What brands WON'T you own?

Samael said:
If you'd prefer to e-mail me, please do, but I would be curious to hear what negative info you have on Bark River and (especially) Blackjack. I've never heard anything but positive things about them, but am always trying to keep an ear to the ground.
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There were 3 or 4 threads regarding these two companies, or the owner of them more specifically, in the last year. A search of GB&U will turn them up but you may not like what you find.
 
roughedges said:
There were 3 or 4 threads regarding these two companies, or the owner of them more specifically, in the last year. A search of GB&U will turn them up but you may not like what you find.
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Guyon sent me a PM with a bunch of links almost immediately. Interesting reading. I would have posted something sooner, but the server has been timing out on me really badly tonight.

Thanks, guys.
 
I would like to know if those who won't purchase knives from particular companies because of perceived poor business practices and ethics also extend this consumer integrity to other products, e.g. automobiles, food, pharmaceuticals, etc. To clarify (which seems necessary in this thread;)), I am not challenging or antagonizing anyone. I am simply curious.

P.S. QFI:

tirod3 said:
It's strange that the American language, which is saturated with special rules and inclusive of so many descriptive words and phrases, can also be the least understood or appreciated by it's practitioners.
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tirod3 said:
Communicating with the written word requires 1) competence and understanding of it's construct
_________________________________________________________________

The comments about Thomas W. are precisely what the knife community does worst - take, or make an issue about something that has nothing to do with the physical product and thereby hold a negative attitude about it.

Time to grow up, kids.
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KarlMaldensNose said:
I would like to know if those who won't purchase knives from particular companies because of perceived poor business practices and ethics also extend this consumer integrity to other products, e.g. automobiles, food, pharmaceuticals, etc. To clarify (which seems necessary in this thread;)), I am not challenging or antagonizing anyone. I am simply curious.

P.S. QFI:
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I wouldn't buy from Bark River after reading about some of the business dealings with the ower here. Too many other quality knife makers to buy from and avoid troubles.
 
Seems to be a split here on why you won't buy a certain brand. One for quality and one for more personal/political/insert other reason here reasons. I will usually give a knife a try and when it fails me I will not usually purchase again.

However, I will not buy any knife that is either Chinese junk or a knock off of a reputable company. When I see all of the heart and soul go into a knife like a Spyderco, and then see it copied to a T and up on a web site for 12 bucks it makes my skin crawl.

I will never invest in low quality theft. That's a big issue for me personally. With that said, my list is short because I have only been really disappointed by 2 brands of knives.

I bought a Frost knife some years ago that the scale material was flaking off in shards and the blade grind was uneven and there was blade play. This was a new knife.

I had bought a Chive for myself a few years earlier that came with a weak spring but I thought it was just one of those things and turned around and gave it to a friend.

Last year I bought my girlfriends son a Kershaw OCC Leak. I got him the knife for Christmas and by the first week in March the spring was shot and the knife had to be manually opened.

Two in a row is all I need to not bother wasting my money on again. Not to disparage but burn we once..... you get my meaning.

I turned around and bought him a Byrd Crossbill and he loves it.
 
Kohai999 said:
I won't buy:

CRKT
Gerber
Taylor Cutlery or Taylor owned brands

Why?

Because if it wasn't for those companies, we would not have had to deal with U.S. Customs trying to take away our knives. In trying to maximize profits, these companies threw the entire knife community under the bus.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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What did these particular three companies do that was different than other importers of AO knives? That's a serious question, not a challenge---you must have some news/info that I missed. I would be very curious to know what they were guilty of and how they tried to throw us under the bus.
 
KarlMaldensNose said:
I would like to know if those who won't purchase knives from particular companies because of perceived poor business practices and ethics also extend this consumer integrity to other products, e.g. automobiles, food, pharmaceuticals, etc. To clarify (which seems necessary in this thread;)), I am not challenging or antagonizing anyone. I am simply curious.

P.S. QFI:
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I have tried for years to avoid products made by any company that contributes to anti-gun causes. I stopped wearing Levi's jeans when I found out all of the nutcase organizations they supported.

Basically, if a company has given $1 to somebody like moveon.org, PETA or the Brady Campaign then I try to keep my money out of their hands.

I drive a Chevrolet truck, but I suspect it will be my last GM purchase now that GM stands for Government Motors. I would rather they just declared bankruptcy to begin with instead of selling their soul to the devil and then doing it anyway. I just don't see myself giving any more money to a company owned primarily by the unions and the socialist left.

So I guess the answer to your question is 'yes'.
 
