Anything negative to say about "made in Taiwan"

[tenaciousj]

very seriously thinking about the Sage Ti and am admittedly a little concerned about where it is made. looks great, read great things about it, but not sure if i can get past "taiwan". any thoughts or ideas about spydies made in taiwan?

[ousanas]

The Sage 1 I had was as good as anything i've had, I only got rid of it, cuz I needed to trade for another spydie. I can't wait to get the Bob T slippie in a couple weeks. I will be getting the Sage II and another Sage I at some point I'm sure. So no, no real concerns.

[Kuolema]

My Sage I carries that stamp, and I must admit I had the same apprehensions.

But fear not! This is the same high quality as the US/Japan made Spydies. But I know sometimes it's hard to overcome that nagging idea that anything made in Taiwan is substandard.

But I've been EDC'ing my Sage I for a good two months now, and it's still like new (and it has seen a LOT of use)!

If you can overcome the Taiwan stigma you'll be quite surprised with the Sage II, they are **** fine knives.

Besides, Sal wouldn't put the Spyderco name to anything less than the best.

[Water Bug]

Highly recommend that you get passed the "Made In Taiwan" concern.

The Spyderco Sage 1 and Sage 2 are great! I'm very impressed with the Sage 2 Ti! Its Chris Reeve Integral Lock is a beautiful feature. Sal and his crew knew what they were doing when they designed this knife. I would say if you can't get a Chris Reeve Sebenza that you should seriously consider the Sage 2 Ti. I have a few Sebenzas by Chris Reeve, and I feel the Sage 2 does justice to the Sebenza's design.

Once you've held the Sage 2, you'll have a good idea of what it's like to hold a Sebenza. If you've held a Sebenza before, you'll know what to expect when you grip the Sage 2 and thumb the blade into battery.

[Sequimite]

I finally broke down and bought a Sage I two weeks ago and my Caly Jr. and Lil' Temp have yet to get back into my pocket.

This has better fit and finish than any of the other 30 Spyderco's I own. The wire clip works perfectly without having to loosen it up like my others. The liner lock is as easy to operate and feels more secure than my Military's. The closed thumb ramp aligns perfectly with the handles, unlike several of my Golden knives. Even the skeletonized liners are completely polished with cool spool shaped spacers.

Do not confuse Taiwan with mainland China. Eighteen years ago my nephew went to Taipei to work as an illegal alien because he could make more money there. He brought his savings back to the US and got his Masters in Chemical Engineering. Their industry is cutting edge.

[Firebat]

Get past it. Seriously. You're only shortchanging yourself out of a really nice product. It's as nice or even nicer than anything coming straight out of Golden. (A high standard indeed!) I've owned both Sage iterations, and both are shockingly well made. Fit and finish are above reproach.

[Clawhammer]

Their industry is cutting edge.

I totally agree. Even 'made in China' isn't what it used to stand for.
Remember how "made in Japan" turned around 180 Deg"?

They're 'hungrier' and have more to prove than us fat, lazy 'westerners'. Doing manufacturing business in 'the east' is a case of round pegs in round holes...they're just better at it than us... right now.

...but they'd better watch out... because India and Pakistan are hot on their heels...i'd give them 10 years...15 tops before they start competing. (they've just gotta get their Governments sorted out)

[RIOT]

im old school and prefer the Japan steel, no reason just because

[Toad310]

im old school and prefer the Japan steel, no reason just because

Me too!

[Daniel]

Nothing negative to say regarding Taiwan.

China, however, is a whole different story. They are intent on world domination militarily and economically and we are doing a great job in financing their efforts. They do not play by the same rules as other countries in the world economy.

[Sam Vimes]

im old school and prefer the Japan steel, no reason just because

In preference to what, Taiwanese steel? :confused: Haven't all the Taiwanese Spydies used CPMS30V shipped from the USA? Or do you genuinely prefer Japanese steel over the US steel?

I can understand folks being patriotic and wishing to buy US sourced and made knives. However, as soon as Japanese made becomes acceptable then dismissing Taiwanese made as inferior is ridiculous. The Taiwanese made Spydercos are excellent. The other thing worth considering is the fact that without Taiwanese made product you wouldn't be looking at this or any other post on here. :D

[arnon]

China, however, .......... They do not play by the same rules as other countries in the world economy.

