Knives made in Taiwan & China

H

highvalleyranch

Joined
Sep 13, 2006
Messages
31
I like my knives to have Soligen, Rostfrei, Seki or U.S.A printed on them. I have a CKRT (taiwan) that i got for a work knife, and it's OK.
When my brother gave my a BIG Blackie Collins Bowie for last Christmas and I saw made in China on it, I was really dissapointed.

And now I see that many of the major manufacturers have gone to overseas production to keep down the cost. A knife store owner proudly showed me his Boker Jim Wagner wicked SD knife, and when I saw Taiwan printed on the blade, I thought I would never carry that.

Am I just prejudiced? Are they they making OK knives. All the Boker magnums are made in Taiwan, and I even like some of them, but can I carry one made in taiwan? I carry my CKRT because it is a beater.

Help me out, do you all worry about these things. hk's made in china, sypderco's made in china seem to get a good rap. etc.
 
not sure about knives but i come from mountain biking where many bikers complained about the same thing, frames are welded in taiwan or china. however, while the cost went down, the quality haven't, many of the biggest brands, giant, trek, specialized have most if not all of their aluminum frames built in taiwan, and all comes with life time warrenty, and many models are podium proven.
 
I think that there are some fine knives being made in Taiwan.
And even China is getting better and better.

HOWEVER....I cannot deny that there is a certain pride in carrying a knife that is made in the USA.
 
It is sad that a lot of knives are being made in Taiwan. The loss of American knife companies is also very sad.
I tried to stay true to the USA. However I like some of the knives that are made in he East,and have found that they are a quality product.
The fact that they are more affordable is also a reason I have been able to add to my collection.
 
I don't have any experience with brands other than Schrade but I can tell you the two Taylor Schrades I have that were made in China are junk.There not even a poor copy of the USA made Schrades.Arnold
 
As I am looking around for my first folder knife, I am also very interested in the quality of knives made in China and Taiwan. It seems that some knives made in China/Taiwan do have good quality. One example I noticed is Ka-Bar Dozier, which is made in Taiwan. I saw a lot of good reviews about it. That makes me wondering if I really need to pay more for a knife made in USA.

Edit: The low end Benchmade knives are also made in China/Taiwan, and I did not find complains about it either...
 
Byrd knives (Spyderco's Chinese arm) are excellent. The quality is on par with many American builds and the prices are ridiculously cheap. They are developing a full flat grind, titanium handled framelock that will sell for (I'm guessing) somewhere around $50. Try that with an American factory.

China is crushing the United States right now. In the short term this isn't too bad, because we are able to get things cheaply from them. But besides giving our jobs to them, we are paying to develop their industrial infrastructure right now. In a few years they will be able to turn around and use this industrial and economic might in ways that we might not like so much. We will be unable to compete with them militarily if they get their economy up to full steam. If China decides to start trouble, those factories that are being used to make our baubles today could be readily converted to wartime production. Meanwhile, we are laying off our industrial workers and closing our factories.
 
It looks like we are moving from a manufacturing economy to some other, and no doubt it will be a difficult transition- for American workers at least. But, all economic politics aside, I think it is a good thing.

Let's look at the Buck plan for instance. Their USA made knives are high quality, and very nice, a good value for the money. But that value is relative. A Buck Woodsman costs upwards of $50 at sporting goods shops. Wally sells the Pathfinder for $40, but expect to pay more at non big box stores. At Dicks Sporting Goods, a Buck 301 costs $30, and at a cutlery shop the price is more like $40ish. Now, many people don't want to shell out that much for a nice knife, if they will use it hard- despite the fact that it wil last a lifetime. The Buck 373 (same size stockman as the aformentioned stockman) will run $15. That is a lot more easy on the pocket than $40. The knife (I carry one) is very high quality, with full warranty. I have noticed the same in other Buck imports.

I would hate to see these brands turn to names as has Schrade. Foreign production allows them to keep the less profitable US lines. The oil industry makes money by volume of sales, as does any other. This includes the knife industry. We should keep who we can around, that'll keep at least some US production, especially on higher end models. And, if the screw people over, it'll catch up to them. There is a sign at my local bakery, that says "The taste of poor quaity will long outlive the bliss of low price". No doubt that's true.

