Taiwan by the Numbers

[Sequimite]

I have a few Taiwanese knives and a few Chinese, and as far as I can tell, the stuff that comes out of China is WAY better, and I've heard ZERO issues about them in the past.

There you go Spyderco, the definitive word. Stuff made in mainland China is perfect and the stuff from Taiwan is ####.

No point in paying three times as much for a Taiwanese knife of four times as much for a Japanese or USA knife, it turns out that Chinese production is WAY better.

Thanks for that penetrating insight, HotSoup!

[Blerv]

The problem with discrimination is you can't debate it with logic. If you try eyes just glaze over.

I wonder if people would accept Taiwan if they had a Nascar entry. Worked for Toyota :) .

Gitterdunn!

Ps: I hear ONLY one place builds knives in Taiwan. I think they have like 5 employees. /kneeslap

I hope other places in the world don't make blanket statements about "Made in the USA" because our stuff ranges from amazing to crap too.

[unit]

Carry on if you like...personally I think this thread is done.

The only thing left to do is to argue your point (unsuccessfully) and waste a bunch of electrons in the process.

Have a nice weekend.

---unsubscribe---

[The Deacon]

Carry on if you like...personally I think this thread is done.

The only thing left to do is to argue your point (unsuccessfully) and waste a bunch of electrons in the process.

Have a nice weekend.

---unsubscribe---

I'd agree to a point, but to allow statement which are nothing more than pure unadulterated ignorance to stand unchallenged may lead others to believe they are true.

QC problems with the original version of the C41 Native, made in the USA by Camillus, caused Spyderco to re-think and reposition that model a bit higher on the materials and price scales and make it themselves. QC problems with the German made Titanium Herbst caused production of it to be moved to Japan, and materials downgraded. QC problems with the Japanese made Jot Singh Khalsa and C37 FRN Walker led to them having very short production lives.

The Cat and Chicago, which are in many ways variants of the same knife and were put into production simultaneously, merely prove that the US, Germany, and Japan are not the only countries capable of turning out shoddy goods.

The Sage I, Sage II, Bradley, Terzuola, and Chokwe prove that Taiwan is capable of producing top quality knives. But everyone is free to ignore all the praise that has been heaped on these knives and spend their money as they see fit.

[5.56]

Carry on if you like...personally I think this thread is done.

Don't worry, someone will be along soon to deflect and talk about PB&J. They don't like this topic here, it hurts.

:)

[LorenzoL]

I'd agree to a point, but to allow statement which are nothing more than pure unadulterated ignorance to stand unchallenged may lead others to believe they are true.

QC problems with the original version of the C41 Native, made in the USA by Camillus, caused Spyderco to re-think and reposition that model a bit higher on the materials and price scales and make it themselves. QC problems with the German made Titanium Herbst caused production of it to be moved to Japan, and materials downgraded. QC problems with the Japanese made Jot Singh Khalsa and C37 FRN Walker led to them having very short production lives.

The Cat and Chicago, which are in many ways variants of the same knife and were put into production simultaneously, merely prove that the US, Germany, and Japan are not the only countries capable of turning out shoddy goods.

The Sage I, Sage II, Bradley, Terzuola, and Chokwe prove that Taiwan is capable of producing top quality knives. But everyone is free to ignore all the praise that has been heaped on these knives and spend their money as they see fit.

Despite my Italian origins, I would add the Volpe to the list of bad Spydercos (not quite shoddy, though) mostly because of its terrible lock, although it was more of a design problem than a QC issue.

I am always amazed by people who criticize Spyderco for making a great $100 knife in Taiwan and then buy a $1000 laptop made in mainland China... :confused:

[Spydiman]

Don't worry, someone will be along soon to deflect and talk about PB&J. They don't like this topic here, it hurts.

:)

And what if I told you that my Taiwan spydies have exhibited better F&F then my Golden or Seki spydies ever have?

Hmm?

