Taiwan vs US

My buying habits mostly based on design, still I consider "made in US" is a big selling point for me. Within last few years I bought over hundred Spydercos, majority of them were made in Japan, than US made, Taiwanese from Taichung, and than few Italian made. One of them, made in Japan, I consider defective, was missing some steel on the spine of the blade. There were two Kopas (Moki made) I think, finish on gents knives should be better. I didn't have any issues with Colorado (about 25 pieces), Taichung (5) or Italian (5) made Spydies.

MikeyD said:
Idc if it's made in Libya.
Click to expand...

Correct me if I am wrong, but one of my concerns is, if everybody will "made in Libya" instead of "made in US", than people in VA will have no money to buy anything, unless they do all their business overseas.

MikeyD said:
Honestly I truly think if say the military line was produced in taiwan they'd have a better fit and finish ie blade centering, detent, tolerances etc etc. Again just my honest opinion.
Click to expand...

I think that this is not exactly correct. Probably, if you compare two knives, one made in Taiwan and second made in Golden, and each would cost $100 to make, than what you said most likely will be true, but if you compare two knives one made in Taiwan and second made in Golden, and each manufacturer spend 2 hours labor to make, than should be fairly close.
 
bh49 said:
Probably, if you compare two knives, one made in Taiwan and second made in Golden, and each would cost $100 to make, than what you said most likely will be true, but if you compare two knives one made in Taiwan and second made in Golden, and each manufacturer spend 2 hours labor to make, than should be fairly close.
Click to expand...
I'm not disagreeing that the results would be close but, FWIW, Sal said a while back that the cost of building a knife in Taiwan using US steel is virtually identical to building it here. If that's still the case then it seems to me that comparing two models with similar MSRP should be valid. The models built in Taichung are built there for one of two reasons, or a combination of the two. One is production capacity. I'm sure more knives would be built in Golden if Spyderco had the capacity to build them there and I'm more will be built when the additional capacity they're contemplating comes on line. But, for now, it's sometimes a case of have them built somewhere other than Golden or don't have them available at all. The other is capability. Not sure if that's strictly a matter of equipment, or talent, or both, but there are at least a couple knives, the Navaja being one of them, Sal has said could not be built anywhere else.
 
The Deacon said:
I'm not disagreeing that the results would be close but, FWIW, Sal said a while back that the cost of building a knife in Taiwan using US steel is virtually identical to building it here. If that's still the case then it seems to me that comparing two models with similar MSRP should be valid. The models built in Taichung are built there for one of two reasons, or a combination of the two. One is production capacity. I'm sure more knives would be built in Golden if Spyderco had the capacity to build them there and I'm more will be built when the additional capacity they're contemplating comes on line. But, for now, it's sometimes a case of have them built somewhere other than Golden or don't have them available at all. The other is capability. Not sure if that's strictly a matter of equipment, or talent, or both, but there are at least a couple knives, the Navaja being one of them, Sal has said could not be built anywhere else.
Click to expand...

I still think the labor is way cheaper over there and much of the cost has to do with shipping parts all over the world! I think if these Taiwan made knives were built to the same exact specs in golden they would cost more due to the difference in labor cost here . Sal has said that they have the same profit margin on their Taiwan knives but that's only because The cost of shipping and the amount of time it takes(more time/less pay) to get that high quality fit and finish would cost a fortune to produce here
 
I own more than my fair share of Spydies, and have found the fit/finish to be superb on every single one, irrespective of where it was hatched.
 
This thread sucks - its making me want to get a Manix 2 (so I have 2 US made knives), and a Dragonfly and an Urban (orange) compare them all. I don't have that kind of money off-hand, so you all need to quit.
 
I've had 12 Spydercos - 6 Golden, 4 Seki & 2 Taichung. All have been near perfect. I haven't even had 1 with an off-center blade. The CPMD2 Para stands out as brilliant.
 
USA. Much better deal. I only carry Golden products.
Other products are priced way to high for me.
 
