US made

[Peter Parker]

Prefer US made but I don't have a problem with other countries except China. Japan's knives and steels are every bit as good as we can produce in my humble openion.

 

[gazz98]

As long as it is quality and good bang for the buck, I'll buy it. I wish I could buy more from the US but we just don't make much of anything anymore.

My fixed blades are Kabars and Ontarios.

SAKs are..well...ya know.

Folders are a mixed bunch. Some Buck, BM, Spyderco, Kershaw, and Boker.

I've always owned a Ford vehicle.

 

[Bastid]

What is it regarding the rule of not discussion politics in this forum that makes it so difficult to understand.

If you chose to ignore the rule, be prepared to pay the price.

 

[shotgunner11]

I'm convinced there is not much correlation between country of origin and quality...

Aside from the fact that I've never seen a decent knife from Pakistan, I agree.

Alot of people assume that anything from China is junk and that's just not the reality. The chinese can and do make knives on par with the manufacturing quality of those from the US.

The only thing holding them back is the material quality. Not that they can't get the good stuff, just that people aren't willing to pay for it from China.....Yet.

They have the cheap labor, the hi-tech equipment and the monetary capital to make whatever they wish, they just can't market it as a "high Quality Chinese product", people think of Chinese equaling junk.

As far as China bombing us..... Na. their way too dependant on our economy to damage it. Even this latest economic slowdown has taken a massive toll on their economy, thousands of plant closures and millions of lost jobs.

If you could show me that China had a viable "plan B", a strategy to support their economy sans our and the rest of the worlds buying obsession, I might buy it but they've done nothing to prove that they could survive without us.

 

[topspeclt]

Aside from the fact that I've never seen a decent knife from Pakistan, I agree.

I used to think the same thing too until I saw this:

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49078&highlight=pakistan

They had really good things to say about the Damascus steel. It seems there are some manufacturers in that country that know what they are doing.

 

[shotgunner11]

guys im looking for some help as to evaluate a value for my knife i have an old Bo Randell Bowie knife with a H.Hinser sheath the model is 12 and i think it was made in the early 60's. can anyone help me out/ Im looking to sell it and find out what its worth.

Welcome to the forum.

Your best bet is going to be to start a new thread here.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=691

Just a suggestion, you might want to find out what it's worth before you sell it.

You'll need a paid membership to sell it here by the way.

 

[rugershooter16]

Yep, out of the few really good knives I have, none of them are made outside the US. I have thinned the herd out to just US made...

I have been looking at some spydies though

 

[CWL]

Funny how there are people who type "I don't buy China" on their "Made in China" keyboards... seems like you trust their technology and materials enough to post on the internet.

I just realized that I wouldn't buy any Pakistan or Indian knives though.

 

[shotgunner11]

Funny how there are people who type "I don't buy China" on their "Made in China" keyboards... seems like you trust their technology and materials enough to post on the internet.

I just realized that I wouldn't buy any Pakistan or Indian knives though.

I make a consious decision to try to avoid buying knives, multitools, flashlights and things of the like from China. I own a few but TRY not to make a habit of it.

These things are my hobby so I pay particular attention to every aspect of them. Materials, origin of manufacture, company profile, company news.

I pay much less attention to the details of the other things in my life. I try to buy american as much as possible but cost, availability and other factors play more of a role for me on things like clothing, computers(electronics), housewares and things like that than with things I really care about.

 

[Stainz]

We have some really excellent knives made here in the USA. I like the Bucks, Kershaws, and Gerbers made here - of course the Benchmades. One day I'll have a Sebenza. Wow - Bark River fixed blades. Lots of goodies from here. You know, I've never knowingly bought a 'China' knife - always thought I'd want another knife in a few hours! And... all of this political talk - I just wanted to defuse things - and no one helped me!! Where is Stainless, Pakistan???

Oh... I love my handguns made right here in the USA - in a state where you probably can't even own 'em! And, they have to have that proper round thingie in the middle to hold the ammo - none of them evil-bottom-feeders, thank you very much! And steel - not plastic!! S&W rules!! Okay, not so much their knives...

