What happened to bringing production back to the US?

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mrszeontestpilot

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I think it's been a few years now since Buck said they were going to be bringing - at least the way I understood it - all of their production back to the US, but it seems like they've actually started making more things overseas since then. I'm not a china basher by any means, I just find that I enjoy non-chinese knives more. It seems like they would've at least stopped making new models there, if they were planning on not making any at all there anymore, that way they'd just have to bring over here what they were already making there... Has that plan changed? I don't think I've really heard anything about it since hearing about it when it was first announced.
 
Personally, I wont purchase foreign made knives....USA made only for me.
Same thing for my guns...USA made only.
 
I don't recall if they said they were bringing all production back from off shore but the last I read they had gone from approximately 40% of their product line being made overseas to less than 14% and were looking to lower that amount even further. I would call that progress in the direction you are looking for, wouldn't you? Perhaps some of the new models made offshore are taking the place of others that have been brought back? If that's the case it's a wash.

I just did a quick review of the Buck website and out of 156 models there are 27 that are made off shore or roughly 17% of their models. Either I misread the amount they still had made overseas or they have increased it marginally. I would imagine that given the market demand some models will always be made off shore though I should clarify my earlier remarks. To the best of my knowledge all models made off shore were never made here in the U.S to begin with so technically they are not "bringing back" production but in reality adding to production in Idaho ever time they move a model from overseas to the U.S.

Based on another thread I just read the Lux that was first made here is now being made overseas however, the design and model number have changed so technically I guess you could say it too was never made here since the name is the only thing remaining the same.
 
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Badhammer said:
I don't recall if they said they were bringing all production back from off shore but the last I read they had gone from approximately 40% of their product line being made overseas to less than 14% and were looking to lower that amount even further. I would call that progress in the direction you are looking for, wouldn't you? Perhaps some of the new models made offshore are taking the place of others that have been brought back? If that's the case it's a wash.

I just did a quick review of the Buck website and out of 156 models there are 27 that are made off shore or roughly 17% of their models. Either I misread the amount they still had made overseas or they have increased it marginally. I would imagine that given the market demand some models will always be made off shore though I should clarify my earlier remarks. To the best of my knowledge all models made off shore were never made here in the U.S to begin with so technically they are not "bringing back" production but in reality adding to production in Idaho ever time they move a model from overseas to the U.S.

Based on another thread I just read the Lux that was first made here is now being made overseas however, the design and model number have changed so technically I guess you could say it too was never made here since the name is the only thing remaining the same.
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Hm. Maybe I misunderstood, then. I would certainly say 14% is better than 40%. What I meant by 'brought back' wasn't necessarily current models being made there to be made here instead, but just overall. Like maybe certain models would be discontinued or something. I don't know. In any case, I guess I just didn't expect them to continue making new models there, and not to move a model over there; but that they would make all new models here, and then eventually either move the others here, or phase them out. But again, maybe I misunderstood.
 
Look at it this way. If someone told you they'd buy all the widgets you could make as long as they only cost a certain amount and the only way you can make them for that kind of price and still make a profit, a profit that helps you to continue to make the majority of your other products here what would you do? Either turn the customer away and that profit with it, again profit that would benefit the company and the U.S. as a whole or you make it overseas. There is a market for these off shore models and if Buck can make them without sacrificing their quality standard, offer the same lifetime warranty, provide a product their customers want and make a profit doing it, why not?
 
I agree badhammer with this one caveat .... the quality is not the same(just the heat treatment for example). Buck should continue to make models overseas if that enables them to compete in that knife market (low end users). It is good for the economy and for knife people who just don't wanna pay $50 for a knife. They can get a Buck knife and use it and/or abuse it as much as they want and everybody wins. Buck, USA economy, me, and you (allows Buck to produce the American knives I want).
 
Good point, Badhammer. I just wonder though, why they'd even say it in the first place, knowing it'd be hard to do at all (but again, maybe I misunderstood about it being all). Especially since there are a lot of other companies doing the same thing. If that's what they have to do to stay afloat, that's fine. They clearly mark which ones are which, anyway. Probably somewhere around half my Buck collection is import, so it's not like I'm going to stop buying them because of it. Better to have the actual company do it than end up like Schrade... Not saying they would, but yeah.
 
Keep in mind that there a ton of knock off copies of buck knives made in china, all the way down to the box being sold here on ebay and a flea market near you.
 
Rhinoknives1 said:
Keep in mind that there a ton of knock off copies of buck knives made in china, all the way down to the box being sold here on ebay and a flea market near you.
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That's an excellent point. If someone were to peruse the big auction site without sufficient knowledge they might easily assume Buck is producing a ton of models off shore when, as you noted they aren't even real Buck products at all.
 
CJ addressed this at the 25th anniversary of of the Collectors club..he said at the time(Aug 2013) they were making about 20% overseas and as those models went out, nomore would be started overseas but rather new models made here. The mandatory $10 an hour starting wage plus benefits may change this as it has for many companies!
 
I think the bottom line is; that for every 1 person who insists they will only buy American Made, there are 50 others who either remain oblivious to the source, or aren't concerned.

"Made in the U.S.A." or "Assembled in the U.S.A." (of foreign parts)

What's in your driveway?

What engine is on your lawn mower?

Where was your refrigerator (or any appliance made)?

It's unavoidable. Are you U.S.A. loyal, or Brand Loyal? Unfortunately, it's become quite rare to be both.
 
dctex99 said:
CJ addressed this at the 25th anniversary of of the Collectors club..he said at the time(Aug 2013) they were making about 20% overseas and as those models went out, nomore would be started overseas but rather new models made here. The mandatory $10 an hour starting wage plus benefits may change this as it has for many companies!
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Teacher, who is my neighbor?

Personally, I am less concerned where a company or its labor is based and am more concerned that the labor arrangement is just. If full-time work means you still don't make a living wage or that you are exposed to terrible conditions, then something is fundamentally wrong. I don't want to buy a Buck knife from WalMart at a low price if that low price comes to me on the backs of unlivable wages paid to the people who made the knife and those who put it on the shelf.

The challenges facing manufacturing in the US in general, and knife manufacturing more specifically, aren't primarily issues of wages, safety or environmental regulation. Mora, Opinel and Victorinox are all doing great as global brands with even higher wages and stronger labor controls. Manufacturing requires infrastructure and in general, the US has underinvested in its infrastructure.

Lastly, with respect to Buck's Chineese made knives... I won't buy a traditional pattern from anybody, including Buck that is made outside of the US or Europe. For me (and just speaking for me), a huge part of a traditional knife pattern is its manufacturing connection to the culture that produced it. IMO the stockman pattern or the trapper are North American traditional patterns and as soon the production is taken out of North America, it becomes a trinket, not a traditional knife. Quality has nothing to do with it. Rough Riders, Taylor Schrade and imported Buck slip joints all scream trinket to me.

I'd have much less problems with knives like the Bantam or Vantage being moved off shore.
 
John Deere is about as American as you can get.
The diesel engine on my JD tractor was made in Japan and the gearbox on my JD rotary cutter was made in China.
My GMC Sierra truck has a 60% domestic content rating vs 75% for a Toyota Tundra.
It's a global economy. With 86% USA production Buck is doing much better than many industries.
I'm in favor of anything that helps Buck with their bottom line.
 
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