Even the off-brand imports aren't all that bad. Not all the Pakistani knives are crap, and even some of the inexpensive Chinese knives will serve a purpose. I have one 3" six dollar frolder, and 2.75 fully serrated by an unknown Chinese company. I bought them at a gunshow from Remarcable Arms,a gun dealer that specialises in NFA weapons. He told me that, it is what he carries on fishing trips, after dropping a $150 EDC into a lake. I use mine for the same. Yeah, it has worn more than a higher end knife would be, but it holds up well enough for the purpose and I was out a whole lot less.

BUt, don't take this to mean that I don't prefer buying American, or at least European.
 
yahooBlade said:
As I am looking around for my first folder knife, I am also very interested in the quality of knives made in China and Taiwan. It seems that some knives made in China/Taiwan do have good quality. One example I noticed is Ka-Bar Dozier, which is made in Taiwan. I saw a lot of good reviews about it. That makes me wondering if I really need to pay more for a knife made in USA.
Click to expand...

Most knives made in Taiwan that I own are consistently better in quality than those made in China, although some Chinese made knives for the brand name companies are not bad( like the Spyderco Byrd line and the Kershaw Vapor).

Knives like the Taiwan made Ka Bar Dozier folder and the Benchmade Pika are very well made knives for the price. The Ka Bar is exceptional at $20,00...

But you can get a US made knife that is very high in quality and not expensive, a good example it the Kershaw Storm II and the Buck 110 ( check them out at WalMart)...
 
moonwilson said:
China is crushing the United States right now. In the short term this isn't too bad, because we are able to get things cheaply from them. But besides giving our jobs to them, we are paying to develop their industrial infrastructure right now. In a few years they will be able to turn around and use this industrial and economic might in ways that we might not like so much. We will be unable to compete with them militarily if they get their economy up to full steam. If China decides to start trouble, those factories that are being used to make our baubles today could be readily converted to wartime production. Meanwhile, we are laying off our industrial workers and closing our factories.
Click to expand...

It is hard to say. China is exporting cheap products to USA and other countries. By doing that, Chinese is also exhausting their natural resources (steel, oil, wood, and so on). So they would probably have nothing left to make weapons or fuel their aircraft or tanks several years later. That is not a bad thing to USA:D
 
dont be fooled. The Chinese jknow exactly what resources are being used and their state. Besides if they become the dominant power in the world they can use resources from anywhere in the world unopposed. even here.
 
moonwilson said:
Byrd knives (Spyderco's Chinese arm) are excellent. The quality is on par with many American builds and the prices are ridiculously cheap. They are developing a full flat grind, titanium handled framelock that will sell for (I'm guessing) somewhere around $50. Try that with an American factory.

China is crushing the United States right now. In the short term this isn't too bad, because we are able to get things cheaply from them. But besides giving our jobs to them, we are paying to develop their industrial infrastructure right now. In a few years they will be able to turn around and use this industrial and economic might in ways that we might not like so much. We will be unable to compete with them militarily if they get their economy up to full steam. If China decides to start trouble, those factories that are being used to make our baubles today could be readily converted to wartime production. Meanwhile, we are laying off our industrial workers and closing our factories.
Click to expand...


Chinese government does not have to wait a few years. Huge chunk of the money they made is spend to buy Russian made weapon and technology. And this weapon is not bad and not defensive at all. They are getting ready.
I like Spydercos and I am buying their knives, I will not buy Byrds or any other Chinese made knives at any price. I prefer not to buy "made in China", if I can, but it is getting more difficult.
I do not have anything against Chinese people; I do not trust any communist government.
 
Don't get me wrong, I think China is a great country. Throughout history, they are probably the greatest country. The United States is just a blip on their timeline, which goes back more than 5000 years. I am 100% certain that the Chinese national ambition is not limited to manufacturing goods for the rest of the world cheaply. They are setting themselves up to become the dominant world power, and this will happen soon.

