What Chinese stuff is okay?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Civivi is ok. I have plenty of disposable Chinese knives from before I knew quality. Great for beating the snot out of, and if it breaks or gets lost who cares. Kershaw and Civivi are alright, but some of the prices are sure getting up there for a slab of D2 made in China.
Like you said it’s “OK”.
I had a WE Practic. It wasn’t bad for $150 or so, not on the same level as most USA stuff (ZT, Spyderco etc) …most of the time you get what you pay for, regardless where it was made!
Edit: someone mentioned Trivisa knives… I bought a Lynx for my dad for Christmas…they are incredibly smooth (at least mine is)…like 100% throughout the blade travel, glassy! I was pretty impressed with that action for a ~$50 knife.
One thing I have noticed, a trickle down effect from more expensive knives, is good action. A few years ago a $50 knife did not… Could not, have this kind of smoothness.
 
Last edited:
Lot of good information so far, and I can't add much to the list. Like many, I have had a hard time getting to the point where when I see "China" I don't think "garbage". I have to keep in mind that a couple of generations back "Japan" had the same connotation for many.

China is a tricky subject. As others have mentioned, lots of IP theft and copying. Lots of counterfeits. However, the ones on the up and up are solid. The level of pride of work shows, and while they certainly aren't making what a US maker would, you can tell that the person on the line/grinder gives a damn about the product.

The one brand that I will mention is Brother. Not flashy and not the highest of standard, but the couple of knives they offer make for some really nice traditional carry for an affordable price. $40 for carbon fiber scales with a pinned shield, VG10 blade ground even, good walk, decent talk. Better than any Case I've handled in the last decade.

Actually, expanding on that Rough Ryder is a great budget traditional. They are all stainless which some don't like, but walk and talk is great for a sub $30 price point. I will say, you typically have to dig through them a bit more to find the gems. However, solid for the money.

Please keep in mind, I have zero idea what companies own these names. I have no idea if they make good knives on this line and copy other designs on that line. I'm just basing my opinions on the quality of the product.
 
There are good knives from all over the world, I collect US but also like some italy made and sweden. I do not collect any made in China but I've had a few and quality was spotty.
 
I was hesitant to spend $200 on something made in China but so far, the fit and finish and construction of this Reate-made Chaves has blown me away. I'm more okay with China-made as long as the company itself is Chinese. Nothing will turn me away faster than an American company just outsourcing labor, especially if they ask American labor prices.

yrMYnHc.jpg
 
My own Civivis have been consistently good for the price. I’ve seen a couple of button-lock failures recently, which I can’t speak to not having had one. I get the sense Civivi has grown maybe too quickly trying to outdo Kizer. Kizer really seems solid in my own experience. CJRBs are nice designs, but the steel seems to remain a mystery.

I think I can confidently say that for the price, you’re going to get more in terms of materials from China, you’ll find a lot more design variation, in the best cases, you’ll get near-parity in quality, and in many cases you’ll get surprisingly good quality for the price.

But that won’t change anyone’s feelings on the China question, and it shouldn’t … China obviously allows a lot of questionable stuff. Sticking to the better brands, IMO, alleviates some of the bigger issues, but it will elicit strong feelings.

FWIW, China-made Spydercos don’t seem get hated on much, though they don’t get loved on much, either.

Edit: I’d second the above on Harnds. Good stuff for that price.
 
Last edited:
Kizer has some really nice designs and they usually use decent materials. They're the rare Chinese company that actually works with a variety of interesting steels, like 3v, 4v, and 10v. That said ... there's just something about them that almost always FEELS janky to me. It's weird, because it doesn't show up in objective things like blade play, pivot lash, detent lash, etc. All of that's good. They just feel kind of ... clanky?
 
JayDeep said:
This is extremely ignorant and inaccurate.

knarfeng knarfeng this is political and why I reported the comment. The conclusion was incorrect, but not the point of my report.
Click to expand...
The rule is "no politics outside of the Political Forum".
There is no rule against "ignorant and inaccurate" statements or opinions.
 
Let's take a little trip back to when I was young (1950s).
Everything stamped Made in Japan was ridiculed as pure junk.
Even Hollywood piled on with casting Mickey Rooney as a Japanese in Breakfast at Tiffany's! That was in 1961
In 1963 Allan Sherman came out with his 12 Gifts of Christmas song and the main item was - a Japanese transistor radio. Pretty much the worst possible thing a kid could get as a Christmas present.
Worse than clothes.

Jump ahead a few years and - all of a sudden, people were meeting the nicest people on, of all things - a Honda (Japanese) motorcycle. Next thing you knew, those horrid transistor radios were transformed into some of the very best high end stereos and televisions. Then a little later - these finest and best-made ( arguably ) cars on the planet.

I see this with Chinese products and knives in particular.
IMHO - they aren't quite there - - yet.
But, they are a hell of a lot closer than they were a year ago.

My choice to avoid Chinese products is more political than quality motivated.
 
Chinese knives are tricky.

On one hand, you can condemn them all due to political considerations, but that’s not our realm of discussion.

On the other hand, you can barley turn around without finding a new, Chinese knife with exceptional quality for the price. The Chinese makers are also prolific; releasing and discontinuing new models in the time it takes Benchmade to write an inter-office memo.

The tricky part of Chinese knives is the origin.

Real Steel and Ruike, probably made by SanRenMu, are respected (mostly) brands. SanRenMu, to a certain extent, built its success on clones of a small Sebenza sold under under SRM and Land.

Reate, one of the most respected Chinese makers, has a shadowy past possibly connected to counterfeits and clones.

Most makers are secretive about where their knives are actually made. The assembly line that makes Bestech by day (grabbing Bestech only to use a known name), could make high quality counterfeits and clones by night.

One of the most despised Chinese brands, Ganzo, has begun releasing some fairly decent original designs while their widely known clones and hybrids are still readily available.

These are just a few of many examples.

Chinese knives represent a myriad of shades of gray. If you dig deeply enough into any maker, you’ll likely find cloner roots or at least questions regarding the conditions the knives are made under.

The best thing to do is to respectfully discuss each knife/maker on their merits and do our best to avoid knives that could damage the community. The best way to do that is with an open dialogue.
 
Hackenslash said:
Chinese knives are tricky.

On one hand, you can condemn them all due to political considerations, but that’s not our realm of discussion.

On the other hand, you can barley turn around without finding a new, Chinese knife with exceptional quality for the price. The Chinese makers are also prolific; releasing and discontinuing new models in the time it takes Benchmade to write an inter-office memo.

The tricky part of Chinese knives is the origin.

Real Steel and Ruike, probably made by SanRenMu, are respected (mostly) brands. SanRenMu, to a certain extent, built its success on clones of a small Sebenza sold under under SRM and Land.

Reate, one of the most respected Chinese makers, has a shadowy past possibly connected to counterfeits and clones.

Most makers are secretive about where their knives are actually made. The assembly line that makes Bestech by day (grabbing Bestech only to use a known name), could make high quality counterfeits and clones by night.

One of the most despised Chinese brands, Ganzo, has begun releasing some fairly decent original designs while their widely known clones and hybrids are still readily available.

These are just a few of many examples.

Chinese knives represent a myriad of shades of gray. If you dig deeply enough into any maker, you’ll likely find cloner roots or at least questions regarding the conditions the knives are made under.

The best thing to do is to respectfully discuss each knife/maker on their merits and do our best to avoid knives that could damage the community. The best way to do that is with an open dialogue.
Click to expand...
What about WE and Rike?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top