what does everyone think about spyderco,s being made in taiwan? i had people who would not buy knives made in japan,even after i explained the quality. i,m sure that the spyderco quality will be there , but i would rather not see knives made there. to me seeing tiawan on something says junk. make em here in the good ole USA.
? what does it all mean?
taiwan
It took Japan the better part of thirty years to earn their reputation for quality products. The old paradigm, of course, was that anything bearing the "made in Japan" mark was nothing but melted down beer cans. I clearly remember that attitude during my upbringing. As time passed, Japanese products became more and more durable and dependable. Getting 300k (trouble free) miles out of an automobile was unheard of until Toyota and Subaru shattered that paradigm. Casio put the famed Swiss watchmakers almost completely out of business simply by embracing the future. In fact, Casio's first appearance at the world's fair was a tiny little booth flanked by hundreds of Swiss displays as far as the eye could see. In just a couple of decades, the exact opposite happened. The Swiss were outflanked by Seiko and Casio. Park a Honda next to a comparable Harley and compare the price tags, features, quality, riding comfort, etc. Honda owners get a lot of grief from the Harley crowd. But at the end of the day, the only thing Harley actually has over the Honda is better resale value. That's it. In all other respects the Honda is a better cycle. (I'll probably take some flaming over that one, heh heh heh).
Those are but a few examples. I could go on and on. Do I favor imported products over domestic stuff? Nope. I wish every Spyderco was made in Golden. Sadly that's not the case.
Will Taiwan turn their reputation around like Japan did? Only time will tell, but the Japs showed the world that with hard work and dedication it is quite possible. The QC folks in Golden have high standards and I can't see them letting substandard stuff (no matter what the tang stamp says) into the marketplace, especially since they have to stand behind said products.
That said, I must admit that I was more than a little uncomfortable to learn that Spyderco was outsourcing some of their product line to Taiwan. I'm going to wait (probably a long time) before I order any Spydies with that tang stamp. Cheers.
Those are but a few examples. I could go on and on. Do I favor imported products over domestic stuff? Nope. I wish every Spyderco was made in Golden. Sadly that's not the case.
Will Taiwan turn their reputation around like Japan did? Only time will tell, but the Japs showed the world that with hard work and dedication it is quite possible. The QC folks in Golden have high standards and I can't see them letting substandard stuff (no matter what the tang stamp says) into the marketplace, especially since they have to stand behind said products.
That said, I must admit that I was more than a little uncomfortable to learn that Spyderco was outsourcing some of their product line to Taiwan. I'm going to wait (probably a long time) before I order any Spydies with that tang stamp. Cheers.
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cmassicotte
- Member
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- Location: Buena Park, CA USA
3knife - and 4077th, welcome to the forum.
3knife - haven't I seen you here in another thread? Your post count doesn't seem to be increasing.
The only Spydie I have from Taiwan is the Ti Salsa and it is everything you would want to find in a Spyderco knife. The fit and finish are absolutly up to the standards of Spyderco's other top models - and the ergos are right there as well.
I have no idea why Spyderco went to Taiwan for this model, but it seems they got it right.
I think it is Spyderco's reputation that is important here, not the source or location of their product. To my knowledge, Spyderco has never produced a substandard product - in fact from my experience all of their products are "above standard" It would be pretty ruinous for them to neglect their quality standard and their business ethic - for one knife.
To be honest, It didn't even occur to me to question where the knife came from when I decided to get one. I had heard good things about the Salsa - mostly about the aluminum handled version. I wanted Ti handles, and a quality blade steel, so I got that model. I was not disappointed.
Edit - Actually I think they may have been involved with one bad knife collaboration - I think with Camillus for the BRK Native. Does anyone know where that knife was produced?
Chuck
There is no right way to do a wrong thing
Edited by - cmassicotte on 1/12/2003 10:27:46 AM
3knife - haven't I seen you here in another thread? Your post count doesn't seem to be increasing.
The only Spydie I have from Taiwan is the Ti Salsa and it is everything you would want to find in a Spyderco knife. The fit and finish are absolutly up to the standards of Spyderco's other top models - and the ergos are right there as well.
I have no idea why Spyderco went to Taiwan for this model, but it seems they got it right.
I think it is Spyderco's reputation that is important here, not the source or location of their product. To my knowledge, Spyderco has never produced a substandard product - in fact from my experience all of their products are "above standard" It would be pretty ruinous for them to neglect their quality standard and their business ethic - for one knife.
To be honest, It didn't even occur to me to question where the knife came from when I decided to get one. I had heard good things about the Salsa - mostly about the aluminum handled version. I wanted Ti handles, and a quality blade steel, so I got that model. I was not disappointed.