Liveitloud said:
However, I will not buy any knife that is either Chinese junk or a knock off of a reputable company. When I see all of the heart and soul go into a knife like a Spyderco, and then see it copied to a T and up on a web site for 12 bucks it makes my skin crawl.
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Theft can occur solely in the States as well. An example here would be a designer promised royalties on a design and then never reimbursed for said design.
 
elkins45 said:
What did these particular three companies do that was different than other importers of AO knives? That's a serious question, not a challenge---you must have some news/info that I missed. I would be very curious to know what they were guilty of and how they tried to throw us under the bus.
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Those are the 3 companies that started this whole mess with Customs.
Their names are actually listed in the original documents that everyone had read.
They tried to get pre-clearance of their import A/O stuff through Customs and the new guy was on watch.
Funny that this had been going on all along, then a new guy shows up and it stops.
I wonder what was "going on" before?

mike
 
I won't buy a PRC-made knife - we have great knifemakers in this country (Even Gerber still makes some knives here!). I still buy some knives from Germany - and SAKs, of course. I knowingly bought a Japaneese Kershaw - may buy a Mcusta. A 'Swedish' knife made in Japan - not a chance. It's just me... and my money. I'll buy 'American' whenever possible.

Now, what am I least probable to own? After getting my RAT RC-5, I think Busses may be unlikely here. Nothing diamond, or other jewel, encrusted. Sebbies are nice - but not likely here... a BM mini Skirmish is close enough for me. Heck, a Buck 347 Vantage Pro is pretty darned useful - and more than sufficient - to me. I'd rather have 'more' of 'lessor' knives, I suppose - so write off the big dollar examples.

Stainz
 
Maybe the new guy was wanting to show some muscle, or follow the agenda of his political appointers? Sometimes the status quo exists because once all the legalities are considered, that's exactly what the law allows.

Therefore, companies getting pre-approval of a design are working with the system trying not to create difficulties for others or themselves. Who needs a $50K shipment of knives tied up? They aren't trying to import fake Rolexes or Nikes.

I think it's a legit question: just how far do you go in extending your ethics in purchases? Yes, I've boycotted stores or products before - it sometimes works. Most of the time, you simply don't know or have the time to pre-approve every single item so it meets the demands of complete ethical scrutiny. I really doubt much of what we own would.

Gets back to my question: how many are not buying a knife brand, and saying so on an computer sourced from the Far East? If you are a buy American kind of person, please type your response on something with at least 60% American made components.

You can't, so the claim rings a little hollow. So, you going to log off in a huff and watch TV? Oh my, not any better. Ok, grab a pen or pencil and dash off a letter to a friend? Check again - carefully. Screw this, jump in your car and - whoops, maybe not.

It's not called Chi-merica for nothing. Probably most of the clothes you wear didn't come from an American source, either. Most textiles are foreign now, include your sheets and towels, probably most of the appliances in the kitchen, especially the small stuff, and a lot of that warm and fuzzy stuff on the walls you call decor. Glasses, flatwear, plates and bowls, take a walk through most any department store and please tell me you shop American?

But by god, you draw the line at your pocketknife? Not even the gun enthusiasts tolerate that level of cluelessness on their forums.

This industry has always had cheap imports since the days of the Sheffield Bowie knife owning the market. It's a wonder we have American made knives at all - and imports can always do as good for a cheaper price. Might have something to do with 25 cent an hour labor vs. 10 dollars an hour. And the foreign laborer appreciates not starving because they have a good job.

Wonder what the Camillus union workers are doing right now? We sure supported them. "I only buy American!" is a sick joke.
 
tirod3 said:
Gets back to my question: how many are not buying a knife brand, and saying so on an computer sourced from the Far East? If you are a buy American kind of person, please type your response on something with at least 60% American made components.

You can't, so the claim rings a little hollow. So, you going to log off in a huff and watch TV? Oh my, not any better. Ok, grab a pen or pencil and dash off a letter to a friend? Check again - carefully. Screw this, jump in your car and - whoops, maybe not.
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I see some peoples' views as "I won't buy anything not made in America."

But on the other side there is "I won't buy anything but American made, if there is a choice."
"We" don't have a choice on many items on the market today.
I don't find fault with someone that wants to buy American products yet uses a foreign parts computer to tell us that.
Luckily, with knives, they're made in almost every country. So there are plenty of choices for one to make.

I wonder if the Chinese won't buy knives made in Pakistan and vice versa. :D

mike
 
I'm in agreement with Mike. I buy American whenever possible. Certainly, it's not always possible. It is, however, extremely possible with knives, so there you go.
 
