Opinion: The problem with most Chinese brands

[marcinek]

ZT has produced some wild designs from time to time but they have never made an abomination like that.

In your opinion. There are more than enough ZT fans who feel the 0850, 0055, and 0427 are equally ugly.

Again, if you have some objection to "knives from China" just because they are knives made in China, that's your thing. You don't have to come up with excuses or rationalizations.

But the US has flooded the market with too many similar knives, and have made some butt ugly clinkers too...no different that China. Those arguments against Chinese knives don't hold water.

 

[BubbaGump]

In your opinion. There are more than enough ZT fans who feel the 0850, 0055, and 0427 are equally ugly.

Again, if you have some objection to "knives from China" just because they are knives made in China, that's your thing. You don't have to come up with excuses or rationalizations.

But the US has flooded the market with too many similar knives, and have made some butt ugly clinkers too...no different that China. Those arguments against Chinese knives don't hold water.

I already stated as such. I don't care for knives from China. #1 because the aesthetics don't do much for me and #2..they use sweatshop labor and do not treat their employees well.

 

[marcinek]

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.

Not really the case in general. Of course there are exceptions and factories in China where workers are not treated well....just like there are everywhere else.

Just like the knives...same as everywhere else.

 

[marcinek]

I already stated as such. I don't care for knives from China. #1 because the aesthetics don't do much for me and #2..they use sweatshop labor and do not treat their employees well.

But you do care for similar looking American made knives?

 

[BubbaGump]

But you do care for similar looking American made knives?

It depends. I dislike certain styles. Most Chinese knives are of the style I dislike.

But my main reason for not buying Chinese knives is they downright treat their workers like dogsh&&.

 

[Leo3an]

Ahhhh invent more excuses plz.. keep going.

1) Chinese offer way too many knives. It is better to offer less models, because having too much choice sucks. Learn from Americans to produce less models.

2) Chinese make bad products, like the $15 gas station knives. so their high-end knives like WE or Reate is also crap by association by nation/race.

3) Chinese have no passion. There is no story or history behind them. Like American brand Smith & Wesson is ok even when made in China...because... history.

4) Chinese knives are souless. Like... they posess no souls... in knives. But American knives posess souls! In knives!

5) Chinese brands can’t be trusted. Sneaky little buggers! Untrustworthy bunch of Chinese people.

And the latest:
6) Chinese designs are ugly.. similar to some ZT’s. But ZT’s are ok, because they are American, and American brands dont have ugly designs.. only some do. Where as Chinese brands... some are ugly too.... so yeah, bad China.

6) Chinese treat their workers like dogsh&&. Havent been to China..never worked there..but I can fully assume so! Therefore Chinese knives are bad. Im sure some are treated well but... some are treated like dogsh&&.


I would like to join in and add more:
- Some Chinese people eat dogs and cats. Chinese must have no hearts. Therefore their knives suck. Their knives are heartless?

- Chinese people like tofu. And tofu is very soft... like their steel. So their knives are made with horrible mushy steel.

- Chinese people like fried chicken and steal things. Oh wait, that is reserved for another group/race/country bashing post. Srry.

 

[sharp_edge]

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.

Do you have first-hand evidence that Reate, Kizer, and WE knives are manufactured in sweatshops where workers are paid peanuts or are you just like several others spewing such political nonsense in a GKD thread?

 

[James Y]

To say that all Chinese knives (including high-end) are produced in sweatshops and the workers are all treated like (bleep) is not a sign of concern in any way for the Chinese workers. It is a blatant stereotype with absolutely no proof to back it up. Unless a person has actually been to the facilities in China that manufacture the Kizer, Reate or WE knives, and personally seen the working conditions there, they have absolutely NO WAY of knowing if they're sweatshops or not.

How do you know that they're not being made by people with engineering degrees (one of the most commonly-sought degrees/professions in China)?

BTW, there are sweatshops that exist right here in the US.

Jim

 

[BubbaGump]

Do you have first-hand evidence that Reate, Kizer, and WE knives are manufactured in sweatshops where workers are paid peanuts or are you just like several others spewing such political nonsense in a GKD thread?

China's ill-treatment of their employees is well-known. The issue can be debated back and forth but I will not purchase Chinese-made goods unless I have no choice, which is becoming increasingly more difficult not to do these days. That's my view and I stick with it. Others differ and I understand that. But I will not give them my money if I have the choice in the matter. One of the reasons I don't buy Apple products and probably never will. Incidents with abuse of Chinese employees and Apple products is also well-known. My dislike has nothing whatsoever to do with a dislike for people in China. In any way.

 

[b00n]

I only have a few Chinese knives, the two worth mentioning are a Reate K-2 and a Kizer Nomad v2. The Kizer is quite nice, well made and I am a fan of Persian Blades, the Reate is just incredible. I think in part what my problem with WE and Kizer is the market saturation in a way. Reate is a different thing but WE and Kizer seem to pump out so many designs that it becomes "Meh" to me, I don't want to call it Quality over Quantity because they are quite well made, but they get lost in a sea of market saturation. WE for example, do maybe 1 new model a month, focus on maybe 2 color schemes, maybe every 3 months do a limited run. It has a more exclusive feel to it marketing wise. Not like "Oh here are our 3 new releases for January, you can pick 30 color variations" and people get a dump truck full of knives. Look at ZT or Spyderco, they have maybe 10 new designs a year and some exclusive versions of those knives and people wait for them. That's rarely the case with WE/Kizer. That's my perception at least.

