China

[zhyla]

To everyone saying Chinese factory knives “cheapen the brand”: which Spyderco Chinese knives have you used?

In my house there are an old Tenacious G10 SE, Ambitious G10, two Ambitious LW SE (my sons’ first Spyderco’s), an Astute, and a Bow River.

I don’t have a critique about any of them. The same cannot be said about my most recent Golden purchase. IMO the larger risk to the brand is selling expensive knives with imperfections. Consumers have much higher expectations on a $200 knife than a $75 knife.

I’m likely going to get a Mantra 4 as soon as it comes out.

[ChrisinHove]

I think Spyderco needs to have a broad pricing range to put its knives in as many hands as possible. If that means some are made in the PRC then so be it. Folks who object to that have alternatives and know why they will be paying more for those.

Also, for some years great designs have fallen by the wayside prematurely as the market would not support the prices necessarily charged for Seki G10 models. Lower prices get these models out there - we’re already seeing another Gooney variant, for example.

Buying a Chinese made Spyderco/Byrd is still supporting Spyderco - and indirectly therefore also US manufacturing.

[Doc Dan]

I wonder if there aren't other countries that could make the knives now made in China? Thailand, Malaysia, India, and others might be choices. I prefer not to support China. I love Chinese people elsewhere and have many Chinese friends, but China itself even the Chinese won't buy from. That says a lot. Plus, China has been harming and aggressing against Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Phillappines, America, and other nations, militarily, electronically, psychologically, and more. Countless deaths can be laid at their feet. So, I prefer not to support them. Some of their people can and do make superior stuff, as long as somebody else in the world builds it first.

[vivi]

.


also, just to be clear without trying to be political... taiwan and china are not the same.

absolutely.

This is one of the reasons I own something like 8 SRK's....plus many other CS knives.

They offer the SRK in base SK5 for $28-40 depending on where you shop, and it's not made in china. SRKC's and Recon Tantos for similar prices. 3V versions of the SRK & SRKC for under $90 shipped.

For that price and country of origin, I bought multiples of each.

I'd jump at the chance to do the same with a budget line of fixed blades made in taiwan from Spyderco.

I also have a number of south african machetes. more kiwi knives from thailand than I can count. some dirt cheap german bread knives.

there are many countries where knives can be made cheaper than the US without the stigma of china.

[KeepCalm&Carrion]

Hi All,

There seems to be a lot of thought and opinions on China, with regards to knives, especially since the latest reveal.

Some say we are no longer a leader in the industry because of the latest model offerings. (Manta 4, Buttonup, Shelter Cove, Goonie). Some say to ditch China altogether. some say build more in China, etc.

I would like for you to share your thoughts? Questions? Suggestions? Preferences? etc.? Please try to avoid Partisan Politics as much as possible.

Thanx,

sal

All of my folding knives are Spydercos, but that's more to do with how much I value good design than anything else. For example: I can't wait to buy the just-announced SE Gooney, even though I know I could possibly get a "better" spec'd knife from another brand for about the same price. Coming from that perspective, my only suggestion would be to continue making great designs that push the envelope in a function-over-form kind of way.

My one armchair-quarterback suggestion re: Chinese-made knives would be to take some of the more popular models upstream; a Golden-made Bow River Salt or a Golden-made Gooney Salt are two that come to mind.

[Naperville]

I trust Spyderco to only put out products they want their name attached to. China is inescapable, but still, people are heavily propagandized against them when they should be blaming the corporations, their leaders, and our politicians that facilitated moving domestic manufacturing capability offshore in search of higherprofits.

I say do what you think is best. Factories and people in China are more than capable of churning out fantastic quality goods, and I trust Spyderco knows what to look for when selecting manufacturing partners since y'all have been doing it for decades.

Just some more quick facts. Countries and corporations are facing a huge juggernaut.

Since 2001 China has been in the WTO, and while they are the #1 or #2 economy in the world they still claim to be a developing nation for the benefit that holds.

For quite a long time China locked their global economy in at a dollar trade rate of 13:1, that is 13 Chinese dollars to 1 US dollar and they refused to allow the Chinese dollar to float. Recently it is at 7.11:1. Those are slave wages that the CCP has 1.4 billion people working at and they cannot afford to buy The West's goods. While they cannot afford to buy The West's goods, they can almost by force take any sector of their economies.

It has been estimated that China steals more than $500 billion in intellectual property every year.

[sal]

Hi Xelor1,

Welcome to our forum.

sal

[grimlock]

I do not buy Chinese made knives. I know the spyderco china made products have a place for some. Be it desighn or cost. For me I try not to give money to a country like China. It is well known that china has been selling knockoffs of the more exspensive spyderco knives for years. How long would it be before that $70.00 mantra would be coming out the back door of the same factory for $20.00?

[burley_c]

I agree with a lot of what's already been said here. I personally don't buy Chinese knives or other Chinese-made goods, to the extent possible. While I know that many Chinese manufacturers are capable of making high-quality products, I feel dirty supporting a country that has continuously engaged in very unfair trade practices, manipulated their currency, and continuously stolen intellectual property.

