Assume they look identical, warranty was identical, quality was identical and they are both sold by the same company?
That is a really simple question for me...all being equal the Taiwanese knife clearly. "USA Made" is not a real factor unless you live in the US and are an ardent "shop local" person. Now if it were Australian vs Taiwanese then for me it may be a more difficult argument of course.
A couple years ago I'd pick the $50 knife but after buying many many knives I would go with the US made knife.
I'd pay $250 for one made by drunken Hobbits. Little bastards need a job. Curious folk they are. ETA: I think I just drunk-dialed this forum after a long hiatus. Shame on me.
I want to say the $200 one, but I'm sitting here on my couch with a folder costing nearly that in my online cart and haven't convinced myself to finish the order. But it's not because I'm trying to decide between it and a cheaper knife, $200 is just a lot of money to me. I want to support the American job. And the jobs downstream that are only there because of what that employee spends in his or her local community. I'm voting for the $200 one, because I think at this point, for me, it's as much about those jobs and who the company is and their priorities as the price. Too many choose that $50 folder and there's no longer a reason to produce the $200 one. So the factory slows down or closes. The employees and the local area suffers. I see it everyday. Up close.
here is my 2 cents. if it is a custom handmade knife , hell yes $200. but a production knife , with hundreds of thousands made? $50. now excuse me while i pile up sandbags for my pillbox...... Sabaton: 40:1........i'm the 1
And then I get to thinking, should there be a 3rd option to this poll? What about: 3.Buy from another company that chooses to produce a $100 knife and a $200 knife in the US instead of a $50 and a $200 one, sacrificing the volume of the lower priced option to keep jobs at home. I'm at the point where that would be my choice, easily. It's definitely not a simple black and white question. Companies like Buck choose to produce a lot of their offerings out of country. So does Spyderco. I wish Spyderco would produce more US made models (and get over their love of choils on US made models). Benchmade used to have a budget line but dumped it. They survived (and are thriving). Could others? I don't want to give the appearance that I'm an isolationist. I'm not. I do believe that we should put our country first whenever possible, even if it's not the easy thing to do. Take care of home and then take care of others. I'm done rambling for the moment. I think.
I would love to have a $50 American made knife... I might even compromise slightly on things like quality if the company was in the process of making thing better..... I'm all for supporting the USA... But I'm sorry paying 4 times the price for a identical knife or product Is only hurting the USA.... IMO.... But there is to many other factors as been mentioned to simply base a decision of price....
I have seen too many $50 foreign made knives with the supposed quality of the $200 knife that just are not close when you get behind the scenes. They may look the same, and if you never cut or use it much, then they will function about the same. If you use your knife everyday and carry the $50 one for 3 months and then the $200 one for 3 months, you will end up choosing the $200 knife every time!
I am interested in this argument of keeping money local. If a US company is having a folder made overseas and you buy it, well over half of your money is staying in the US because the company is here paying it's workers and owners. Yes, the manufacturing job is not here. But a lot of times everything else is. Heck, Ive even read of furniture companies buying all the parts here then shipping it to china to put t togethe and then ship it back. I guess my point is everyone would like a cheap knife made in US but its simply not realistic. It is costly to have things made here. There are all kinds of reasons but it is a fact. If quality is 4 times higher here then the $200 price is justified. But the fact of the matter is that you can get as good as US quality in Tawain, if not better. I know of Taiwanese hand tools like ratchets and sockets that are 100% as good as american made snap-on tools. By the way, Taiwan quality is not the same as Chinese quality. Do you guys see a difference in buying a Taiwan knife from a Taiwan company (ie all the money goes overseas) and buying a Taiwanese knofe from an American co(ie most of the dollars stay here, but not all)?
where the money goes ? im buying a knife ,not worrying about the maker or wholesaler or distributor, i'm buying a knife because i like the blade style and other things. Where the money goes is the business of the tax man and the retailer i buy from . Not me. Why would i care where that money goes? im not concerned about where the money goes for a production knife....i got to my local knife shop, i pay my money, i get a knife i want. Where the money goes afterwards is none of my beeswax. A custom or limited run knife? sure absolutely it matters if the maker gets their moola........but 99% of the PRODUCTION blades i buy the maker is making for like $5 and selling for $300 yea i said that.
Why cant the $50 knife be made here? Kershaw makes the BLUR in USA and is an excellent knife. I've edc m8ne for over 2 years and its still mechanically sound. Blade is centered and no play. Why even bother with taiwan? To answer the question, I would pass on both.
$50 tiawan knife, and still have another $150 to spend local... identical product in every way, except country of origin? seems foolish to me to buy the american version...
