Chinese Spyderco's

[JSumm]

Ohh Boy, here we go again, as the regulars know, I have been nearly beat to death for declaring that I will not own a Chinese made Spyderco (nor any other knife made in China for that matter).

But, boy I was certainly taught a lesson on the Taiwan made Spydercos ... but have not changed my mind on Chinese Spydercos.

Not to beat a dead horse, but my mind, the only reason to have a knife made in China is for the reduced costs, i.e., labor, lesser environmental controls, regulations, etc.

Again, my dislike of Chinese knives has NOTHING to do with the people, politics, etc. ... only that I associate "made in china" with lesser cost, lesser quality.

Its funny, this is the only place that I get crap for wanting to buy American ... at least whenever possible.

NASA 50

I hear what you are saying just keep in mind that this is a global forum. So buy American may have one meaning to you and I, but not so much to another.

[ladybug93]

the only reason not to buy a chinese knife is politics. chinese production has come a long way, but there are plenty of reasons not to support their economy when possible.

i suppose another reason would be that some knives are made with "lesser" materials, but 8cr13mov has its place and the chinese spydercos are excellent quality and value. now that they're offered in s35vn, the quality and materials basically match american made spydercos.

politics is why people don't buy chinese products and there's nothing wrong with that.

[skeeg11]

Regardless of COO I can only judge the quality of a knife by personal hands on inspection like on all my Spydercos. My latest s35VN Resilience is top notch in fit, finish and function like my Taiwanese Spydercos.
Unlike some, I have actually paid for the right to have an opinion on the quality of Chinese made Spydercos regardless of politics. Spyderco is an American company and I support them.

[Wartstein]

Ohh Boy, here we go again, as the regulars know, I have been nearly beat to death for declaring that I will not own a Chinese made Spyderco (nor any other knife made in China for that matter).

But, boy I was certainly taught a lesson on the Taiwan made Spydercos ... but have not changed my mind on Chinese Spydercos.

Not to beat a dead horse, but my mind, the only reason to have a knife made in China is for the reduced costs, i.e., labor, lesser environmental controls, regulations, etc.

Again, my dislike of Chinese knives has NOTHING to do with the people, politics, etc. ... only that I associate "made in china" with lesser cost, lesser quality.

Its funny, this is the only place that I get crap for wanting to buy American ... at least whenever possible.

NASA 50

To be clear: I am not American (but from Austria, Europe)

I don´t think you "get the crap for wanting to buy American" - I figure almost any American on this forum WANTS to do this, and I as an European, if I can´t have a knife made in my own home country, also prefer buying a knife made where the company actually has its seat - so I, though not being American, by concept also like to buy US made Spydies most.

I imagine though in order to KEEP that American company healthy and to ensure also production and workplaces in the US , Spyderco almost has to offer a share of more cost efficient knives, which probably can only be made in China these days to the standards but still (in this case) lower costs Spyderco wants - again, with the effect that the company as a whole, including its American production- and work places can "live" and offer good circumstances for the employees... ?

I am also convinced that Spyderco chooses its Chinese makers very carefully, applying high standards.

[bjz]

Without reading through any of the posts in this thread, I’m going to post my thoughts on the current crop of Chinese made Spyderco’s (and Byrd) knives.

If you are looking to flick/fidget with you sharpened tool and take pictures of it to post on social media, then maybe pass on the Chinese models. BUT if you are looking for an extremely well built, ergonomically designed tool that is a great value and constructed of durable materials and easy to maintain steel, you’d be hard pressed to find anything better!

Over the years I’ve learned that I prefer the spyder/byrd opening holes over any other opening and deployment method and also learned that their ergonomics are generally top notch for me…so I am a bit biased toward Spyderco products and they are currently the only pocket knives I use. Take that for what it’s worth.

As for Chinese vs Japan/Taichung/golden, I literally just chose an alcyone over both a rock jumper and sage 5 because it was that good in every respect (design/ergos, fit and finish etc)

[NASA50]

If you Google "Spyderco" the following question and answer appears ... (I do not know who asked the question, nor who provided the answer)

Which is better Spyderco vs benchmade?
In some cases, you might prefer a Spyderco knife and in others, you'll be wowed by the Benchmade quality. In general, Spyderco knives are made in China and therefore cheaper. Whereas Benchmade knives are made in the USA and are renowned for their quality and ambidextrous design.


I copied this as antidotal evidence of my earlier assertion that I personally believe that having certain Spyderco's made in China hurts Spyderco's overall reputation of quality ...

Spyderco is my favorite knife maker and I know the quality of the knives ... but to the lesser knowledgable customer ... when they see made in China ... it sometimes provokes an image of lesser quality.


This is just this Spyderco's Customers opinion ... please no need to get nasty

NASA50

[sal]

If you Google "Spyderco" the following question and answer appears ... (I do not know who asked the question, nor who provided the answer)

Which is better Spyderco vs benchmade?
In some cases, you might prefer a Spyderco knife and in others, you'll be wowed by the Benchmade quality. In general, Spyderco knives are made in China and therefore cheaper. Whereas Benchmade knives are made in the USA and are renowned for their quality and ambidextrous design.

NASA50

Kind of like watching mainstream news?

sal

[yablanowitz]

Yep, if they get a fact right, it's by accident.

[Bloke]

[ZrowsN1s]

Fake Knews