That said, I have no meaningful experience in manufacturing, so if making certain products in China is something Spyderco has to do to survive and thrive then I get it, I personally just will not purchase those products made in China.

[Halfneck]

A majority of the lower cost Chinese made knives don't appeal to me. I either don't like the design, steel, or lesser quality.

Case in point is the Orange handled Ozark Trail folder sold by Walmart that is similar to the Bugout. A buddy gave me one to play with as a beater. Non-knife people will look at it and think "$20 instead of $200, same lock, and D2 steel - **** yea!". I've played with it & the heat treat is not great, and the lock is gritty with side to side & up & down movement. As a knife-nut I've already found that the steel does not perform as well as other D2 steel knives I have. I also would not trust the Axis-lock on it like I do my similar Benchmade knives. But the knife sells well to non-knife people and casual knife users because it is a fraction of the price of a similar Benchmade Bugout or Hogue Deka.

I never owned any Chinese made Spyderco/Byrd knives. While I know the QC would be there, either the designs or the steel choice didn't appeal to me. The one that I was sorely tempted to get was the Astute. I liked the design & how it felt in-hand, but I do not like 8Cr steel.

All that said, I do own a few Chinese made knives by Civivi - Specifically 3 Baby Banters & 1 Sendy. The Baby Banter filled my need for a small, light knife for Work EDC. I tried carrying a Spyderco Dragonfly, but the handle shape did not work for me. I tried the Spyderco Chaparral, but it was slightly bigger than I wanted. The Baby Banter gave me Nitro V steel, & G10 scales in a small light knife. My most recent Baby Banter gave me Sandvik14 steel, G10 scales with a toothpick & tweezers, and an Axis-lock, but gained some more weight than I wanted. Part of what made me trust these Civivi knives is the involvement of Ben Peterson from Knafs Co. He is the designer of the Banter series & seems like a good guy.
I also picked up a CRJB Pyrite Lite that impressed me for the price. The AR-RPM9 steel seemed decent enough, fit & finish were good, as was the lock-up of the button-lock. I ended up giving it to my youngest son to use as a beater while doing an internship at a mining company.

So, I guess in summary: I would rather not support Chinese made knife companies, BUT if the knife is well made, does not infringe on any copyrights/designs, and attractively priced - I can be tempted.

[RustyIron]

Some of their people can and do make superior stuff, as long as somebody else in the world builds it first.

Right? So many countries are steaming cauldrons devious spies! Take the textile industry for instance. The English had it wrapped up. They'd import cotton, turn it into fabric, and then sell it back to the cotton growers at a substantial markup. They guarded their monopoly through secrecy and through laws prohibiting the export of technology. Life was good. Then the greedy cotton growers bribed a couple English textile factory builders to come over and build textile mills near the cotton fields. Before long the bloody Yanks were undercutting the legitimate English factories and shipping their cheap fabrics all over the world.

Steam engines and locomotives? Newcomen, Watt, Stephenson, Symington? Englishmen and Scotsmen. Yanks "borrowed" their technology.

The first internal combustion engines were made by the Europeans. They built nice engines and did lovely work. Soon, the Americans jumped in with their cheap labor and shoddy workmanship. They started exporting their clunky engines all over the world and undercutting the original inventors. Every time new advancements were developed by hard-working European inventors -- Otto, Clerk, Ackroyd-Stuart, Diesel -- the Americans stole the ideas and took food off the tables of honest European families.

Automobiles? Invented by Europeans. It wasn't long until the Yanks started cranking out cheap models. Of course the real aficionados wouldn't settle for clunky junk, and stuck with their Mercedes, Ferraris, Delahayes.

Nobel, Einstein, Tesla -- all European. Want to talk about steel production that allows us to carry fancy knives in the pockets of our designer jeans sewn in Chinese factories? Henry Bessemer. He was English.

I'm not trying to convince anyone to buy Chinese products, only to look at all the facts and to make your decisions accordingly.

“If you know the enemy but not yourself, your victory will be limited. If you know neither, every battle will be lost.” -- Sun Tzu

[TkoK83Spy]

I'm impressed that 3 pages in there's not single post crossing any lines. Nicely done fella's!

I don't believe I would go out and buy a China made Spyderco knife. Not because I have anything against those models, but because I'm at the point in my time with knives, that I know the "lesser" models really don't have anything to offer me that I don't already have from Golden, Seki or Taichung. I will say though, having been gifted an Ambitious SE from a forum friend, that it is a nice knife. I've used it pretty extensively around the house and have never been worried about it breaking or anything during use. Using a "noob" mentality not being biased after having handled so many knives in my life, if I were just getting into the knife hobby and was worried about spending a ton of money, but also knowing I want something with more quality than a $10 knife. I'd be very happy with a purchase of the Ambitious, which I imagine is on par with all the other Spyderco knives made in China.

Now, I have said specifically "Spyderco" knives here. That's because having hung around this place on a daily basis for 7-8 years now, I've come to "know" the owner of the company a bit. I know that he and his staff are morally sound people and constantly strive to be an even better company and ask their customers what they want/like. I respect that, and know that even if I were to have a problem with a knife of theirs made in China that I would be able to send it in for warranty work. I'm not sure how many of the other Chinese made knives offer the same?

