I believe it's to be in compliance with the Tariff Act of 1930, specifically Section 304, which mandates that every imported item into the United States must be marked with its country of origin.
I just checked the few I have handy, Appalachian Jack, Little Riverbend Skinner, and Beaver Creek Barlow - and they're flush in all 3 positions. I'll try to check the rest of my Rosecraft hoard tomorrow.
So, I did pull the trigger on the Rosecraft Coffin Jack. I'm pretty impressed! Have to nit pick quite a bit to find flaws. Apologies in advance as I took a lot of pictures. I think there are a lot of things we all look for when determining fit and finish. And, I wanted to be thorough while showing others what to expect.
I have a couple, three, four, AG Russells that have "China" on them. AG was always upfront about where his knives were made. There was an article on his website about it. He said something like, "You can get as much quality as you're willing to pay for in China." I dare say the same could be said for most countries who manufacture stuff. AG had high standards and they're excellent knives, regardless of where they were made.Deceitful? I respectfully disagree.
I have a couple Northwoods' Fall Creeks and the only bit of text on them is "NORTHWOODS" - is it deceitful that they aren't stamped "USA"? I also have a Tactile Knife Co Dreadeye that's made in Texas but doesn't indicate that anywhere on the knife. Is Tactile being deceitful by not stamping it with "Made in Texas, USA"? Not in my opinion. A final example - A.G. Russell, for as long as I've known of them (pre-internet) has always clearly stated country of manufacture on a per knife basis in their catalogs - especially after he made the decision to move some manufacturing offshore. Some of the knives are stamped with the country of origin, my Woodswalker is stamped "JAPAN," for instance, but I don't see "CHINA" stamped on any of their traditional patterns. Deceitful? I'd say "no." In fact, at the moment, I'm trying really hard not to order one of their Chinese-made Sowbelly Trappers, which appears to be a big and beautifully made traditional knife (if anyone can refute this, please do - I really don't need any more knives...
Personally, I prefer not to have "China" stamped or etched on the blade. It doesn't add to the aesthetics or functionality for me, plus - I know where it's from and if I ever forget and need to look it up, the information is readily available on their site and many others. Prior to the existence of the internet, I could understand the need to indicate county of manufacture on the knife itself. Now? Not so much. I feel no need to advertise for China and there's no need to rub my nose in it each time I go to use my knife!
Rosecraft has mentioned having plans to open a factory in the USA. In the event this occurs, and if that factory were to produce the same models as those produced overseas, then I suppose I could see how it might be deceitful not to indicate from which factory a specific example originated, but I doubt very highly that the situation would unfold that way. In such a situation, I'd prefer they stamped the US-made products "USA," and left the overseas models as they are now.
I actually messaged Rosecraft about the possibility of getting some carbon steel blades but Andy replied carbon steel is hard to do in China because you can't use 1095. They use a T10 instead and he said that is more brittle than 1095 and he just doesn't want to chance any issues with their steel. Andy seems like a very nice guy though. Maybe when they get their Tennessee location up and going we will see some carbon.
I have that model in the black micarta, gonna have to get this one too. Looks great.
Very well written and described. Pretty damn similar to what I was thinking on RC slipjoints. Guess that I just didn't expect the quality and overall F&F until I got one in my hands. I'll be buying more for sure and eyeing the Nolichuky next.I am a new convert to this brand, and momentarily debated even mentioning anything about it. I will start out saying that I do not as a general rule purchase Chinese knives, and for the longest time, the idea specifically of slipjoints* made there was something I felt pretty strongly about in the negative. It was a position that was much easier given that there aren't really any stores carrying these knives in my area, so they weren't really in my mind. However, this year at BLADE Show, RoseCraft had their own booth and there were many other tables selling their knives as well. So, I was walking by, saw them on a table, shrugged, and said why not, and had a look at a few of them. I was pretty staggered at what I saw after handling a few. The quality of which they were made was of a very high level, also the folks who work for RC were very nice and answered all my questions and we chatted for a bit. At that point, I knew I was going to make a purchase.
So, below are the three I picked up, and due to RC's show special pricing as well as some special deals I was able to make at another table, I picked up all three of these for like, a hundred dollars. Nope, not a typo. Would I have picked these up if they were $100 apiece? Sure...if they were made here, as they would basically be more than even GEC or Case could match at that price point. But that's neither here nor there. These knives represented an incredible deal for what I received. Have a look:
Top to bottom:
- Briarpatch Jack
- Little Riverbend Skinner
- Savage Creek Gunstock
All three are flawless, with no issues anywhere, good snap, all blades perfectly ground and centered, and absolutely perfect fit and finish. There were Case Bose knives at the show at a few tables that I handled that didn't have as nice F&F as these do. Now, I don't like that fact one bit, so trust me when I say I'm not saying this with any sort of condescension or "HA! American slipjoints suck!"
type of comment. I was just blown away by the comparison right there in my own hands, with my own eyes. The backsprings on the Briarpatch Jack for example look virtually identical to the Boses, where you'd think it was one piece of steel because the lines between the liners and the backsprings are virtually undetectable. That was crazy to me. Blades all perfectly ground, scales mated perfectly to all bolsters, even the black micarta on the Riverbend and Gunstock could be considered "book matched" because they were identical and matched on both sides (something that I sure can't say for the last several GECs I'd gotten).
These knives are of very high quality, and I just decided that disliking these based on where they're made, eh, just wasn't that important in this moment. These are excellent knives. If I see other patterns that speak to me, I'm going to buy them.
* Something I consider to be the very epitome of "Americana"
Quiet
Very much appreciate your measured review 
It takes a big mind to overcome received notions or prejudices, all too often we can let these become ingrained, fossilized. I believe this is exactly what a knife forum should be about : telling it how it is about the knives - good or bad, neither uncritical worship of over hyped reputations nor sniping at things we've never even considered properly or tested out in the field. Nor should the forum just be about egos, idle chatter, banal anecdotes and things entirely off the topic of knives either, it often is though....
That is a real bummer, Will. The only dealer on their website on your side of the pond appears to be in the UK.
Whenever a knife is good, pleasing to carry & handle, has met your expectations and beyond it's a occasion to celebrate no matter its origins or if it was inexpensive. On the contrary, I'm sure all of us at some time have overspent on knives and been disappointed with some of them, wondering why others appear to think so highly of them too.
I like the look of that Savage Creek Gunstock in Micarta, real gem. The Stag version is very desirable as well. Too bad I can't obtain these in the EU nor do they ship here I think, note Britain is not an EU country any longer so I can't really obtain one there either, pity
Thanks, Will
Agreed on all accounts. Also, that’s a shame about these knives not making it to that side of the pond, so to speak. I expect as these gain further popularity, they should become available in more countries.
Whenever a knife is good, pleasing to carry & handle, has met your expectations and beyond it's a occasion to celebrate no matter its origins or if it was inexpensive. On the contrary, I'm sure all of us at some time have overspent on knives and been disappointed with some of them, wondering why others appear to think so highly of them too.
I like the look of that Savage Creek Gunstock in Micarta, real gem. The Stag version is very desirable as well. Too bad I can't obtain these in the EU nor do they ship here I think, note Britain is not an EU country any longer so I can't really obtain one there either, pity
Thanks, Will
