CRKT made in China

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I like CRKT designs. They went to Taiwan like the 7914DSFI (OIF) and it was OK (I have a few). Now I just purchase two M16-14DSFG Tan Special Forces and they were made in China.:eek:

I now need to check all CRKT to see where they are made.:confused:

I will pay $50+ for a USA:)

I will pay $30 for Tawain;)

I will pay $15 for China stuff:thumbdn:

I wish knife dealers would clearly state Made in USA, or Taiwan, or China
 
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I never owned much from CRKT, but when I did back even almost 10 years ago it was all made in Taiwan.
 
I'v never had any CRKT knives but I don't think I have seen any CRKT stuff wasn't made in Taiwan or China.
 
Several seriously off-topic posts were moved to the W&C "special" thread.
Please continue the CRKT discussion without political digressions. :)
 
I think it's Gerber that's was made and still has some models made in Oregon.
CRKT, started out in having knives Taiwan the headquarters is in Tualatin, Oregon. Gerber's is in Portland.
I've never seen any CRKT made in the USA.
 
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many u.s. cpmpanies are using chinese factories. if chinese facilities are paid enough & have the correct materials & have good quality control; their cutlery products can equal any made in the world.sure we all hate to see american jobs being outsoursed however this has been going on for a long time.i predicted the demise of the auto industry very loud & long starting in1974.detroit kept turning out the old fat cars with hoo hum quality & poor gas milage forever.americans tried the ricers, loved them, swore by them would,nt buy any more fat dogs.
i realize there are political,labor unions & other factors involved. it is certionally more complex than a simple explanation can explain.the simple fact is we will see the amer. cut. industry go the way the auto, electronics,cameras, & appliances went long ago.one aspect of our cut. ca'nt be denied;our custom makers are producing the finest products the world has ever known. our amer. katanas out perform any that the old masters of the 14th, 15th. &16th century ever produced.this production situation may not be what we desire; however the facts are obvious. you may not like the sun to rise in the east; however i do'nt see that fact changing in the near future.i love america but i do'nt consider sticking my head in a hole.
 
DennisStrickland said:
many u.s. cpmpanies are using chinese factories. if chinese facilities are paid enough & have the correct materials & have good quality control; their cutlery products can equal any made in the world.
Click to expand...

They sure can, and as the Japanese have shown us, they can often even surpass us in quality because of their work ethics. There's nothing inherently inferior in Western product quality, but the average European or American does not have the same discipline as the average Japanese, Korean or Chinese.

I guess we just need a LOT more motivation before we can bring ourselves to really apply ourselves.
So unless you have criteria other than quality (which is your prerogative), there is no reason not buy Chinese-made knives like Byrd, BM, CS, CRKT, etc.
 
I work in an American factory, most of the machines there are old enough to vote, when they set up a factory in china they buy state of the art brand new machines. I have nothing against the chinese people that get paid next to nothing.When people work for such low wages they can only afford the very basic essentials, food, this is not healthy for an economy. The middle class is the backbone of an economy.
 
I've had good experiences with:
CRKT Drifter Stainless (China)
CRKT My Tighe (Taiwan)
 
You get what you pay for. For instance, I bought a CRKT for my brother about 3 years ago, Taiwan made, 30 bucks. It was a good 30 dollar knife - AUS8 steel. Now, I bought $16 Byrd Meadowlark Resucue, and guess what - it feels like a $16 knife. The steel is done excellently, but the fit and finish is no where near the knives I have that are $20-$30 in price. There are a few knives out there that I think are either way too expensive for what you get, or are legitimately an excellent deal. Otherwise I feel as though you have a range of what you are willing to spend, and generally you will get similar quality for the money. The rest is subjective ie aesthetic, ergonomic, ego etc.
 
