Kershaw Lockbacks Made in China!!

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Yes but you were probably just doing tours walking around (while the factory owners rushed to make sure everything looked nicer than usual). It would only count if you're actually sitting on the assembly line for 16 hours each day or however long they make those people work for the entirety of those 2 weeks.

Also you have to live in the standard factory provided housing with the other workers and not a hotel.
 
I am through arguing here, I'm going to go out to have a little fun. I suggest you should try to do the same James.
 
James0723 said:
and it's hurting China because those factories over there are terrible places to work and they don't pay them a living wage.
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If no one buys the knives because they are made in China, then the workers won't even get a wage at all, a low wage is better than no wage.

China doesn't make the knives, it's the factories and people that do, the factory that produces the Byrd knives and Tenacious' seem to have pretty good quality control.
 
James0723 said:
Yes but you were probably just doing tours walking around (while the factory owners rushed to make sure everything looked nicer than usual). It would only count if you're actually sitting on the assembly line for 16 hours each day or however long they make those people work for the entirety of those 2 weeks.

Also you have to live in the standard factory provided housing with the other workers and not a hotel.
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Come on James, your way off subject, and I'm afraid I need to bow out myself.

Good blessings to you.
 
James0723 said:
Are you being serious? Consider that the only Spyderco knives Wal-Mart used to carry were the ones made in China. And most of the other knives they carry are made in China. Don't take my word for it, you can go to your local Wal-Mart and take inventory of where the 30 or so knives they carry are made yourself, my guess is that except for the current Kershaws (which we now know will probably change soon) all the knives are made in China.

Wal-Mart is one step up from the dollar store, you think they're being picky about anything they carry? They are only picky about one thing, "is this product cheap enough?".
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Funny, the USA made Native is the only Spyderco I recall seeing at Wal-Mart. :confused: I think you might be mixing some things up.
 
James0723 said:
Bottom line is, Chinese factories are not good places to work. I don't know what the people running these factories have done to give you an impression otherwise, but it's a false one.

Why don't you go work over there for a few weeks in one of them and then tell us how good it is? If I was a higher up of a company I would do that just so I could really know. Are you up for that Thomas?
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Prove it. Where is anything showing to back up your claims that these specific factories in China and overseas are bad places to work?
 
James0723 said:
But might that be because they know you're going to be doing a factory tour and make the place seem much nicer than it is for that day?
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You don't appear to have the first idea what you're talking about James. It reads as if you are simply taking talkshow rhetoric as truth and regurgitating it without critical analysis or thought. China is in the middle of a massive revolution, as others have said but that doesn't mean the whole country is sweat shops and despair. Sure there are bad apples but considering China has four times the population of the US that is almost guaranteed to be a factor. The US track record when it comes to underpaid illegal labour isn't so great either so think further on that before pointing fingers. At any rate I have the utmost faith that Kershaw uses factories with high standards and working environments. They aren't the type of folks who would do otherwise.

As for Kershaw, their products from any factory are excellent and there are few other companies where you can actually engage in direct conversation with the CEO. They made a rational decision to produce low-cost knives in China for the consumer seeking a cheap and serviceable blade. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that since they are merely fulfilling a market need. Kershaw also continues to make knives for the high-end buyer at just about every price range and those are produced in the US or Japan. This business model lets them meet the needs of a wide variety of clientele.

The fact Kershaw is so focused on their customer and that their CEO is willing to engage their customers directly are a couple of reasons I continue to purchase and recommend their products. Customers can choose for themselves whether they are seeking a low-cost import blade or a higher end US-made blade.
 
James,

I work for a global organization. We are providing a huge portion of the power needs for a rapidly expanding Chinese economy. We have built factories in China producing steam turbines, wind turbines, hydro facilities, gas and oil facilities, and support industries for parts and service. The price of steel is higher because of the booming Chinese and India economies. Many global corporations have facilities in China. Any major manufacturer that has a global market does not run sweat shops or slave labor. They have to meet the same safety and quality standards at every facility to maintain customer satisfaction. They must meet ISO requirements and a host of other international rules and standards. The wages are generally 125% above the average wage at these facilities. This is how global and international companies do business. If they do not, they get hammered, as you have seen in the past when China was barely emerging as a world class economic market. Your assumptions are way off base and insinuating that Thomas is a liar is just reprehensible. Do some research on current global markets before you :foot:
 
Flipper $29.95 MSRP

Picture452.jpg



Thomas, can you tell us what the blade length will be on this?
 
Thomas W said:
Hmmm, like 3 1/4" I believe. It's sleek, slim, and very lightweight.

Here is an image of it next to the Groove.

Picture463.jpg
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Awesome! I’m a fan of the Groove, really like the Zing, this one looks fantastic. R.J Martin is the man!
 
