'Tis the season to buy inferior knockoffs on eBay . . .

tyr_shadowblade

tyr_shadowblade

Joined
Jan 3, 2006
Messages
12,853
Alright, the title might be misleading as I'm addressing current production factory knives from well known brands rather than clones or counterfeits. I generally purchase customs made by members of this forum for my own use and for family and close friends, but when I'm purchasing knives as gifts for casual acquaintances and co-workers I want to keep the price under a hundred bucks, in many cases even under fifty. For a beater work knife that generally isn't a problem, but sometimes you just want a decent quality production folder from a respected manufacturer. Sadly, it seems you cannot simply purchase based upon brand anymore as many once respected brands have changed ownership and quality has declined, sometimes due to outsourcing production to places like China or Pakistan.

A few well respected names whose quality seems to have significantly deteriorated over the past decade follows:

Taylor LLC
Schrade
Uncle Henry
Old Timer
Marbles
Kissing Crane
Winchester

A few others I have heard reports that quality has noticeable declined:

Hen & Rooster
Boker
Buck
Case

When purchasing online, the country of manufacture is not always noted, nor is the fact that a particular company may have recently changed ownership and quality control standards have changed. There are some modern knives made in China that are of excellent quality (the Byrd line comes to mind), but if you're looking for a reasonably priced traditional folder I'm starting to think it might be best to buy secondhand from a collection or estate rather than buying new from the factory in most cases. The annoying thing is that, especially on sites like eBay, you see a knife from a well known maker in a traditional style that appears to be a 50 year old knife with significant value, and people bid on it as such, but after a little online research you discover that a "like new, no box" folder that sold for over 50 bucks seems to be the same exact model retailing elsewhere for 17.95. So be wary of late night impulse purchases and do some research. Rant concluded.
 
I think Schrade, Uncle Henry, and Old Timer are all under Taylor LLC which I didn't know ever had a good reputation. I'm not an expert though.
 
I don't gift knives often, but when I do...

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I've been happy with my recent Buck purchases. The vantage for around $30 was great and my came smooth and centered. Also, my Buck 110 has the quality I would expect of a classic knife - can be found online at reputable balde forum dealers for around $40.
 
I just recently got a Buck Marksman. Centered blade, flips great and locks up solid. I just gifted my dad a Buck 55 and the blade was centered, sharp and f&f was great. I'm not complaining. I have heard horror stories from other Buck knives, as well as all the other brands you listed. I suppose QC can slip somewhat in this day and age when people don't take as much pride in their work as they used to.
 
There's a big difference between USA-made and China-made Buck knives.
Stick with USA-made Bucks and you won't be disappointed.
 
Also in general for me, I may just be either lucky, generally buying from solid brands, have low expectations, or a combination of the three, but I find myself much more often impressed by knife fit and finish than disappointed. My svord peasant felt more like a kit than a completed knife but now it's a fun project waiting to happen
 
Blues Blender, that made me laugh. It also reminded me of the time some cat pulls into the parking lot of my work place. He pops his trunk, and says pick as many as you want, and pay me what you think they are worth. They were Frost Cutlery. I grabbed 5 for $10. lol I was thrilled. I still have a few. They work, albeit dangerous. LOL
 
ALLHSS said:
I think Schrade, Uncle Henry, and Old Timer are all under Taylor LLC which I didn't know ever had a good reputation. I'm not an expert though.
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Yup, that whole first list is former USA companies now being made offshore. There are decent knives made in China though, albeit maybe not them.
 
If you want a good, inexpensive traditional, Rough Riders have been very well received over on the traditional subforum. They really are quite good, and not just "good for the price." The heat treat is good, the fit and finish is generally good and the walk and talk is good as well. I think they are the best bet in an inexpensive overseas made knife. Of course, an Opinel 6 or 8 is always well received and their inox is decent too.
 
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Brian.Evans said:
If you want a good, inexpensive traditional, Rough Riders have been very well received over on the traditional subforum. They really are quite good, and not just "good for the price." The heat treat is good, the fit and finish is generally good and the fit and finish is good as well. I think they are the best bet in an inexpensive overseas made knife. Of course, an Opinel 6 or 8 is always well received and their inox is decent too.
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I have found rough riders to be of great value, as in quality/price.

And there's always Victorinox.
 
tyr_shadowblade said:
A few others I have heard reports that quality has noticeable declined:

Hen & Rooster
Boker
Buck
Case
Click to expand...
I REALLY hope this isn't true. It is bad enough Kissing Crane now makes lower quality knives and Henckels quit making pocket knives all together. If Case's quality is declining though (and I hope it isn't), is it supposed to be a result of ZIPPO buying the company??
 
Blades&Bullets said:
I REALLY hope this isn't true. It is bad enough Kissing Crane now makes lower quality knives and Henckels quit making pocket knives all together. If Case's quality is declining though (and I hope it isn't), is it supposed to be a result of ZIPPO buying the company??
Click to expand...

Boker now gets offshore parts on some "tree" knives and assembles in Germany. Buck contracts for some 420j2 knives from China.

Shame I always liked Boker's tree brand a lot. I think the ones stamped "Solingen" are still all German, not sure.
 
Easy solution. Only buy knives made in the US.
 
I have to say the the Schrade SCHF13 I just got in earlier this week is a pretty sweet knife, build quality is actually the best I have ever bought from them. Handles all line up perfectly, tight fit in the kydex sheath, super sharp edge, I put a Tek Lok on it, I like it so much i'm having CKC making me a forest digital camo kydex sheath for it. If you look on youtube there are nothing but good reviews about this one.
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My first Schrade was an X-Timer XT2B that was made in China, and I liked it enough that when I found out that there had been a US-produced version prior to the Taylor buyout, I tracked one down. It has become my go-to fixed blade, while the Chinese one sits in its box virtually unused, simply because I haven't been compelled to do anything with it. I have since bought a couple of other Schrade fixed blades that were made in China but seem solidly built and really lacking only in terms of steel. I realize that that's a big "only" for some folks and/or in some situations, but these aren't my hard use knives. Meanwhile, I own a few other imported fixed blades, ranging from MTech to CRKT to Boker Plus. I really have no complaints with any of them, although fit and finish on a couple could be better.

Folders are a different story altogether. I've been disappointed with Boker (both Tree and Plus) and Gerber in particular, but in general, I'm suspicious of most Chinese folders. I just feel like there are too many potential weak links.
 
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