WE Knife opinions

slyraven said:
You misunderstand, I didn't say I buy non mass market knives, I buy crkts made in china, or used to, I buy gerbers and I buy mtechs and tacforce and other janky type knives...because I like the looks. My point is, I won't buy from a Chinese company who claims to be legit because I simply do not believe them right now, too much stigma in such a market. I know WE knives look great and are made well, but I am not to th epoint where I will put up such a price from factories in china when no telling what kinda stuff they do.
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Any business Chinese or US can be full of all type of shady crap. WE and other companies are operating as they must in China to produce a high end product.

I am sure there is all types of shady stuff going on with Chinese knife companies. WE knives is producing in the largest knife factory in the world and is a subsidiary of Wa Yeah knives who do make some gas station level clones.

On the other hand WE knives is showing them if they run a clean ship, use original designs and stand on their own two feet there is a lot of money to be made. If no one bought a WE ever again they may close but that same factory/people will just go back to producing gas station knives some of which are incidentally clones.
 
Distinguishing products via their origin when there's a proven track record is ridiculous.

I still laugh at people when they think they're buying an American car. You know, when there's more Hondas in the top 10 American made cars than any other brand...
 
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True, but in this instance we are talking about China specifically. They have a lot of bad actions over the last number of decades and they still do not recognize patents and have created some of the worst and even dangerous goods distributed in the united states. Im not saying all of the US businesses are saints but they ARE subject to both federal and state regulations and OSHA and fair practices standards that the Chinese likely giggle about.

SeppukuSamurai said:
Distinguishing products via their origin when there's a proven track record is ridiculous. I still laugh at people when they think they're buying an American car. You know, when there's more Hondas in the top 10 American made cars than any other brand...
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akadave2 said:
True, but in this instance we are talking about China specifically. They have a lot of bad actions over the last number of decades and they still do not recognize patents and have created some of the worst and even dangerous goods distributed in the united states. Im not saying all of the US businesses are saints but they ARE subject to both federal and state regulations and OSHA and fair practices standards that the Chinese likely giggle about.
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The only thing I've taken issue with is the practice of disregarding a company solely due to its origin IN SPITE OF a proven track record.

I would never argue that much of the caution when it comes to buying "made in China" isn't warranted. Most obviously it is. Furthermore the lack of safety infrastructure is disgusting. Agreed.

But that isn't the case here. We're talking about a company with a solid history and good standing in the community. With that in mind how can statements like "Chinese companies trying to be something they're not" like another poster stated be justified? What does that even mean?

Furthermore, where do we draw the line? Made in the USA, what does that really mean and how many companies really achieve the requirements?
 
slyraven said:
You misunderstand, I didn't say I buy non mass market knives, I buy crkts made in china, or used to, I buy gerbers and I buy mtechs and tacforce and other janky type knives...because I like the looks. While WE are mass marketish, their price point is beyond what I want to spend for a mass market from China. If it were cheaper I'd have no issues. My point is, I won't buy from a Chinese company who claims to be legit because I simply do not believe them right now, too much stigma in such a market. I know WE knives look great and are made well, but I am not to th epoint where I will put up such a price from factories in china when no telling what kinda stuff they do.
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We has been around for a good few years now, what exactly will it take for them to prove themselves? I remember one knife of theirs that had an actual design flaw. One. Other than that, no controversies, great knives,been around for years now, etc. What else do you need?
 
Well, that is why I am buying a WE. I have purchased other great Chinese products as well. Hell Im carrying an iPhone 10x right now. I just use an abundance of caution when buying a Chinese product that looks great without the ability to test it and know that it is great.

Im sure I have purchased a number of products that were made in China but assembled in the US. That, at least gives me the assurance to some degree that it was inspected and meets US standards depending on the product. Caveat Emptor .

SeppukuSamurai said:
The only thing I've taken issue with is the practice of disregarding a company solely due to its origin IN SPITE OF a proven track record.

I would never argue that much of the caution when it comes to buying "made in China" isn't warranted. Most obviously it is. Furthermore the lack of safety infrastructure is disgusting. Agreed.

But that isn't the case here. We're talking about a company with a solid history and good standing in the community. With that in mind how can statements like "Chinese companies trying to be something they're not" like another poster stated be justified? What does that even mean?

Furthermore, where do we draw the line? Made in the USA, what does that really mean and how many companies really achieve the requirements?
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Their price is my biggest problem with them. I'm not paying 1st world prices for anything made there. Someone is getting fat of that price and it isn't the worker.
 
This thread gave me a good laugh, some think that "China" can't produce a good knife. Have you heard of any notable US knife makers contracting with Chinese brands to produce their high-end knives? They could be on to something, since they know a thing or two about knives.
 