Last edited:
I'd rather pay that little bit more for say a gayle Bradley compared to a military I understand two different knives but the gb has such a better finish than say a military. Idk the extra 30 or so dollars you usually pay for the Taiwan models in my opinion is well worth it.
 
MikeyD said:
I'd rather pay that little bit more for say a gayle Bradley compared to a military I understand two different knives but the gb has such a better finish than say a military. Idk the extra 30 or so dollars you usually pay for the Taiwan models in my opinion is well worth it.
Click to expand...

The Gayle Bradley has a different design concept than a Military. A Military is a 'working' knife and the GB is a 'Gentleman's' folder with some added polish. I am certain that when you compare the engineering specs, the Military will more than hold it's own.

For me, it is enough that the knives are from Spyderco.
 
I think they all have their advantages but at the end of the day you can't say one manufacturer location is better than the next. Just too many independent variables for every individual knife
 
I'm somewhat of a newb:o, so take this however you guys want...

My first Spyderco was a Lum Chinese...I love his designs, so it was a given to get one. It is in every respect a fantastic knife, but i do see some little things here and there that are suspect. ie..slight discoloration of the steel, and very,very small chipped scales where the liner meets

My second was the Gayle Bradley. When i got the knife and opened it up, I was like, "OMG..:eek:this thing is unbelievable" I have about a dozen knives, and this one will never be sold....ever. It's just that good.;)

My third was the Para 2....what a wonderful design. Simply awesome. F&F is just a tad under the Bradley. Not getting rid of this one either.

I've already sold about 6 benchmades because of F&F...:jerk it:

Looks like i need to get some more Spydies:D
 
Last edited by a moderator:
A.P.F. said:
. A Military is a 'working' knife and the GB is a 'Gentleman's' folder with some added polish.
Click to expand...

have you ever held a gayle bradley ? gentleman's folder ?? that's not the first word that comes to my mind to describe it.
 
I think its a tie. My M4/Ti G10 milli vs PPT vs BG42 Mill vs Gayle Bradley vs Original Large Manix --- I couldn't pick a winner between any of them in terms of fit finish.
They are all beautiful.
 
The Deacon said:
I'm not disagreeing that the results would be close but, FWIW, Sal said a while back that the cost of building a knife in Taiwan using US steel is virtually identical to building it here. If that's still the case then it seems to me that comparing two models with similar MSRP should be valid. The models built in Taichung are built there for one of two reasons, or a combination of the two. One is production capacity. I'm sure more knives would be built in Golden if Spyderco had the capacity to build them there and I'm more will be built when the additional capacity they're contemplating comes on line. But, for now, it's sometimes a case of have them built somewhere other than Golden or don't have them available at all. The other is capability. Not sure if that's strictly a matter of equipment, or talent, or both, but there are at least a couple knives, the Navaja being one of them, Sal has said could not be built anywhere else.
Click to expand...

i too believe it's a production issue. i don't think golden could handle all the US models and taiwan models at the same time. it could also be an equipment issue. maybe taichung has certain machinery that golden doesn't have and visa-versa. i would prefer all of my spydies to come from golden but no one can deny the quality that both taichung and golden are producing.
 
jimnolimit said:
i too believe it's a production issue. i don't think golden could handle all the US models and taiwan models at the same time. it could also be an equipment issue. maybe taichung has certain machinery that golden doesn't have and visa-versa. i would prefer all of my spydies to come from golden but no one can deny the quality that both taichung and golden are producing.
Click to expand...

I can only imagine if the Golden factory size were doubled. :eek:
For starters ;)
 
I believe it is entirely possible to get a perfect specimen from any of Spyderco’s assembly plants whether it comes from USA, Taiwan, Japan or even China. Consistency is another matter. Both the Golden and Taichung sites have mastered consistency in their production of high-quality knives. I’m impressed by the Spydies I own made in either location.

Actually, I’d love to see “Earth” added to the blade-stamp of Taiwan models to bring the two assembly sites a little closer together...

"Taichung, Taiwan, Earth" :thumbup::cool::thumbup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top