Made in not the USA

[Onkel Neal]

Most likely, CHINA.

Ok, was looking for a new pocketknife today in Bass Pro Shop. Kershaw, Gerber, Buck, Case, etc... all made in china. Sheesh, how can a good ol' boy from Texas carry a knife from the orient? Don't get me wrong, I love Swiss watches, Japanese motorcycles, Koeran TVs and electronics, Mexican boots... but a knife...that should be crafted here. Phooey, how can this country keep this up? We're past the point where almost everything is made somewhere else, how are we going to stay solvent? By selling each other hamburgers? :wah:

[Tango589]

Such is the way of cheap labour and profit maximisation. Even the hamburgers we'll have to sell each other will eventually come from Chinese cows.:nope:

[Onkel Neal]

Such is the way of cheap labour and profit maximisation. Even the hamburgers we'll have to sell each other will eventually come from Chinese cows.:nope:

Don't let my father hear you say that! :dead:


Sigh. So, this is what I selected. I'm sure it's a fine knife, just wish it was Made in USA. :hmph:

http://kershaw.kaiusaltd.com/knives/knife/brawler

[AVGWarhawk]

knifecenter.com

The US still manufactures items. Certainly not like it once was though. Seems we are trying to build an economy on IT and tech stocks.

[Onkel Neal]

Thanks, Chris.

Well, it appears they do make some Kershaws in the US (http://kershaw.kaiusaltd.com/knives?madeinusa=12&openingSystem=76,71&bladeLength=151), I'll have to order it, though. BPS and Academy, they don't carry these.

[AVGWarhawk]

Everything is online ordering these days.

[Oberon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgN244khyxs

[Stealhead]

Benchmade,Case are two brands that sell mostly made in US knives.

Several Benchmade are made in USA of US steel.

Bnechmade are a bit expensive but they are very well made in my experience and if they get damaged(from proper use) you can either take it to a dealer or send it to Benchmade and they will repair or replace.I accidentally tossed a benchmade into a frozen trashcan once went it got it out the next morning it was soaking wet I dried it off and it worked fine that was over 10 years ago and I still have that knife today.

A good one is the Griptilian 154CM stainless steel made in the US by an American it will run you about $100~$130 depending on what model and where you buy.

List of various steels and where they are made useful any brand knife
http://www.benchmade.com/products/materials.aspx#Blade_Steels

For Benchmade at least it will say made in the USA on their website under the product description.

Same with Case so far as I understand their knives are made in PA.

[Betonov]

Interesting, my Gerber machette is made in the US of A :hmmm:
You're looking at the wrong stores
Maybe E-bay for handmade knives, I've seen plenty of them while browsing

[Stealhead]

Interesting, my Gerber machette is made in the US of A :hmmm:
You're looking at the wrong stores
Maybe E-bay for handmade knives, I've seen plenty of them while browsing


A lot of Gerber stuff is made in China though unless it is higher end.Same for most knife markers these days.One thing I can tell you looking at China made knives they are very bad at making a consistent edge the angles are always off and look like crap.US made knives have a beautiful edge only thing better would be a Japanese craftsman.

Not to say that Chinese workmanship is bad if they company wanted them to make a higher quality product I am sure that they could but they want lower cost mass production not higher cost craftsmanship in most cases with Chinese produced products.

[Betonov]

The box said forged in USA, sheath made in China.
No stamp on the blade though, apart from the Gerber logo.

If it is Chineese made, it's one of the better made products. It's taking on a lot of (ab)use and not breaking

[Aktungbby]

Benchmade,Case are two brands that sell mostly made in US knives.

Several Benchmade are made in USA of US steel.

Bnechmade are a bit expensive but they are very well made in my experience and if they get damaged(from proper use) you can either take it to a dealer or send it to Benchmade and they will repair or replace.I accidentally tossed a benchmade into a frozen trashcan once went it got it out the next morning it was soaking wet I dried it off and it worked fine that was over 10 years ago and I still have that knife today.

A good one is the Griptilian 154CM stainless steel made in the US by an American it will run you about $100~$130 depending on what model and where you buy.

List of various steels and where they are made useful any brand knife
http://www.benchmade.com/products/materials.aspx#Blade_Steels

For Benchmade at least it will say made in the USA on their website under the product description.

Same with Case so far as I understand their knives are made in PA.

