Imperial Schrade Closed?

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I have mentioned it in the Schrade forum, I´m Mexican but I will buy American products because they are good, it seems that globalization is taking to the U.S. the cheap crap that we are used to get in the third world and the market is happy with it.

I see nothing wrong with importing (and exporting) quality products and I believe U.S. companies are more than capable of competing with good products, I also believe that globalization is good and that manufacturing overseas is actually good for all.

Just don´t buy crap.

I have been a Schrade fan for many many years and feel real sad about this.
 
Just don´t buy crap.
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Exactly.

Resolve in your life to have fewer things, but to have only good-quality things that will serve you for many years.

Just don't buy cheap, shoddy, throw-away stuff.
 
BTW, I recall when the knife company in Effingham IL closed, the name escapes me currently, the catlog prices someplaces rose 100% over night. Does anyone think the same thing will happen in this case?
 
Blackjack was putting out larger, heavier, higher quality work for a more discerning market.
 
DaveH said:
BTW, I recall when the knife company in Effingham IL closed, the name escapes me currently, the catlog prices someplaces rose 100% over night. Does anyone think the same thing will happen in this case?
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That was BlackJack. For Schrade, I think the older stuff(which was strong away), and the odd stuff will see increases. But I bet the common OT and UH stays pretty close to normal for a while. Still tons of it around, compared to BlackJack's much smaller production.
 
Import duties are a tax on the US consumer, under the pretense that they "owe" it to the "community", etc. I'm 100% against it.
 
That's a real tragedy my heart goes out to the entire Schrade corporate family but especially to the mainline employees and their families. It’s a terrible time to lose a job given the current state of the economy.
 
Joss said:
Import duties are a tax on the US consumer, under the pretense that they "owe" it to the "community", etc. I'm 100% against it.
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And what are income taxes? At least import duties are optional. You only pay them if you buy an imported product. You could buy an American made product and escape them altogether. I would replace income tax completely with import duties. An American could actually go through life without paying taxes. Imagine that! I'm 100% against giving away our manufacturing to other countries.
 
giving away our manufacturing
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I would add that it would be nice to not give away our technical service jobs too. "End tax breaks for companies that offshore jobs!"
 
I also have to agree with Gollnick on this issue.

I've lived in the U.S. for going on 3 years now, but am a native Canadian. The same issues have been brought up in Canada for a number of years as well. People piss and moan about those jobs disappearing, and companies closing, but in the end, who's ultimately reponsible for the decline in manufacturing on our own soil? We: The Consumer.

If we flock to the outlet stores, and the Wal-Marts and Targets, instead of supporting local products and services, we only have ourselves to blame for the horrendous state of affairs. When someone buys that knock-off, or doesn't give a second thought to the 'made in China' label on those pair of jeans that used to be made here right in the U.S., they dismiss their own economic future.

Until people stop and think about their purchasing habits, as well as take into consideration what they actually need in life, this will continue to be the sorry state of the union. The only one who can really make a difference with this....is you. Of course, that's always the segment you don't see on the news...

I for one take great comfort when I look over knives in my collection that bear the stamping; 'Made In The USA'. The same feeling I always got with things I bought that were 'Made In Canada'. This usually isn't hard to re-experience either, as I still have all of those things...go figure. :rolleyes:
 
Maybe this thread needs to be moved to the political forum. Dave, you're right about that. I had a telemarketing call from some sort of small business association yesterday. The caller was obviously Indian. My response was "have the association call again after they've stopped outsourcing." Didn't hear from them today.
 
A lot of telemarketing and teleservicing has moved to either Pakistan or India partially because of costs, yes, but also because the people there do two things that American employees can't seem to:

A) Speak excellent English... with a sort of British accent yes, but that's ok.

and

B) Act politely. It's just part of their culture. Aparently, it's not part of ours anymore.


The idea that we're going to become a "Service Economy" is already proven wrong. We can't even do that right anymore.
 
It saddens my heart to hear of the end of Imperal Schrade.

Wally Gardiner, (president of Schrade) is a friend of mine. I know that he always did his best to keep the company going and the employees working. It was very important to him to be an American manufacturer and employ American workers. I don't think it's fair to say management or the town is to blame.

When the competition is making and selling product at 1/10th the price and the public is ignorant to long term effects, it's tough to be a manufacturer in America today.

