Kershaw knives not really made in the USA???

[bdj357]

I was inquiring into getting a replacement Kershaw Packrat since I have apparently "misplaced" mine.

When I called the Kershaw Store (not owned by Kershaw I don't think), the lady said that they will get more in as soon as Kershaw gets more blades in. She said that they are on of the largest sellers of Kershaws and they usually get stuff back in stock right away.

I inquired what she meant by "getting more blades in" she said that Kershaw sends their steal overseas to reduce manufacturing costs and that they are assembled Stateside with some American components. Since they are assembled here is why it is etched U.S.A. on the blade.

This isn't the first time I have heard this about Kershaw...not that I really care...I like their knives none the less.

But isn't this what happened to Leatherman?

 

[darinb]

Not for sure but I wouldnt be surprised with everybody including companies wanting to save cash nowadays.

 

[Bradsknives]

I'm a Kershaw dealer and I'm not sure this is true....I will check into it. If it is true I see it as being no different than "American" made cars/trucks that have/use parts made in Mexico and other countries and assembled here in the good old USA. I'll make some calls and find out and will follow up.

 

[BigCat]

I'm a Kershaw dealer and I'm not sure this is true....I will check into it. If it is true I see it as being no different than "American" made cars/trucks that have/use parts made in Mexico and other countries and assembled here in the good old USA. I'll make some calls and find out and will follow up.

Thanks for checking into this and letting us know what you come up with.

I recently bought a replacement bulb for a tail light. The box was red, white, and blue and said "thank you for buying American made"; however, the bulbs had "China" written in huge font on each of them (clearly visible through the packaging).

 

[Gamez235]

The whole "Made in USA" thing is a huge marketing tool. If you really look into it, a lot of so called domestic products are in fact either made or made from foreign components.

As for Kershaw, I've never had one of their knives do anything but disappoint me..

 

[jbombelli]

The whole "Made in USA" thing is a huge marketing tool. If you really look into it, a lot of so called domestic products are in fact either made or made from foreign components.

As for Kershaw, I've never had one of their knives do anything but disappoint me..

Interesting. In MY experience, Kershaw makes a truly great knife for the price. Plus their customer service is the best I've seen in just about any industry. If you break a Kershaw, just let them know. They'll take care of you. There are better knives out there, but they generally cost a lot more. I've been completely satisfied with my experiences with Kershaw.

 

[copper]

So maybe not everything from China is a piece of crap? They do have the capabilities of producing quality items. ?

 

[Bradsknives]

Here is the Truth!!!

I just got off the phone with my rep from KAI (KAI is the parent company that owns both Kershaw & Zero Tolerance). If you buy or have a Kershaw knife that is marked "USA"....everything on the knife down to the last screw is made right here in the good old USA (Tualatin, OR.) including the blades. Feel free to call them and ask them yourself if you want to. (503) 682-1966

 

[bdj357]

I just got off the phone with my rep from KAI (KAI is the parent company that owns both Kershaw & Zero Tolerance). If you buy or have a Kershaw knife that is marked "USA"....everything on the knife down to the last screw is made right here in the good old USA (Tualatin, OR.) including the blades. Feel free to call them and ask them yourself if you want to. (503) 682-1966

Thanks...good to know.
Wouldn't have made a difference.
With the way things are going I buy for quality with the best price point. I wouldn't buy or not buy a product just because of where it is made.

Some Kershaws, Spyderco and CRKT are great examples of this.

 

[Bradsknives]

Thanks...good to know.
Wouldn't have made a difference.
With the way things are going I buy for quality with the best price point. I wouldn't buy or not buy a product just because of where it is made.

Some Kershaws, Spyderco and CRKT are great examples of this.

You could add alot more manufactures to your list... like BucK and Gerber for example.

I'm in the trenches about 40 weekends out of the year selling knives at the gun & knife shows. There are alot of people that that will not buy a knife if it is made in China or some other country. I see this at ever show I do...A person will pick up a knife look at it...as soon as they see that it was made in China or Taiwan they immediately put it back down and usually mumble something about it being made in China. If I show them knives that are made in the USA they complain about how expensive they are and won't buy it because of the price. I guess people want a USA made knife with a China price tag... which will never happen!!

