China / Taiwan knives.

[Bazoo]

I like case, schrade, gerber, buck and other USA made knives. I always steer clear of china made even from these companies. I have a couple knives made in China or Taiwan though, a crkt, a Milwaukee folder, maybe a few others, but I don't use them or count on them.

Is there any china knives that aren't junk?

I was in love with the ruger hunting knife made by crkt until I seen country of origin.

Is there any I should consider to expand my horizons or just forget them and stick with USA made?

 

[Mk-211]

Kizer knives uses 1095 steel or equivalent in a lot of their knives.

 

[ugaarguy]

Yes, there are some great Chinese and Taiwanese made knives. They are not the same country though. Some of Spyderco's best made knives come from the manufacturer they use in Taichung, Taiwan. Many of the higher end Chinese brands like WE and Reate use American made PM steels from companies like Crucible and Carpenter. Todd Begg had his Steelcraft semi-mass produced line manufactured by Reate in China.

 

[John Joseph]

If you don't want to do business with the PRC, then don't.
Taiwan isn't the PRC until they get invaded.
That hasn't happened. Yet.
And then the PRC will be making most all of the world's computer chips.

 

[hso]

Is there any china knives that aren't junk?

WE, Kizer, Artisan, Civivi, Reate, CJRB...?


Yes, there are knives manufactured in China that are in the junk price point, but there are entire companies exporting from China making quality that is unrivaled that are preferred over American companies.

The S30V Ti framelock Elementum I posted about being such an incredible deal is made by WE and WE is a Chinese company.

The China=Junk thinking is years out of date. Oh, and Schrade is mostly manufactured in China since 2016.

https://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_store.html?a=folder&country=china&s=1&sortType=priceDe

 

[JFrame]

I have three Spyderco knives from their Taichung operation in Taiwan that I believe are superbly made: the Perrin PPT, Sage 1, and Techno 1.

 

[Reinz]

Gotta agree on some good stuff coming out of China.

I held out for as long as I could, but dang they make some really nice quality knives. hso gave a good list of examples.

 

[Bazoo]

I should have been more clear. I'm talking about knives in the less than $100 range. Are there any of those coming out of china that aren't junk?

I know schrade is china now, and I don't own any and wouldn't consider any. When I mentioned them, I meant old USA made ones.

I never heard of we until the other day, and aside from spyderco, haven't heard of the others. I'll have to check them out.

I like the look of the spyderco that Walmart had a while back, tenacious I think. It was china made and I was reluctant so didn't get one.

 

[SteadyD]

The Spydercos out of Taichung Taiwan are excellent in fit and finish and the WE knives are excellent out of China, others have mentioned. Civivi has a lot of knives under $100 and they are excellent as well. Actually, I am beyond impressed with Civivi at their price point. The Chinese made Spydercos aren’t as refined as their USA and Taichung knives but they are priced appropriately.

 

[hso]

I should have been more clear. I'm talking about knives in the less than $100 range. Are there any of those coming out of china that aren't junk?

We've shown plenty.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/50.900222/

The Elementum button lock - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...elementum-from-we.899955/page-2#post-12175737

SOG Terminus https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-use-my-50-gift-card-on.899407/#post-12155892

Search any of those companies here and you'll get over a hundred hits.

 

[LaneP]

Didn't realize its origin before purchasing it, but very happy with my Spyderco Resilience. Solid, well made, 4.2" blade honed to a razor's edge. It's currently my EDC. Sub $75 cost depending on source.

 

[AlexanderA]

Compare Chinese-made blades to Pakistani/Indian made blades. Chinese are factory industry, while Indian are cottage industry.

I have some cheap Indian folding knives. They have their place, but they can't compare to Chinese.

 

[hso]

factory industry, ... cottage industry.

 

[rust collector]

I don't think any country or region has a lock on quality. All can make knives to spec. Right now, the Chinese manufacturers are able to produce high quality knives at a relatively low cost, but of course dollars may not be the only determinant. China and Taiwan are making products for the fine old German brands, as well as classic US brands, UK and even Scandinavian brands.

 

[jmr40]

There are some excellent knives coming out of Japan and Taiwan. I don't normally like to buy Chinese knives, but the quality for the money on many of them is hard to beat. I do have several. Some of them use mid-to low grade steel, but there are many with decent steel selling at or under $100. Sometimes $50.

 

[HowieG]

For years, I have had a lock back stainless folder that Cabelas gave me as a loyalty reward. Made in China. It's fine. I carry it and use it all the time.

 

[dredd]

I have been carrying a Ka-Bar Dozier that is made in Taiwan for about three years.
It was highly recommended by...???? Don't remember???

Long story short, it is not a bad knife at all.

I have a habit of losing clip on knives (I think they get snagged), so I needed a knife that wouldn't make me cry when I lost it.

 

[John Joseph]

I like case, schrade, gerber, buck and other USA made knives. I always steer clear of china made even from these companies. I have a couple knives made in China or Taiwan though, a crkt, a Milwaukee folder, maybe a few others, but I don't use them or count on them.