Now your on my wave length! I've carried the original in my boot since the '80's! An Emerson CQ4 Tanto, too bad I didn't keep the box too as it is now a collecter item apparently. Several security officers have been jumped for their pistols, one killed, so the thing is a last ditch scenario so your not killed with your own weapon; And it makes short work of seatbelts too. CQ in this case is just that...Close Quarters. I've looked at others but I'm ahead of the game so why switch after 30+years. One thing though: on the spring belt clips, the little screws tend to work loose. Always good to have a spare set or use screwset...and keep the box! I'm told my $60 CQ now goes for $1000+...with box...not that I'd part with my good luck charm in what I do.http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/BM970.jpg/220px-BM970.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BM970.jpg)(bottom one)

[the_tyrant]

I like swords, I like to stroke my sword.

Yeah, most of em are made in China with barely adequat, but not spectacular quality.

But you see, last time, I went to Toledo to pick up my rapier.
http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1774437/LHufoK8_medium.jpg

Swords made in china can be had for much cheaper, but you need to enjoy the nice long rapier, its an experience.

[Jimbuna]

I like swords, I like to stroke my sword.

Yeah, most of em are made in China with barely adequat, but not spectacular quality.

But you see, last time, I went to Toledo to pick up my rapier.

Swords made in china can be had for much cheaper, but you need to enjoy the nice long rapier, its an experience.

I keep a samurai in my first floor landing cupboard...purchased in Taiwan of all places :doh:

[Betonov]

I have in my room a Gerber machette, Victorinox forrester, Vicorinox woodsman, a santoku cooking knife, some low quality version of a bowie hunting knife (currently in pieces as I'm trying to convert it into a firestarter kit), old Yugoslav bayonet of unknown period, a homemade machette (made from a saw blade) and a medical scalpel :D

[kranz]

Looks like someone has recently been released from a fridge.

[Red October1984]

I'm pretty sure the one I carry is made here.

Smith & Wesson Black Ops....it's a good knife.

They've got it on the Knife Center website on sale right now. Here is the one I have (http://www2.knifecenter.com/item/SWBLOP3/Smith-and-Wesson-3rd-Gen-Black-Ops-MAGIC-Assisted-34-inch-Plain-Drop-Point-Blade-Gray-Handles). There are several different kinds.

[Oberon]

I has two pointy metal things. One is made in England, and one in Germany, one by Wilkinson (Although I wouldn't shave with it...) and one in Solingen (Good old Solingen steel :rock:).

[Aktungbby]

Yeah, most of em are made in China with barely adequat, but not spectacular quality.But you see, last time, I went to Toledo to pick up my rapier. That actually is a broadsword not a rapier which tended to only have a pointed 36"+ blade for thrusting only, primarily for dueling. Yours ( gauging by your shirt stripe measurements) is a mid renaissance shorter true broadsword with a wider blade, capable of serious damage with two sharpened edges and suited for close work. Modeled on a popular Schiavona with a confusingly similar basket hilt to the rapier, your weapon is actually superior to the rapier as it allows work 'close to the belt' under a rapier opponent's guard, and from horseback as a slashing cavalry weapon, less prone to breakage as well as a very deadly thrusting weapon...NICE!

[THE_MASK]

This is why I try to buy USA made .
http://www.predatortools.com/
In Australia its just the cheapest overseas made , biggest rip off profit margin grubby retailers trying to gouge the Australian public for every cent they can .

[Ducimus]

Everything is online ordering these days.

This.

If you want to buy American, then 9 times out of 10, you'll have to do it online. Don't expect to find any American made products in Cabela's or Bass pro shops except behind the gun counter. Although I did score a pair of American made Chippewa boots at Cabela's once, so its not impossible, just highly unlikely.

[Skybird]

First, Swiss army pocket knifes are not world-famous for no reason, the name to check for is Victorinox. Nobody does these sort of knifes like Victorinox and Wenger, the also Swiss rival of very marginal size now. They make multi-function-tools like the Leatherman as well, then the army pocket knifes of course, which simply are the best in their league, and some single-blade-knifes like the one you posted too, though with a less militant look. Check them out. They are fully made in Switzerland, and they use a special steel and a secret sharpening procedure of which I can only say it makes these knifes indeed very, very good, solid, and lasting.

