$200++ flippers from China

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When Kizer first started selling S35Vn knives I was very skeptical. I could not believe such a knife with an S35VN blade could be sold at such a reasonable price. After reading many favorable posts on BF about Kizer I eventually bought one because I was curious about the company, I liked the style of the knife, and the price was very reasonable. It was a smart purchase IMHO.

I have purchased many Spyderco's manufactured in Japan, VG-10, and Taiwan, M4, and even though made overseas they were sold by an American knife dealer with whom I am very comfortable dealing with.




I also own Lion Steel knives made in Italy, and Swiss Army made, well you know where. The quality was again excellent for the price paid. I have to stop. I have a phone call on my Apple cell phone, which was made in ... ..
 
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I handled some high-end Chinese knives, (from WE and Kizer) and they are by all means quality knives, on par with stuff that comes out of the USA. I won't buy Chinese if I can help it, but that doesn't change the fact that they are decent knives. Made in USA isn't necessarily an indicator of quality.
 
sliceofaloha said:
I mean, you might not have been trying to but you are helping me make a point here. If the aesthetics of, what appear to me pretty common, the Chinese flippers (and I’m going out on a limb here generalizing) are such that these little tight titanium clips are mostly for looks then it would ... if I’m wearing office slacks and the pocket clip gets bent out by clothing THAT thin then you’re skunked with jeans. How many warriors deploy into the field with flippers? Hard use hunters? To me they are the quintessential urban nancy knife.
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So, out of curiosity, did you buy your flipper because you're an urban nancy, or are you aspiring to be one?
 
If you buy a product from a reputable manufacturer, you will more than likely receive a quality product regardless of where it was made. Kizer, WE, and Ruike are a few manufacturers I have experience with and would not hesitate to vouch for. Many well known and respected US based manufacturers such as Buck, Spyderco, and Kershaw have products made overseas.
 
I hate to be the bearer of bad news to any doubters or haters, but Reate knives ,for the money, and on the secondary market, are just about the best made knives for the money. I picked up a Reate Lambert Crossroads for 279.00 recently.The fit,finish action of this knife rivals or exceeds anything out there.And for the price I got it for, its unheard of. it it was unmarked, and on Lamberts table at a knife show people would think it was a custom,and probably pay 1000 + for it.Same goes for the Steelcraft Bodega.Love it or hate it, the machining and anodizing done on the Bodega is amazing.I think Reate is one of the best makers out there for the money right now, and as good as they are they just keep getting better.One other point to make; if you took a man, or woman, who was an expert machinist with modern cnc machines and equipment, whether they were in China, the jungles of Borneo, or anywhere else in the world , they would still posess the talent and expertise to make something incredible.
 
TheEdge01 said:
Many well known and respected US based manufacturers such as Buck, Spyderco, and Kershaw have products made overseas.
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Those knives aren't made for us. They're made to compete in the "I don't really care about knives, but I need one and I'm not paying more than $19.95" market.
 
I don't own any Chinese made knives and it's not because I have a hard stance on Chinese made knives. It's just because on the aesthetics side of things they generally make soulless slick CNC/milled/framelock/flipper type knives that show no evidence of a human being involved in the manufacture or assembly.

I stick to Emersons (customs, productions, Po'Boys), Wenger Blades, some custom makers. When I want super slick I go with Marfione/MT OTFs.

In the end I am a little tired of Chinese knife threads though. If you love them great, if you don't great.
 
Reate more than any of the other Chinese brands gets my respect. They are a little too trendy, but the bright side is that that also pushes the boundaries a little. Their designs are good, they collaborate with good makers and designers, and their fit and finish and materials are generally outstanding. WE is also great quality, but I dislike how they go for volume of designs, most of which have different shapes but are kind of indistinguishable from each other. Kizer also gets a nod for rushing to fill in the price point just below Reate and WE.

I won't do business when I can help it with big Chinese conglomerates, which are basically all incestuously connected to the Chinese government, but I don't have a problem supporting Chinese small businesses that are passionate about the same things we are. Same goes for Russia.
 
I was enthralled by a Steel Will Modus at about $50.
I recently purchased a Keen/Laconico flipper ($150) that is an excellent folder.
Wish they were from the USA...
 