I have that Zinker Dogtooth it's pretty amazing. So much so that I would like to try the Keen Laconico.
 
I’ve been lucky to have a lot of opportunity to handle a wide variety of knives, from many makers, and to see how they are in use. WE is exceptional in terms of fitment, and in terms of consistency with regard to build quality. This is true of their $150ish collaborations (like my two Keens), on up. There have been multiple models that I’ve been sufficiently impressed by during reviews that I’ve arranged to get other copies through afterward to see if the first ones were anomalies, or if they were typical of the brand. In every case, the later samples have equaled the first.

Regarding heat treatment...

Here’s a chart of independent hrc test results.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OepNr_D4lqbdTFqdqWl1rmAd4bOzPzJe6J0iEWrdJGU/htmlview#

Credit for the chart goes to Kurt for testing, Blade Banter for data entry, and many for sending samples for testing.
 
akadave2 said:
True, but in this instance we are talking about China specifically. They have a lot of bad actions over the last number of decades and they still do not recognize patents and have created some of the worst and even dangerous goods distributed in the united states. Im not saying all of the US businesses are saints but they ARE subject to both federal and state regulations and OSHA and fair practices standards that the Chinese likely giggle about.
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I don't understand how you could talk about every knife company in China "specifically". My take on this whole thing is good quality knives can be made anywhere and so can crappy ones. Unfortunately China got stuck in that crappy section for many years because no one was making good knives (that I'm aware of) over there.
 
Lapedog said:
Any business Chinese or US can be full of all type of shady crap. WE and other companies are operating as they must in China to produce a high end product.

I am sure there is all types of shady stuff going on with Chinese knife companies. WE knives is producing in the largest knife factory in the world and is a subsidiary of Wa Yeah knives who do make some gas station level clones.

On the other hand WE knives is showing them if they run a clean ship, use original designs and stand on their own two feet there is a lot of money to be made. If no one bought a WE ever again they may close but that same factory/people will just go back to producing gas station knives some of which are incidentally clones.
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What are the source(s) for WE knives being a subsidiary or in any way associated with Wayeah? As far as I know/could find, the only way they're related is that they're in the same province of China, as are a lot of other knife companies and metal working shops. But that doesn't connect them, since these types of industrial towns are common not just in China but around the world, including the US. I'm asking purely out of curiosity and I know you have behind the scenes info, as I learned from the CKF thread.
 
I don't buy knives often usually one a year. Yes, We, Reate, and Kizer make great knives. No doubt about it.

But at >$300, I'd rather buy something custom or semi custom from the U.S.

Again I have no qualms buying overseas, but I don't like giving money to a communist country that treats it's people terribly.

I drive a Kia Sorento, Korean company, but many. My other car had been a Kia as well, a 2012 Forte, which I sold to my uncle after my divorce. It has never had a single issue. Routine maintenance, tires and brakes.

Same with the Sorento, a 2011.

I generally don't have brand loyalty, but I do have brand disloyalty, if you will.
 
Before you go bashing WE handle one of their knives! I have a $62 WE (Civivi) in my pocket right now that has better fit and finish than MANY U.S. made knives that cost triple that! I don’t see WE or Reate or Kizer using low grade screws like some well known US companies!!! :mad:
 
Lance Leon said:
What are the source(s) for WE knives being a subsidiary or in any way associated with Wayeah? As far as I know/could find, the only way they're related is that they're in the same province of China, as are a lot of other knife companies and metal working shops. But that doesn't connect them, since these types of industrial towns are common not just in China but around the world, including the US. I'm asking purely out of curiosity and I know you have behind the scenes info, as I learned from the CKF thread.
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They have the exact same address for one thing. They are both being built in the same “largest knife factory on earth” for another thing.
 
I own a WE Practic. Bought it new for $140. Fit, finish, and materials blow away any other production knives (Spyderco, Benchmade...) at this price point IMHO.
 
I really don't think there's any question that We knives are high quality.

But their designs don't do anything for me. Every time I look at one , they look beautiful and ugly at the same time.
It makes no sense, but that's how my brain processes their knife designs. It's like "wow" and then "oh no"

On the other hand Reate and Kizer are more in tune to my tastes ( but of course that's subjective)
 
Guess I'm a bit more simplistic in my approach to buying things. If a company is producing an item I want that meets the quality I expect for the price I buy it.

I don't own a WE or Ciivi, almost bought a Ciivi but decided against it at the last second and I forgot the reason but quality and value definitely wasn't the reason as they aced both catorgories for what I would be getting.

My advice if you like a WE or Ciivi design get it, I've heard nothing but good things about them so their a pretty safe bet in my opinion.
 
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