The test of time.

A place to discuss & share pictures of knives made in China.
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Dinadan
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Re: The test of time.

Post by Dinadan »

I have owned and used some China knives for at least a decade. I have a couple of AG Russell China knives that I have carried and are fully as good as any American knife I have that was made in the same time frame. I have a slew of Rough Riders and Steel Warriors that have been good knives for the price paid. I do vary my carry so that no knife I have bought in the past decade gets the everyday use that my knife used to get when I only had one carry pocketknife.

I agree with the opinions stated above that the steel, or the temper of the steel, in some China knives is not so good, so they do not hold an edge as well as some knives. I have had only one knife fail due to poor steel, a Rough Rider fish knife where one of the springs broke while it was in the tacklebox. I have a Klass fish knife that the scales were so fragile that one broke when I dropped the knife on the floor. In both of those knives I thought that the material was inferior. But by and large, my China knives have held up about as well as to salt water and cutting as have as my American made knives.

Since Edgewise specifically mentions the good walk and talk of old knifes I will make a comment on it. I have several Schrades and Colonials and such like with good walk and talk after several decades. I have several recently made GECs, Case and Queens and they have very variable walk and talk, from not much to just right to nail breakers. In that respect my China knives actually have been at least as consistent and good as the USA made knives. After a few decades - who knows?
Mel
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TwoFlowersLuggage
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Re: The test of time.

Post by TwoFlowersLuggage »

Different strokes for different folks. If I could buy all the knives I want as vintage Case in pristine condition, I would have no reason to consider buying a RR. That isn't the world I live in. If I want stag or buffalo horn & abalone knives in a variety of patterns, then I need to either search for many years until I can find a clapped-out, rust-bucket Case I can afford, or I can go to SMKW and order a couple of RR a month to enjoy while I'm searching for a herd of unicorns.
"The Luggage had a straightforward way of dealing with things between it and its intended destination: it ignored them." -Terry Pratchett
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Mumbleypeg
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Re: The test of time.

Post by Mumbleypeg »

TwoFlowersLuggage wrote:Different strokes for different folks. If I could buy all the knives I want as vintage Case in pristine condition, I would have no reason to consider buying a RR. That isn't the world I live in. If I want stag or buffalo horn & abalone knives in a variety of patterns, then I need to either search for many years until I can find a clapped-out, rust-bucket Case I can afford, or I can go to SMKW and order a couple of RR a month to enjoy while I'm searching for a herd of unicorns.
I'm glad you like your Chinese-made knives. Truly I am. Not being sarcastic at all. But the hyperbole about searching "for many years until I can find a clapped out, rust bucket Case I can afford" is a bit much. The fact is a very good quality used American (or European) made knife can easily be found for a very reasonable price.

There's a lot of ground between a "vintage Case in pristine condition" and a Chinese RR. The former may cost you over $100 but with reasonable care will last your lifetime, and be handed on to your heirs. The latter, well I guess that was the question raised by this thread. ::handshake::

Ken
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TwoFlowersLuggage
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Re: The test of time.

Post by TwoFlowersLuggage »

I like all my knives - both foreign and domestic - that's probably one of the big reasons I have to limit my budget... :wink:
"The Luggage had a straightforward way of dealing with things between it and its intended destination: it ignored them." -Terry Pratchett
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deltaboy
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Re: The test of time.

Post by deltaboy »

I got tons of USA MADE Knifes, I started buying RR after seeing them and enjoying their price point!
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Dinadan
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Re: The test of time.

Post by Dinadan »

I have not had any Chinese knives for more than a decade so I have no knowledge about what they will be like in fifty years. I have had one Rough Rider fail due to the spring breaking. One day I reached in my tackle box for my RR fish knife and noticed the blade was partly open and a piece of the spring was laying next to the knife.

That is the only actual failure I have had with a China knife. I have kept another Rough Rider in my tacklebox for several years and it has resisted corrosion from salt water pretty well, about like my Case fish knife. Probably a lot of China knives will not fare well because they are so cheap that people like me stick one in the tackle box or tool box where they would not put a knife that costs five times as much. Just in case I forget my Case, or want to do something that might damage my Case.
Mel
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deltaboy
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Re: The test of time.

