Ranking Chinese manufacturers?

N

Neo

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Is there a ranking in the level of fit & finish between the different Chinese manufacturers?
Maybe one manufacturer has different names?

Reate , Kizer, Adai, Carson, Realsteel, District 9, Dicoria, "Wild Boar", "Kevin John", MG, ...

Not talking about clones or counterfeits but just about the level of execution.
 
Kevin John what can you say? Counterfeit as can be. So I don't understand your question.

Kevin_John_Knife_1.jpg
 
Kevin John what can you say? Counterfeit as can be. So I don't understand your question.

Kevin_John_Knife_1.jpg


Wild Boar how are these not counterfeits?

new-arrival-wild-boar-hinderer-xm-18-with.jpg
 
Have to rate them like Keith Olbermann: Worse Worser and Worst. Why settle? Save up your bucks and buy American quality.
 
Neo said:
So Reate , Kizer, Carson and Realsteel only make junk?
Click to expand...

I'll never know for sure. I can buy American made knives so I do. By sticking with American made I hopefully keep Americans making. What I've seen on line tells me the Chinese manufacturers copy things like flippers, recurves and swoopy, busy designs which aren't attractive to me anyway.
 
Neo said:
Maybe one manufacturer has different names?
Click to expand...
Remember VCRs from the 80's? Matsushita Electric made over 85% of the VHS units on the market. Didn't matter what name was on the outside, inside they were all the same.

Wouldn't surprise me if it was just one or two companies making all the counterfeits.
 
Proceeding Manufacture in Taiwan, and owned by Paul Lin, manufactures excellent cutlery; the RAT 1,2, ESEE Zancudo and Avispa, both popular and well made AUS8 knives, are just two sterling examples. As a side note, Paul Lin's business does not get involved in counterfeiting anything.
 
Sanrenmu/Real Steel are, in my view, top quality manufacturers, and they are also suppliers to American companies like Spyderco.

Enlan also produce good knives, especially at their price point. I'd place Tekut alongside them.

Those are the only Chinese manufacturers I have personal experience with. I haven't tried the Chinese manufacturers moving into the higher ranged knives with their own designs. I suspect, if their quality is decent, they have a strong future in the knife world.

According to users Kevin John do make very solid knives, but they're now priced at more or less the same as ZT's Hinderer collaborations.
 
I've handled multiple knives from Kizer and Reate, both are high quality manufacturers. The Kizers I have handled have been on par with most high quality production US makers. Reate is very close to some US made customs I've handled. China is capable of making a product at any level of quality people want to buy. As more Chinese companies see that American consumers are willing to pay for quality and original designs I'm sure we will see more companies bringing high quality knives to market.
 
TravisH said:
Remember VCRs from the 80's? Matsushita Electric made over 85% of the VHS units on the market. Didn't matter what name was on the outside, inside they were all the same.

Wouldn't surprise me if it was just one or two companies making all the counterfeits.
Click to expand...

Oh I get it... Something like this??
[video=youtube;nb_R1VZqLcE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb_R1VZqLcE[/video]
 
On the low budget end of the Chinese makers I rate SanRenMu top, Enlan second, Harnds third, Ganzo forth and Navy lagging behind. Omuda make a knife that I EDC a lot, the 3922.
There is a price level to suit every level and the inexpensive side is staggeringly good value.

For years the Chinese factories were asked to produce rubbish, so that is what they produced, they learnt the skills, re-tooled and now can produce any quality asked, who started the trend to produce well made knives - American knife "makers" outsourcing production. Like it or not they are here to stay and getting better all the time.
 
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