I also know there are plenty of high quality made knives from China these days. I have a Jack Wolf knife that's made in China and I'd dare anybody that handled it to call in a junk knife. S90V steel and premium materials, nice thin grind. Though my post is mostly talking about budget value knives, only stating that China DOES put out some good knives as well.

[gdwtvb]

For me the problem with China is one of trust.

I recently decided to purchase a red dot gunsight. I first went to Amazon, found the name brand (Sig) one I wanted and ordered it. Then, I discovered that the particular sight I was buying was a chinese knock off copy. I pulled the order and ordered one directly from Sig for about $25-35 more. I have no doubt the 'real' sight I am buying was likely manufactured in China. The difference is the 'real thing' comes with a real warranty and better quality control than the knock off that is passed off as the real thing.

It's frustrating to me that I have to double check and take extra time and money to get the item I am trying to buy.

A liar is a liar is a liar.

I have no doubt that many manufacturers perform the necessary due dilligence to insure the products they have manufactured in China are manufactured to the proper specifications.

Still, our shores are flooded with fakes and copies of decent products. China, as a country, does little to stop this.

I'd rather deal with companies inside of countries that respect copyrights and intellectual property.

I'm not the average consumer, and I have enough knives to last several lifetimes. (~25)

Having been a user and affectionado of knives for better than four decades, I'm not buying a knife because I need a new one, I'm buying to try a different locking mechanism, a different handle shape, a different blade shape, or a different steel.

Most people don't appreciate the differences or much care about how a knife is made.

I've purchased 2 knives in the last couple years. (Spyderco manix 2, and a Buck.)

I will never knowingly buy a chinese made knife fom any manufacturer. Don't flame me, but it might be that Spyderco is doing exactly what many great companies in the past have done. Selling their reputation and allowing their name to be used on continually lower quality products to increase market share and make more money.

Time will tell.

Grizz

[elena86]

No partisan politics asked Sal yet most posts are impregnated with politics. We live in a global world and sometimes we don’t like what this reality brings to the table. As a buyer and user I couldn’t care less about the birth place of my knife(or my smartphone) as long as the brand behind it is Spyderco (or Apple) and the quality is there. I love liner locks and I love my Astute and I wouldn’t trade it for quite a few my Seki made spydies. The Mantra 4 is a very smart design(my jaw dropped when I saw it) and it’s going to be a terrific user with that 2.2 mm thin blade and I hope this a move in the right direction. Blades are meant to clean cut and slice, not to pry with. I bet it’s going to sell like hot cakes, with or without 8Cr steel, as long as the quality will be on par with the Astute. Just bring it faster.

[Big50]

I will not purchase a knife made in China (PRC). The same is true for hand tools and other discretionary items, regardless of cost.

Quality isn’t (necessarily) the issue. Ultimately, when I have a choice of where my money goes, it won’t be PRC. I don’t care if it’s cheaper from PRC. If it’s discretionary and I can’t find it or can’t afford it manufactured elsewhere, I’ll go without.

Taiwan (ROC) is fine.

[ladybug93]

if ethics really drove our buying decisions, we'd be stuck making everything for ourselves, and if we're honest, we'd still be getting our goods from someone that is flawed.

[Chieftjs]

I have zero issues with a line of knives being manufactured in China. In the end, Spyderco is responsible for the specifications and quality control. As long as the product is clearly marked as to country of manufacture then we have no problem. I'd love to see more european manufacturers if that's possible so that we could be exposed to even more steels and collaborations.

[zhyla]

I will never knowingly buy a chinese made knife fom any manufacturer. Don't flame me, but it might be that Spyderco is doing exactly what many great companies in the past have done. Selling their reputation and allowing their name to be used on continually lower quality products to increase market share and make more money.

How can you say Spyderco Chinese knives are lower quality if you don’t buy them?

I understand the political stances in this thread. I cannot understand how any knife enthusiast in 2025 equates Chinese knife factories with low quality.

[MrGibson]

How can you say Spyderco Chinese knives are lower quality if you don’t buy them?

I understand the political stances in this thread. I cannot understand how any knife enthusiast in 2025 equates Chinese knife factories with low quality.

This. I’ve got a few knives and other goods made in China, and like any country of origin, quality can and does range from premium to average and below.

My issues with China are PRC politics and practices; not the makers of products.

In all honesty, as much as is feasible (accessible, affordable, etc) I buy as much as I can as locally as I can to support local business. Local, state, regional, country, then beyond. While I have specific “issues” hinted above, my country of origin preferences have far more to do with patronizing local and fellow makers and businesses more than any other factor.

[bearfacedkiller]

I suppose that for many of us it’s just the direction this is trending. At first Chinese Spyderco’s were called Byrds with the goal of preserving Spyderco as a brand. Then we got the tenacious family and were told they would be gateway Spyderco’s and that they would be up to Spyderco’s quality standards. Then slowly a few more like the clipitools, bugs and bow River. Now more. We were told that models rarely get moved from one factory to another yet the new Mantra isn’t being made in Taiwan like the first three.

It’s not hard to project forward a few years and see where this is going.