Knives made in China - how does the quality compare to 5 years ago?

I think that really depends on the manufacturer. You can get decent and low end from anywhere. Kershaw is making some pretty nice knives in China at some good retail prices
 
coli said:
I think that really depends on the manufacturer. You can get decent and low end from anywhere. Kershaw is making some pretty nice knives in China at some good retail prices
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Hard for me to say, as 5 years ago I wouldn't even consider buying a Chinese knife. My recent experiences with SanRenMu, RoughRider and some of A G Russell's
Chinese-made offerings have all been positive; decent to above average quality at a very attractive price point. I'm sure the junk is still out there but some good stuff
is as well.
 
I have some knives I bought 5 years ago from China. They are mostly junk...but I think it depends on the manufacturer, as well. I have a winchester I bought on a Christmas sell for $5 some years ago that has really taken a beating and has kept going as a reliable EDC. I carry it on and off. I have some POS knife I edc'd when I was a littler younger and couldn't afford anything (and lost my current edc). It fell apart from just using it under normal conditions.
 
If you stick with a well known manufacturer like Kershaw, Spyderco, etc then you shouldn't have any issues.
 
I will buy American when possible, but understand that this is a global economy and have no issue buying Chinese made knives from reputable US companies like Spyderco. I have a Spyderco Resilience and the quality is fantastic.
 
I have seen chinese knives that are simply amazing. Then I have seen the exact same knife from the same manufacturer and it was crap. Best advice I can give is to stay away from the counterfeits. The QC is spotty and a roll of the dice every time. Plus you never can really know if the information they are providing on the materials is true. That isnt to say that manufacturer backed chinese production is a huge leap above either. The issue there is that while you can usually trust what you are getting to be of acceptable build quality and that the materials they claim are in the knife are in fact what they say it is you have to remember why manufacturers move to china to begin with. This is to save money. So even if you are getting what they say they are giving you is it really worth owning? When a company goes to china its because they want to offer a lower cost product. So materials and tolerances will suffer to meet that demand. If you need a EDC beater then a chinese Kershaw is a really good bargain. But I dont think we are at the level yet where I would say anything in china is comparable to what is made in the states or in japan or even Taiwan. It will one day but we arent there yet.
 
I don't know how it was 5 years ago but I buy China if possible. Much more knife for a much lower price. With the exception of traditionals because I like them to have some kind of "heritage" or whatever you call it.
 
Depends on the maker. Kershaw and Spyderco for example have great China made knives, and as for actual Chinese manufacturers, Enlan and Sanrenmu have a pretty good reputation as well(I don't own any SRMs but my 1 Enlan is just as good as my Kershaws and Spydercos). That said, there's also plenty of junky no-name China-made brands out there too, and these I would be more wary of..
 
My kershaws were made in China and are good quality. I also own a Rough Rider that was made in China, and I plan to order probably another 5 more soon. But I definitely had some knives made in China which were junk, and seen hundreds that were worthy only of the trash can and not even my pocket to walk to said trash can. You just have to know where to go to get a good knife.
 
Spyderco tenacious - excellent. A few Enlan knives that were crap. Total waste of money if you actually want a functional tool.
 
I own one Chinese knife bought out of pure curiosity. SRM 710. You'd be hard pressed to find a better $8 spent yet I don't carry it because I'm spoiled. I'm waiting for the right person to gift it to.
 
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