made in china kershaws

chester22

chester22

Joined
Feb 1, 2012
Messages
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When I first started collecting knives, I would turn my nose up at anything that said made in china. I would always spend extra couple dollars to get things that said made in the USA.Now I have a Kurai, Volt II and the Cryo. All made in China. But why you ask. Well for one they are all amazing knives for the $$$ and are still backed by one of the best customer service crews in the world. I also understand that if they make these knives in china, that it makes room for more awesome usa made knives, like the new Blurs, ZT0350s, and others in the works. And i'm ok with it because I see no lack of quality/fit/finish in these blades. It still says Kershaw so I know it's gonna be great..And they are!
 
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Nothing wrong with imported knives (especially kershaws) as long the manufacturer keeps quality control up and the cost low they will find their niche in the market as far as I'm concerned.
 
The Cryo looks nice, very good design. But I cant get away from liking that USA stamp. I do finally have a chinese made kershaw, took me a long time, but I bought a Outcast. It does pretty well for a being made in china. But the rest I get will me USA all the way
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I try to support any country other than China, but it still doesn't stop me from buying a great Chinese knives sometimes.

Example:
Spyderco Tenacious, and soon I am going to buy a Cryo for myself, and one for my non knife friend.
 
The USA stamp is very appealing. However, there is nothing wrong with the Chinese folders in the Kershaw line-up. They do not directly compete with any of the USA made folders IMHO. Take the 3410 Chill for example. It offers g10 scales, milled out liners, a 3 inch blade, smooth flipper action, and good ergos for less than $20 shipped. There is not a USA made blade that can match that. You'll pay more for the USA blade, but you will also get better steel, g10, etc... (Basically, you'll get a Skyline).

I think we'd all agree that the Skyline is a better knife, but value wise, they're very similar.

I think the Chinese line does a couple of things well. It puts out a cost competitive product with a host of features to take on various brands that undercut the USA made blades. Secondly, it's the "hook" for the company. I wonder how many buyers started with a Chill and have graduated to Skyline, a Blur, ZT (You get the idea).

Lastly, who here actually minds thumping on a $20 dollar blade? Nobody :)
 
I don't have a problem with the qualitiy of the chinese knives, just the steal choice. My knives get used to cut often (not the occassional package opening or letter opening etc. The 8cr13mov takes a VERY sharp edge in my experience but doesnt hold it long at all for me, I can actually deal with that though. What I can't deal with is how quickly they rust, if a knife blade is going to rust that fast then use something that will hold an edge longer.
 
I also usually turn my nose up at Chinese knives. But lately I handled a couple worth the price. 3 to be precise: a Kershaw Cryo, CRKT Ripple (Wal Mart) and a Meyerco Shockwave. Typically I would not buy these types of knives but the quality was too good to pass for their respective prices.
 
I have like 13 or 14 China made Kershaws and non have ever rusted .For one they don't get wet if they do i dry them and oil them right away.
 
I live in ky and it gets pretty humid here, my chill would get spot rust just riding in my pocket unless i put a thin coat of oil on it like every 3 days. I looked into it and found a lot of people with the same experiences with that steel. Upgraded to the sandvick and couldnt be happier. But then my knives get used a lot and im constantly outside at work and after. That said the spot rust always came off easily as I kept up with it and any kershaw knife is a great value for their price. I just have found for my uses in my area, dropping the extra money on the better made American kershaws to be well worth it.
 
I would rather stuff be made/assembled here but that will not stop me from buying anything from china. such as the Cryo, pretty excited to get that one.
 
Don't get me wrong i love kershaw it's the only brand I buy and im looking forward to my first ZT. My only issue is that steel, if skylines were made in china they would still be my favorite.
 
I think removing the bead blast that alot of the value line have would also help with the rust issue..I removed it off my one ton not totally happy with the way it came out i just hand sanded it.But it pretty much a mirror finish now just looks better from afar then close up:p
 
First off I have hundreds of knives. ZT's and Kershaws are my favorite by far but I have several Sanrenmus, Enlans,Ganzos, and for the money they are awesome blades. The Ganzo 710 (Benchmade Rift clone) is one of my favorite work knives, its a tank and if I screw it up no biggie it was less than 20 bucks. Thats what is so great about knives there are so many to choose from.
 
Snagged a few low-priced Kershaws recently:

- The Chill is a good minimalist EDC, very easy to forget its even in your pocket. Sandblasted finish calls for extra care.

- I find the Volt II handle has a more comfortable shape + length than the Oso Sweet handle, all other things being fairly equal.

- The Cryo is a mini-tank. Good edge with even bevels. Naturally it's heavy due to the SS frame. It's a cool knife and a good appetizer for the Cryo II, can't wait!

- I'm most impressed with the Tremor; If you like big knives it's a no-brainer. To me the Tremor feels every bit as solid as the JYD II, having slabs of G10 and thick liners with a full back spacer. The G10 has light texture that isn't too aggressive on the pocket. The F&F is great. The concave radius near the flipper (when closed) is a little bit odd, but not a big deal. Blade is centered with solid lockup. On my sample the deep hollow grinds and the edge bevels are beautiful. At $25 shipped the Tremor is the best value I've ever found in the larger class of EDCs.
 
Love all those Kershaws don't have the Cryo yet though...But i love the Chill when i'm just running to the store or going someplace i know i won't need a stronger blade..The Volt 2 feels great in my hand love it..The Tremor is to big for me to carry legally here in WA State but i use around the house and i carry it around the neighborhood if i'm out late.Its private property so i don't worry getting busted
 
I'll continue paying the premium for a knife made in the USA. Quality aside, its a matter of principle for me as the cost of supporting the society and way of life in which I live.

If I lived in Japan, I'd buy Japanese; China, I'd buy Chinese; etc.
 
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