On one of Sal's posts he did say it was hard to compete with China and their currency manipulation. I think it was in reference to Civivi knives.kennbr34 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 3:05 amOne thing about Chinese vs American manufacturing that I wonder about is how much we're actually paying for the product, versus how much we're paying for decent wages, safety conditions, etc. and so forth.jwbnyc wrote: ↑Mon Jan 02, 2023 11:36 pmDLT has not, as far as I know, dropped yet.Cowboyfromhell wrote: ↑Mon Jan 02, 2023 7:31 pmAre they all gone?....I haven't heard of any new drops lately..... Glad I got one at least!
And, vis-à-vis Chinese quality or the lack thereof: Chinese manufacturers build to a price. They will build to whatever quality level you want if you are willing to pay the price.
Personally, I’d like to see us bring as much manufacturing as possible back onshore, but the question is; are we prepared to pay the price?
I recently bought a Chinese knock off of a Benchmade 940, mostly because I was curious how good the knock offs are, and also because I wanted to see how the 940 was in hand--a bit like a "demo". Well, I was quite shocked with how well made it was. I have owned other Benchmade knives, and I have to say that this thing was really not far behind in quality. There were a few things wrong, but not what you'd expect. The blade held an edge, the action was smooth, blade centered, detent was good. Actually the only thing wrong was the screws were some cheap pot metal that cross threaded upon re-assembly.
So all that being the case... I bought that knock off for $20. The real deal no doubt has better materials and higher cost of manufacturing, but I don't think it's to the extent that it explains the 10x price difference. That's gotta come from the fact that the workers in American factories are paid a minimum wage, have a 40 hour work week, and OSHA regulations to keep them safe. Now I certainly don't know about all Chinese manufacturers, but something tells me the ones selling $20 knock offs don't have to adhere to all that.
That being the case, I would gladly pay a premium for Chinese goods if I knew they also took care of their employees, because it's not necessarily the craftsmanship they cut corners on.
A friend got a fake Benchmade Griptilian from China a year or two ago. Not going to lie for the $10-$20 he spent on it; it was very nice. I am not sure if I could have been able to tell the difference between a real one or not.
I don't think US knife companies need to worry too much about the knockoffs (other than fraud / theft) but the Civivi type knife, is a solid product with good materials at a fraction of the price. Not saying its better than a Spyderco, but its far from junk.