Post by deltaboy »

Some of mine are almost 10 years old but I rotate what I carry every week and sometimes I trade out 2 times a week so none of mine get used as much as if I used to get one and carry it till I lost it or broke it!
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deltaboy
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Re: The test of time.

Post by deltaboy »

The key to any knife is maintenance!
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Steve Warden
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Re: The test of time.

Post by Steve Warden »

deltaboy wrote:The key to any knife is maintenance!
True to a point.
There comes a point when the cost of maintenance exceeds the cost of replacement. The cheaper the knife, the sooner that point arrives.
Take care and God bless,

Steve
TSgt USAF, Retired
1980-2000

But any knife is better than no knife! ~ Mumbleypeg (aka Ken)
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Phaeton
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Re: The test of time.

Post by Phaeton »

TwoFlowersLuggage wrote:It seems to me that blade steel would be the easiest thing for a Chinese manufacturer to improve. All they have to do is buy more expensive steel. If they used 8CR13MoV in the Rough Rider knives it would remove nearly all complaints about edge retention. Sure those that are used to super steels on $400 knives would still complain - but there are a lot of knife owners with a Kershaw, Byrd or CRKT in their pocket right now that have no problem using 8CR13MoV every day. Would we really complain if the price of a RR went from from $10 to $15? I don't think so.
Guilty as charged, before breaking the tip off removing a staple, my EDC splinter/gent's knife was Williams and Henry ZPD189 buttonlock. The H1 Nitrogen steel at RC64 in my Spyderco SALT (Japanese) is a disappointment to me, I am guessing bad tempering or a bad mix of steel.
M390, Elmax, and CV20 in my larger folders. One is European, the rest are made in the USA. Fixed blades are also American.

Except for swords, one American sword, one Japanese sword, fourteen Chinese swords.
China won this contest, dollar for dollar nobody even came close. I do active martial arts with the swords, out of the sixteen, only five ended up suitable for hard target (bone) cutting, four Chinese, one American. The geometry of the blade is fully as important as the edge, this is on the personal skill of the worker. Firm standards and quality control ensures first quality regardless of country.
This being true, I am really sure crappy swords are also made in China, however, Hanwei makes excellent functional swords along with their less expensive hang on the wall models.

Without hands on examination before purchase, I am wary of any knife from any country. I do not buy on ebay.
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deltaboy
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Re: The test of time.

Post by deltaboy »

Basic maintenance is nothing more than keeping them sharp ,clean and oiled!
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Steve Warden
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Re: The test of time.

Post by Steve Warden »

deltaboy wrote:Basic maintenance is nothing more than keeping them sharp ,clean and oiled!
What about blades coming loose, shields falling out, handles cracking and splitting, steel too soft to keep an edge (that constant sharpening is going to wear a blade down quicker than a harder steel), brittle steel?
These are all things that can make up a cheap quality knife. All the cleaning, sharpening and oiling in the world can't fix cheap.
Cheap is cheap and it will eventually rear its ugly head.

By the way, there is "cheap" when it comes to quality, and there is "cheap" when it comes to price.
A knife cheap in price doesn't always equate to a knife cheap in quality.
Take care and God bless,

Steve
TSgt USAF, Retired
1980-2000

But any knife is better than no knife! ~ Mumbleypeg (aka Ken)
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deltaboy
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Re: The test of time.

Post by deltaboy »

Steve Warden wrote:
deltaboy wrote:Basic maintenance is nothing more than keeping them sharp ,clean and oiled!
What about blades coming loose, shields falling out, handles cracking and splitting, steel too soft to keep an edge (that constant sharpening is going to wear a blade down quicker than a harder steel), brittle steel?
These are all things that can make up a cheap quality knife. All the cleaning, sharpening and oiling in the world can't fix cheap.
Cheap is cheap and it will eventually rear its ugly head.

By the way, there is "cheap" when it comes to quality, and there is "cheap" when it comes to price.
A knife cheap in price doesn't always equate to a knife cheap in quality.
We will see how they hold up but so far I had no issues other than regluing a shield that fell out on a Barlow!
Keep Near the Cross.
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