Stainz

Time for my meds...

 

[akadave2]

Grouping products by country of origin is a bad idea, unless you're concerned about politics or nationalism. The premise is broken from the start. It's a matter of economics, not international borders.

At one time, all the crappy knives sold in America were not Chinese, but American and European. As American and European labor rose in value, those knives could not survive the marketplace using such valuable labor. So production moved elsewhere to places where labor had less value. Japan, Taiwan, China.

China's labor is still quite cheap. However, China's industry is relatively modern and driven by demand in places like the US. As a result, China is able to produce much better goods than they might have fifty years ago, but still at low cost. Technology has leveled the playing field to a large extent. Nowadays, the only reason a crappy knife might come from China is because few people in the West are willing to pay for a very good Chinese knife at a price comparable to a decent American made knife. China's low cost labor is better utilized making lower end goods. Similarly, America's high cost labor is better utilized making pricier goods. With technology closing the gap.

I think I would group politics and nationalism in there as valid reasons. I certainly dont think that China has the market cornered on crappy goods and services. I do aggree however the level of quality that comes from China is partially due to the fact that most people are not willing to pay as much for their products as if you were buying home produced goods. I will also preface this with this: It doesnt take too much looking around on Ebay to find a huge amount of fraudulently presented junk whos origin is China. Their business practices seem to be opportunistic.

So...short answers. I buy US as much as possible to support the US economy. I dont blindly buy US though, we have our warts. Not complicated really. Its like reading too much into a Bob Dillan song.

 

[akadave2]

There is a far greater possibility that you will be harmed by your own country.

All those taxes that you pay go towards the New-World-Order agenda and they use it provide you with poisoned water, food, air, they destroy the economy, agriculture create a police state, send armed forces to die abroad (poison them too) over lies and for their own profit. They take away your rights and freedoms, blast you with propaganda and brain washing, teach nonsense in schools, preach and promote eugenics, supress innovative technology (like water powereed cars developed decades ago), rob you of all you money, work to create pressures on family to break it, install puppet presidents cut from the same cloth, lie about other countries, indulge in torture, persectuion, genocide abroad and to top it all off they murder thousands like on 911 just for fun ALL to achieve their heinous agenda.

AND YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT CHINA! LOL

Having said all that the knives I am MOST impressed with come from U.S.A.

P.S. I can provide EVIDENCE to back up every claim in this post. I DARE you to contest it!

Wow...tell us how you really feel.

Yes you can find evidence to support your lame comments and I can provide just as much evidence that Big Foot is real. Dont believe everything you read...ecpecially if you are from France! lol!

 

[PrimitiveMan]

I have no problem buying foreign, of course I have no problem with the military bombing foreign either.

 

[statmonster]

Most of my American knives( Spyderco, Kershaw, SOG) are made in Seki Japan. I also have American Knives(Spyderco, Ontario, AG Russell) made in Maniago, Italy. Every one is a quality knife

 

[shotgunner11]

Their business practices seem to be opportunistic.

At one point, this fact bothered me a great deal.

I trained a herd of chinese gentlemen to do my job before my former employer moved a huge portion of their business overseas. Spent 10 hours a day with them for weeks and got to know a few of them fairly well.

I had a lengthy conversation about that with one of them and from what he told me, in their country, they don't have copyright or trademark law. Not only that, but they don't even view it as a social taboo. If two companies make an identical product, the market decides which one is superior.

He was very confused when I explained the trademark thing and just couldn't wrap his head around associating honor to the situation.

They just look at it completely differently than the rest of the world does. Like that with alot of things really. It was strange to conversate with them. Very smart and technologically advanced but as far as news, politics and the like they were in the stone age. Victim's of living under communist leadership I guess.

 

[Psychopomp]

I would prefer to buy American, and usually do, but I go where the quality is. I stay away from Chinese junk, but Buck, Spyderco and Benchmade all make high quality knives in China. I don't own any of these, but that's only because I haven't seen the need to buy one, being made in China wouldn't stop me if the quality was right.