Historically speaking, the Chinese people are not aggressors. They are not colonialists to any large degree. They do not start wars with other countries. But make no mistake, they will begin to dominate the world economically as well as militarily. They will be able to steamroll other nations that oppose their will.
I think the Communist regime is basically communist in name only these days, the communist experiment was proven a failure years ago and the Chinese are smart enough to see this. They are full-throttle capitalists these days, still in the early stages where they are not afraid to treat their workers like dirt. The Chinese are taking over, whether we like it or not. It makes no practical difference if you or I refuse to by Chinese made knives. They make everything else as well. Your TV, your computer, your dishes, your silverware, your furniture, your children's toys, etc. etc.all made in China.
While you are sitting at your desks, pick up the stuff you have in arms' reach, flip it over to see where it was made. I count 15 items on my desktop alone. That's not counting the computer, I just noticed the keyboard is Chinese, the mouse, the monitor, the pen tablet, the printer the CPU...China China China.
 
JPD1998 said:
Knives like the Taiwan made Ka Bar Dozier folder and the Benchmade Pika are very well made knives for the price. The Ka Bar is exceptional at $20,00...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information. I almost have my mind set to buy Ka Bar Dozier now. I like its simplicity, good quality, and low price. Low price and with high quality is what I want, I do not care where it is made.
 
Indeed, the biggest problem would be for China to start acting like the US. However, they have very little history of venturing far outside their borders, and are far more prosperous with happy trading partners than as bitter aggressors. The sooner Americans avoid all the commie talk and start acting like a free market once again, the better off we'll all be.

As far as quality, the Chinese are perfectly capable of producing fine cutlery. The reason they don't is because their resources and low labor costs are better suited to filling low end niche rather than high end. Few consumers would be willing to pay $150 for a Chinese knife, even if it were worth that much and on par with any US made knife. No sense trying to compete with high end goods when they can more easily compete on the low end.
 
i might be inclined to take offense of the thread title (more for clumping taiwan with china) since im of Taiwanese decent,
but i cant really blame people for thier lack of faith in Taiwanese products either. it was only 15 years ago that they only exported crap.

but the Taiwan of today is a totally different world now. I finally got a chance to visit taiwan again after 10 years. Fricking high-tech metropolis. ...the more urban cities at least

about 50% of every single one of your computer's components is manufactured in Taiwan.
of course that dosent say anything about knives. but i bet they got perfectly good CNC machines there.
 
I am a big fan of Ontario's RAT series of knives. All their fixed blades are made in the US, but they recently brought our their Model 1 RAT folder and it's made in Taiwan. I have one of these folders and it's a great knife. It is a liner lock and it is as tight as any Benchmade I have. The fit and finish are very good and I would recommend it to anyone.
 
Hi HVR,

The world is shrinking, and constantly changing. The "big picture" view cannot be ignored.

As technoogy and material knowledge is moved all over the globe, everyone from China and India to jihadists have access to the latest materials and technology.

As money markets change in connection with that technology and materials knowledge, there seems to be a lag in valuation. Whether it's the Japanese Yen going from 350 to 105 (15 years) or the Euro going from 80 to 125 (4 years), some country at any given time is going to have a pricing advantage, for a while. Right now it's China.

Business will always try to take advantage of that "lag" in the currency values. Or may be be required to follow others into that country in order to be competetive. There are many markets where China has already taken the market.

I can't speak for any other companies, but Spyderco is making knives in a number of different countries, (USA, Japan, Taiwan, Italy and China [byrd])but we design the product, control the quality of manufacture and the materials.

Our "byrd" brand is a low cost alternative to our Spyderco models. Because of the dollar / Yuan difference, the value is difficult to beat. I see many other major brand have been manufacturing in China far longer.

hope that helps.

sal
 
Okay, I don't want to touch any geopolitical or ideological issues, there's a reason why bladeforums.com is one of my favourite places on the net. I'm here to talk about knives and not about politics. :barf:
highvalleyranch said:
Am I just prejudiced?
Click to expand...


Yes you are. I used many very good taiwanese knivers from Benchmade, Ka-Bar and Camillus. I never tried anything made in China yet, but a Chinese engineer or mechanist isn't less professional than an American, German or Hungarian one, a crucible is a crucible, a waterjet is a waterjet and a CNC is a CNC anywhere in the world. If the QC is fine than a Chinese made Spyderco or Buck can be every bit as good as an American one.

I like my knives to have Soligen, Rostfrei, Seki or U.S.A printed on them.
Click to expand...

I agree with the Seki or USA part, but funny you mentioned Solingen and Rostfrei... I haven't seen a quality German made knife recently. I would definately buy a Byrd or any Taiwanese knife from a respectable manufacturer than anything from Herbertz, Böker or Puma.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top