The crappy Chinese knife that just won't quit

dawsonbob
China has the 2nd largest economy in the world.It produces many fine products.I have been in factories in China and met the workers who are hard working people who are trying to make a living.They have a longer history at making knives then we do.China is a major player and that is the way it is.Right now they are our big banker keeping this country in cash.I own knives made in china and they are really well made so are the computers that people are reading this forum on right now.
 
kitkat52 said:
dawsonbob
China has the 2nd largest economy in the world.It produces many fine products.I have been in factories in China and met the workers who are hard working people who are trying to make a living.They have a longer history at making knives then we do.China is a major player and that is the way it is.Right now they are our big banker keeping this country in cash.I own knives made in china and they are really well made so are the computers that people are reading this forum on right now.
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I agree with all you're saying, Kit. My post was more of asking the question of why so many people think otherwise, based on no first hand knowledge at all.
 
dawsonbob You have to take it in stride.There are people who hate Gerber because they think a USA comp.started making knives in China.The facts are that Gerber was purchased by a Finnish company Fiskars in 1987.So Gerber is hated by the ignorrant.I own several Gerbers from China and they are fine knives.My Buck knives from China are well made also.I also have a Peter Hoffman tac.knife that is great.boker is making some knives that are flawless.
 
kitkat52 said:
dawsonbob You have to take it in stride.There are people who hate Gerber because they think a USA comp.started making knives in China.The facts are that Gerber was purchased by a Finnish company Fiskars in 1987.So Gerber is hated by the ignorrant.I own several Gerbers from China and they are fine knives.My Buck knives from China are well made also.I also have a Peter Hoffman tac.knife that is great.boker is making some knives that are flawless.
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The thing is that you're describing knives made in China that carry an American brand name. As I pointed out, knives made in China but carrying an American brand name are acceptable to many people, yet knives of equal — or better — quality that are made in China, but carry a Chinese brand name, are not. The question is, why is that?
 
A lot of people see some name brands as a promise of quality. Like Spyderco or Benchmade, for instance. Both American knife companies with some knives that are made in China.
 
I bought twenty folders in Fengdu and they are really nice and sharp.Many times the makers in China use a English name to sell their knives on the web.
 
ac1d0v3r1d3 said:
A lot of people see some name brands as a promise of quality. Like Spyderco or Benchmade, for instance. Both American knife companies with some knives that are made in China.
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See, ac1d0v3r1d3, that's more the kind of answer that I was looking for, and I agree completely. I think that most people, and I'm one of them, tend to think that an American brand's name on the blade is going to assure a certain level of quality. I know that if I were a knife company, and my name were going on the blade, I'd be really, really insistent on a certain level of quality from a manufacturer, no matter where that manufacturer might be located.

But what makes so many people automatically assume that, if the Chinese manufacturer's name is on the blade, it must be junk? Same manufacturer, just a different name on the blade.

It's inevitable that at least some Chinese manufacturer is going to gain a reputation for quality. Could it be a company that's already selling to the US market?
 
I've been thinking about picking one up. But they all seem small to me. I like at least a 3 1/4" blade on a folder.

If the quality is anything like the Rough Rider knives then I guess I should pick one up.
 
ac1d0v3r1d3 said:
I've been thinking about picking one up. But they all seem small to me. I like at least a 3 1/4" blade on a folder.

If the quality is anything like the Rough Rider knives then I guess I should pick one up.
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Here in San Diego we can't carry anything with a blade over 3 inches, so the 710 should work out well. I, too, prefer a larger blade, I just can't carry one.
 
ah yes; Smith & Wesson folders are real survivors. I have one (actually my dads) thats been around for 5 years or more, and the only problem with it is I broke off ~1/8" of the tip (prying on dried, setup JB stickweld)

It's not an edc, but it gets used quite a bit around the house.
 
dawsonbob said:
I’m somewhat amazed that many of these people praise knives produced in China for American companies, considering them a real bargain, but describe knives of equal quality produced by Chinese companies under their own name brand as trash. The same companies, with the same capabilities, using the same materials, may be producing both knives, but the Chinese brand is considered junk. Why is that? Do these detractors somehow think that the manufacturer deliberately produces good quality for an American company, but then deliberately produces garbage for their own house brand? Does that make any sense to anyone? I doubt it, but some people seem to think that it happens like that: go figure.
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Actually it can happen like that if the American company insist on high quality to keep their good brand reputation - the Chinese manufacturer can accommodate that. Then for their own brand they can make a similar product for a lower cost - viola, a much crappier product.

It is natural to praise a Chinese made Spyderco and consider it a bargain - because it is.

There are many very cheap Chinese brands that are considered crap - because they are. This is not because the Chinese manufacturers can't make a quality product, it is because they deliberately made a crappy product to keep the price low.

If a Chinese brand makes a quality knife then it is going to be more expensive than the crappy Chinese products - more in line with the cost of a Chinese Spyderco. If people try those dearer products and like them then the Chinese brand may get a reputation for quality products.

One only needs to check out the items for sale on www.dealextreme.com to see a large amount of very cheaply made products. But I have bought some stuff from them and I know that not all of it is badly made. I bought a bunch of different lighters and found that the 'Honest' brand ones were noticeably better than most of the others - they are what I take camping and they are MUCH better than Bic lighters. They are still cheap, but dearer than the junk brands - better performance & reliability though. Often the lighter selling for $2.50 is just cheaply made and wont last, but the similar one that sells for $4.50 is really good. Maybe the $2.50 one only cost $0.50 to manufacture and the $4.50 one cost $2 to manufacture - the quality difference could easily result from 4x the manufacture cost. Chinese manufacturers - making products to a price since ages ago!
 