[5.56]

And what if I told you that my Taiwan spydies have exhibited better F&F then my Golden or Seki spydies ever have?

Hmm?

I would say......congrats????? :)

[HotSoup]

There's a great idea. Stop using one of the three makers in the entire world that Sal believes is capable of producing compression lock knives to his satisfaction.

He can do what he wants, but like I said, not only with Spyderco but with other manufacturers as well, I keep seeing problems with Taiwan-made knives.

have you been hanging out? I don't recall seeing a dozen legitimate QC complaints on the Sage series since the first one came out.

I wasn't talking about the Sage. I said I liked the Sage a lot and didn;t see any problems with it. I was referring to OTHER knives made in Taiwan.

are absolutely certain it was made by the same maker who does the Sage and it went through Spyderco quality control before it went to Cold Steel? Otherwise, what bearing does it have on the subject at hand?

Its just coincidental that I keep finding and hearing about issues from Taiwanese made knives.

the way, if you expect perfection at any price point, brace yourself for disappointment. Perfection is an unobtainable goal.

Give me a break. If you think I literally meant perfection you must have a comprehension problem. I think you were just being a jack-***. Perfection in the sense that there are no major noticeable flaws in the knife. I have many knives that I would say were perfectly made. The one I was referring to, was not.

, they are using them because they have in the past been able to meet quality requirements. This was a failed experiment and nothing more. If you think the knife is crap because it says Taiwan on the blade, you may be a customer they don't need. It is a hard lesson to learn, but there really are customers a business is better off without.

Ahhh the fanboyism. Spyderco can do no wrong. I simply think that when you take into account the number of complaints about Taiwanese made products, they should reconsider making knives there. I've seen no problems with Chinese made Spydercos in the past, as well as Chinese made knives from other manufacturers.

Spyderco is not better off with less customers. Perhaps YOU would be better off without me here, but no one cares about you. I love Spydies, will continue to be a loyal fan of their knives, but will voice what I think whenever I choose to do so. I've done nothing wrong except disagree with you. Live with it :D

[LorenzoL]

Can you link to QC issues specific to the Sages and the Bradley (the dishwasher episode does not count)? That is what is at issue here, nobody is saying that all Taiwan-made knives are great, just those made by the maker Sal chose at first.

[Spyharpy]

I believe it's finding a quality maker that's more important than the country of origin.

[dbcad]

Ditto Spyharpy!!!!!!

[araneae]

He can do what he wants, but like I said, not only with Spyderco but with other manufacturers as well, I keep seeing problems with Taiwan-made knives.

You say you keep seeing them, but aside from the earlier Cat/Chicagos, I have heard nothing but praise for the Taiwan made Spydercos.

I wasn't talking about the Sage. I said I liked the Sage a lot and didn;t see any problems with it. I was referring to OTHER knives made in Taiwan.

Which other knives? If it's not Spydercos, than its really not relevant here.

Its just coincidental that I keep finding and hearing about issues from Taiwanese made knives.

See above

Give me a break. If you think I literally meant perfection you must have a comprehension problem. I think you were just being a jack-***. Perfection in the sense that there are no major noticeable flaws in the knife. I have many knives that I would say were perfectly made. The one I was referring to, was not.

Ahhh the fanboyism. Spyderco can do no wrong. I simply think that when you take into account the number of complaints about Taiwanese made products, they should reconsider making knives there. I've seen no problems with Chinese made Spydercos in the past, as well as Chinese made knives from other manufacturers.

Again, you seem to be the minority who has seen the number of complaints. Which knives are you talking about? You said you were happy with your Sage.

Spyderco is not better off with less customers. Perhaps YOU would be better off without me here, but no one cares about you.

Some customers will never be happy and may end up costing a company in time and service and a business is indeed better off without them. I care about Yab so there.


And yes, it is about PB&J time methinks...

[dbcad]

Just wanted to leave with this quote.

