spyderco tuff... worth the $225 cost to get one?I

I am happy with both my Golden and Taichung knives. I own a Tuff and it is worth the cost in my opinion. I also had the privilege of going to Taiwan. I found that it was similar to the USA in many ways. The cost of living was now low, and we were told that real estate costs tended to be much higher than the USA. I wish that I could have visited the Spyderco plant while I was there. And I wish I could find dumplings like I ate in Taiwan somewhere in the USA.
 
opgenorf said:
Hey All,

I am seeing lots of posts on this knife and have been reading up on the design. I really want one but lets be honest, at $225 of cost for a production knife made elsewhere than the US, is this not a little pricey for what you get?

I am not shy when spending on a quality knife, own a sage 2 ti, and am new to owning spyderco, as I usually carry and edc Hinderer, Reeve, and Customs, but this seems high priced when you think about the materials, its a production folder and is made outside the US.

Any thoughts?

BTW: this sage is still sharp as heck after a week of use, excellent slicer!!!!!!
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ok, lets be honest.

If the only factor we look at is, "not made in the US", we cant really make any other determination. When we examine American only knife companies, that do NOT benefit from being owned by an international knife giant or from outsourcing, their are not too many models that can even be compared to the tuff. This is a very important factor not mentioned enough.

What you do get with the tuff is a large, very well constructed/designed beast of a knife, that has excellent balance and ergonomics, very premium blade steel (I cant think of any other production knife that uses 3v)and a nice thick ti slab frame. What more needs to be said?

I own many knives, production and custom, and my opinion is the tuff holds it own among any of them. If you so much as like the tuff from photos, buy it, you will not be disappointed.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Although Taiwan and China share a linguistic and ethnic background, Taiwan is not China. It is an independent nation with a distinctly capitalist economy.
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Just to add to this. Taiwan has been through much political hassle through the last several decades. If you were to find some Taiwanese individual and say his or her country is apart of China, that individual would have more than something to say to you. Taiwan was formed from a political party breaking off from the mainland following a civil war. China is often associated with the word "cheap" and for the most part, Chinese labor is cheap. However to carry that notion to other Asian countries is really unfair and unjust. As a community we should stop labeling things based off gossip and what we hear, rather instead label something based off what we know for a fact. (Directed to opgenorf)
 
What I meant was that the most recent info on cost of labor I could find was from a "Chinese Newspaper." Not saying that China=Taiwan. just using the cost of labor as a basis for my consideration of the cost of the knife.

Esav Benyamin said:
Although Taiwan and China share a linguistic and ethnic background, Taiwan is not China. It is an independent nation with a distinctly capitalist economy.
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Spyderco builds this in Taiwan most likely because that's the only way they can build the knife that well for that little cost. It would probably cost Spyderco nearly twice as much to build it exactly as it is currently built, spending that much time with the fit and finish, in Colorado, USA. Spyderco builds most of their very best knives in Taiwan. That's where most of their "premium" knives are built, because they can get an amazing fit, finish, and build quality with their Taiwan builders and still keep the cost relatively low. The knife is perfect and it's the best fit and finish Spyerco has to offer. I don't necessarily like the Tuff more than my ZT 0560 (although time will tell), but I actually think the F&F on the Tuff is better than the ZT, honestly.
 
And YES, the knife is easily worth the cost and is definitely the Tuffest knife I own, even beyond Strider and ZT in my opinion.
 
Sort if makes me laugh to see country of origin come into it - if its made in new zealand, should it cost less....cause it will probably cost more due to the premiums we pay for material and shipping
 
The Spydercos I have from Taiwan, made me a believer. They are just flawless in fit and finish and I love that in a knife. The only knives I have that compare cost twice or more, as much. I resisted buying them for awhile, but I soon saw I was missing out.
 
It looks nice. I'm a framelock freak, I love em. I've got 5 Strider Framelocks, 4ZT, Lionspy, the Tuff looks good to me, definitely unique design. I will say that ZT 0560/61 are around that price, $35 more but they are made in USA and I can attest to the fact that they are amazing knives. I EDC 0560, I'm a carpenter so I use that sucker hard every day. Lockup still rock solid, stays shaving sharp, and can be resharpened in about 2 minutes w/strop only. You won't regret buying a ZT.
 
opgenorf said:
What I meant was that the most recent info on cost of labor I could find was from a "Chinese Newspaper." Not saying that China=Taiwan. just using the cost of labor as a basis for my consideration of the cost of the knife.
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I understand what your saying, but newspaper in a country that isn't on good terms with Taiwan wouldn't necessarily be accurate. It would be better to find the labor costs, say directly from Taiwan and then judge from that point.
 
Yes, $225 for a knife of that caliber is a good price. 3V is not a cheap steel, and they use a thick stock (what is it, like 3/16''?).

It's a solid blade with awesome ergos and good materials (CPM 3V, titanium, G10)

Also, you're not just paying for the parts, you're paying for the design, shipping. labor, machine costs, etc.

For instance, a DVD itself is only a piece of plastic worth 3 cents or so to make, what you're paying for is the process for the content within the DVD.
 
Jejeje, For production knives 3/16 is pretty darn thick I suppose. i have one other 3V knife that is sitting at .2 in thickness and the cost of 3V is not extremely high for small purchases and I can imagine it is much cheaper to larger companies.

Either way!!!!!!

I committed to getting a Tuff and I am going to decide for myself whether the cost was worth the purchase. With the Taiwan made Sage2 I have has convinced me that Spyderco is a quality brand that manages its foreign QA very very well. The problem I have come across with companies, IN ALL SECTORS, with foreign production is that they let the QA slide a bit when producing products abroad. I am seriously enjoying these knives though and look forward to putting a lum tanto through its paces as well.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Although Taiwan and China share a linguistic and ethnic background, Taiwan is not China. It is an independent nation with a distinctly capitalist economy.
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I think a lot of people tend to group all of the Asian Pacific countries into one large group. It's sad because as you mention the differences between all of them are extensive.
 
bigmark408 said:
Tuff aside, i think some prefer to patronize Amecican made products.
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^Raises Hand :) Id pay $50-75 more for it to say USA on it but thats the redneck in me. Ive got over 100 spydercos(I admit many from Japan), only Tawaiin one is the Bradley I got as an XMas gift (amazing knife). Just cant justify dropping $200+ on a custom collab from Tawain when I can get a USA made S30V Manix XL for $100. Once I hit the lotto I will own EVERY model though :D
 
bigmark408 said:
Tuff aside, i think some prefer to patronize Amecican made products.
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That's admirable and certainly understandable. Unfortunately in the case of the Tuff you have to spend more than double the price to find something comparable and US made, like the Strider SMF in 3V. And even that knife isn't as well made, so those people who feel that way will likely just miss out on a chance to own a really a special folding knife in 3V.
 
Biginboca said:
That's admirable and certainly understandable. Unfortunately in the case of the Tuff you have to spend more than double the price to find something comparable and US made, like the Strider SMF in 3V. And even that knife isn't as well made, so those people who feel that way will likely just miss out on a chance to own a really a special folding knife in 3V.
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I dont agree with double and at the end of the day its just a pocket knife and a buck 110 will do the same job.
 
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