Is there any china knives that aren't junk?

I was in love with the ruger hunting knife made by crkt until I seen country of origin.

Is there any I should consider to expand my horizons or just forget them and stick with USA made?

I've got to ask, what exactly does the OP consider a "quality" knife?
You were in love with your CRKT Ruger Hunter, why? Did you regard it as a quality knife and then knowing the country of origin it mystically transformed into a POS non-quality knife?
Or did the blade snap on you? Or liner lock fail? Or it couldn't hold an edge?
I can well understand not wanting to give your business to the PRC, but I think quality is objective.
Every nation on earth is more than capable of manufacturing a POS knife in order to satisfy a price point.

 

[dh1633pm]

To be honest, I purchase things from all over the place including knives. To also be honest, I do look for American made first and will pay extra. There are also Chinese knives that are very high quality. Same for Taiwan. I have more than one of them. I like them.

 

[hso]

Good question John Joseph, but it is apparent that the OP has very limited experience with a wide range of knives compared to most posters here. That's not a criticism of Bazoo because most people have very limited experience with knives and his question reflects the experience with most people. Most of the folks that have been here a while and posting or reading in this particular forum have had the chance to gather a lot of information even if they've not spent a lot of money acting on it (although I've been accused of being the "cause" of some greater expense in knife purchases). They've had some myths overturned (China = Junk) and have discovered new definitions of quality, sharpness, edge holding, ergonomics, etc. Hopefully Bazoo and other newer members will benefit from these discussions and learn to expand their understanding of knives through asking questions and having them answered.

 

[Bazoo]

I'm not sure why I think china made knives are junk. That's why I asked my questions.

My wife has two folding knives, marked browning. Both china. The fit and finish isn't great, and the ergonomics isn't great either. They are usable knives and better than Pakistan knives but not made as well as say, a cheap buck USA folder . Under minimal use, the thumb stud on one came loose and I had to peen it to get it to stay put. It came loose from me flicking it hundred times playing with it. I can't describe how I know they are cheap, because they both take an edge okay and they work. Those knives cost $10 each. If they cost $50 each they'd still be junk.

I didn't own a crkt ruger hunter. I seen it in store and loved the size, the weight, and the feel. It's a fixed blade. It seemed of good quality, but when I looked it up, I had a change of heart because it's origin is in china. That knife cost about $60. And I see that as reasonable for what I seen.

What do I consider quality. Hmm. Workmanship. Materials. Care taken in assembly. How I judge quality is something I have a hard time explaining. A fancy steel doesn't impress me. What does impress me is square joints, no gaps, smooth internal surfaces, symmetrical grinds.

You need steel that holds an edge reasonably well such as bucks 420hc, schrade +, 1084,1095. One of the cheap browning knives mentioned above had a steel that I can't remember, touted on the package. So basically they took a decent steel, made a blade, and built the cheapest knife they could around it to meet a price point.

I don't consider myself inexperienced. I've been collecting and using knives since I was 10. I'm 38 now. But I certainly am not vastly experienced and I am always learning more.

China made knives were junk 25 years ago, at least was my experiences. And it's hard to move away from that.

 

[Bazoo]

Milwaukee folder 48-22-1990
Crkt Denali 6613N
Buck 345 vantage
Crkt moxie 1102
Browning 0282
Browning 894

 

[Bazoo]

The two knives at the bottom of the above picture is the knives I consider cheap china junk.

The other knives, except for the buck are made in china or Taiwan. And they are a better quality than the browning knives. I consider these to be okay quality and not junk. After giving it some thought, I guess I already see quality knives from elsewhere. For whatever reason it's hard to move past the china is junk thinking.

 

[hso]

China made knives were junk 25 years ago, at least was my experiences. And it's hard to move away from that.

That's accurate for the most part and I agree that it is difficult to change an opinion that was accurately formed and widely agreed with. The good thing is we can discover that things can change and change our opinions (although the are plenty of junk knives out there made in China, but that's more a reflection on US buyers than Chinese manufacturers meeting a market niche for junk).

Live and learn...kinda what we're here for.

 

[rust collector]

Many of us can remember when products from Japan were regarded as inferior copies of American goods such as Zippo lighters and Case knives. They had a long tradition of good cutlery, but what the American vendors were ordering was the cheap, junky stuff. As Japanese industry moved toward more sophisticated products, their labor and environmental costs increased to the point where many of their consumer goods are designed in Japan but produced offshore. Now KAI Cutlery owns Kershaw, which produces knives in Oregon, Japan and China to suit the market segment desired.

Some valued brands such as Browning and Smith & Wesson made the choice to reduce production cost at the expense of quality (in my opinion). Other brands have done well with Chinese production, so long as high standards are enforced and not just promised. What many have learned is that a different culture means assurances of quality, steels, and finish must be verified, and if there is a demand for your product, it is likely to be counterfeited to meet that demand. We are all learning and can't afford to stop or rely on once valid assumptions.