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New Limited Edition Domino

First off, I want a Domino and a Southard and have no worries about quality and craftsmanship. I trust Sal and Spyderco in their judgement probably more than any company I support. But I do still have reservations about buying foreign for purely economical reasons. I'd prefer that my money stay in the USA rather than a portion of it leaving the country to pay foreign workers, regardless (mostly) of the country. Not to say I have a clue about economics, as that class was full when I tried to register for it in college. That's just my take and if I'm horribly ignorant of something...oops.

My compromise: buy used. My money stays within the American economy and I don't increase the demand for foreign made goods. Sure it takes a lot more patience for these pieces to become available second hand, but disposable income requires some patience too so it all works out really. Again, my logic could be fatally flawed. But I hope not. That would suck.
 
The flawed logic may be something like this: if Taiwan does a better job than America at making knives, that does a couple of things - it provides incentive for American companies to make better knives at a better price, and - if American companies simply can't keep up in that market, Americans can buy great knives from Taiwan at a good price, freeing up money we can spend on products America is better at making rather than wasting money on poorer value American items. This, in theory, helps the economy. *

*Maybe. :D
 
That's too many ifs! Besides, Colorado knives aren't really THAT far behind, are they? I love the two I have. My new Millie has the best liner lock I've ever used.
 
mmmm this discussion again.... Sal Glesser has discussed this many times. In short. If they could do all the knives in USA they would, but they cant.

IMO, people want everything for as little as money as possible on their terms. As the saying goes. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

Sal Glesser said:
Hi Ericvar,

We too are very conscious of supporting our country. I would add that the steel in out Taiwan knives is made in America and shipped from Golden. Likewise the clips for the Sage are made in Colorado and often the handle materials are produced here.

sal
Click to expand...

Sal Glesser said:
Hi Scottsman,

Thanx much for the knid words. Sorry you feel that way about our Sage models.

While I cannot speak for other manufactuers, I can tell you that Spyderco makes the Sage models in Taiwan because of:

1. Exceptional build quality.
2. Capacity to make them at all.
3. Provides funds to grow our US factory. (USA jobs)
4. Steel, G-10, clips and fasteners are USA made and shipped to Taiwan. (USA jobs)
5. Our people purchase the materials, ship to Golden, then ship to Taiwan. (USA jobs)
6. We employ US workers to design, procure monitor their production, quality control, marketing, distributing, shipping product (USA jobs).

Hope that helps.

sal
Click to expand...


Sal Glesser said:
Hi Scottsman,

let me scratch your head.

Wages in Taiwan are about the same as the US or a tad higher. Their engineers, knifemakers, CNC operators, grinders, etc. live as we do. It's the US Dollar / Taiwan Dollar valuation that makes the difference.

Our US factory, (while still growing) is making as many knives as we can as fast as we can. Who else in America could make them for us to our quality standards? Our Japanese makers could not take on the project of so many different locks, each re-engineered for each model and each with different exotic handle materials. It's a tough line to make, especially with a new lock each year.

It was use this particular maker in Taiwan or not have the model available at all for our discriminating customers.



It's a good question and one that I believe all Americans need to be concerned about. That's why we continue to grow our US factory rather than just outsource all to China and make a lot more money.

It's just my opinion; We must build product in America or we will forget how. (Afghanistan went from producing female Doctors to illiterate women in just two generations). We must grow food in America, enough to feed us all by at least double. We need to.........................Ok, off my bandwagon. I think you know what i mean.

sal
Click to expand...

Sal Glesser said:
Just for the record.

When we did our investigation on what constitutes made in USA, our investigation indicated that for knives, 95% of the knife had to made from materials made in the USA and 95% of the cost of the labor had to likewise be made in the USA.

Stamping or laser cut, heat treat, surface grinding, bevel grinding, finish polish or tumble, hole reaming, machining (tang ramp), sharpening, spine polish, all must be done in the USA, and that's just the blade.

When we worked with Wal-Mart, the same inforrmation was given to us from Wal-Mart. They wanted to make sure that our Natve was in fact ALL made in the USA. We made the clip for the Native in Japan and they wanted to know that.

For Automobiles considered made in the USA, the percentage was lower, about 75%. That's why so many automobiles are made in "North America".