Second, not everything made in China is bad. I have become a great fan of Fenix LED pocket lights and torches, fully designed, developed and build in China. Precise manufacturing is of the same quality as dedicated Western brands. They belong to the top of quality worldwide, in no way are any inferior to European and American brands like Surefire and so on - but are significantly cheaper.

A problem I see where Wetsenr brands let the production do in China, especially household electronics. Almost all European brands for kitchen electronics let their production run either in eastern Europe, or China, and those tranches coming from China as a rule are inferior in quality to the same product being produced a couple of years earlier in the West.

As far as kitchen knifes are concerned, it is no cliché - nothing comes close in sharpness to a good Japanese knife. But one needs to maintain them poroperly, and invest a higher amount of money. Western knifes like Scandinavian and German knives are maybe more practical - they are not as sharp and cannot be sharpened so extremely like Japanese blades, but they are more robust and more forgiving, and can be kept sharp with a grinder much easier, you do not need to learn the technique and do not need to invest in expensive grindstones. I have two Japanese knives left now. Usually I keep them are sharper than a razor blade. :salute:

[Betonov]

Agree with Skybird about Victorinox.

I'd forgo my nationalism or statealism or texalism or... and buy a Victorinox and go red white and blue on a new gun or shoes :)

[Stealhead]

I'm pretty sure the one I carry is made here.

Smith & Wesson Black Ops....it's a good knife.

They've got it on the Knife Center website on sale right now. Here is the one I have (http://www2.knifecenter.com/item/SWBLOP3/Smith-and-Wesson-3rd-Gen-Black-Ops-MAGIC-Assisted-34-inch-Plain-Drop-Point-Blade-Gray-Handles). There are several different kinds.

Hate break it to you but it is most likely made in China.
http://www.amazon.com/Smith-Wesson-SWBLOP3TS-Generation-M-A-G-I-C/dp/B003HGO6SQ#productDetails

Agree with Skybird about Victorinox.

I'd forgo my nationalism or statealism or texalism or... and buy a Victorinox and go red white and blue on a new gun or shoes :)


I agree some guys here may not like me saying this but just because something in made in the USA(or any given nation) does not mean that it is a good product or well made.

I want my money to go to the place that has the best craftsmen and who makes a good product.I have relatives that work Nissan here in the states the line has made mistakes many times.Just last month they simply crushed about 20 Nissans because they where so jacked up.In this day and age many people are too lazy to bother with doing a good job 100% of the time.Just ask any truck driver how long they have to wait to get loaded up because people are lazy and disorganized par for the course in many industries.

Most folks anymore they fell that the employer is obliged to pay them for sitting around.

[Ducimus]

Agree with Skybird about Victorinox.

I'd forgo my nationalism or statealism or texalism or... and buy a Victorinox and go red white and blue on a new gun or shoes :)

I'd hazard a guess that for some folks, especially in Texas, it's not that easy. There are probably some cultural roots to having a good knife in Texas. James Bowie, and the Bowie knife perhaps?

If that's the case I'd liken buying a Chinese made knife to buying a Chinese made American Flag baseball cap. Kind of self defeating and missing the point.

EDIT:

I agree some guys here may not like me saying this but just because something in made in the USA(or any given nation) does not mean that it is a good product or well made.
.
I do agree not to go tossing my money at cheaply made goods, but that is where my agreement would stop. If given the choice I would much rather support a local main street American economy then further it's destruction by buying Chinese made crap at Walmart.

[Stealhead]

I'd hazard a guess that for some folks, especially in Texas, it's not that easy. There are probably some cultural roots to having a good knife in Texas. James Bowie, and the Bowie knife perhaps?

If that's the case I'd liken buying a Chinese made knife to buying a Chinese made American Flag baseball cap. Kind of self defeating and missing the point.

EDIT:

I do agree not to go tossing my money at cheaply made goods, but that is where my agreement would stop. If given the choice I would much rather support a local main street American economy then further it's destruction by buying Chinese made crap at Walmart.

I'd rather have a Texas Tooth Pick over a Bowie more practical for daily use.

The thing about Chinese produced is that many once American brands are now made in China Craftsman for example.The sad reality is that the large scale US economy buys more and more Chinese products each year.

