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I'd also agree with this ranking.
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WE Knives? Another high end Chinese company?
- Thread starter Seilu
- Start date
I'd also agree with this ranking.
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From an enviromental point of view and for supporting your own local economy this is probably the best you can do. Respect. But it will be difficult because a lot of manufacturers use parts for their products which are manufactured in all kind of countries.With that stated, I have never owned any of these 4 brands of knives, and in all certainty, I never will! I can live with that.
I find that I'm able to fulfill my knife fix, buying American made knives, from American, who employee American worker's (especially Veteran's).
Fact is we live in a globalizing world and we all support workers in all kind of countries. I am Dutch, but i will also buy American made, Chinese made, European made. If you for example buy a WE or Reate knife with S35vn bladesteel, you also support the employees of Crucible in the USA.
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I can live with this ranking. Of course i am involved with WE, but i am a Reate fanboy also
I think i have 12 Reate models in my collection. But they are very close...and the final judgement will always be arbitrary 
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of course i do not have handled all Reate models...and i made a mistake...i do own 12 Reate knives. But not 12 models. From the models i own, at this point i would rank the Future first. As with the 704 from WE, although the 702 is very close.
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You never will understand what the fuss is about if you refuse to buy one of their products and judge from a distance. I would ask though which american company you know of selling titanium handled integrals with an m390 blade and the exceptional fit and finish WE offers at $295.e
^ I understood what you meant.
It's just that some of these Chinese made knives (from the 4 companies you ranked), aren't cheap. I'd just as soon buy American knives, at these price points.
I'm Patriotic. This is why I never entertained the idea of buying anything other than an American made truck.
This is just my personal opinion. If somebody would like to send me one of their knives, so I can try it out and offer my opinion of what I think, feel free.
I just don't get what all the fuss is about, regarding these knives!
That right there is the main attraction for some. Getting a product that is made to a higher quality standard than most american offerings yet keeping a price below anything made in the states with the same materials. And i can say that they are just as good if not better than many usa made brands because i have actually owned them. Imho its more a global market than it ever has been.
Hell a toyota tundra is made in america with more parts sourced in anerica than a chevy colorado. And while we may be made in china they do support us jobs by purchasing steels like s35vn. Either way im not going to settle for a lesser product with lesser materials when the only more you get is the dollars you need to spend because its american. Half the time an american knife has imported parts anyways. Just ask buck
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That is a nice looking damascus blade you have there, henkh! If they make a 615 with that kind of blade I just may have to buy a third one. 
I did receive the 703 today, and I have to say WE is making subtle improvements on even their budget models. I had previously picked up their other budget model, the 617, but already I can say I like the 703 a bit more. I thought it was just going to be more or less a drop point version of the 617 with a slightly shorter blade. There are a few more changes than that though.
The scales are way more comfortable with the smooth overall curve on the outside and more subtle transition into the index finger part of the grip. The back of the scales also has a slight dip just before the blade which feels more natural for the thumb. I also like that they went with a hollow grind instead of a flat grind and enlarged the sharpening choil a bit. Some nice improvements.
A couple things I found that I didn't like were the changes with the flipper tab. I don't know if it's just because it's flat on the side with gimping, but it feels a bit more difficult to get my finger on it to flip the blade open. That flat side also throws off the aesthetics with the blade open as it doesn't follow the curve of the index groove on the scales like with the 617. This second point is more of a nitpick as it doesn't affect ergonomics at all.
WE knives continues to impress me! I'll be keeping an eye on their future models. I already plan to get the 704 in the near future and I'll be on the lookout for that damascus.
I did receive the 703 today, and I have to say WE is making subtle improvements on even their budget models. I had previously picked up their other budget model, the 617, but already I can say I like the 703 a bit more. I thought it was just going to be more or less a drop point version of the 617 with a slightly shorter blade. There are a few more changes than that though.
The scales are way more comfortable with the smooth overall curve on the outside and more subtle transition into the index finger part of the grip. The back of the scales also has a slight dip just before the blade which feels more natural for the thumb. I also like that they went with a hollow grind instead of a flat grind and enlarged the sharpening choil a bit. Some nice improvements.
A couple things I found that I didn't like were the changes with the flipper tab. I don't know if it's just because it's flat on the side with gimping, but it feels a bit more difficult to get my finger on it to flip the blade open. That flat side also throws off the aesthetics with the blade open as it doesn't follow the curve of the index groove on the scales like with the 617. This second point is more of a nitpick as it doesn't affect ergonomics at all.
WE knives continues to impress me! I'll be keeping an eye on their future models. I already plan to get the 704 in the near future and I'll be on the lookout for that damascus.
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What you really need is therapy
LOL...i can recommend my own therapist....he is now also collecting WE Knives...LOL Looking forward to our next therapy/trade session LOL
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Henk-
Do you think there's any chance that WE release a 702 with a Damasteel blade?
That would be my grail knife.
Jim
Do you think there's any chance that WE release a 702 with a Damasteel blade?
That would be my grail knife.
Jim
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Here's a link to the facebook group with a short clip: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weknife/
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Jim, for now i don't know for sure. As soon as i have an update i will post it here. And i am right with you!
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That's nice looking Damasteel but the WE 605 model never seemed to fit my hand. The forward choil and thumb ramp make it look like it'd be great for fine work but the flared flipper cover is a little wide for a comfortable forward grip. My hand was either too far forward or back but never quite right...you might want to try to handle the 605 series for yourself before jumping on board.