I wonder if the folks in Ellenville and Camillus NY would agree with some heres take on "globally" made knives? They were just people trying to make a living too. I'm not sure if I agree with the whole, "let's teach the U.S. knife manufactures a lesson" by buying knives from anywhere else but here thing. Personally, I don't believe they charge more for their product because of greed, but because they warrant it. I recently made a comparison between the USA Schrade Old Timer 6OT and it's China counterpart. The China version weighs less, the blade is made from thinner stock, the grinds are cruder and the fit and finish are sub-standard. Yes, this is only one comparison, but it does serve to tell atleast part of the story. Sure it cost less, but given the choice, I would gladly save the $10 I spent for that knife and add to it whenever possible until I was able to afford the U.S. made version. If I thought for one minute that China (and other countries) had our best welfare in mind and that their only goal was to supply the USA with the finest quality product for the least amount of money, then I wouldn't feel as I do. But, why would they do that?! No, my friends. If we don't support our own local economy, I guarantee you nobody else is going too. The question for me isn't whether these knives are of good quality, the question is, are they good for America? I mean, we're not talking about a couple of thousand HQ knives a year here. We're talking about 100's of thousands (of sometimes questionable quality) knives sent in for the purpose of mass marketing. There has to be an effect from it. WB2
 
XSrcing said:
I bought this thing I don't know years ago for $20. It has survived 2 seasons as a front tire changer and lead mechanic of a Grand American pit crew. 5 years as a automotive mechanic. Random bushcraft sessions (including hacking through sandy drift wood to make a beach shelter). Gutted countless fish. Skinned a couple animals. And helped prepare dinners for several house parties.

I do have a habit of being extremely meticulous about my stuff. I take it apart at least once ever couple of weeks to check for any stress damage, clean and oil the moving parts that contact each other.

I really want something like a large Sebenza, but with this thing still running like a champ, I see no reason to dish out $400 (yet). It is a S&W CK357C "First Production Run" blah blah blah.

Anyone else have something like this?

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ac1d0v3r1d3 said:
Nobody is saying that S&W knives are the best. Or ever all that good. The OP even said that it's probably a fluke and that he has taken really good care of this particular S&W knife. The guy likes his cheap knife and wants other people to show their cheap knives that they like. There should be no problem with this.

I don't see why you even thought that you should contribute to this thread. It's not helping anything. Your just bringing us down. :thumbdn:
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He claims to have done all this work with a S&W so he doesn't need a Sebenza.:rolleyes: I wasn't intending to bring anyone down. If people like that kind of stuff more power to them.
 
whitebuffalo2 said:
I wonder if the folks in Ellenville and Camillus NY would agree with some heres take on "globally" made knives? They were just people trying to make a living too. I'm not sure if I agree with the whole, "let's teach the U.S. knife manufactures a lesson" by buying knives from anywhere else but here thing. Personally, I don't believe they charge more for their product because of greed, but because they warrant it. I recently made a comparison between the USA Schrade Old Timer 6OT and it's China counterpart. The China version weighs less, the blade is made from thinner stock, the grinds are cruder and the fit and finish are sub-standard. Yes, this is only one comparison, but it does serve to tell atleast part of the story. Sure it cost less, but given the choice, I would gladly save the $10 I spent for that knife and add to it whenever possible until I was able to afford the U.S. made version. If I thought for one minute that China (and other countries) had our best welfare in mind and that their only goal was to supply the USA with the finest quality product for the least amount of money, then I wouldn't feel as I do. But, why would they do that?! No, my friends. If we don't support our own local economy, I guarantee you nobody else is going too. The question for me isn't whether these knives are of good quality, the question is, are they good for America? I mean, we're not talking about a couple of thousand HQ knives a year here. We're talking about 100's of thousands (of sometimes questionable quality) knives sent in for the purpose of mass marketing. There has to be an effect from it. WB2
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I disagree. American made products can compete if they have superior quality. Kershaw, Spyderco, Benchmade, Buck, and many others survive. Victorinox of Switzerland has been making and selling inexpensive pocket knives for more than a century, yet nobody comes close to unseating them because they are committed to quality.

It just so happen that the people who bought Schrade brand see it as nothing more than a name to sell the cheapest products possible, hence it becomes nothing more than a name. If they're committed to quality and spend more money, they can easily order knives from China that are better than old Schrades and sell it at the same price. Take a look at Rough Rider brand.

I don't mind paying a little premium for American made products. But, if you're gonna be charging me a premium, you better not have lesser quality than Chinese made products.
 
It seems like a ongoing trend for threads about chinese knives to turn into a huge political battles. The mods should crack down on this, just like the sanrenmu thread and the volt 2 thread...

Anyway, I have been using a chinese knife as my edc for the last year at work and it has held up wonderfully! I haven't tried any taylor cutlery brands, probably never will but sometimes you can get really surprised by a knife that has been given a bad rep. My crkt m16 for example...
 
I am in china now and through my interaction, you get what you pay for.

They can mill anything to the specs you like but many customers are not willing to pay.


Take for example a 10" wrench spanner. it cost about 1.80 us here after a middleman. A 36" bolt cutter is 12usd. The problem usually arises when manufacturers pay very little to enlarge their profits and you get crappy stuff because its in reality costing very little and its because of the selling price that the consumers are expecting more from it.
 
I got this one about 6 months ago. It's of questionable pedigree, but it's unstoppable. This cheap, Chinese import is one of the hardest working knives I own...and one of the most durable. Stainless. Blade 4.5 Knife 8.5
I almost returned it for a refund...Good thing I didn't!

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No politics intended folks. Non what-so-ever. It's just a topic that has come to mind for me several times lately. I probably should have started my own thread instead of noseing in on this one. My appoligies to the OP and the rest of you. I'll bow out and let you good people get back to the subject this thread was intended for. WB2
 
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