Knives-Made in China

R

Rigson

Joined
Jan 17, 2006
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I’ve read a lot about knives made in China ad the consensus seems to be that the quality is crap. I was wondering if that was based on fact or just emotion due to the fact that some factories have chosen to have their products made there.

A couple of years ago, I bought a Smith and Wesson Powerglide as my edc. It came out of the box super sharp and has served me well in all environments. After reading some posts on S&W and Taylor Cutlery, I put my knife through a couple of tests including putting the blade in a vice and pushing on the handle to see if it snaps. (It wasn’t expensive so I wasn’t worried if it broke) It held up to, what I thought, was a good amount of pressure. I’ve also deliberately neglected the maintenance for a time (after it’s been wet and grimy) and it has cleaned up nicely with no rust or damage. A short time with a Lansky and it was good to go!

I know people have said that in China there is no qc on steel manufacturing and such. My question is, wouldn’t S&W, Taylor Cutlery and even Rocky Moser (knife designer) ensure the quality before they put their names on the product? Wouldn’t they fly a rep to the factory to see if the process is above board?

I’m not trolling or trying to stir the pot, I’m just trying to figure out the basis for why anything made in China is considered a pos. More and more companies are getting their knives made in China, I understand even Buck has a line made there.

Anyway, thanks in advance for the answers!

Cheers!
 
S&W, Taylor Cutlery ... well although s&w used to make good pistols,, and actualy a long long time ago,, good knives,
neither these names can be aquaited with anything other than poor quality,,
, anyway , dosnt mean that the chinese couldnt make a good knife, just they are the students, and if there master is bad then they study poorly....
 
I've seen some good knives made in China, but I just can't carry one.

Of course there are hundreds of products around the house and office that are made in China, but I simply will not carry something as personal as my knife, that is made in China.

I don't even know why, but it just does not feel right.
Besides, as good as some of them are, I have not seen any chinese made knife that as good as my Benchmade 710.
 
I think as with other types of products, the quality coming out of China varies widely. Obviously there are products from China that are quite good and getting better every year.

With knives it's a mixed bag. There are decent products coming from China and some really, really sad pieces of garbage too. The bad reputation stems from the fact that there are simply so many junk knives from China in circulation.
 
allenC said:
I've seen some good knives made in China, but I just can't carry one.

Of course there are hundreds of products around the house and office that are made in China, but I simply will not carry something as personal as my knife, that is made in China.

I don't even know why, but it just does not feel right.
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I agree. For me, life's too short to carry a Chinese knife.

I wouldn't balk at a better-quality Chinese knife in the glove box or utility drawer, though.
 
Byrd knives are made in China and the quality is excellent. On par with American makers. The G10 Cara Cara is a fantastic knife and the price is ridiculously low.

Chinese manufacturers make their products exactly to the specs required by their purchasers. If the specs are for garbage, they make garbage. If the specs are for quality, they make quality. The Chinese can and do make anything, from cheap trinkets to sophisticated, high-end electronic equipment (IE, very likely, the computer you are using right now)
 
Rigson said:
I was wondering if that was based on fact or just emotion due to the fact that some factories have chosen to have their products made there.
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Some of each, there are alot of knives coming from China that are total crap, but there are also many that are not and are improving all the time. There is (or should be) a place in the economic market for both domestic and imported goods. There always has been before and I doubt the world economic market is ever going to change that.

From the massive number of posts made daily on the internet using Chinese made PC's, I find it hard to believe they can't make a working pocketknife. :D

In the end it comes down to personnal preference, people will buy what they want and the market will respond. Doesn't make either side right or wrong.
 
Bussinessmen can make much more profit from crap knives made in China than from those with good qualities, as those crap knives almost cost nothing during manufacturing. So they have factories in China make crap knives for them and then import those crap knives into USA. That's the reason why a lot crap Chinese knives are around.
 
moonwilson said:
Byrd knives are made in China and the quality is excellent. On par with American makers. The G10 Cara Cara is a fantastic knife and the price is ridiculously low.

Chinese manufacturers make their products exactly to the specs required by their purchasers. If the specs are for garbage, they make garbage. If the specs are for quality, they make quality. The Chinese can and do make anything, from cheap trinkets to sophisticated, high-end electronic equipment (IE, very likely, the computer you are using right now)
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You hit the nail on the head. I'm going to order 3 more G-10 Cara Cara's next paycheck, 2 for presents, and 1 more for me.
 
The two that I have are Taylor Schrades.An LB7 I got as a gift and a 15OT I bought by mistake.When I got the LB7 I open the box unwrapped the knife and the pins fell out of one side of the handle.When I tried to return the knife I was told it was exchange only.My second one looks like it was put together by my twelve year old grandaughters.If you want to see a write up about the knife check under LB7 in the Schrade forum.There is also a write up on the 15OT I think.Codger gives an unbiased opinion.Arnold
 
My question is, wouldn’t S&W, Taylor Cutlery and even Rocky Moser (knife designer) ensure the quality before they put their names on the product?
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Taylor Cutlery has been reselling some less junky knives lately, trying to expand into a higher-end market -- but they haven't discontinued their junky knives.

Smith & Wesson has no control any more. The former British owners sold the right to use the trademark on knives outright to Taylor before they sold the company.

You can bet there is nothing in Moser's contract that gives him any control either.
 
