How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

Discuss Spyderco's products and history.

How much are you willing to spend on a knife produced in China?

I'm not willing to buy a Chinese made knife
33
22%
I'll spend up to $25
6
4%
I'll spend up to $50
13
9%
I'll spend up to $75
7
5%
I'll spend up to $100
8
5%
I'll spend up to $150
3
2%
I'll spend up to $200
2
1%
I have no hard limit for how much I'll spend on a knife made in China - my purchase is based on other factors like materials and design
77
52%
 
Total votes: 149

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SpyderEdgeForever
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#61

Post by SpyderEdgeForever »

It would probably not be economically worth it for Spyderco but what would you all say if they offered this option: Identical models, one made in China and one made in USA, at Golden, the same exact model, with different prices? For example: A US made Cara Cara 2 and a China made Cara Cara 2, the US one made at a higher price, and you the customer get to choose which one to purchase. A US made Endura or Military, and a Japanese made Endura or Military.
BigGrove
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#62

Post by BigGrove »

SpyderEdgeForever wrote:
Fri Nov 30, 2018 7:58 pm
BigGrove wrote:
Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:02 pm
xchef wrote:
Wed Nov 28, 2018 9:25 pm
Just to clarify a bit Taichung is not in China it is in Taiwan .Strictly a Spyderco made in Taichung has not been made in China .
If we’re going to clarify it’s best to be accurate. They’re actually both China - the Republic of China (commonly referred to as Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China.

The USA officially does not recognize Taiwan as an independent state and considers it to be part of China. Per the US State Department website:

“The United States recognized the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, acknowledging the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China.”
What would happen if a nation such as the USA officially said "Taiwan is an eternal independent state and the PRC has no right to it whatsoever. They have no claim to it, and any and all attempts to go against this statement will be considered an act of aggressive warfare, and we will respond accordingly." and in return America wanted to have Taiwan give them extra-great deals on knives and other goods?
I assume this is a tongue in cheek question? Tone in forum posts in next to impossible to gauge.
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sal
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#63

Post by sal »

China has just opened the worlds longest oversea bridge spanning 34 miles long. They also just announced that they are going to launch an "artificial moon" into space in 2020. It will hover over a city and shine lights down on the city making street lights obsolete. Not bad for a 3rd world country with a Yuan/dollar value of 6/1.

sal
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Ankerson
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#64

Post by Ankerson »

sal wrote:
Mon Dec 03, 2018 10:40 am
China has just opened the worlds longest oversea bridge spanning 34 miles long. They also just announced that they are going to launch an "artificial moon" into space in 2020. It will hover over a city and shine lights down on the city making street lights obsolete. Not bad for a 3rd world country with a Yuan/dollar value of 6/1.

sal
Sal,

I read someplace that China has more Geniuses than the US has people.

Jim
Mom3ntuM
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#65

Post by Mom3ntuM »

The Norwegian kroner/dollar value is 8.5/1 but we are stil the sixt richest country in the world with 70590$ per capita, i don' think the exchange rate can be used to judge a countrys economic state.
Sweden, switzerland, austria and ireland are third world countries as well and they are doing Just fine :)
I think most of the asian countries are not so underdeveloped as they used to be.
That said, when i buy a knife, i buy a knife not a country, so buildquality, fit and finish is whats important to me. Not where it is made, i would pay the same for an american or chinese knife given the same quality/material.
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RobDigi
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#66

Post by RobDigi »

China Moon sounds awesome...
but I still aint shelling out more than $200 for a knife with China printed on it lol
Last edited by RobDigi on Mon Dec 03, 2018 11:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
500Nitro
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#67

Post by 500Nitro »

Mom3ntuM wrote:
Mon Dec 03, 2018 11:26 am
The Norwegian kroner/dollar value is 8.5/1 but we are stil the sixt richest country in the world with 70590$ per capita, i don' think the exchange rate can be used to judge a countrys economic state.
Sweden, switzerland, austria and ireland are third world countries as well and they are doing Just fine :)
I think most of the asian countries are not so underdeveloped as they used to be.
That said, when i buy a knife, i buy a knife not a country, so buildquality, fit and finish is whats important to me. Not where it is made, i would pay the same for an american or chinese knife given the same quality/material.
Reputation / Reviews are very important for Overseas made stuff - Spyderco / Apple being a good examples.

China is very good at "bling", making something look good, attractive for price, even though it might be a heap of crap.
3 x Endura 1 SE, 1 x Endura ? CE and a Black Pacific Salt. Want Aqua Salt, Fish Hunter and a Pacific Salt Yellow.
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Mako109
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#68

Post by Mako109 »

RobDigi wrote:
Mon Dec 03, 2018 11:29 am
China Moon sounds awesome...
but I still aint shelling out more than $200 for a knife with China printed on it lol
But...what if "China Moon" was printed on it ;) ?
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rwasham
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#69

Post by rwasham »

Bloke wrote:
Wed Nov 28, 2018 5:12 pm
rwasham wrote:
Wed Nov 28, 2018 4:39 pm
I think china makes fine knives ...
Image
Fine as in "ok." You have to keep in mind that it's hard to compare between price points...A tenacious is a great knife for the price, but it probably doesn't hold up to the PM2. I still love both...I still think both are great quality.
ABX2011
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#70

Post by ABX2011 »

sal wrote:
Mon Dec 03, 2018 10:40 am
Not bad for a 3rd world country with a Yuan/dollar value of 6/1.
Mom3ntuM wrote:
Mon Dec 03, 2018 11:26 am
The Norwegian kroner/dollar value is 8.5/1 but we are stil the sixt richest country in the world with 70590$ per capita, i don' think the exchange rate can be used to judge a countrys economic state.
Exactly. Look at dollar/yen exchange of 1 to 114. That doesn't mean a US dollar buys 100 times as much stuff in Japan.

