Knives Made in China thoughts?

When it comes to knives I buy Amercian. Theres a sense of pride knowing on the tang of my blades I see USA made.
Im sure some Chinese companys are pumping out quality products but theres more to consider. Chinese products
will always be cheaper, even for the same quality knife, because they pay their workers jack. Not to mention their
probaly working 12 hour days 70 hour weeks. I would just hate a company like Case going out of business because
they cant compete with the lower price of Rough Rider.
 
ThePharce said:
Anyone who confuses a SRM 710 with a Sebenza simply needs to learn more about knives.
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And then there are those of us who started with an SRM 710 to see if we liked the shape and later moved up to Sebbies.

Both have their uses, which I think is your point.
 
I have a Rough Rider I just got a few weeks ago. I'm not going to comment just yet. I may be hard to please, being a fan of carbon steel.

So far I've followed the factory edge in sharpening and used it a bit. I just this weekend took some time and got it close to scary sharp, it did take some time. Now I need to use it and see how well it holds an edge and how easy that edge is to get back.

It certainly is a good value for the money ($7.50). Whether it becomes a favorite knife remains to be seen. It may. It certainly had a great appearance and fit and finish.
 
snowreaper1 said:
When it comes to knives I buy Amercian. Theres a sense of pride knowing on the tang of my blades I see USA made.
Im sure some Chinese companys are pumping out quality products but theres more to consider. Chinese products
will always be cheaper, even for the same quality knife, because they pay their workers jack. Not to mention their
probaly working 12 hour days 70 hour weeks. I would just hate a company like Case going out of business because
they cant compete with the lower price of Rough Rider.
Click to expand...
70 hour work week would be like a vacation around my house & I know Jack very well!
 
Rough Rider knives have a name as a good Chinese knife. I'm still not totally convinced that I like them, but they certainly have their place.

Still, I've *read* that the newer Kissing Cranes are not near the old German steel. It's common knowledge that Shrade is nowhere near the old quality in steel now that they are Chinese.

The free market is a fact which cannot be escaped. It is now complicated by a global market with variances in cost of living, safety regulations and expected profit margins.

Nonetheless, I have bought a Rough Rider knife and will probably buy more, at least as gifts.

But

At the end of the day, as a consumer, I would have been disappointed had I bought another Kissing Crane Brown Mule because the one I bought some years ago was great steel for the money and now was inferior (or even "adequate") steel.
 
snowreaper1 said:
When it comes to knives I buy Amercian. Theres a sense of pride knowing on the tang of my blades I see USA made.
Im sure some Chinese companys are pumping out quality products but theres more to consider. Chinese products
will always be cheaper, even for the same quality knife, because they pay their workers jack. Not to mention their
probaly working 12 hour days 70 hour weeks. I would just hate a company like Case going out of business because
they cant compete with the lower price of Rough Rider.
Click to expand...

If anything drives Case out of business its their horrible QC, some of whats getting to the consumer should never have left the shop floor. That said I do know if you send it in Case will make it right, but to compete you have to raise the bar so people want your goods.
 
Pro: Chinese knife manufactures can produce very good products

Con: Chinese knife manufactures produce copies of other manufacturer's designs, including trade marks, logos and packaging. In a word, theft.
 
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Robert.B said:
If anything drives Case out of business its their horrible QC, some of whats getting to the consumer should never have left the shop floor. That said I do know if you send it in Case will make it right, but to compete you have to raise the bar so people want your goods.
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Yeah I think the thing is that people are willing to pay more for quality, so if achieving consistency in quality costs you more as a company, so be it. Great customer service is one thing, but it's even better if you never have to use it. :)

As far as Chinese-made knives I think that the biggest negative factor about the higher quality pieces coming from there is inconsistency in native steel grades. While the 8Cr13Mov and similar-class steels do the job just fine, people are worried about the quality of the stock material and cleanliness of the alloys. This is one of the reasons that Paul Chen of CAS Hanwei decided to formulate their own steels for their Rock Creek line (and now a couple of their swords) so that they could fully control that process.
 