 

[Gamez235]

Interesting. In MY experience, Kershaw makes a truly great knife for the price. Plus their customer service is the best I've seen in just about any industry. If you break a Kershaw, just let them know. They'll take care of you. There are better knives out there, but they generally cost a lot more. I've been completely satisfied with my experiences with Kershaw.

In my experience I've always had better experiences with Benchmade or Spyderco.

I like a lot of Kershaw's designs, but they just never held up to the tasks I put them up to.

I am glad to hear that they say made here, they are.

As for people putting down foreign made knives. They've been making edged weapons over there long before America was even some pilgrim's wet dream about the new land..

 

[bdj357]

As for people putting down foreign made knives. They've been making edged weapons over there long before America was even before some pilgrim wet dream about the new land..

TRUE...SO TRUE!

Reputable eastern/Asian companies take pride in their work. It is the mass produced crap that gives them a bad name.

I am waiting for the day that the arguement is about the crappy products made off Earth. Because I ain't buying no Martian knife, unless it is really good!

 

[TiminMishawaka]

I wouldn't mind if the blades were ground and heat treated in Seki City, Japan.

 

[451_Detonics]

Just because it is marked Seki City, Japan doesn't mean it is quality...just like everywhere there is junk coming out of there too. It is like Sheffield England, there were alot of good knives made there and suddenly people started taking advantage of the name to sell junk.

As others stated it is the maker, not where they live.

 

[TiminMishawaka]

That was meant to be more of a tongue in cheek spyderco plug. Didn't really think about everything else coming out of there...lol

 

[Noumenon]

That was meant to be more of a tongue in cheek spyderco plug. Didn't really think about everything else coming out of there...lol

There are some quality knives other than Spyderco coming out of Seki City like Mcusta. They've got some really nice blades.

 

[xHwyLT]

So maybe not everything from China is a piece of crap? They do have the capabilities of producing quality items. ?

You have to remember, that the quality of the item is determined, by the specs given to the manufacturer of the item. There are quality Chinese made items out there.
The problem lies with the company that has the item produced in China without specifying what specs or quality control is acceptable. Most American companies, having items made in China are agreeable with the "anything is fine as long as I can make X dollars profit" mentality.
I remember when "Made in Japan" was equal to saying a piece of S***! There was a story when I was a kid that claimed the Japanese had a city named "Usa" (pronounced Yoo Sah) and mark their items "made in Usa" to get Americans to purchase their goods (never did find out if that story was true). Now look what "Made in Japan" means as far as quality is concerned. The reason I know about this is because my brother-in-law works for GE, and they have parts made for their aircraft engines in China. But the quality control is very stringent.

 

[451_Detonics]

Despite this being a bump of an old thread I will say I have bought some knives from AG Russell that are made in China that are of very high quality, beyond that of many US factory knives at a cost that is quite low. People look at the Rough Rider knives and assume all Chinese made knives must be of that same quality...well anyone who has been around very long knows how the word "assume" breaks down. As stated above the US contractor is responsible for quality control and if the proper specifications are made and then followed then the knives will be well made. As far as the money consider that import duties are paid, and in many cases the importer, distributor, and the retailer all make a profit. I would guess 60-75% of the cost of that knife remains here in the US, not to memntion the jobs it creates in each of those US departments and companies.

This review of mine was completely ignored but the knives in it are a great example of very well made Chinese knives.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...russell_texas_ranger_commemorative_knife.html

 

[tradertator]

I just got off the phone with my rep from KAI (KAI is the parent company that owns both Kershaw & Zero Tolerance). If you buy or have a Kershaw knife that is marked "USA"....everything on the knife down to the last screw is made right here in the good old USA (Tualatin, OR.) including the blades. Feel free to call them and ask them yourself if you want to. (503) 682-1966

That is really good news, and means a lot to me as a consumer. Given the choice, I always try to buy American made goods, over the chi com crap we are flooded with. I've recently been snatching up a lot of zero tolerance stuff and couldn't be happier. IMO, best blade for the buck out there.