Edit - Actually I think they may have been involved with one bad knife collaboration - I think with Camillus for the BRK Native. Does anyone know where that knife was produced?
Chuck
There is no right way to do a wrong thing
Edited by - cmassicotte on 1/12/2003 10:27:46 AM
Sal Glesser explains the story on the BRK Natives on this thread: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showt ... did=213872
Hi 3knife. Welcome to the Spyderco forum.
The reason for trying Taiwan in mfr was the indidivual that we are working with.
I have seen good quality and poor quality coming from different countries. It is not the country that makes something better, but the individual behind the company that controls the quality.
At Spyderco, we conduct our own QC tests. We Rc them, dull them, (CATRA), break 'em, rust 'em and measure them....every batch, every shipment. It's our standards that must be met, not that of the mfr.
I question whether there are any other manufacturers that labor over QC testing as we do.
I have also seen some real junk coming out of Taiwan. We make sure that we do not give less than acceptble product to our customers. That is the value of a name.
In the end, the real test will be in the long term useage on the street that determines quality. A good repuation is not obtained overnight or through clever advertising. It is earned through long term service.
sal
The reason for trying Taiwan in mfr was the indidivual that we are working with.
I have seen good quality and poor quality coming from different countries. It is not the country that makes something better, but the individual behind the company that controls the quality.
At Spyderco, we conduct our own QC tests. We Rc them, dull them, (CATRA), break 'em, rust 'em and measure them....every batch, every shipment. It's our standards that must be met, not that of the mfr.
I question whether there are any other manufacturers that labor over QC testing as we do.
I have also seen some real junk coming out of Taiwan. We make sure that we do not give less than acceptble product to our customers. That is the value of a name.
In the end, the real test will be in the long term useage on the street that determines quality. A good repuation is not obtained overnight or through clever advertising. It is earned through long term service.
sal
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Sword and Shield
- Member
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- Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 10:33 am
- Location: USA
Howdy 3knife and 4077th! Welcome to <img src="spyder.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>Land! <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>
The way I see it, I have knives made in countries around the world. The only countries I won't buy are China and Pakistan, as their QC seems to be extremely poor. I have yet to find a reliably built knife from either.
Overall, good knives can come from anywhere. All my <img src="spyder.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>s are Japanese, while all my Case and Queen knives are American, with a few Swiss SAKs thrown in. It isn't the host nation, but the company, that makes a good knife.
Never underestimate the impossible.
The way I see it, I have knives made in countries around the world. The only countries I won't buy are China and Pakistan, as their QC seems to be extremely poor. I have yet to find a reliably built knife from either.
Overall, good knives can come from anywhere. All my <img src="spyder.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>s are Japanese, while all my Case and Queen knives are American, with a few Swiss SAKs thrown in. It isn't the host nation, but the company, that makes a good knife.
Never underestimate the impossible.
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vampyrewolf
- Member
- Posts: 7486
- Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 10:33 am
- Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
In my 20 odd spyderco's I've bought...
**Military 50/50 and Native FRN CE were from Golden
**the vast majority were Japan
**the Salsas I picked up in December are Taipei, Taiwan. The only problem I have with this model is the clip(but thats only until I figure out how to change it to left side). The fit and finish are great, the heat treat is excellent(the staple I hit today didn't damage the edge, and it shaved since day 1), the lock hits a bit over(but I'm not messing with it, yet) without more than a mm of tip movement(1st experience with this lock, so I'll wait)...
overall, I'm impressed in the way the Salsa is done, and have no problem carrying and using this one.
My Word, My Honour, is my Life.
**Military 50/50 and Native FRN CE were from Golden
**the vast majority were Japan
**the Salsas I picked up in December are Taipei, Taiwan. The only problem I have with this model is the clip(but thats only until I figure out how to change it to left side). The fit and finish are great, the heat treat is excellent(the staple I hit today didn't damage the edge, and it shaved since day 1), the lock hits a bit over(but I'm not messing with it, yet) without more than a mm of tip movement(1st experience with this lock, so I'll wait)...
overall, I'm impressed in the way the Salsa is done, and have no problem carrying and using this one.
My Word, My Honour, is my Life.
allan, isn't the m16 13 t a CRKT knife? i have a m16-14le, it's made in taiwan and my liner had a catastrophic failure. i e-mailed CRKT and they said that that's not suposed to happen. once i send it in i belive that they are going to send me a replacement. the blade performance was good but for 82 bucks i expected a whole lot more out of it. maybe i should stick to spyders
sven
steel is unforgiving... sharp steel even more so
sven
steel is unforgiving... sharp steel even more so