What's wrong with the knives made in China?

[treefarmer]

I would not place much confidence in the accuracy of issues reported by the liberal Guardian news.
They slant today's news just the way all the other liberal media wants their readers or viewers to hear it.
Global warming, gun control read on and be informed.
Treefarmer

[Mumbleypeg]

Wondering what the NRA has to do with the topic of funding the Chicoms (aside from changing the subject)?

Ken

[bigshot]

I'm wondering why someone who has some sort of political aversion to country that takes up a big chunk of a continent comes into a forum about Chinese knives and talks about Communism instead of Chinese knives. Do you have any Chinese knives? Do you have any interesting info to share about them? If not, why don't you go talk in a thread where you have something pertinent to add.

[treefarmer]

bigshot,
The reason you read things that are contrary to lots of modern thinking is a thing called Patriotism.
Read back through this thread about China made knives and there are several patriotic responses.
You are a fairly new member at AAPK and you will find a lot of patriotism within these pages of knife related issues.
You'll also find lots of folks on here are not tuned in to the woke society of today.
The evils of Communism are not real to the woke society, they apparently are not familiar with the end result.
Your suggestion for Patriots to take their opinions else where doesn't set well in my camp!
Treefarmer

[bigshot]

What right do you have to claim to be more patriotic than me? Do I have to agree with your politics to be patriotic? That doesn't sound like Democracy to me. Go to a thread where you can contribute something about knives. I'm interested in knives, not your prejudices.

[fergusontd]

Lets keep politics out of this forum. It's about Chinese knives, good or bad they are cheap if you just want something to use in your pocket. ftd

[edge213]

And you can do a little research and find out what the NRA did with the money you sent them. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... it-leaders

This article is nothing but anti gun propaganda.

[bigshot]

Lets keep politics out of this forum. It's about Chinese knives, good or bad they are cheap if you just want something to use in your pocket. ftd

Thank you. There's no reason for people who don't even own any Chinese made knives to come in here and thread crap. Let's keep it to discussion of the knives. People should discuss things they know about, not things they have no interest in.

[marinaio61]

I own 3 China made knives; two Buck folders and an RR canoe. The Bucks are acceptable for their price point, the canoe is a piece of crap. I think the difference is in the level of oversight by the contracting company, Buck cares SMKW does not. When I tried to contact SMKW I got crickets, no response what so ever. Since I don't own any of the new RRR knives and never will, I can't say anything about their quality. Historically there are so many glowing reports about the older RR knives I can only assume SMKW relaxed their oversight on the old lines as thy brought the new RRR line in. I have since switched all my foreign knife purchases to European manufacturers exclusively.

[Dinadan]

I agree that it is best to keep politics out of this forum. There are soo many places on line to talk politics. I think it is even more important to keep personal attacks, direct or insinuated, out of AAPK. There are plenty of other places on line for those, also.

[cbay]

. Historically there are so many glowing reports about the older RR knives I can only assume SMKW relaxed their oversight on the old lines as thy brought the new RRR line in.

You may be right. I bought a rather large collection of older RRs and they are nearly all top notch. The other recent ones are more hit or miss. Whether the older collection was culled I do not know however.

[fergusontd]

Neighbor bought a 303 Buck at Walmart thinking it was a USA made Buck. He was disappointed to find it was Chinese. He showed me the knife and I seen that it was a decent made knife. I believe that all Chinese made Buck knives are made to USA specs. ftd

[Mumbleypeg]

My post that said buying Chinese knives is funding the Chinese Communist government was/is intended in response to the title of this thread - “What’s wrong with knives made in China”.

It seems to have touched a nerve with at least one member but that wasn’t the intention. (However my post asking what the NRA has to do with it was in fact directed to the member who brought it up.)