 

[Leo3an]

I only have a few Chinese knives, the two worth mentioning are a Reate K-2 and a Kizer Nomad v2. The Kizer is quite nice, well made and I am a fan of Persian Blades, the Reate is just incredible. I think in part what my problem with WE and Kizer is the market saturation in a way. Reate is a different thing but WE and Kizer seem to pump out so many designs that it becomes "Meh" to me, I don't want to call it Quality over Quantity because they are quite well made, but they get lost in a sea of market saturation. WE for example, do maybe 1 new model a month, focus on maybe 2 color schemes, maybe every 3 months do a limited run. It has a more exclusive feel to it marketing wise. Not like "Oh here are our 3 new releases for January, you can pick 30 color variations" and people get a dump truck full of knives. Look at ZT or Spyderco, they have maybe 10 new designs a year and some exclusive versions of those knives and people wait for them. That's rarely the case with WE/Kizer. That's my perception at least.

Im curious.

So what if ZT starts to produce higher quality knives, AND lower their cost, but starts pumping out more models?

Would it make you dislike ZT knives?

What if ZT was a Chinese company doing exactly what ZT is doing now? Would your likability change?

Thanks

 

[b00n]

Im curious.
So what if ZT starts to produce higher quality knives, AND lower their cost, but starts pumping out more models?
Would it make you dislike ZT knives?
What if ZT was a Chinese company doing exactly what ZT is doing now? Would your likability change?
Thanks

I wouldn't say I'll start disliking them, but I'd be less antsy about waiting for new models, because "the next one is right around the corner" and I might end up not getting it because I might like the next release in 3 weeks better. And no, I wouldn't say my likeability is dependent on the country of origin of the company in question. I'm fairly certain that the Chinese companies are doing what they are doing to corner their market share, which makes sense from their perspective. It could be compared to Ferrari in a way, they have a fairly small line up compared to for example VW. VW makes decent cars, they have a huge market share, but Ferraris still have a draw for alot of people because they don't make mass market cars, they are exclusive and you have to be a "member" to even order a new one. So it's a bit like that, less models/turnout gives some flair of exclusivity while (good) mass market cars sort of blend together.
Hope I explained it reasonably. (Plus I think Reate is doing a pretty good job in that department. I like my K-2 and I am looking forward to getting a K-1 in the near future. Less designs, less frequent releases. Different options for the knives but not going overboard and at different price points)

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Ahhhh invent more excuses plz.. keep going.

I hope you have a suitable place to store all of your strawmen. Having that many in one place is a fire hazard, you know.

I do think the industry as a whole is really oversaturated with half-baked nonsense right now, even from established makers with considerable history. Like, what was Buck thinking when they came out with this?

It's not at all more effective nor more compact than one of these traditional heads and it's certainly not cheaper. It's just all around bad, and was a desperate cash grab in my opinion.

 

[sabre cat]

Very nice Glenn Goodlett.

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

View attachment 826755

Beautiful looking knives. But, personally, I would not open my billfold for any of them.

 

[stabman]

I have a few made in China knives that are decent.
The Boker Plus War Toad sure is a sturdy friction folder.
It wasn't all that cheap, either.

But none of the high-end offerings have appealed to me enough to lay down the asking cash.
There were a couple that almost managed to tempt me into it, but just didn't engage my desire circuits strongly enough.

 

[sabre cat]

I don't have much experience with Chinese brand knives so i can't offer much....

No. Just flat out no. That knife is wrong on so many levels. Ugly is just ugly. No matter where it is produced. China, North America or Europe. It makes no difference.
This is the sort of hideous design that comes to my mind when Chinese knives are discussed. And people wonder why I don't like Chinese knives.

 

[sabre cat]

To say that all Chinese knives (including high-end) are produced in sweatshops and the workers are all treated like (bleep) is not a sign of concern in any way for the Chinese workers. It is a blatant stereotype with absolutely no proof to back it up. Unless a person has actually been to the facilities in China that manufacture the Kizer, Reate or WE knives, and personally seen the working conditions there, they have absolutely NO WAY of knowing if they're sweatshops or not.

How do you know that they're not being made by people with engineering degrees (one of the most commonly-sought degrees/professions in China)?

BTW, there are sweatshops that exist right here in the US.

Jim

Sweatshops in the US? Really? Where?
I'm not saying they can't exist but I'd bet they would be much harder to find here than overseas.

I'm curious, just what is your definition of a sweatshop?

 

[knarfeng]

One warning issued. Leave the discussion of sweatshops and execution of employees out of this. If you just have to post about that stuff, buy a Gold membership and go start a thread in the Political Arena. In either case, keep it out of General Forum.

 

[Sosa]

Buy whatever you want and can afford if it makes you happy.sometimes a warranty is desired

 

[sabre cat]

As many as possible.

If you refuse to buy quality Chinese knives, then clearly the "problem" about Chinese knives, to you, is that they are Chinese.

On the high end, China is doing the same things the US is.

What a load of garbage. With that type of logic, I must hate Sal if I refuse to purchase a Spyderco or Byrd product. As a matter of fact, I find Sal to be a nice guy. Plus, he's an honest, hard-working businessman that puts out a fine line of knives. Most of which I don't care for, by the way. While we are at it, I also don't care for the bulk of what Benchmade is putting out. I guess that means I don't like Les, either.

As for the Chinese, I have nothing against them. I just don't care for most of their knife designs. Collectively their knives don't really meet my needs or standards, so, I don't normally consider them an option. It's that simple.