I have been called a steel snob because I prefer hi carbon over stainless ... but I have a low budget and like a lot of knife for my dollar .
I have never been a snob about where a knife is made tho .

I got to know some makers in India and Pakistan , not big companies , just little guys who do piece work .. they make some seriously good knives , and Im proud to have a couple .

Ive had a couple roughriders , they were seriously good knives for the dollar , a lot of effort in fit and finish , the blades hold an edge well , the cop who spotted the corner of the sheath of one poking out from my centre console liked it enough he confiscated it , looked happy as anything when it went into his pocket . My mum took the folder . she needed a purse knife .

I bought a couple SRMs thanks to this thread too

What I find intriguing tho is that I can buy stuff out of the US and have it shipped here delivered to my door in Australia for less than average retail price in Australia , often enough its about 1/2 the retail price . I never thought Id be spending up in the US the way I am , not because I like the place .. but because its cheap to spend there .

If only you guys had a better postal system ... it takes longer to get stuff from the US than it does from China .
 
pinetreebbs said:
Pro: Chinese knife manufactures can produce very good products

Con: Chinese knife manufactures produce copies of other manufacturer's designs
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Can you please tell me who in the knife world doesn't copy the old standard patterns? Trapper, sunfish, Whittler, Stockman etc! I made hand made folders for years & coppied all the old patterns - Thats what my clients wanted! Do you really think someone has a pantent on the "Trapper Pattern" - Tom
 
Tom Hudson said:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Can you please tell me who in the knife world doesn't copy the old standard patterns? Trapper, sunfish, Whittler, Stockman etc! I made hand made folders for years & coppied all the old patterns - Thats what my clients wanted! Do you really think someone has a pantent on the "Trapper Pattern" - Tom
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I thought that was funny too. LOL

There really aren't any new basic designs, all knives are based off of or variations of designs that have been around for hundreds or even thousands of years.

The only real difference today is there are laws that tell us this and that ect and that gives people things to complain about... And keeps the lawyers in business.

The basics are still there and always will be and that will never change.

So when someone complains about a copied design I really don't put much stock in that because that design they are talking about was based off of another design and that one was based off of one before that ect all the way back.

The real original people who thought up the basics are long gone and dead and everyone copied off of those people.
 
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Myal said:
I have been called a steel snob because I prefer hi carbon over stainless ... but I have a low budget and like a lot of knife for my dollar .
I have never been a snob about where a knife is made tho .

I got to know some makers in India and Pakistan , not big companies , just little guys who do piece work .. they make some seriously good knives , and Im proud to have a couple .

Ive had a couple roughriders , they were seriously good knives for the dollar , a lot of effort in fit and finish , the blades hold an edge well , the cop who spotted the corner of the sheath of one poking out from my centre console liked it enough he confiscated it , looked happy as anything when it went into his pocket . My mum took the folder . she needed a purse knife .

I bought a couple SRMs thanks to this thread too

What I find intriguing tho is that I can buy stuff out of the US and have it shipped here delivered to my door in Australia for less than average retail price in Australia , often enough its about 1/2 the retail price . I never thought Id be spending up in the US the way I am , not because I like the place .. but because its cheap to spend there .

If only you guys had a better postal system ... it takes longer to get stuff from the US than it does from China .
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Aren't you actually geographically closer to China? :D
 
snowreaper1 said:
When it comes to knives I buy Amercian. Theres a sense of pride knowing on the tang of my blades I see USA made.
Im sure some Chinese companys are pumping out quality products but theres more to consider. Chinese products
will always be cheaper, even for the same quality knife, because they pay their workers jack. Not to mention their
probaly working 12 hour days 70 hour weeks. I would just hate a company like Case going out of business because
they cant compete with the lower price of Rough Rider.
Click to expand...


