What would you do?

M

mog555

Joined
Jan 20, 2006
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151
I bought a Marbles 3 blade red bone whittler just to see what the chinese are up to these days and because I truely like the looks of the long nail nicks. So the knife looks pretty good, there was some cleaning up that needed to be done and the bone bled a ton and dyed my hands red, but it was just about 20 bucks, so the bar was low. I reprofiled the main blade got her nice and sharp, but one of the pen knife's blades was scratching the face of the main blade so I thought I'd straighten it out. I applied a small amount of pressure to the blade and ping, it snapped right off. I was dumbstruck,I had just spent quite a fair amount of time getting the knife usable and now it's garbage. I emailed Marbles saying that I have never had a blade snap off on me before and I was rather disappointed with their product. They got right back to me with an address to send the knife to. Here's the rub, I don't know if I want to pay another 5 bucks to ship it to them, when the best I can hope for is the same knife I started with but it costing 5 dollars more. But I also want to give them a chance to back their product.

Any input would be appreciated (I have had my eye on a Case Canoe in carbon steel but I was trying quench my knife thirst with less money)
 
I would send it back....

I went through a similar process last year, I started collecting traditional folders but wanted to see which patterns I preferred so I bought about half a dozen Chinese slip joints, mostly Rough Rider and Steel Warrior.

I found that the QC is not consistent and while it seems that a few companies are manufacturing these knives under many names, there is definitely a difference between certain brands. There's even a difference between the same brand , but different patterns.

Some knives are good but with others you'll find things like mismatched and sloppy fitting scales , blade play, sloppy polishing/metal finish etc...

Case gets mixed reviews here but the one I bought recently is superior to any of the Chinese slippies I have.

I will admit though, I do have a favorite Rough Rider knife, it's a black lip pearl, large stockman, worth the $18.00 I paid for it.
 
At this point why send it back?

You've found out what you need to know, the next stop for this object should be the trash can.

In some things it's almost impossable to NOT buy Chinese, but if there is a choice then why do it?

As long as there is any known cutlery company with any kind of good history, I just can't see buying from the Peoples Republik Of Slave Labor. America and Europe has lots of good knife companies.
 
jackknife said:
At this point why send it back?

You've found out what you need to know, the next stop for this object should be the trash can.

In some things it's almost impossable to NOT buy Chinese, but if there is a choice then why do it?

As long as there is any known cutlery company with any kind of good history, I just can't see buying from the Peoples Republik Of Slave Labor. America and Europe has lots of good knife companies.
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TLC jackknife said it better
p1123
 
What jackknife said.

Plus, if you really want another Chinese Marbles, go on that popular auction site and find one for $5-10 including shipping. I can't understand why someone would pay $20 for junk when you can get a decent (albeit small) Case for $27. I mean, if you're going to throw money away you could at least make it smaller denominations... :)

BTW, thanks for the post. I bought a Chinese Marbles sowbelly some time ago. The blades feel very cheap and flimsy, and the "matchstrike" nail nicks look like they were stamped in, and unevenly at that. (Though in all honesty, the ones on my Bulldog aren't much better. The only decent matchstrikes I've got are on an S&M English Jack.) I keep the Marbles in my bathroom for clearing the shower drain and slicing open packages. So far it hasn't rusted, but I haven't tried flexing the blades.

Super cheap manufacturing is all about cutting corners.

-- Sam
 
I agree with him too:thumbup: But a couple of RR knives I have ARE extremely good for little money, but that's the Slave Labour factor:mad:
 
Slave labor? Saw on the news where China has said no to more internet cafes... quite a contrast!
 
If you want to buy Chinese, buy a Buck. I got me the 373 stockman cadet recently, not knowing it wa the Chinese version, and have to admit the quality is BETTER then my old USA Cadet. Granted, Buck knives shouldn't really be considered "Chinese", since they are still made in a Buck factory, up to Buck standards. It's just assembled in China. Does that qualify it as a chinese knife? Not sure, but if you have to go that way, get a Buck.
 
I think jackknife summed it up.

In this case by sending it back, it is just more money for what sounds like will be a not so good knife.
 
ElCuchillo said:
If you want to buy Chinese, buy a Buck. I got me the 373 stockman cadet recently, not knowing it wa the Chinese version, and have to admit the quality is BETTER then my old USA Cadet. Granted, Buck knives shouldn't really be considered "Chinese", since they are still made in a Buck factory, up to Buck standards. It's just assembled in China. Does that qualify it as a chinese knife? Not sure, but if you have to go that way, get a Buck.
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That is a very good example.

In this day of very high tech machines, shoddy quality should not be tollerated. China has accsess to all the same machines that even Victorinox uses to make a high quality product. If Victorinox can make 35 MILLION knives a year and keep an unbeleivable high quality control, and sell the sak recruit for 12 dollars, then the Chinese should be able to. After all they have the advantage of cheap labor!

