How much does the manufacturer matter to you?

C

Carl64

Joined
Apr 3, 2005
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Suppose you had a good knife, but for some unrelated reason you despised the manufacturer. Would you still like the knife you already had?

In my case, I like the Gerber EZ-out (I got one super cheap as a holiday loss-leader at a store), but some "issue" that has already been mentioned elsewhere has really tainted my enjoyment of any Gerber product. I was going to carry the EZ-out today, as I have left it in storage for many months, but I can't stop thinking about that certain issue. The same goes for some LST's and a Mini Covert. Yuck.

Anyone else hate a knife they might like otherwise if not for some "issue."
 
I don't care for Cutco as a company, but I use the spreader we have by them. I also have a Cutco folding knife my wife bought me (I don't want to know what she paid for it) and while I don't really ever use it, I wouldn't not use it because it's a Cutco.
 
Haha! Now you have my curiosity going! :D Going back to the topic, though, I think that for many of us our knives are not just knives. We have emotional connections to them, like most people do to objects that they care about. For me, a problem with the manufacturer that left a bad taste in my mouth would sour my desire for one of their knives, or prevent me from truly loving any knife that I already owned from them. In short, yes, it matters to me what I think of the people who made the knife.

-Duffin
 
Carl, use your Gerber! If we knew what really goes on in the board rooms of these companies ,we would never buy a knife. For example, the Spyder hole. Some paid for the use and some found a way around the patent.
 
I guess it depends on why I dislike them. If they were anti-Jewish, then I would do something. Maybe break them in half and send them back.
I'm a pretty tolerant guy. It would take a lot for me to not carry a knife, like Dale Reif, for instance, who screwed over ALOT of people. Maybe I'd just sell the off really cheap, and write a nasty letter.
 
Short answer; Yes, if I don't like a company because of their policies I won't purchse their products. Example; Cold Steel makes some decent non-knife products, but their swaggering makes me to ill to buy them.
 
If I own a knife it is mine, not the company's. I'll use it even if the company does something I don't like. If it is bad enough I'll stop buying from them, but the products that I own are already mine.

I have several firearms from Ruger. Ruger has done a lot of damage to the RKBA but the guns themselves are inanimate objects and not responsible for Ruger's actions and more importantly, it is me, not Ruger, that owns them.
 
Let's say I owned a Cold Steel Laredo Bowie and I really liked it. Let us say that I think Lynn Thompson is a dickhead and because of this have the opinion that his company blows chunks; would this cause me to stop liking the knife? No, but it would certainly stop me from purchasing any more knives from Cold Steel.
 
Keith Montgomery said:
Let's say I owned a Cold Steel Laredo Bowie and I really liked it. Let us say that I think Lynn Thompson is a dickhead and because of this have the opinion that his company blows chunks; would this cause me to stop liking the knife? No, but it would certainly stop me from purchasing any more knives from Cold Steel.
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"ditto" Keith.
 
In a word, everything. And not for the reasons mentioned above, although that can weigh into the decision.

Just because a company uses S30V or D2 means nothing to me unless I am confident that they do a top notch heat treat. A good steel (440C, for example) with excellent heat treat will always outperform a premium steel with a mediocre heat treat. And some companies do much better with the heat treat than others.

And then there is the edge geometry. Go with a company that does a good job on the heat treat and the edge geometry. Skip the rest.
 
I'm with Don. If I find a company generally makes a reliable product, I am much more likely to buy their knives. It would take a lot of non-technical issues to deter me from that.

What bothers one person won't bother another. Lynn Thompson comes in for criticism for his hype. I think he's funny. I like watching his videos -- once. No one says you have to believe everything you see. Gerber has put out some excellent knives. Their latest, um, controversy has made we wonder if I would buy another from them, though.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
I'm with Don. If I find a company generally makes a reliable product, I am much more likely to buy their knives.
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I'm with you guys to a point. Obviously a premium steel with a poor heat treat doesn't do anyone any good. But to be honest, do we really know of that many companies that go to the trouble of offering S90V or M2 and then are consistently dinged for poor heat treats? I'm not saying there aren't any out there, I'm just not aware of them.

By the same token, though, it's very rare these days that I seriously consider purchasing anything from Kershaw or CRKT. I love a lot of their designs, not to mention a lot of their collaborators, but I'm sorry, no matter how good the heat treat and blade profile, 440A and AUS-8 just don't do it for me anymore. I know I'm running the risk of getting lumped into the "steel snob" category. Still, you don't have to be named Loveless to be able to recognize and appreciate the performance difference between AUS-6M and D2
 
There's a prominant and popular knifemaker with who verbally beat me up on the phone over my simply asking him about other sheath options than the rinky dink one that came with the particular model I owned of his. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the paper-thin kydex he used, nor with the incredibly loose retention, in his opinion. While I really liked the knife, the bad ju ju from the encounter spurred me to sell it and never look back.