Since it was asked, I own two recently made Chinese pocket knives. One is a Rough Ryder. The other one I have carried and used and found to be a reasonably good user but with poor edge-holding capability. Both were gifts from AAPK members. However I have carefully examined many Chinese-made knives - after a lifetime of using knives and fifty plus years accumulating and collecting them, I don’t have to own them to make an informed opinion. An opinion with which some will disagree - this thread is already full of such posts. The more expensive ones (such as those made for and sold by A.G. Russell and others) are for the most part quality cutlery. Lower priced Chinese-made knives (including RR) are for the most part poorly finished. IMHO the hafting is reminiscent of lower priced mid-20th century German and Japanese products.

Some have stated about Chinese knives “they’re made with 440 stainless steel so they must be as good as U.S. made knives.” First of all, generic “440 steel” isn’t very good regardless who uses it (if they said “440C” I’d be more impressed). That’s also assuming the Chinese are being truthful about their steel. Given their track record with recalls of so many products (including but not limited to those containing poisons), do you trust their claims about steel content? Lastly, in cutlery no steel is better than its heat treat and tempering. Given the mixed reviews the jury is still out on that as far as inexpensive Chinese knives - at best you can say it’s inconsistent. The one I have used and found lacking says simply “Stainless”.

You’ll get no quarrel from me regarding the largely deteriorated state of current U.S. made cutlery in general. Which I have often addressed on this forum. I seldom ever buy knives from on-line sources unless I know the seller and the product (such as several AAPK stores). I like to hand-select my knives from brick-and-mortar retailers, although there are none near me (not much is). I also like to find older U.S.-made knives from sources like flea markets, often at prices equal to or lower than Chinese knives, but with superior quality. The hunt is at least half the fun!

Ken

[bigshot]

. Historically there are so many glowing reports about the older RR knives I can only assume SMKW relaxed their oversight on the old lines as thy brought the new RRR line in.

You may be right. I bought a rather large collection of older RRs and they are nearly all top notch. The other recent ones are more hit or miss. Whether the older collection was culled I do not know however.

I don't think that's the case. If anything, I think the Rough Ryders are getting a little better in quality, not worse. The Reserve line is a step up in fit and finish and steel type (D2). They're as good as any knife I've ever owned. Gorgeous knives.

I would imagine that the way it works is that the tooling for the various patterns stays the same. They just swap in different materials and handles. Over the past couple of months, I've ordered over three dozen Rough Ryder knives of all kinds, including the Rough Ryder Reserves. With only one exception, they have been absolutely perfect... no gaps, no alignment issues, good snap, sharp out of the box... the only problem I have found is that occasionally some are very dirty and require cleaning and lubricating before use.

The one bad one I got was a $10 Classic Carbon from the first release. I think that is 3 or 4 years old. It is perfectly functional, but the secondary blade doesn't have as firm a pull as I would like and the springs aren't flush. I'm sending it back because I plan to actually use it, and I want it to be solid from the start. I'm going to be posting reviews of the Rough Ryders I've got after the holiday. I'm cleaning them all up a batch at a time and there are two more orders that will be arriving next week. I'm interested to hear from other people who have Rough Ryders and use them. Glad to hear that the old ones were good quality too.

[edge213]

My post that said buying Chinese knives is funding the Chinese Communist government was/is intended in response to the title of this thread - “What’s wrong with knives made in China”.

It seems to have touched a nerve with at least one member but that wasn’t the intention. (However my post asking what the NRA has to do with it was in fact directed to the member who brought it up.)

Since it was asked, I own two recently made Chinese pocket knives. One is a Rough Ryder. The other one I have carried and used and found to be a reasonably good user but with poor edge-holding capability. Both were gifts from AAPK members. However I have carefully examined many Chinese-made knives - after a lifetime of using knives and fifty plus years accumulating and collecting them, I don’t have to own them to make an informed opinion. An opinion with which some will disagree - this thread is already full of such posts. The more expensive ones (such as those made for and sold by A.G. Russell and others) are for the most part quality cutlery. Lower priced Chinese-made knives (including RR) are for the most part poorly finished. IMHO the hafting is reminiscent of lower priced mid-20th century German and Japanese products.