Like some of us that don't play by the forum rules :confused:
Be well Arnon

[The Deacon]

In the end, the decision on whether or not to purchase any knife is a personal one. As with most personal decisions, it will normally be based on a combination of logic, taste, and prejudice. For many, the "what will my (family, friends, co-workers, etc) think" factor enters into the equation as well.

Both versions of the Sage use top-shelf US made materials, supplied by Spyderco, and their fit and finish are first rate. IMHO, the Taiwanese maker building them is turning out quality comparable to the best work by the best Japanese maker Spyderco uses. So, from a strictly dispassionate logical point of view, "quality" is not a legitimate issue.

Japan's current position as the hallmark of quality is somewhat ironic to those of us old enough to remember the fifties and sixties, before a handful of companies like Nikon, Honda, and Sony, caused an almost meteoric rise in the reputation of Japanese made goods from "Jap crap" to "world class". Our level of trust in them is also, to some extent, baffling, all things considered.

Bottom line, if everything about the Sage, except the word Taiwan on the tang stamp, is to your liking then it comes down to a question of whether your decision will be based on reason or strictly on prejudice and concern over what "others" may think. The only semi-rational reason to hesitate would be potential resale, which will probably be more limited, at least in the short term, due to the number of potential buyers who share the prejudice. I say "in the short term" because, if history repeats, even that will change in time. The Sages could then very well become a sought after early examples of high quality Taiwanese knife making.

[FLYBYU44]

My Taiwan spydie is as good or better then anything out of Golden. And usually they are at a better price point as well.

[MANIXWORLD]

Nope no problem with made in Taiwan.look at Boker knives that are made there.the Subcoms etc.Great value for your money.CRKT?mmm,not so good though for me.

[skatenut]

My Taiwan spydie is as good or better then anything out of Golden. And usually they are at a better price point as well.

agree 100%. both Sage I and II are excellent and well worth the money, they are among my favorites, very smoooth. :D a Sebenza (bought mine in the nineties) has thicker scales but the Sage II is more ergonomic.

[sal]

Taiwan is the country of origin of the maker that we are working with. The maker is unique in their ability. I have visited their factory and their subcontractor's factories. They do good work. I cannot say the same of other makers in Taiwan. We have tried a few of them and found them not up to our standards.

Of the 50 or so knifemakers that were making knives in Seki-City, Japan, when we began making knives in Seki, we ended up with 2 major makers. Just because a maker is in Japan, does not mean they are good enough for Spyderco or Al Mar knives. We tried many and found many to be lacking.

In my opinion, brand name makes a bigger difference than country of origin.

sal

[huugh]

In my opinion, brand name makes a bigger difference than country of origin.

sal

That is very true. As building a "brand" represents sunk costs (i.e. after you spent on it, you can't get the money back (unlike you can e.g. sell raw materials you have bought)).

As such, the brand represents a type of guarantee for a customer that the goods will exhibit certain qualities (which the maker promotes / is renowned for), because if the maker tries to lower the quality (worsen the goods yet still sell for the original price; thus earning additional profit (which, if he managed to do that, would be rational, mind you)), he would risk loosing the value of his "brand" (in the form of the amount of sunk costs, typically much higher than amount of additional profit).

The higher the sunk costs are (the better the brand is), the better the guarantee is. That's often one of the reasons for the popularity of so called "brand products".

[Water Bug]

In my opinion, brand name makes a bigger difference than country of origin.

sal

Ya know, Sal's got a **** good point... the Sage 2 is a Spyderco, and that by itself is good enough for me! :)

[Blerv]

R&D and Quality Control go a long way regardless where/who makes the knife for a company. Even Spyderco's price-point knives (Tenacious/Persistance) that earned the Round hole feel/work like $60+ knives. I would not be one bit concerned about the "made in Taiwan" marking because based on price of the Sage2 and the fact they felt good enough about it to put the "Sage" into the title.

My guess is that you could grind off the stamp and give it to a blind folded knife maker and tell him/her it's a $300 Italian RIL-style folder and they would salivate with glee . There's a youtube video that praises the Sage2 in comparison to the Sebenza and Strider knives. You should check it out because the reviewer is pretty dang informed and detailed with the review (eg: not a garage rat wearing camo and talking in slang).