Many US run factories are actually owned by Japanese companies.When the US firms moved to China the Japanese came in and purchased the old properties.Kind of ironic Japanese men employing more Americans than American based companies.I think the Japanese where smart to to that they realized that a half way human treated American worker will produce a better product.

I have a cousin that works for a Japanese firm that makes oil coolers,radiators,evaporators for cars,trucks,Semis.They pay $18.00 and hour after 4 years.They mostly make radiators and oil coolers for Freightliner which is the highest selling semi in North America also made in USA(and Canada I think) owned by Germans.Foreigners better appropriate American workers better than Americans.

[Ducimus]

I'd rather have a Texas Tooth Pick over a Bowie more practical for daily use.

Personally, im fond of Leatherman's. I was "issued" two of them, thanks to end of fiscal year spending. Great tools, and I wore one on my belt every day before i was promoted to a Civillian and started flying a desk for an IT company.


The thing about Chinese produced is that many once American brands are now made in China Craftsman for example.

Yeah I know. Very few things, and least of all Iconic things, are made here anymore. I kid you not though, I have some craftsman tools in my garage that are made in USA. Remember the craftsman garuntee with tape measure? That was handy years ago. Break the tape, and they replace it. Pity some abused it. Mine NEVER broke. I still have it years later. I should take a picture of it and post it for grins and giggles.

The sad reality is that the large scale US economy buys more and more Chinese products each year.

Theres plenty of reasons for that, a few off the top of my head: Decline in US industry, declining value of the dollar (now worth less then half of what it was in the 90's), stagnation of pay, increasing costs of living, and Walmart :shifty: As i see it, we are a country in decline, and its only a matter of time until the dollar and the entire financial system collapses.

Many US run factories are actually owned by Japanese companies.

Yes I know. Toyota is a good example.

None the less, I will not buy goods from China when i have an alternative. I don't care to support the Chinese economy, nor pad the bonuses of Walmart CEO's. My dislike of it, may as well be expressed as abject hatred. As an aside, it is my thought that when there is another large scale conventional war (history is cyclical after all), most likely with china at some distant future, the exportation of much of American industry will come back and bite us in the ass, bigtime.

What's more, Tradesman and Craftsman are retiring, and their knowledge is being lost. I'm seeing that firsthand with my own father. 40 years of being a machinist, there no apprenticeships going on,so it is all going out the door with him when he leaves. The company that bought his shop out can't accomplish in two months what should by my fathers account only take a week because they're replacing craftsmen with dumb as rocks unskilled labor doing small menial tasks. The whole situation is FUBAR, and I don't see this as an isolated incident, but occuring all over the country. It is not good for the middle class, and it is not good for the country.

Made in China indeed.

[Kptlt. Neuerburg]

I've got a katana and wakizashi made by Hanwei which is a Chinese company but they make really high quality swords which are forged in the correct way for Japanese swords but they also make European swords and axes along with some other products. Here's a link their products which are sold from the same site which I bought my katana and wakizashi http://www.kultofathena.com/paulchen.asp and some info on Henwei http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanwei_(sword_producer. The only other edged weapon is a Model 1914 Pioneer Bayonet (halfway down the page) http://www.swissrifles.com/bayonets/. Honestly if I had the time and the money to I would fly to Japan and buy a completely hand forged katana, maybe one day but certainly not anytime soon.

[Red October1984]

Hate break it to you but it is most likely made in China.

Well I really don't care. It's a rugged, well made knife. :)


I agree some guys here may not like me saying this but just because something in made in the USA(or any given nation) does not mean that it is a good product or well made.

+1 It's a pride thing for some people though.

I want my money to go to the place that has the best craftsmen and who makes a good product

Another +1.

Most folks anymore they fell that the employer is obliged to pay them for sitting around.

Quote from Garth Algar in Wayne's World

"It's like people only do things because they get paid....and that's really sad"

If that's the case I'd liken buying a Chinese made knife to buying a Chinese made American Flag baseball cap. Kind of self defeating and missing the point.

I do agree not to go tossing my money at cheaply made goods, but that is where my agreement would stop. If given the choice I would much rather support a local main street American economy then further it's destruction by buying Chinese made crap at Walmart.

I'm kind of split down the middle on this issue. The world is changing and the US is post-industrial....but I think we need to bring back the Mom and Pop stores and have your "main street American economy"

I'll buy Chinese made stuff....only because trying to go "All-American" is impossible.