James0723 said:
Yes but you were probably just doing tours walking around (while the factory owners rushed to make sure everything looked nicer than usual). It would only count if you're actually sitting on the assembly line for 16 hours each day or however long they make those people work for the entirety of those 2 weeks.

Also you have to live in the standard factory provided housing with the other workers and not a hotel.
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Who bestowed you with this gem of information?
Unless you have experienced those conditions you speak of, how would you know? Not all of China is sweatshops, quit spewing BS rhetoric unless you have firsthand knowledge pertaining to that specific factory where Kershaw knives are made in China.
Unless you show my pics or a firsthand account of unworkable conditions in the Kershaw factory, then your word is simply hearsay, and has no value.
 
I worked for two years minimum 5 - 10 hour days and alternating Saturdays in a plant with no heat or a/c, earning wages at 72% of the American average, in a community with a cost of living at 87%. I am supporting a family of four children, my wife doesn't work.

Don't cry me the blues about Chinese sweatshop labor, it's alive and well right here in America, and run by all those caring people living in McMansions, driving Escalades, and generally bullying their way through life by demanding service from everyone. That's why the average American could care less if the product comes from a foreign country - PRICE is the only guideline.

The American knife industry is actually at a high point of actually dominating their own market historically. Even in the heyday of the Bowie, Sheffield England owned this market. And those workers were grateful for a wage.

You do what you have to when you're part of the masses who were not born spoiled with a silver spoon in your mouth.
 
The factorys in China today are no worse than the factorys that my grandfather and his father worked in, heck in some cases they were probably worse and nobody cried over thier working conditions. It's the nature of the beast factorys run on the ability to pay workers the least amount they can and sale products as cheap as possible when you pay your employees more and start fixing up the place then eventually another factory will pop up somewhere in another country where workers will take less and the whole cycle starts over again. Levi 501's useta be made in San Antonio Texas then when people didnt wanna pay 50bux for jeans they moved the factory to Mexico my guess is when Mexico gets to expensive they'll go to China or Vietnam or Cambodia or Malasia. Thats the way of the world and it aint gonna change.
 
James0723 said:
Yes but you were probably just doing tours walking around (while the factory owners rushed to make sure everything looked nicer than usual). It would only count if you're actually sitting on the assembly line for 16 hours each day or however long they make those people work for the entirety of those 2 weeks.

Also you have to live in the standard factory provided housing with the other workers and not a hotel.
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When you decide to accuse somebody of either a liar or a fool, you better have concrete proof. Show us the true 'appaling" condition of Kershaw's factory in China, or hold your peace.

Have you even visited these places? Sure there are sweatshop factories, but today they're the exception rather than the norm. China might be a dictatorship, but they're no fool. If they keep exploiting their population willy nilly, the people are going to start rebelling. They're already having some problems in their old coal towns because people are pushing for more wages and safer work conditions.

Today China is beginning to push low margin productions away (like textiles) because they're trying to go high tech. The sweatshops are being pushed to countries like Cambodia.

If you choose to buy only products made in USA, that's fine and dandy. I doubt anybody would say anything if you say "I only buy USA made product because I like it better that way". Just don't justify it by giving excuses based on stuff you have no first hand experience and no knowledge about.
 
James0723 said:
Are you being serious? Consider that the only Spyderco knives Wal-Mart used to carry were the ones made in China. And most of the other knives they carry are made in China. Don't take my word for it, you can go to your local Wal-Mart and take inventory of where the 30 or so knives they carry are made yourself, my guess is that except for the current Kershaws (which we now know will probably change soon) all the knives are made in China.
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I bought my Spyderco Native 4 from WalMart and it is made in Golden Colorado, USA, Earth. As far as I can recall, that was the only Spyderco I have ever seen there. And as far as their other knives they offer, A lot of them are US made. Many Buck models like the 119, 110, 112, Alpha Hunter, Omni Hunter, Impulse, Prince and Nighthawk sell there and all are US made. Add the US made Kershaws and the 3 Walmarts I frequent carry US made knives for more than half their inventory. It is clear you have no clue James.

But enough of this. I've fed the troll too much already. :mad:
 
Sep said:
If you choose to buy only products made in USA, that's fine and dandy. I doubt anybody would say anything if you say "I only buy USA made product because I like it better that way". Just don't justify it by giving excuses based on stuff you have no first hand experience and no knowledge about.
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I agree with this. I don't shop at Walmart either. But I don't bash ppl who do.
 
James0723 said:
Yes but you were probably just doing tours walking around (while the factory owners rushed to make sure everything looked nicer than usual). It would only count if you're actually sitting on the assembly line for 16 hours each day or however long they make those people work for the entirety of those 2 weeks.

Also you have to live in the standard factory provided housing with the other workers and not a hotel.
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Funny how someone who has never been there always seems to know more than someone who has actually been there and done that.

No matter how long you teach a fool, he still knows everything. - Leonid S. Sukhorukov
 
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