Likewise China's exchange rate isn't the main reason why goods are manufactured at a lower cost there.
DBCOOPER
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#71

Post by DBCOOPER »

My first thought is, what if I needed to send it in for repair, will they even warrant it? Will I have to send it to China for a fix? Would a 200$-+ Chinese knife be worth having to send back if their laws hold them to no obligation to fix something that may be defective?
Tbh I'll stick with Spyderco Benchmade, zt, and a few other brands here in America or that I trust elsewhere
I came here to cut sh#$ with my knives and chew bubblegum, and I'm all out of bubblegum
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steelcity16
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#72

Post by steelcity16 »

Just received my first Made in China Spyderco, the Cutlery Shoppe exclusive Tenacious. Quality seems great. No complaints. Will be my first experience with 8Cr13MoV, so time will tell how I like the steel, but the knife itself looks and feels great. I love liner locks and have been wanting one in a smaller package than the Millie.

I've really come full circle here. I hate to admit, but I bought a bunch of Ganzo knives before I knew better because I thought $100+ was crazy for a knife. Finally I caved and bought a Dfly Salt and caught the Spyder bug. Then I went full animal and dove into PM2s, then pretty much every other Golden and Japan model, and balked at the Taiwanese and Chinese made Spydies. Much later I finally caved and bought a Chap LW and fell in love and got over my fear of Taiwan made Spydies. Now I have my first Chinese made Spydie. No regrets with any of my knife purchases except the Ganzos (now my beaters). Should have just started with a Tenacious!
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Wartstein
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#73

Post by Wartstein »

For me being European your question is to be seen in quite a different context.
If you'd ask me if I would be willing to generally spend more money on knives that were produced in MY own home country and create jobs here rather than in China: Yes, sure.
When it comes to the US and China I still feel somewhat "closer" to the US. Based probably on that I visited the states 3 times, can understand and talk to US citizens,and the culture generally is more similar to the European culture than the Chinese would be.

So between two knives that I'd like equally and which came at the same price point I'd probably always choose the "Golden" one.

But generally I am also in the "last-option (of your poll) camp". I really like Spyderco as a company and spending money for their knives, but overall quality and design is way more important to me than where exactly the knife is produced.

Another point: Maybe one criterium for me could be, that I'd prefer a knife in whichs production a rather small amount of shipping to and fro is involved, solely for ecological reasons.
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jpm2
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#74

Post by jpm2 »

Nothing Chinese for me if there's an option.
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TkoK83Spy
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#75

Post by TkoK83Spy »

WE Knives are worth consideration. Their really stepping up their game the past couple years.
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Woodpuppy
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#76

Post by Woodpuppy »

I try very hard to not buy products from China in particular. Because it is so difficult to avoid this, where I actually have a choice I make it. I tend to avoid things that seem to take over; google, fakebook, China, amazon, etc.
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Mako109
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#77

Post by Mako109 »

I focus on form, function, quality and service. So yes I'll spend whatever for Chinese made knives as long as my conditions are met. Heck I'll even buy German, Italian and French made knives.
soc_monki
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#78

Post by soc_monki »

I voted no hard limit. The Chinese can make some great stuff, and while I don't agree with the politics of China it won't stop me from supporting a company I like because I think we as a people can overcome those barriers. Maybe China will never change, but I can hope.

Either way, my Tenacious was my first Spyderco, and it's not my last Chinese spyderco even though I have some American and a Taiwan Spydie. I have a number of Chinese Kershaws and they are fine knives. I've been looking at Artisan Cutlery knives, they have some nice designs. We/Civivi, ruike, reate... They make some good looking pieces, apparently of very high quality. Will I spent upwards of 200 bucks on one? Not likely, just because I find it hard to spend over 150 on a knife!

But I have no illusions that there are passionate knife makers in China. I kind of liken it to Milwaukee tools. People still respect the name and the tools, yet most are now made in China. I own some milwaukee tools, but only my Sawzall is made in the US. It's all in the quality of materials, assembly, and qc.

Anyway, enough rambling. I love knives. I love good knives. Good knives can come from anywhere. So can bad knives. Buy what you like!
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Marulaghost
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#79

Post by Marulaghost »

You can get some high quality knives made in China.
You can also get some poorly built knives in America.
In both both cases (just like with people) you have to look at the individual and assess for yourself.
I'll keep my political views to myself cause I'm not about that life.
But i trust spyderco to deal with non BS factories.
I will say that nothing coming out of China from spyder or otherwise entices me to make a purchase.
Not even discussing the bad factories over there. Even the makers, who produce actual quality products and aren't more shady than a redwood, don't make anything that excites me enough to buy.
They're either more basic than boy band, or peacocks that are gorgeous, but not ideal tools.
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Blue72
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Re: How much are you willing to spend on a Chinese made knife?

#80

Post by Blue72 »

over Twenty years ago I had a very hard time buying a non USA made knife. But I saw a knife that fit so well in my hand, loved the ease of opening,small size but big blade, light, quality materials, aesthetically pleasing, etc. etc. etc.

That knife was a Spyderco Dragonfly. I learned an important lesson about capitalism, it’s not about where it’s made. It’s about who is making a superior product!

Thank you Spyderco for continuing to deliver excellence decades later!
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