My only negative to China brands are they come out with so many models so quick, and flood the market with so many models, that a lot of them get lost in the shuffle.They come and go real fast. It gets to a point where no one even knows they exist,no ones buying them, now they have to be heavily discounted to sell them or close them out.there must be a ton of them at knifecenter or bladehq on shelves collecting dust.Look at how many models Artisian came out with in a year its staggering,as opposed to Benchmade or ZT.We and Kizer also have dozens and dozens of models its almost impossible to even keep up with everything they have. I think its way too much.thats the only negative I see with these companies.
 
jason41987 said:
I stopped myself from spending $45 on something made in China, it is pretty safe to say I won't be spending $200 on something made in China either.
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You got that right. They could sell that same "200 dollar knife" for $20 and I'd still have no interest.

GatorFlash1 said:
When Kizer first started selling S35Vn knives I was very skeptical. I could not believe such a knife with an S35VN blade could be sold at such a reasonable price. After reading many favorable posts on BF about Kizer I eventually bought one because I was curious about the company, I liked the style of the knife, and the price was very reasonable. It was a smart purchase IMHO.

I have purchased many Spyderco's manufactured in Japan, VG-10, and Taiwan, M4, and even though made overseas they were sold by an American knife dealer with whom I am very comfortable dealing with.




I also own Lion Steel knives made in Italy, and Swiss Army made, well you know where. The quality was again excellent for the price paid. I have to stop. I have a phone call on my Apple cell phone, which was made in ... ..
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I don't see these references as relevant. Japan, Taiwan, Italy, Switzerland.......these are places that produce quality that is known to be of the very best. I doubt anyone would hesitate to buy from them if the item met their needs.

China, on the other hand, is nothing but a peddler of cheap junk. Reverse-engineered for the lowest possible dollar and made by slave labor with non-existent QC. No thanks.
 
sliceofaloha said:
To each their own, good sir! I’d rather spend that $$$ at home in the 50 states, territories and protectorates. Not a big flipper guy to begin with, more of a one off novelty and I wanted this blade to practice sharpening on.

I’m looking at them, $250 - 400 and I’m like: who’s buying this stuff!?
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With all due respect, I also prefer buying U.S. made products, like Kershaw's ZT line and any number of custom/mid-tech makers. But, I am not going to turn my back on Chinese made goods. They have had a beneficial impact on the industry. Back in the day, companies like Camillus, Schrade, Colonial, Western and others were happy to produce the same old stale stuff. Retailers could have placed a knife in a display case and left it there for 10 or 20 years and hardly anyone would notice. It has been the new products from new manufacturers, first the Japanese and then China, and many thousands of US and international custom makers, that has really gotten the market rolling on innovation. The quality delivered from the top Chinese companies is now very good and comparable with our mid-tech makers, this is especially so when they choose to collaborate with custom designers. Most of the Chinese made stuff is still junk worthy of the usual flea markets and gas stations; but it would be foolish not to acknowledge that companies like We, Kizer and even Ruike, have been raising the bar on production quality.

n2s
 
I've never handled one, but I am not too keen on buying a $200 Chinese knife when I can get a U.S. made Spyderco or ZT for those prices. The same shoe fits everyone differently I guess.
 
danbot said:
Those knives aren't made for us. They're made to compete in the "I don't really care about knives, but I need one and I'm not paying more than $19.95" market.
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I don't know about that; it depends on the particular product lineup and the particular makers used. Spyderco started out with knives made overseas, in Seki, Japan. So did Kershaw and Al Mar, IIRC. They aren't cheapie products, and their Taichung, Taiwan lineup most certainly isn't cheapie. 'Overseas' (which people usually take to mean Asia) does not necessarily mean inferior products, and all the countries/locations overseas are unique and different from each other.

While I have little to no interest in buying knives from WE, Reate, Kizer, and other such product lines, it's a fact that factories in China can produce quality products, if they're motivated to do so.

Jim
 
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falar said:
China, on the other hand, is nothing but a peddler of cheap junk. Reverse-engineered for the lowest possible dollar and made by slave labor with non-existent QC. No thanks.
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Wise man once said, when you don't know what you're talking about, your mouth is best used for chewing. I'd recommend some beef jerky for you.

If you don't buy Chinese knives for personal reasons, I honestly have no issue with it, but when you make the blanket claim that they aren't producing quality products, well, all you're really doing is making a fool of yourself.
 
Really...? ANOTHER Chinese knife thread?

No wonder the trolls use that net so often. It always works!

Same guppies in the net, too.

Robert
 
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