If Case wants to compete, they need to make better product. It's that simple. If you'll notice, during the economic crash, the American car companies really took a hit. As a result, they did things they should have done BEFORE the problems started (dropped lines, improved their products) and as a result, the "Big Three" have come on strong. If you want to compete with the Chinese and you cannot beat them on price, blow them out of the proverbial water in quality and fit and finish.
 
So when someone complains about a copied design I really don't put much stock in that because that design they are talking about was based off of another design and that one was based off of one before that ect all the way back.
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I had no problem with copied designs UNTIL SOG copied the Spyderco hole and shape. That turned me negative toward SOG in general. Some say the same thing about their arc lock being a copy. I would state that to Spencer to his face. I was not pleased when SOG shifted the Revolver to their Fusion line made in China. But that was not a copy; it is a quality thing and was done due to market considerations. I still will buy their knives, but I'm a bit more choosey now.

I don't own a Rough Rider knife. Probably need to choose a pattern I like and give it a try. I have done that with Frost Cutlery as well and ALL of their knives come from China. I generally look down my nose at Frost Cutlery blades, but I wanted to give them a chance again.

But in general, I have been moving to what I believe are higher quality production knives like Queen, Schatt & Morgan, and GEC of late as opposed to buying the cheaper stuff from China. But I try to keep an open mind.
 
ThePharce said:
If Case wants to compete, they need to make better product. It's that simple. If you'll notice, during the economic crash, the American car companies really took a hit. As a result, they did things they should have done BEFORE the problems started (dropped lines, improved their products) and as a result, the "Big Three" have come on strong. If you want to compete with the Chinese and you cannot beat them on price, blow them out of the proverbial water in quality and fit and finish.
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What you are talking about isn't free or cheap.

The cost has to be passed on to someone, usually the consumer.

Nothing is free in this world, everything costs money in one way or another.
 
Ankerson said:
What you are talking about isn't free or cheap.

The cost has to be passed on to someone, usually the consumer.

Nothing is free in this world, everything costs money in one way or another.
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Sure, that's why I stated that if you cannot compete on a price level....make your stuff a lot better. People will pay more for better stuff. Where the Japanese (and now Korean) companies were kicking the American automakers around was that their cars were cheaper AND better. The Americans have now closed the gap.

Kershaw has proven that you can make a damned good knife in America without charging >$100 for it. Other companies need to follow their lead.
 
ThePharce said:
Sure, that's why I stated that if you cannot compete on a price level....make your stuff a lot better. People will pay more for better stuff. Where the Japanese (and now Korean) companies were kicking the American automakers around was that their cars were cheaper AND better. The Americans have now closed the gap.

Kershaw has proven that you can make a damned good knife in America without charging >$100 for it. Other companies need to follow their lead.
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They are cutting costs someplace, there isn't any way around that if they want to make a profit. ;)

There is NOWAY around that, not if they want to stay in the black......
 
Ankerson said:
They are cutting costs someplace, there isn't any way around that if they want to make a profit. ;)

There is NOWAY around that, not if they want to stay in the black......
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Sure. They aren't using the latest super high tech buzzword steels in their less expensive American models and instead choosing to stick with more traditional but still very good and readily available steels.

I don't have a problem with Chinese knives. I actually own a few. I'm just saying that if we are to "buy American" then give us stuff worth buying...
 
I don't blame China for beating us. They are are very smart business people. You say they don't pay their people - that might be true in some cases but I believe the US had slave labor at one time - Those folks got a shack to live in & some food. Don't recall that they were paid a wage for working 14 hours a day in the fields.

Buy a new Chevy Volt for only $43,000.00 - Oh my bad - you get a $7,000.00 re-bate paid for with tax dollars :( Go Green:rolleyes:

I was a Case Dealer for a long time. No longer - I haven't bought a Case knife for re-sale in 6 or 7 years - maybe longer - I still get one in now & then to engrave but nothing like I use to.

The world is changing & it's ugly, very ugly - I'm just happy I was born when I was - I won't be around but maybe another 10 years if I'm lucky & thats OK -I have had a great ride. My kids & grandkids - they think all this stuff going on is normal - sad - so very sad.
 
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