I know it's been answered but I believe you can differentiate the manufacturer's by the tang stamp. On all models I've seen or seen pictures of, the Sage manufacturer uses a distinct font/engraving style with "Spyderco" written in a curve, whereas the other maker has the text running straight. There are also a few other differences like different hardware/screws, different CF, but this is less certain than the tang stamp, a feature which is likely unique to each maker.

Sage,Bradley,and Bushcraft have the curved font, Walker does not.

Charlie

[Sequimite]

Just wanted to leave with this quote.



Sage,Bradley,and Bushcraft have the curved font, Walker does not.

Charlie

Walker is made in Japan. Did you mean the Bob T?

[dbcad]

Quite correct Sequimite. I was in error. Walker is in made in japan.

Need better reading glasses..lolol

charlie

[yablanowitz]

Ahhh the fanboyism. Spyderco can do no wrong. I simply think that when you take into account the number of complaints about Taiwanese made products, they should reconsider making knives there. I've seen no problems with Chinese made Spydercos in the past, as well as Chinese made knives from other manufacturers.

Spyderco is not better off with less customers. Perhaps YOU would be better off without me here, but no one cares about you. I love Spydies, will continue to be a loyal fan of their knives, but will voice what I think whenever I choose to do so. I've done nothing wrong except disagree with you. Live with it :D

I wouldn't call it "fanboyism" to differentiate between discussing Taiwan-made Spyderco knives on their forum and other Taiwan-made products from other manufacturers. The fact that others go there to get the cheapest price they can rather than to find a maker that can build to their specifications should reflect on the parent companies rather than the country of manufacture. What your statemants boil down to is "Spyderco shouldn't make knives in Taiwan because I'm unhappy with my Cold Steel knife that was made there." Kind of like if I said I've owned two Ford products in my life and they were both junk, so no one should make cars in the US. Not too logical, huh.

My last boss didn't believe there were customers he was better off without until I used a stopwatch during a visit from a couple of his favorite high-maintenence customers and proved that every dollar they spent took up three dollars worth of our time. Thirty dollars worth of labor to make a ten dollar sale with a gross profit of four dollars. Tell me that's good business. Tell me everyone needs more customers like that.

[THG]

What rise is that? How many Spyderco knives were made overseas twenty years ago, ten years ago and today? Or perhaps I should say how many were made in the USA twenty years ago, ten years ago and today?

What rise? Okay, say 2 years ago, what percentage of Spyderco knives were made in the USA? Compare today to 2 years ago: how what percentage of Spyderco knives are made in the USA? Even fewer.

All of my Spyderco knives are made overseas. They aren't bad at all. In fact, they're good. My point is simply that I'd rather see Spyderco knives made in the USA (think: FRN UKPK, Manix 2.)

[The Deacon]

What rise? Okay, say 2 years ago, what percentage of Spyderco knives were made in the USA? Compare today to 2 years ago: how what percentage of Spyderco knives are made in the USA? Even fewer.

All of my Spyderco knives are made overseas. They aren't bad at all. In fact, they're good. My point is simply that I'd rather see Spyderco knives made in the USA (think: FRN UKPK, Manix 2.)

That's true. But it's not because Spyderco is producing fewer knives in Golden, it's because a bunch of new models have been introduced. It doesn't take into consideration that Golden may be operating at, or very near, full capacity. Adding production capacity, either by increasing the size of the physical plant or by hiring and training a second shift, entails a large investment and a degree of risk even in the best economic conditions - and the current economy is far from the best. So, what you are really complaining about is that Spydero has not taken that risk or, alternatively, refrained from introducing new models

[merthyrmafia]

Simple perfection always costs more, and people will always pay 2 or 3 times as much for a Japanese, American or Swiss collaberation made knife than they would for Taiwnese or Chinese made knifes, you only have to look down the years and see which Spyderco knives are by far the most collectable and sought after, there you will find the answer.