Cyblade and tcgeol, your points are somewhat valid, although short-sighted.
I admit I own far more chinese sh!t than I would like to. Show me a laptop made in America, I'll buy it. I buy American as much as I can. I simply don't have a choice in many instances. I struggle with this every time I buy a pair of jeans or a microwave oven, or whatever.
The knife business is one of the few areas where we still have a CHOICE between domestics, friendly trade-partners, and job-sucking imports. I think it's imperative to make this choice wisely.
tcgeol, you're talking about knives that cost less than a two-week, minimum-wage paycheck. If $50 here or there is that much of a deal-breaker to you, ask yourself why. Suck it up and mow some lawns if you have to, I did.
Do you honestly think an $8 knife comes to you without any effect on our economy?
As far as Swedish Moras etc, the difference is, the Swedes aren't gobbling up our banks, and commercial real estate, and stock market, and we don't have a gazillion-dollar trade deficit with them.
The reasons American-made products are more expensive are several-fold. We have laws that prevent children from working in factories. Laws that prevent us from pounding pollution relentlessly into our air and water. Laws that prevent us from crushing labor unions and independent small businesses into submission. Laws that require us to prove our materials are, what we say they are. Laws that prevent lead coatings on childrens' toys and lethal poison in our dog food and toothpaste. Excuse me if none of these issues are important to you.
At the risk of sounding extreme, I invite you to move to China and take a job in a factory there. Let me know how you feel about their policies then.
We can agree to disagree; we're all entitled to make our own choices, but I'm not backin' down on this one, guys.
Spend your money where you like, but don't come bitchin' to me that there's no jobs in your town and everything you own is toxic junk.