Well, I like high-end American production knives and that is what I primarily collect. I also believe the U.S. has the most and best forged blade knifemakers in the world. And guess what, there is a small population of wealthy Chinese that buy their knives.

However, you cannot ignore the fact that Chinese production in consumer goods has taken over a lot of categories of goods that many Americans buy. Consider that the average Chinese worker that has a job makes probably $10/day - let's not argue numbers it is in that ballpark, they can turn out products a lot cheaper. So but you say the quality is crap. That is what was said about Japanese products decades ago. But who manufactures some of the highest quality consumer goods today? Japan.

Chinese quality will improve over time. When it gets to a point where it is satisfactory to me, I will buy it. That is the reality. Many well-known U.S. brands also realize that the cost advantage cannot be ignored and so have out-sourced at least some of their production to China. They wouldn't do so if there wasn't demand. Others that did not, or could not, make the transition no longer are in business.
 
Rigson said:
...I’m just trying to figure out the basis for why anything made in China is considered a pos.
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There is no one answer to your question.

I think the range of answers you have seen gives a good overview of the various reasons. Some are reacting to what they perceive as poor quality. As the quality improves, these folks are beginning to buy Chinese made knives, just as many folks who now routinely buy Toyotas would never have touched a Japanese car in the '60s.

Others are reacting to what they perceive as an economic threat to their homeland. These folks will never buy Chinese knives just as my dad would never buy a Japanese car. He fought the Japanese in WWII and it would not buy Japanese items.

For me, I currently have American-made knives plus a couple of Japanese Spydercos. Getting hard to find american-made stuff that fits in my budget and I may have to decide to either buy foreign knives or forego the pleasure of new knives entirely. I only buy one or two knives a year as it is. sigh.


======================================
In God I trust.
All others bring data.
 
If there was a big market for high end Chinese made knives, the Chinese would make them. At this time they are being called on to make low to middle quality knives. Someday they will make very high end knives. They certainly have the capability.
 
Byrd knives - made in China - best bang for the $$ - stacks up against a lot of higher-end knives. I also like U.S. made knives. I like Swiss knives, too. :)
 
Thanks or the replies folks! It gives me a better perspective on things...
Cougar Allen:
Taylor Cutlery has been reselling some less junky knives lately, trying to expand into a higher-end market -- but they haven't discontinued their junky knives.

Smith & Wesson has no control any more. The former British owners sold the right to use the trademark on knives outright to Taylor before they sold the company.

You can bet there is nothing in Moser's contract that gives him any control either.
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That was an interesting answer! I didn't know that S&W sold their trademark (knives) outright. Interesting.

Have any of you ever toured through a Chinese factory that makes knives? I just wondered what the conditions are really like?

Cheers!
 
I think part of the thing about avoiding products made in China is partly a holdover from the same feelings about not buying things from Japan that was once very prevalent in America.
I remember being a kid and hearing my elders sometimes say "dont buy that one , it's made in Japan".
Of course we all know the extreme quality of Japanese autos and motorcycles and Japanese knife makers are some of the most renowned on the rock.
Chinese products , many of them are crap , junk , things we do not really need such as the fake aquarium or the fishing line (fibre optic) tree of lights.
On the other hand , like Moonwilson pointed out most of the parts in our PC's are made in good 'ol China and more or less they last thier money's worth.
The Byrd is an excellent example of quality Chinese cutlery , mine is a scalpel of a blade , locks up tighter than Fort Knox and was well worth every penny I paid.
A quick look around your house or apartment will find many , many products made in China. Shop at Target or more especially Wal Mart ? Chances are huge that what you buy was made in China.

I would love to go back to the good old days of when everything was made in America but that will never happen as long as I live , it's just the way things are....
 
Rigson said:
Have any of you ever toured through a Chinese factory that makes knives? I just wondered what the conditions are really like?

Cheers!
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Funny you should ask. I've been to China once on a group tour and we had hoped to see something like the Nike factory and buy a couple of high end shoes cheap. Well they take you to many traditional Chinese arts and craft and jewelry shops but no American brand factories. For one thing, companies like Nike don't want you to find out how cheap their products are produced and let you buy it for $5 or $10 when they sell it for $100+ here. However, several people from North Carolina on our tour and in the furniture business said they did tour several Chinese furniture factories on business trips and it scared them. The Chinese factories were so modern and efficient and could turn out tons of furniture in a shorter time with good to high quality.

It was during the American industrial revolution that America surpassed Britain and other developed nations and we out-produced them in both quality and quantity and kicked their butts on price. Well, in many cases China and other developing nations are doing that to us now. We need to compete in another area where our competitive advantage lets us win.

I received a Blackhawk pack the other day, and then noticed on the tags that it was made in Vietnam. It is very high quality. Funny, about 30 years ago we were enemies, and now they are making "military" equipment for us isn't it.
 
Maybe we just priced ourselves out of the market??? I don't see anything made in the USA in my house. All made somewhere else, mostly China.
 
I work in the software industry and case in point is that the Asian offshore code shops are turning out code cheap and reliable enough to drain the market here. It cost 1/5th the dollar to turn it out there and their hi-tech infrastructure clearly rivals ours here in some regions. Will this ever turn around again, sadly I don't think so. Will the infrustructure in China will get better and start producing higher quality good, its only a matter of time...We better get used to it, it is not going to go away with more and more companies jumping on board to compete. These companies almost don't have a choice.
 
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