Is it safe to say that kershaw is leading benchmade and spyderco now?

ukknifer said:
Hi guys.
When I first started into the knife world I used to view kershaw like I view Gerber and CRKT now. Judging by the way they appeared in blade the last few years, it seems to me that they are the leader of the pack now.
How do you rate these 3 in terms of innovation, quality and being fun.
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They are all great, just different.
 
Kershaw/ZT have nothing to appeal to me. I like thumb holes, and a stronger than liner lock set up. I also distrust frame locks.
 
I used to associate Kershaw with A/O knives and funky/flashy pocket clips (not a big fan of either) but I'm seeing more and more Kershaw designs that really appeal to me... :thumbup:

I don't know if Kershaw is leading the pack right now, but they have certainly earned their status as a heavy-weight contender in the production knife world, imo.

orzing01.jpg

My favourite Kershaw so far: the humble Zing... more orange than an actual orange :D
 
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Joshua J. said:
They don't say "Benchmade" on them, so it could be argued that way. I also see your point, that Benchmade does commission the production of knives overseas and then sells them, but if you're strictly talking about knives that have the brand on them then Benchmade is the only one of the three to use U.S. production exclusively.
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I see, so if we proudly change the name from all our current import Kershaw's to some outsourced brand (that we pay for), then I'm considered an all USA made manufacturer? Interesting....

Sorry for the drift.
 
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Thomas W said:
I see, so if we proudly change the name from all our current import Kershaw's to some outsourced brand (that we pay for), then I'm considered an all USA made manufacturer? Interesting....

Sorry for the drift.
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That's not an accurate comparison. It would be more like if Kershaw produced knives for Nike, and they didn't say "Kershaw" on them, but just said "Nike" and were made overseas.
 
Zach Gulsby said:
That's not an accurate comparison. It would be more like if Kershaw produced knives for Nike, and they didn't say "Kershaw" on them, but just said "Nike" and were made overseas.
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Don't dealers buy HK direct from BM? I think so. BM makes them, imports them, profits from them...They're BM's with a HK logo.
 
Benchmade is #1 for me. I dig USA made knives. Spyderco is great and I have a couple of Millies and PM2s. I don't own any Kershaw/ZTs. There are definitely a couple of ZTs that I would love to buy but they are next to impossible to find via normal retail channels. Don't really see ZT taking over anything without ramping up production.
 
Thomas W said:
I see, so if we proudly change the name from all our current import Kershaw's to some outsourced brand (that we pay for), then I'm considered an all USA made manufacturer? Interesting....

Sorry for the drift.
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That's really pretty funny once you think about it huh? :D
 
Love me Spydies and Benchmades! Other than my Skyline there really aren't any Kershaws that appeal to me. The ZT stuff is nice!
 
Ankerson said:
That's really pretty funny once you think about it huh? :D
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Yea it's funny. You can't be half pregnant. You either import or don't. The 3 brands in question all import. You can try to disguise it, but it doesn't make it any less true.
 
Thomas W said:
I see, so if we proudly change the name from all our current import Kershaw's to some outsourced brand (that we pay for), then I'm considered an all USA made manufacturer? Interesting....

Sorry for the drift.
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Actually to me? Yes!

I'm not trying to be obtuse but I'd like to explain more of how I feel.

It's all about branding. At one time you knew all Benchmades were American made. Then they did something stupid by introducing the Red line knives made overseas. To some, it tarnished the Benchmade brand. They figured it out and dumped it.

So yes, to answer your question if Kershaw wants to be branded as an American manufacturer they should spin off some other name for the overseas made knives.

If I purchase a Kershaw knife, it could be made in the US or maybe not.

But if it has a Butterfly on it (since 2010) I know it's American made and I'll pay more for it. I've never seriously even looked at HK knives.

I added it up and I spent over $800 on knives last year. All were Benchmades except for a Leek I got my son for $24.99 shipped off Amazon deals at Christmas.

It's also about being exclusive. I don't think you'll ever see Benchmades at Wal Mart.

Having said that I did pre-order a Cryo.
 
Thomas W said:
Yea it's funny. You can't be half pregnant. You either import or don't. The 3 brands in question all import. You can try to disguise it, but it doesn't make it any less true.
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Haha:D

I for my part, really don't mind import. As long as the knives are well built, they'll suit their purpose. What knife anyone chooses eventually always comes down to personal preference. I know for my part that I'm really looking forward to the Cryo :thumbup:
 
I've held a few Kershaws, and have never seen, or held, one I liked. That's just me though, as we are all different, and have different taste.
 
Thomas W said:
A little off the OP's subject, but curious, you know the 3 brands sales figures?
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You are right, that is off the subject. Why would you ask me that? Now let me ask you something: where are the 0560s? And when they are produced, how many of us will be able to get an 0888 or 0777?

What I know is that there are some great looking ZTs I've wanted for many months, which seem to trickle out in production and are rarely available. On the other hand, if I want A Benchmade knife or Spyderco, I generally just buy it and posess it within days.
 
I love my s30v blur and i like a few of the ZT's. But spyderco is where it's at for me. I feel like i get more for my money with spyderco.
 
Thomas W said:
A little off the OP's subject, but curious, you know the 3 brands sales figures?
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What he was talking about has nothing to do with sales figures, which you know. It has to do with actually being able to purchase the knives you make. There are a couple different model ZT knives that I have gone to every online retailer I can find to try and get on a list or preorder the knife, and I'm not going to get the knife from what I'm told. If a knife nut that studies the forums can't even purchase a knife, then something needs to change. You can't be on top if only a few people are able to have a particular knife model in their pocket.

Or maybe I'm just mad I cant get the couple knives that Kershaw/ ZT makes that I want. As soon as I saw the 0777 I was trying to track down a store to take my money. Now they are about to ship and pictures will probably be as close as I get to one.
 
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