I feel for all of the workers. :(


sal
 
I'm really sorry to hear this. I drive through Ellenville a few times a month, and it always felt good to see that big factory chugging away, producing knives. :(
 
Gollnick said:
A lot of telemarketing and teleservicing has moved to either Pakistan or India partially because of costs, yes, but also because the people there do two things that American employees can't seem to:

A) Speak excellent English... with a sort of British accent yes, but that's ok.

and

B) Act politely. It's just part of their culture. Aparently, it's not part of ours anymore.


The idea that we're going to become a "Service Economy" is already proven wrong. We can't even do that right anymore.
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That's a bit of a generalization, I think.

I had to call computergeeks.com customer service several times a few months back. I speak excellent English, if I do say so myself. The first guy I talked to sounded like a native speaker (and did a fair job with the language), but didn't do the paperwork that was necessary for my warranty claim.

The guy I talked to the next few times I called couldn't understand what I was asking for. I had trouble understanding what he was trying to ask me. He didn't have a very good grasp on either syntax or grammar. On top of that, he very politely gave me the brush-off more than once because he realized he didn't have a clue what I was saying, which is why I had to keep calling. In the end, I got what I needed through an email to yet a third person in the customer service dept.

I've had similar incomprehensible chats with people answering phones for AOL.

Had a problem with peoplepc.com recently. Called, talked to some guy named Rudy, who listened and did his best to make me a less angry customer.

I seem to get better results from people who were (apparently) born and raised on this continent, go figure.

Perhaps my experiences are the exception, but it seems to happen to me quite a bit. :confused:
 
this is probably morphed into a whole 'nuther thread, but offshore call centers are absolutely no use if you problem doesn't fit into the scripted system.
 
DB1 said:
Wow. My first knife was an Old Timer stockman, which sparked my lifelong interest in knives.

I am truly sorry that the fine folks at Schrade have lost their jobs. What a huge loss to the knife community.
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This was my first knife as well, given to me by my father. I have owned several since then, even still have my old sharpfinger, and a small one blade liner lock(not sure of model). For years Old Timer was my dad's brand of choice, as well as both of my grandfather's. It is truly sad to see Schrade go, and a tragedy for all the Shrade employees and families. :(
 
While I agree that if you're not making what the market wants, they you have every right to go out of business. My boss has a saying, "Every business continues until it fails". We work in sales and are constantly evaluating ongoing businesses and their potential to succeed or fail. Shrade seems to have failed.

That's the businessman in me speaking and looking at the cold hard realities of a changing market and a manufacturer that for one reason or another, failed to adequetly adapt.

The knife knut in me has an entirely different reaction as I can remember buying a Old Timer three blade small stockman at Sears when I was about ten years old and being amazed about how much better it was built than the dime store knives I'd had before with the stamped steel bolsters and built in blade wobble. I was also wowed by how sharp it was and how long it kept that edge. I remember being a little bummed because after a while the carbon steel blades didn't remain shiny like the cheap chrome plated knife I had, but still knew that it was a better knife. There was no question the Shrade was a better knife and I think that learning the difference in quality in something so personal as a pocket knife made a strong impression on me that has helped guide my life ever since. Quallity matters in all things. Belongings, relationships and deeds. It's what my sig line is all about. I lost that little Shrade many years ago, but loved it while I had it.

While the realities of the modern world, healthcare costs, insurance , Chinese manufacturing and all sorts of other things probably contributed to Shrade's demise, the bottom line is that another once great American company that I have a bit of sentimental attachment to has now passed on. That's sad.

John
 
We sell more traditional slip-joint knives to our walk-in trade than the 'new fangle' 'tactical' patterns. (Of course, we are in the hills of appalachia).
This news is very disturbing. If a customer came in and wanted a good traditional pocket knife, but did not want to pay $30 or $40, I knew I could always count on an Old Timer. Kinda wierd feeling, like a family member has died.
 
I think it's tragic what has happened to Schrade and its' employees. They made a good quality product at a reasonable price. It's a shame so many people make their purchasing decisions based on price alone.
If you beleive that not keeping up on trends in the knife market was part of their undoing who do you beleive is next Case or Queen?
I am for protectionism and make no excuses for it. U.S. citizens with their tax dollars and sometimes their lives are called on to feed citizens of other countries, provide them with medicine and treatment, and to defend them from aggression. The world has benefited from advances made in many fields of science funded by U.S. tax dollars. We cannot provide these services if we are not paying taxes, or are paying less, because we are unemployed. Who will do it if we don't? Furthermore we are the target market, not China or India. How can we afford to buy much of anything if our jobs continue to go off shore?
No more buying crap folks, it's killing U.S..
 
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