Some have stated about Chinese knives “they’re made with 440 stainless steel so they must be as good as U.S. made knives.” First of all, generic “440 steel” isn’t very good regardless who uses it (if they said “440C” I’d be more impressed). That’s also assuming the Chinese are being truthful about their steel. Given their track record with recalls of so many products (including but not limited to those containing poisons), do you trust their claims about steel content? Lastly, in cutlery no steel is better than its heat treat and tempering. Given the mixed reviews the jury is still out on that as far as inexpensive Chinese knives - at best you can say it’s inconsistent. The one I have used and found lacking says simply “Stainless”.

You’ll get no quarrel from me regarding the largely deteriorated state of current U.S. made cutlery in general. Which I have often addressed on this forum. I seldom ever buy knives from on-line sources unless I know the seller and the product (such as several AAPK stores). I like to hand-select my knives from brick-and-mortar retailers, although there are none near me (not much is). I also like to find older U.S.-made knives from sources like flea markets, often at prices equal to or lower than Chinese knives, but with superior quality. The hunt is at least half the fun!

Ken

Well said Ken

[marinaio61]

I appreciate all the raving reviews of RR knives but, being a realist, I can only go on what I have personally experienced. Granted I am basing my opinion of RR on a single knife; that knife was, is and will be my only RR purchase because it is far worse than any I ever purchased from a cardboard display at the local hardware store decades ago. Mistakes occur during manufacture and workers have bad days, that's why we have Quality Control Inspectors. The knife I received could not have passed a QC inspection by any 10 year old let alone someone who supposedly knows what a pocket knife should look like!

[jerryd6818]

I appreciate all the raving reviews of RR knives but, being a realist, I can only go on what I have personally experienced. Granted I am basing my opinion of RR on a single knife; that knife was, is and will be my only RR purchase because it is far worse than any I ever purchased from a cardboard display at the local hardware store decades ago. Mistakes occur during manufacture and workers have bad days, that's why we have Quality Control Inspectors. The knife I received could not have passed a QC inspection by any 10 year old let alone someone who supposedly knows what a pocket knife should look like!

Having worked in manufacturing for a handful of years, I discovered that QC inspections can be 100% but more likely is a certain percentage of the finished product. If that were the case, it would explain your dud.

[Railsplitter]

Having worked in manufacturing for a handful of years, I discovered that QC inspections can be 100% but more likely is a certain percentage of the finished product. If that were the case, it would explain your dud.

I'll second that. I work nearby our Quality Inspector. He is only required to inspect a certain percentage of each part. If 100 parts pass through his inspection area, he might only have to inspect a sample batch of 10 but it depends on the part. Each part is assigned a certain quantity that needs inspected. Rarely does every single part get inspected unless there is a known issue.

[marinaio61]

Having worked in manufacturing for a handful of years, I discovered that QC inspections can be 100% but more likely is a certain percentage of the finished product. If that were the case, it would explain your dud.

I'll second that. I work nearby our Quality Inspector. He is only required to inspect a certain percentage of each part. If 100 parts pass through his inspection area, he might only have to inspect a sample batch of 10 but it depends on the part. Each part is assigned a certain quantity that needs inspected. Rarely does every single part get inspected unless there is a known issue.

I'm very familiar with statistical sampling and I know that is likely the case with my knife. The fact that SMKW would not acknowledge even one of my 3 emails about this knife tells me they don't care. With their attitude I wouldn't be surprised if only the first and last knife in a production run are inspected. The result of this one knife is they lost a potential customer, unlike a small shop that's not a big deal given the volume of their business.

[Ivoryman]

I think Rough Ryders make some of the best knives available right now. In the past few weeks, I've bought over 40 of them. It's a wide variety of patterns and handles and the quality of them is remarkable. They lend themselves to being collected in a number of ways... you can collect just one particular pattern, or one series of handles, or you can pick and choose among all.