I can tell you that we cannot possibly make knives in the USA at the prices that I see some companies selling their knives for and claiming that they are 95% - 100% made in the USA.

USA made steel can only come from a few companies. Likewise, USA made G-10 is only made by a few companies. Good G-10 cannot be stamped, which means it must be machined. A reasonably skilled machinist will make $15 - $25 / hour with shop time for that same person being about $40-$50 hour. $50 per hour shop time is $.83 / minute.

Using foreign steel and foreign G-10 processed outside the USA may be made in USA to some, but.....

While I cannot speak for other companies, I can tell you that when Spyderrco makes a knife in the USA, it is made in the USA, parts and labor. If we import parts (like the Spyderfly) it will not say USA made.

Sorry for the rant.

sal
Click to expand...
 
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My 2 Taichung Spydies, Domino and Gayle Bradley, are the best Spydies I have in a number of ways. Absolutely top notch quality folders.
 
Thanks for digging up all those quotes by Sal. Straight from the horse's mouth, and some good inside business perspective.
 
It ought to be a rule that if you're going to be xenophobic, you should at least learn which countries are which. The "why China" when something is made in Taiwan screams of nothing more than ignorance. Taiwan isn't a part of China any more than any other nation in Asia is. Sure, they're all Asian countries, but that doesn't mean they are the same people with the same culture, business ethics, or capabilities.

That having been said, this whole "buy American and only goods made completely within the US" bit seems kind of short sighted. If you're purchasing from an American company, the vast majority of the profit derived goes to support that company. With a company like Spyderco, the foreign made knives allow Spyderco to create quality knives which fit into just about any budget and help to fund the Golden factory and all of Spyderco's employees. By buying a foreign made Spydie, you're still supporting the US economy, and you're still helping fund US jobs.
 
I love all spydercos and have them from all over but gotta disagree with the majority saying the Taiwan models are of higher quality/f&f then the USA or Japan ones. My opinion is rather the opposite and will not go into the nitpicky reasons I believe it to be. Just dont want the newbies without any spydercos to ever think down on any of the USA/Japan models that made spyderco what they are today. If it says spyderco on it, regardless of origin, more times then not its gonna cut better then its opponents (imo) and thats what it all boils down to, effectively turning 1 piece into 2 .
 
PayneTrain said:
First off, I want a Domino and a Southard and have no worries about quality and craftsmanship. I trust Sal and Spyderco in their judgement probably more than any company I support. But I do still have reservations about buying foreign for purely economical reasons. I'd prefer that my money stay in the USA rather than a portion of it leaving the country to pay foreign workers, regardless (mostly) of the country. Not to say I have a clue about economics, as that class was full when I tried to register for it in college. That's just my take and if I'm horribly ignorant of something...oops.

My compromise: buy used. My money stays within the American economy and I don't increase the demand for foreign made goods. Sure it takes a lot more patience for these pieces to become available second hand, but disposable income requires some patience too so it all works out really. Again, my logic could be fatally flawed. But I hope not. That would suck.
Click to expand...


When you are a buying a Taichung, Taiwan Spyderco knife think about where the money goes. It's not a record contract with royalties, your money isn't sent by boat to Taiwan. In fact, your money is probably going to some guy at a knife store. Their money when purchasing the knives for sale is going to Spyderco. Spyderco then uses the money to help design new knives, buy steel and product used for those knives, build a bigger US plant to build more knives and employ more citizens and yes, some of that money goes to the manufacturing plants in Japan and Taiwan to pay for their services.

This is what I don't get about the whole jingoistic attitude of "well, I won't be buying Taiwan or Japan Spyderco knives." You realize you HURT an American company by fostering those ideas? I know it's well intentioned but come on now. The idea that you are giving your money to an American by buying it second hand is just not really well thought out. You think the guy down in Georgia running a knife shop that you buy from online is any more or less of an American than the one you buy from on the second hand market? One way or another the money is always flowing back to the same place.

Your money does not increase the demand for foreign made goods. Your money increases the demand for Spyderco products. Your money pays for them to find talented knife designers to create beautiful knives. It's paying for the American steel they ship to Taiwan to make some of those knives. It pays for the merchandising they use to sell knives. You are helping them cut paychecks for the American workers at their plants which depend on the popularity of the Spyderco brand to earn an honest living.

My apologies for being passionate about this but I just see this sentiment day after day and it bewilders me.
 