Like one poster pointed out, China makes computers for petes sake! With CNC machines, CAD/CAM engineering, there is no exuse for junk. Even if it is carrying a Marbles name. Junk is still junk at any price, no matter how cheap. Buck has held them to a deffinate standard, and they have made a good knife. That tells me they can. Anything less is just shoveling manure onto the American market, to the detriment of companies like Camillus and Schrade. When a company dies, its not just the factory workers that suffer. Like a stone thrown into a still pond, the ripples will be felt in many places.

Sometimes buying China made goods is not avoidable. But I read labels very closely. False economy is buying on just price point. A cheap winter coat made in China will get you by a couple of winters, but a Filson coat will last you the next 30 years. New Balence has 5 factories in the U.S. and if you look carefully you can have made in U.S.A athletic shoes. The last pair I bought was almost twice the price of the China made shoes, but lasted three times longer. I have no problem spending twice the price when I get many times the quality.

A new Case CV will last you decades of good use with some care. I'd rather support an American company than China. I'll buy American if I can, and if I can't then I read the labels and buy from a European country if I can.
 
p1123 said:
TLC jackknife said it better
p1123
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There is never a choice of "don't buy chinese unless you HAVE to", there is only a choice that some are unwilling to make. You can choose to live without buying Chinese at all, or buying it when you would have to do without otherwise....i.e. a PC.

An ideal that is abandoned when it will personally inconvience the person espousing it, isn't an ideal to begin with.
 
Cheap lesson! Now you know they make crap. If they get ONE dollar from you in profit, they are ecstatic!!
Do you really want to support a country that arms our enemies? Spews pollution at an alarming rate poisoning its own people, never mind the rest of the earth!
Wants to own the company that you work for, and will buy it with YOUR dollars??
I hate hearing about those damn Chinese knives here. Traditional my ass!
 
I will admit though, I do have a favorite Rough Rider knife, it's a black lip pearl, large stockman, worth the $18.00 I paid for it.
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Funny, I have probably 6 rough riders and I cannot find much wrong with them other than they're made in China. They come sharp out of the box. I have never had one with blade wobble. They have all been decent knives with good snap.

I use a knife quite a bit at work so I don't feel bad running them through the mill. Can't seem to bring myself to do that yet with my Bokers, Cases, Queens, etc...

I also bought a Marbles last year. It was a cigar whittler. I was very unhappy when it came as I did not know that it was Chinese made. I have taken it out and looked it over a few times. The quality in my opinion is sub par even for made in China. I wouldn't waste the money myself to send it back.
 
jackknife said:
Sometimes buying China made goods is not avoidable. But I read labels very closely. False economy is buying on just price point. A cheap winter coat made in China will get you by a couple of winters, but a Filson coat will last you the next 30 years. New Balence has 5 factories in the U.S. and if you look carefully you can have made in U.S.A athletic shoes. The last pair I bought was almost twice the price of the China made shoes, but lasted three times longer. I have no problem spending twice the price when I get many times the quality.
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Boots are the same way. My US-made Red Wings (they all are, up in Minnesota) cost me about $160 last May. Aside from needing a polishing, they're as good as new. When I'd get Chinese-made Cats or Wolverines, they'd cost $80 and I'd be looking for new ones fairly soon.

As a bonus, the Wings can be resoled when the soles wear thin. $60, and it's like having a new pair of boots. The others can't.
 
Sooooo I boxed up the knife last night and I am going to send it in to them. The Marbles guy said that it was their first complaint on the foriegn made product and they will replace it. I'll give an update about turn around and such.

As for the chinese thing, you can't throw a dead cat without hitting something made in china these days, I just try to keep my eyes open and keep as many products as I can North American made (I feel for the Canadians too)
 
Sword and Shield said:
Boots are the same way. My US-made Red Wings (they all are, up in Minnesota) cost me about $160 last May. Aside from needing a polishing, they're as good as new. When I'd get Chinese-made Cats or Wolverines, they'd cost $80 and I'd be looking for new ones fairly soon.

As a bonus, the Wings can be resoled when the soles wear thin. $60, and it's like having a new pair of boots. The others can't.
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Red Wings are a very good example of spending more, but getting much, much more for your money. In 1996 I bought a pair of Danner Acadia boots. They cost me at the time 165 dollars out of a Cabelas catalogue. A few years ago I sent them back to Danner for re-sole and some repair for a very reasonable cost of 72.98. Their good for another 50k miles now.

I had a pair of Red Wing boots I bought in 1978. I wore the heck out of them till I bought the Danners in 96. Had them resoled maybe twice. Really good boots.
 
I prefer the 303 Cadet over the 373, although the two are nearly equal in quality. Having a knife that is made to be used, and made in this country, seems to mean a bit more to me as the cutlers in the United States are going under. With Schrade and Camillus gone, I can't support the outsourcing of these products without feeling a sense of loss. Sure it is sentimental, and it won't stop the destruction of the industry that is underway, but I just can't carry a chinese knife without a sense of guilt. That's just me though.
 
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