Sure, if we produced all the stuff China does, i'd buy American made stuff over foreign every time....but we just don't have a whole lot of choice nowadays.

[Stealhead]

Quote from Garth Algar in Wayne's World

"It's like people only do things because they get paid....and that's really sad"

Not what I was saying at all actually.:hmm2: I mean that many people put in the minimum effort at a job in other words they think they should be paid well simply for being there not for putting in real effort and being professional.

Everyone works because they have to pay bills and feed their children and because money is the method of payment to do these things.So in effect people do do things because they get paid for it but there is a right and wrong way to work and there is a right and wrong way to pay and treat employees.
Garth is talking about people working in a low paying job that they do not like but must perform to make ends meet.

I am talking about people who are lazy.What I meant by ask a truck driver is that they can be highly professional and show up on time and even early and get stuck waiting for 6,7,8 hours to get loaded (which should take about 1 or 2 hours for something like a reefer) That is because of lazy workers or poor management or both. Another example correcting tickets no one does there job well there either.



I'm kind of split down the middle on this issue. The world is changing and the US is post-industrial....but I think we need to bring back the Mom and Pop stores and have your "main street American economy"



You can not have both one means big box the other is not the street does not go both ways its one or the other.Big box means low cost mass production which pretty much means China or other low wage work force for a large percentage of the product sold.

Currently 12 million of the US workforce works directly in manufacturing around 5.4 million Americans work in jobs closely related to manufacturing(truck drivers for example). We are the most productive manufacture in the world. Our manufacturing taken alone is the 8th largest economy on earth.I am not sure I'd call that post industrial.

The best way to have main street is to have more people working in good paying manufacturing jobs their money adds to the local economy then you need more trucks drivers which means more jobs and you need doctors and lawyers and school teachers and police officers and fire fighters and strippers.

[Platapus]

http://www.americansworking.com/knives.html

http://www.northamericanknives.com/usa_made_knives

Not that I am necessarily recommending knives made in the USA. But they are still available.

[Platapus]

Currently 12 million of the US workforce works directly in manufacturing around 5.4 million Americans work in jobs closely related to manufacturing(truck drivers for example). We are the most productive manufacture in the world. Our manufacturing taken alone is the 8th largest economy on earth.I am not sure I'd call that post industrial.

An excellent point. There is this misunderstanding that the US does not manufacture a lot these days. Not true. There are types of products that the US does not manufacture in large numbers (clothing, small consumer electronics, etc.) But manufacturing is far from being dead in the US.

It is just that the small disposable/replaceable type products that many consumers see every day are not manufactured by US companies.

[Aktungbby]

http://www.americansworking.com/knives.html

http://www.northamericanknives.com/usa_made_knives

Not that I am necessarily recommending knives made in the USA. But they are still available.

http://www.northamericanknives.com/account/images/autoresize.img?color=003300&text=000000&accent=323232&compliment=8c001c&navigation=ffffff&heading=343233&title=ffffff&logo=3c4a9b&link=006600&picture.image.url=%2Ffiles%2F1788248%2Fuploaded%2F 112.jpg&picture.width.max=130&picture.height.max=130&picture.image.mask.apply=false&stage.width.max=130&state=center&cache=1392146124074Still the classic whether on the boat or the rig since 1973!:up:

[Stealhead]

An excellent point. There is this misunderstanding that the US does not manufacture a lot these days. Not true. There are types of products that the US does not manufacture in large numbers (clothing, small consumer electronics, etc.) But manufacturing is far from being dead in the US.

It is just that the small disposable/replaceable type products that many consumers see every day are not manufactured by US companies.

This is true what has a gone away are the small scale disposable items.People seem to forget that many household items are made in the US in most cases washing machines,dryers,refrigerators.Nearly all industrial air conditioning components are made in the US as are most all commercial refrigeration components.You'll not find a locomotive or semi that was not made in the US(some do make trucks sold for the Canadian market in Canada and they do end up in the US so that is a split hair)

Many companies are also actually coming back to the US after having moved to China or Mexico(or where ever).Of course I highly doubt that thigns like garments and shoes will ever come back to the US not on a large scale anyway and a garment that says made in the USA often in was really made in Saipan by Asian (usually Chinese) workers.Not the case for all garment makers but for some.