true in the US in terms of making a "quick buck".

The only Chinese made knives that I have had issues with are ones made for Frost Cutlery. They're cheap, so my problem is more me kicking myself in the butt than questioning the value.

Never purchased a knife for Pakistan or India. I would assume that the HI blades come from there and few people complain about them.

I haven't purchased any of the SOG branded knives made in China and I won't. Taiwan and Japan, yes.
 
For me Chinese knives are nothing more then junk or high value knives that you can afford to trash, so I'll never ( if I had a taste for modern high end materials ) buy a knife from companies like kizer. not until they turn things around like Japan has will I ever consider spending over 20$ on a knife made in China.
 
Hickory n steel said:
For me Chinese knives are nothing more then junk or high value knives that you can afford to trash, so I'll never ( if I had a taste for modern high end materials ) buy a knife from companies like kizer. not until they turn things around like Japan has will I ever consider spending over 20$ on a knife made in China.
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Well it is good you are honest about how you feel. However the facts are different. We know that a company like Kizer can produce some high quality knives. They just aren't junk. Like I said before, it is the maker or the company who decides the level of quality of their knives, not the country.
 
I have a $30 Boker Plus Tech Tool that would be a fine deal at $75. Great steel, fantastic fit and finish, just a really nice tradition style tool made from modern materials.

It took me a long time to accept it, but China can make some fantastic stuff.
 
AG Russell's traditionals are made in China now. They aren't bad overall and in fact I am impressed except for the "snap". The ones I have handled essentially had little snap to them at all. But AG defines the quality standard.
 
craytab said:
Well it is good you are honest about how you feel. However the facts are different. We know that a company like Kizer can produce some high quality knives. They just aren't junk. Like I said before, it is the maker or the company who decides the level of quality of their knives, not the country.
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Agreed. With globalization and the will to succeed, the company sets the standards. Not the location.
 
TimmyJ said:
Agreed. With globalization and the will to succeed, the company sets the standards. Not the location.
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Perfect example would be Spyderco: they set up shop in many countries yet keep a high level of quality about their knives.

USA, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, China.

Doesn't matter where their knives are made, it's how they are made, and the how is with great precision and quality regardless of country of origin. If Spyderco can run a successful factory in China and produce high-quality knives both under their name and the Byrd name, why can't other companies do the same?
 
KingMC said:
Perfect example would be Spyderco: they set up shop in many countries yet keep a high level of quality about their knives.

USA, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, China.

Doesn't matter where their knives are made, it's how they are made, and the how is with great precision and quality regardless of country of origin. If Spyderco can run a successful factory in China and produce high-quality knives both under their name and the Byrd name, why can't other companies do the same?
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And it can be easily argued that Spydercos finest knives come from Taichung, not the US. I know the examples I have show this to be true.
 
I've had good and bad experiences with Chinese made knives; as others have said, it depends on the quality demanded by the company whose name they're sold under.

With Pakistani knives, I've had crap, crap, and more crap.
One large chopper had the blade go sailing out of the handle (the handle fell apart) with one chop on a pine branch.
Some of their boot knives are serviceable in the sense that they don't fall apart, but the edge retention will make you laugh.

One of my friends does still have a Pakistan-made dagger that he got back when we were 12 years old; it still works to open cans of cat food.
It is one UGLY knife now though. :D

Strangely though, plenty of high quality gloves are made in Pakistan.
Perhaps one day they will make quality blades too. :)
 
My Brother brought over all his knives for me to sharpen. He had 3 knock off buck style knives that said "Pakistan" on them. 3 hours trying to sharpen them... I gave up n told him to throw them dull POS's in the trash before he hurt himself with them.
 
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