As to cars, I drive a Japanese, made in Japan car... a Subaru Impreza. Again, I go where the quality is. And in cars, the quality sure isn't in America.

 

[shecky]

Their business practices seem to be opportunistic.

You say this as if it's a bad thing. Few businesses can afford to not be opportunistic. I suppose there's a distinct relationship between how hungry a business is and how opportunistic it is.

If two companies make an identical product, the market decides which one is superior.

Now there's a novel idea!

That is exactly the kind of thing that made the US such a strong economy. Today, we're fat enough that we can afford the luxuries of stringent IP protection, and have a large populace wealthy enough to afford to buy goods at inflated prices for protectionist reasons. Or even no reason at all. Sneering at China's primitive business atmosphere is something we can only do because we don't recognize or remember our own past.

 

[shotgunner11]

Sneering at China's primitive business atmosphere is something we can only do because we don't recognize or remember our own past.

I don't sneer, I just prefer to reward originality with my dollars.

I think that a companies hard earned research and design work should be rewarded with a few years of freedom from infringement.

Once that time is up, no holds barred, best product wins.

 

[akadave2]

You say this as if it's a bad thing. Few businesses can afford to not be opportunistic. I suppose there's a distinct relationship between how hungry a business is and how opportunistic it is. .

I guess I wasnt using strong enough language. Perhaps predatory was the more proper description.

Now there's a novel idea!

That is exactly the kind of thing that made the US such a strong economy. Today, we're fat enough that we can afford the luxuries of stringent IP protection, and have a large populace wealthy enough to afford to buy goods at inflated prices for protectionist reasons. Or even no reason at all. Sneering at China's primitive business atmosphere is something we can only do because we don't recognize or remember our own past.

Specifically Im talking about forgeries. Not pirated software or identical products. They try to pass newly made items off as antique....frequently. They copy trademarked items and try to pass them off as genuine. This is not making identical items and trying to sell them on their own merit. This is fraud, and regardless of their culture its wrong. If it were ok to kill their wife for infidelity in their culture would that be ok too?

I also forgot to mention the melanine poisoning and the high content of lead in many Chinese products. I guess their "culture" has some sort of ignorance toward harmful substances?

 

[shecky]

I don't sneer, I just prefer to reward originality with my dollars.

I think that a companies hard earned research and design work should be rewarded with a few years of freedom from infringement.

Once that time is up, no holds barred, best product wins.

This is assuming a knife is patented. If it is, it's enforceable in the US. If not, it doesn't actually matter. Furthermore, patents aren't a whole lot of power, either. They give the holder a little bit better leverage in court, but that's about it. Patents are not rewarded automatically. They have to be sought, paid for, and enforced by the holder.

Yes, it's a tough world, and seems kinda stacked against innovation. But that would be mistaken. Not only has it always been that way, it kind of works pretty well in the real world.

I guess I wasnt using strong enough language. Perhaps predatory was the more proper description.

Once again, you say that as if it's a bad thing.

Capitalism can seem cruel sometimes.

Specifically Im talking about forgeries. Not pirated software or identical products. They try to pass newly made items off as antique....frequently. They copy trademarked items and try to pass them off as genuine. This is not making identical items and trying to sell them on their own merit. This is fraud, and regardless of their culture its wrong. If it were ok to kill their wife for infidelity in their culture would that be ok too?

Counterfeits are actionable in the US. Tougher to enforce not only in China, but anywhere is not optimized to do so.

All these criticisms of China are built on the assumption that they cannot happen in the US. This is false. Forgeries happen anywhere they can. If it originates in the US, do you decide that buying American is an immoral or unethical choice?

FWIW, counterfeiting ≠ killing. Reductio ad absurdum arguments are usually poor ones.

I also forgot to mention the melanine poisoning and the high content of lead in many Chinese products. I guess their "culture" has some sort of ignorance toward harmful substances?

Largely irrelevant to knives. You're fishing for excuses now. Again, there is a long continuing history of dangerous products originating in the US. Does this fact make buying American an immoral or unethical choice?

Once again, China doesn't make knives. Manufacturers make knives. Making country of origin an issue really has nothing to do with knives themselves.