In 20 or 30 years, if anyone is collecting traditional pocket knives at all, they'll be collecting Rough Ryders because they are readily available in a variety of colors and patterns and the cost is reasonable. That gives them room for collectors to pay more for them. Not that I'm recommending investing in them, mind you. I'm just saying that there is a huge appeal to these knives that won't go away.






Complete nonsense and not true at all. In 20-30 years we will be collecting what we collect now and that doesn't include anything from China especially RR junk. You have no idea what collectors like some of us buy, or why, or what we will be doing in the future and you're so off base it's useless to try to reason with such noise becausae you are oblivious of facts. Just look at the secondary market and you won't find any RR collectors paying 2, 3, 4 times the retail price for them and never will. And look at the old knives, the GECs, the Case, even defunct Queens are commanding higer prices because of a whole different philopsophy and values associated with American manufacturing and business models. There isn't a RR on the planet that has the stuff I buy GECs for. NONE. They don't even get it or go there. We've heard this garbage before for years and decades and it's still not true because the people who write it are completely, willingly blind to what is going on and what we are talking about. Good luck with that. I'll be around in 2 or 3 decades and will live to prove that wrong as it is today. China isn't doing anyone any favors for flooding the market with junk, and haven't met a Chinese knife yet I would even consider collectin or buying 40+ knives worth. Shows how way off your tastes are from some collectors you talk about. Please.

[jerryd6818]

Jesus Pete. This is like a discussion about religion or politics.

[bestgear]

My answer to the original question (What's wrong with the knives made in China?) is nothing is wrong with the knives made in China, in fact, like most things in life, you get what you paid for including a $10 knife no matter it's country of origin.

So a $10 knife made in China will provide me with $10 worth of whatever (use, enjoyment, personal asset, gift etc.) just as a $115 knife made in the USA will provide me with $115 worth of whatever (use, enjoyment, personal asset, gift etc.).

Furthermore, a $10 knife made in USA will provide me with $10 worth of whatever (use, enjoyment, personal asset, gift etc.) just as a $115 knife made in China will provide me with $115 worth of whatever (use, enjoyment, personal asset, gift etc.).

But please don't try to convince me that a $10 knife is going to provide the same whatever as a $115 knife because in my world, you almost always get what you pay for and rarely (if ever) get that much more than you paid!

[marinaio61]

There's a saying: "If you don't think you'll like the answer. don't ask the question.".

[edge213]

My answer to the original question (What's wrong with the knives made in China?) is nothing is wrong with the knives made in China, in fact, like most things in life, you get what you paid for including a $10 knife no matter it's country of origin.

So a $10 knife made in China will provide me with $10 worth of whatever (use, enjoyment, personal asset, gift etc.) just as a $115 knife made in the USA will provide me with $115 worth of whatever (use, enjoyment, personal asset, gift etc.).

Furthermore, a $10 knife made in USA will provide me with $10 worth of whatever (use, enjoyment, personal asset, gift etc.) just as a $115 knife made in China will provide me with $115 worth of whatever (use, enjoyment, personal asset, gift etc.).

But please don't try to convince me that a $10 knife is going to provide the same whatever as a $115 knife because in my world, you almost always get what you pay for and rarely get that much more than you paid!

Good post

[zed6309]

I don't usually cone into these posts as there usually too political and arguments usually happen but here is my experience, ok in the uk it's hard getting hold of knives, luckily I pick up older Sheffield pocket knives and German made ones and other European manufacturers, older U.S knives will always be my favourites, ok Case I really like but they are not without there issues, some have gaps, most blades dont line up, and a few I have have weak springs, now I've a few RR's and ive owned a RRR , the RR's again can have issues same as case , I prefer cases cv and tru-sharp steel , but RR's steel is ok for daily use, but the huge difference here is price, in the uk a Case 6220 in synthetic is around £50-60 a RR peanut is £10 , yes I know the RR will never hold its value , but that's like owning a Timex or a Rolex the way I look at it is that some people want to collect but cant afford a Rolex so are happy with there Timex