It would be interesting to see a list of American manufactures in all catagories?

Someone else pointed out that a US computer is impossible to purchase, yet here we sit and some writing "I won't buy from China" "I will only buy American" I think they may need to do another inventory of their precious American made possessions and weed out the China made things.

On the grand scale of it all the knife industry pales in comparison to the computer industry and the computer industry is 99% foreign.

I read about a Browning Crowell Barker Competition knife that is made in Taiwan yet it is considered pretty good?

"I only buy American" What an idiotic statement? Oh and English, German, Scandinavian, French knives are alright to? Ignorance is bliss?
 
2brothers said:
They tried to get pre-clearance of their import A/O stuff through Customs and the new guy was on watch.
Funny that this had been going on all along, then a new guy shows up and it stops.
I wonder what was "going on" before?

mike
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Mike,

They pushed it to the limit, almost forcing a negative decision/action, including, in many cases NOT permanently labeling the knives with country of origin, which is a specific no-no...I base this upon personal experience with a company that imported items from China.

The volume of requests for pre-clearance had to have raised a red flag, and with the new administration, gave rise to something that should have never happened....and there are so few that really understand this, because in "rallying around the flag of the knife manufacturing community", we never stopped as a community to ask "why now", and "where did this come from"?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
tirod3 said:
Maybe the new guy was wanting to show some muscle, or follow the agenda of his political appointers? Sometimes the status quo exists because once all the legalities are considered, that's exactly what the law allows.

Therefore, companies getting pre-approval of a design are working with the system trying not to create difficulties for others or themselves. Who needs a $50K shipment of knives tied up? They aren't trying to import fake Rolexes or Nikes.

I think it's a legit question: just how far do you go in extending your ethics in purchases? Yes, I've boycotted stores or products before - it sometimes works. Most of the time, you simply don't know or have the time to pre-approve every single item so it meets the demands of complete ethical scrutiny. I really doubt much of what we own would.

Gets back to my question: how many are not buying a knife brand, and saying so on an computer sourced from the Far East? If you are a buy American kind of person, please type your response on something with at least 60% American made components.

You can't, so the claim rings a little hollow. So, you going to log off in a huff and watch TV? Oh my, not any better. Ok, grab a pen or pencil and dash off a letter to a friend? Check again - carefully. Screw this, jump in your car and - whoops, maybe not.

It's not called Chi-merica for nothing. Probably most of the clothes you wear didn't come from an American source, either. Most textiles are foreign now, include your sheets and towels, probably most of the appliances in the kitchen, especially the small stuff, and a lot of that warm and fuzzy stuff on the walls you call decor. Glasses, flatwear, plates and bowls, take a walk through most any department store and please tell me you shop American?

But by god, you draw the line at your pocketknife? Not even the gun enthusiasts tolerate that level of cluelessness on their forums.

This industry has always had cheap imports since the days of the Sheffield Bowie knife owning the market. It's a wonder we have American made knives at all - and imports can always do as good for a cheaper price. Might have something to do with 25 cent an hour labor vs. 10 dollars an hour. And the foreign laborer appreciates not starving because they have a good job.

Wonder what the Camillus union workers are doing right now? We sure supported them. "I only buy American!" is a sick joke.
Click to expand...

Clueless would be not knowing the difference between China and Japan.;) I bought and will continue to buy some Spyderco knives made in Japan. No Byrd knives for me, though. I will buy more Benchmade knives but no Red Class from China. If anyone thinks people making 25 cents an hour have a "good" job that is just delusional. I apologise if this is too political but trying to buy as much from the US as you can is not a joke.
 
Kohai999 said:
Mike,

They pushed it to the limit, almost forcing a negative decision/action, including, in many cases NOT permanently labeling the knives with country of origin, which is a specific no-no...I base this upon personal experience with a company that imported items from China.

The volume of requests for pre-clearance had to have raised a red flag, and with the new administration, gave rise to something that should have never happened....and there are so few that really understand this, because in "rallying around the flag of the knife manufacturing community", we never stopped as a community to ask "why now", and "where did this come from"?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

I don't understand why you blame the companies. They followed all rules and Customs arbitrarily revoked permissions already granted. Why are they to blame? In addition I see nothing in the language of the revocation about mislabeling country of origin. Can you point that out to me?
 
Strider and Chris Reeve? Why not? I hear good things about them. Is it the price?
 
I bought an SOG and the black coating wore off with minor use. Sent it in and was called a liar by warranty dept, then was trashed by their followers on this forum. As I found out with a little research the coating had gone through an incomplete cook cycle. So SOG NEVER!!!!!!!!
 
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