DennisStrickland said:
many u.s. cpmpanies are using chinese factories. if chinese facilities are paid enough & have the correct materials & have good quality control; their cutlery products can equal any made in the world.sure we all hate to see american jobs being outsoursed however this has been going on for a long time.i predicted the demise of the auto industry very loud & long starting in1974.detroit kept turning out the old fat cars with hoo hum quality & poor gas milage forever.americans tried the ricers, loved them, swore by them would,nt buy any more fat dogs.
i realize there are political,labor unions & other factors involved. it is certionally more complex than a simple explanation can explain.the simple fact is we will see the amer. cut. industry go the way the auto, electronics,cameras, & appliances went long ago.one aspect of our cut. ca'nt be denied;our custom makers are producing the finest products the world has ever known. our amer. katanas out perform any that the old masters of the 14th, 15th. &16th century ever produced.this production situation may not be what we desire; however the facts are obvious. you may not like the sun to rise in the east; however i do'nt see that fact changing in the near future.i love america but i do'nt consider sticking my head in a hole.
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Good rant and I mostly agree but this is one reason why I'm so thrilled with RAT Cutlery. American made and they swear to keep it that way. How many other companies in any industry will claim that?
 
I own a handful of CRKT knives. Most were about $10-$30 and I feel I got my money's worth. I think most of them were made in Taiwan. I am not a diehard CRKT fan but every now and then they come out with something that catches my attention. The last knife I bought from them was the Glide Lock and I thought it was a pretty neat little pocket knife.
 
To keep it on topic again, CRKT still has a variety of blades out there that are at different price points. If you buy a $15 knife, expect $15 worth of performance, fit and finish.
 
The CRKT have some great designs and ergonomics, some natty tricks for those who like gimmics. I have one ED Halligan that is over 10 years old, that the tip went after very minor abuse. Reground it to a drop point that improved the egonomics considerably, cord wrapped and epoxied the handle. Very mediocre steel performance. What a pity.
 
I had a 50 dollar CRKT, it was the Lightfoot design and while it was well made, the blade's edge rolled hacking hardwood limbs and I never could get it sharp after that. Similar priced knives from other makers have held up, doing the same work.
 
CRKT Drifter Stainless is excellent little knife. Perhaps one of the best small folders under $18... I really don't care where its made. Its good knife. I got original Crkt BladeLock made in Taiwan, my first folder. Excellent knife.

CRKT's main problem IMHO is lack of innovation in folder section. Almost everything is M-16-series derivant. I got cheap M10-10Kz. Its Black, is partially serated, its tanto pointed ( everything i hate in knife ) but I like it. Its taken heavy beating, it takes sharp blade and holds it decently and flipping its open is pure pleasure.

Sure it has all things I hate in knife and awkward locking mechanism... but its still my #1 carried folder....

but after carrying Stainless Steel Drifter... Man that is handy knife. Its as long closed as my victorinox pioneer Solo or Soldier Alox. Blade open its as long as vics open. extremely strudy frame lock, opens beautifully with wrist movement and its built like the tiger tank...
 
CRKT is far from alone as an American company making their products overseas or in China.

Benchmade, Spyderco, Buck , Gerber , Cold Steel, etc ,all have models made in China.

I had a Benchmade Chinese model and it was made very well ( mini pika) , same goes for my Byrd and a few CS models , all of them have done exactly what I expected of them.
The Marbles and Rough Rider Slipjoints I have are all worthy of admiration IMO , it is the little 'China' stamp that turns many Americans off.

Ironic considering the Chinese have been crafting fine steel many centuries longer than our Country is old.


I have never had a problem with any of my CRKT's.


Jamppa - CRKT not innovative ? Have you seen their recent catalogs ? They have many new designs and can always be counted on to come up with something new even if it is sort of novelty like the Turtle.

I want to get my hands on the large CRKT Natural , it looks like a hell of a knife.

Tostig
 
M21-12G made in China and it's a great knife IMO. And those Vef serrations WORK.
DSC03404.jpg
 
I usually don't buy anything imported, that I can't look at first. I have a CRKT Viele WASP that is really nice, and an M4-03 Carson that's nice as well. Sadly, I haven't found an M16 that I liked at all.

I have several brands made in China/Taiwan, and so far they're all holding up great. None are hard use knives though. I save that work for my good domestically-made cutters & choppers. (Except for my HI's.)

thx - cpr
 
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