MJF said:
It ought to be a rule that if you're going to be xenophobic, you should at least learn which countries are which. The "why China" when something is made in Taiwan screams of nothing more than ignorance. Taiwan isn't a part of China any more than any other nation in Asia is. Sure, they're all Asian countries, but that doesn't mean they are the same people with the same culture, business ethics, or capabilities.

That having been said, this whole "buy American and only goods made completely within the US" bit seems kind of short sighted. If you're purchasing from an American company, the vast majority of the profit derived goes to support that company. With a company like Spyderco, the foreign made knives allow Spyderco to create quality knives which fit into just about any budget and help to fund the Golden factory and all of Spyderco's employees. By buying a foreign made Spydie, you're still supporting the US economy, and you're still helping fund US jobs.
Click to expand...

LOL...and amen. Taiwan (and Japan) are countries that we might go to war for. China, unfortunately, is a country that we might go to war with. Not being able to keep Taiwan and China straight, which happens every time this topic surfaces, is amazing. People who can't keep them straight shouldn't be complaining about American jobs going overseas. :thumbdn:
 
Syncharmony said:
When you are a buying a Taichung, Taiwan Spyderco knife think about where the money goes. It's not a record contract with royalties, your money isn't sent by boat to Taiwan. In fact, your money is probably going to some guy at a knife store. Their money when purchasing the knives for sale is going to Spyderco. Spyderco then uses the money to help design new knives, buy steel and product used for those knives, build a bigger US plant to build more knives and employ more citizens and yes, some of that money goes to the manufacturing plants in Japan and Taiwan to pay for their services.

This is what I don't get about the whole jingoistic attitude of "well, I won't be buying Taiwan or Japan Spyderco knives." You realize you HURT an American company by fostering those ideas? I know it's well intentioned but come on now. The idea that you are giving your money to an American by buying it second hand is just not really well thought out. You think the guy down in Georgia running a knife shop that you buy from online is any more or less of an American than the one you buy from on the second hand market? One way or another the money is always flowing back to the same place.

Your money does not increase the demand for foreign made goods. Your money increases the demand for Spyderco products. Your money pays for them to find talented knife designers to create beautiful knives. It's paying for the American steel they ship to Taiwan to make some of those knives. It pays for the merchandising they use to sell knives. You are helping them cut paychecks for the American workers at their plants which depend on the popularity of the Spyderco brand to earn an honest living.

My apologies for being passionate about this but I just see this sentiment day after day and it bewilders me.
Click to expand...

Well to be honest, I wasn't buying one new anyway. Let's face it, $200 bucks is a lot for a knife that I really don't need. I have plenty of knives already, and not a ton of money. Another reason I'll wait till one comes around on the exchange forum. As for cheaper models that I want, they're all from Japan and I will buy em new when I have the money to spare. And if people don't start dropping their asking price below what I can get it brand new from a store for, I'll probably be getting a couple Taiwanese new too...

I guess what my original post was trying to say was that I have no reservations about quality of foreign Spydercos. I just hope they all come home to Colorado some day. But again, I'm a pretty ignorant idealist so face palm away.

Also, I wouldn't be so hard on OP about the whole Taiwan vs China thing. If you ask China, I'm pretty sure they'll tell you Taiwan is still part of China. I don't fully understand it, but it's a lot of messy technicality that's understandably easy for the layman to get confused about.
 
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Hope you guys enjoy the Domino
Not sure if I regret selling mine or I just want to play with one right now haha
 
I will say the flipping action on the Domino is superior to the Southard.
But I think what made me sell it was the pocket clip positioning. I carry in my left front despite being right handed and it didn't feel right to me.
 
Domino's

004.jpg


Pics really don't do it justice.

002.jpg
 
Very nice. Liking the Blue CF. BHQ is showing these up for pre-order so I called them and they said its not a limited edition knife?

Seems to be some confusion about that.

Plenty of time to order if its regular production.
 
ToxicBot11 said:
Very nice. Liking the Blue CF. BHQ is showing these up for pre-order so I called them and they said its not a limited edition knife?

Seems to be some confusion about that.

Plenty of time to order if its regular production.
Click to expand...

The paperwork that comes with the knife, states that it is an exclusive run for Blue Ridge Knives. No total number produced is given.

Tom
 
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