Professor.
 
I'm starting to really dislike Microtech, even though they're the top auto manufacturer (I have 7 MTs). I see people having bad experiences with their CS. Their new policy is really awful. Worst in the business.

I really hate that they use proprietary screws. Even worse is when they advertise "removable" or "reversable" pocket clips, but use their proprietary screws. And of course, if you order a BURN driver and do it yourself, you void the warranty. :rolleyes:

Then there's the rereleased models. They stopped making the Tachyon because there was a falling-out with Mike Turber. Then a few years later, they make the "Very Last Tachyon Ever" and charge $500+ for it. A few months later they make a few more. Rereleaseing an old model is cool, but what they did was not cool.

I still like some of the older models, but I'm very hesitant to buy anything new from them. They just don't seem to give a sh*t about their customers anymore. Instead they're relying on their product base (D/A OTFs @ $400 a piece) and uniqueness to sell them.

Benchmade and Spyderco OTOH, have gotten quite a bit of my money recently.
 
Professor said:
There's a prominant and popular knifemaker with who verbally beat me up on the phone over my simply asking him about other sheath options than the rinky dink one that came with the particular model I owned of his. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the paper-thin kydex he used, nor with the incredibly loose retention, in his opinion. While I really liked the knife, the bad ju ju from the encounter spurred me to sell it and never look back.

Professor.
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Rant on
This is the exact reason I'm burn out on knives as of late. I really like custom maker A's folder designs but when brand new you have to send them back to get the lockup adjusted so it's right. Then it's a great knife. Would I recommend one to someone else? No, for what they cost you shouldn't have to get them fixed when new. To me that's not acceptable, although I own a couple of the makers knives. (All but one of the 5 or 6 I own went back to be fixed when brand new.)

Add on top of that the maker rarely seems to answer emails and when they do it is very brief and omits any pertinent answers to your questions. I've been trying to get a knife with my specs, which the maker does make, but if you inquire about such you get an answer like 'I'll look into it'. Then you don't know if you have an order in or not because you can't get a straight answer from them. And you never hear from them again. Kinda puts you off to anything that person does because you know all the bs you're gonna have to put up with to get something done with them.

In my trade if someone (vendor) doesn't get back to you about purchasing their product you go to someone who is still hungry and wants the business. If I took that same attitude with some makers I'd never buy another knife from them again. And I do realise some makers are swamped but you could at least tell a customer that instead of giving them the run around.

Rant off

thanks for listening, it's been bugging me for a while now,

oil
 
stjames said:
Short answer; Yes, if I don't like a company because of their policies I won't purchse their products. Example; Cold Steel makes some decent non-knife products, but their swaggering makes me to ill to buy them.
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I agree with you.

I equate the issue to "rewarding bad behavior" I refuse to reward bad behavior in any venue, whether it be knives, movies, sports or politics.


Thomas Zinn
 
I'm concerned to some extent , when it comes to new purchases , as it speaks to integrity . I wouldn't stop buying Leatherman , based on his politics as thats his own affair . I would be turned off by credable reports of bat CS , and guys getting screwed around on warranty issues . Since there is a connection between the maker/manufacturer and the user , I'd prefer to connect with someone I like and respect .
 
Yep, the perceived character of the company/maker does matter to me. If I feel that the maker takes a direct stand against something that I personally value, then I will avoid using or purchasing that maker's products. Fortunately, I haven't yet come across wrods or behavior from a maker that would stop me from purchasing from them. Case in point: Cold Steel. Lynn Thompson's advertising style isn't as smooth as I would opt for, but I'm not grossly offended by it, either. So, I still buy Cold Steel products.
 
zinn1348 said:
I agree with you.

I equate the issue to "rewarding bad behavior" I refuse to reward bad behavior in any venue, whether it be knives, movies, sports or politics.


Thomas Zinn
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I agree wholeheartedly. I stopped going to baseball games since the strike from the 90's. I lost my interest - same with pro football. And - the same with Cold Steel recently. The latest 'Special Projects' catalog has an inside cover photo of him proudly holding up an African Redbuck (about a 50lb deer-type animal) after having at least 8-9 of his Greyhounds chase it down. He's positively glowing (all 280 lbs of him) when the Greyhounds did all the work. I'm not against using hounds for hunting, afterall that's what the 'hound' in Greyhound stands for. I use my hounds on pig on occasion. But you never see me gloat. In fact, no one gloats(or eats) as well as Lynn seems to. It drew too much of a parallel between his gluttony and my 'supporting' it buying his knives. So, I stopped buying them.

WYK
G-Town, TX

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