Opinion: The problem with most Chinese brands

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Spyderco, Benchmade, Buck, ZT, etc. have earned my trust. Either in my personal dealings with them or in the stories of others. The longevity of the knives themselves and the care that they give their customers. I also trust that they've come by all aspects of their knives in a respectful manner. If they haven't they all fall under the umbrella of a court system which is responsive and will hold guilty parties(typically) accountable.

Those same things can't be said for Chinese brands. They might make fine knives, but I don't trust them. I might partake in the sub-$100 range, but there's plenty of home-grown stuff that I'd like and can't afford already. No need to look abroad.
 
T.L.E. Sharp said:
Those same things can't be said for Chinese brands. They might make fine knives, but I don't trust them. I might partake in the sub-$100 range, but there's plenty of home-grown stuff that I'd like and can't afford already. No need to look abroad.
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Would you trust a knife from Sweden or Germany or France or Argentina?
 
Depends on the knife and the purpose for it. Opinels, yes, but if a new brand popped up in France and started cranking out the same sort of folders that say Kizer is making, probably not.

I'm not saying they make bad knives and I wouldn't discourage others from buying them, but I'll probably be sticking with domestic brands for the most part.
 
T.L.E. Sharp said:
Depends on the knife and the purpose for it. Opinels, yes, but if a new brand popped up in France and started cranking out the same sort of folders that say Kizer is making, probably not.
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Interesting. Not trying to "catch" you or something...just curious.
 
marcinek said:
Interesting. Not trying to "catch" you or something...just curious.
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Another perspective: I can only afford so many... So when making a choice on which one to buy, having a pre-existing relationship or at least knowledge of prior customer service tends to win out.
 
marcinek said:
And the ZT 0055 are 0427 aren't?

Again, high end Chinese stuff is just like everything the US does. Ugly is ugly.
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Most Chinese knives look like those gaudy $9 Truck Stop knives you see on the shelf next to the chewing tobacco. IMO Chinese manufacturers try too hard to be flashy and it just doesn't come out well in many cases. I think they feel they need to be over-the-top in order to compete with domestic brands.
 
T.L.E. Sharp said:
Another perspective: I can only afford so many... So when making a choice on which one to buy, having a pre-existing relationship or at least knowledge of prior customer service tends to win out.
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That's a perfectly reasonable explanation. I mean I can see that logic, or being able to talk with Sal Glesser or Ethan Becker etc as being a strong argument for buying one's titanium framelock flipper from a known quantity.

Question for the WE, Reate, Kizer folks: do they have "a guy" to have a relationship with? Do they have a rep here?

And again for the record, the "problem" I have with Chinese titanium framelock flippers is that I can't stand titanium framelock flippers. Whoever makes them. Blech.
 
Honestly, I'm glad the anti China bias exist, because it drives prices lower, and that's good for me. As to anyone's opinion on looks, I could care less.
 
BubbaGump said:
Most Chinese knives look like those gaudy $9 Truck Stop knives you see on the shelf next to the chewing tobacco. IMO Chinese manufacturers try too hard to be flashy and it just doesn't come out well in many cases. I think they feel they need to be over-the-top in order to compete with domestic brands.
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We are not talking about those. We established that long ago. We are talking about the WEs, Reates, etc. Higher end stuff. You know, the stuff that is just like the ZTs, and Hinderers etc.
 
marcinek said:
That's a perfectly reasonable explanation. I mean I can see that logic, or being able to talk with Sal Glesser or Ethan Becker etc as being a strong argument for buying one's titanium framelock flipper from a known quantity.

Question for the WE, Reate, Kizer folks: do they have "a guy" to have a relationship with? Do they have a rep here?

And again for the record, the "problem" I have with Chinese titanium framelock flippers is that I can't stand titanium framelock flippers. Whoever makes them. Blech.
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That helps too. I'm not really into flippers and I don't like framelocks. If WE made something along the lines of the Cold Steel Broken Skull without that big, dumbass billboard on the blade I might buy it.
 
Eagle Scout said:
Very nice Glenn Goodlett.

Here's my soulless, uninspired, and otherwise crap-tastic collection. ;)

View attachment 826755
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It's all subjective. To me, the first two look classy. The third one looks a bit too 'eastern' for my tastes. Looks too much like a communist-inspired knife-- the red star-theme on the handles, the quasi-mandarin representation for WE, etc....something I could see General Ho from the original Manchurian Candidate carrying. But again, this is all subjective and based on tastes.
 
marcinek said:
We are not talking about those. We established that long ago. We are talking about the WEs, Reates, etc. Higher end stuff. You know, the stuff that is just like the ZTs, and Hinderers etc.
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Not really. Here is WE's newest offering: Doesnt look like a ZT or Hidnerer. Looks like the offspring that resulted when Frankesntein raped a Spyderco Endura.

26173896_1981894445183918_542942939118281963_o.jpg
 
BubbaGump said:
It's all subjective. To me, the first two look classy. The third one looks a bit too 'eastern' for my tastes. Looks too much like a communist-inspired knife-- the red star-theme on the handles, the quasi-mandarin representation for WE, etc....something I could see General Ho from the original Manchurian Candidate carrying. But again, this is all subjective and based on tastes.
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See, there we go! Was that so hard? You don't like Russian or Chinese culture, or "communists."

That's your right.
 
marcinek said:
Yeah. You posted that already. And ZT has made knives people (even ZT fans) think are ugly too.

So other than that they are "Chinese"....no difference.
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ZT has produced some wild designs from time to time but they have never made an abomination like that.
 
T.L.E. Sharp said:
That helps too. I'm not really into flippers and I don't like framelocks. If WE made something along the lines of the Cold Steel Broken Skull without that big, dumbass billboard on the blade I might buy it.
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WE (or it's plant) probably already does make the CS Broken Skull knives. Its not like they are made at the CS factory.
 
Also, I am paying more for a knife made in the US than I will the equivelanrt Chinese import but I am good with that. This is due to labor. The Chinese sweatshop laborers who make these knives are paid peanuts. And American workers don't run the risk of being executed for poor performance. They just get fired.
 
marcinek said:
Yeah. You posted that already. And ZT has made knives people (even ZT fans) think are ugly too.

So other than that they are "Chinese"....no difference.
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Like this. Not quite so insane as that WE thing designed by Isham, but pretty silly.

Or this one:

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I actually kind of like this one though. Like some sort of tactical whale.
 
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