USA made EDC??

[Ignored Member]

CRKT has several of their knives made over seas. Spyderco makes some in their Golden, CO plant, but have some made in Seki City, Japan, some made in Taiwan (these are some of Spyderco's nicer knives btw), and their value line comes out of China.

Most Benchmades are made in the US, but they have a few lines that are made overseas. Kershaw has always made knives at several locations throughout the world.

Lome Wolf knives were all made in the US before Benchmade bought them. I don't know if that is still the case.

I won't personally buy a new Strider or Microtech based on some of the actions of the owners, but both companies make a couple of very nice knives in the US.

I have a Benchmade that says made in China on it. I paid $30 for it and it's every bit as solid as the other two Benchmades I have that are worth $130 and $160. I'm definitely a Benchmade fan no matter where they're made, and also very quickly becoming a Spyderco fan after the 2 I purchased from them.

My CRKT M16-13Z has been to hell and back after all the abuse I've sent it over the past 10 years. It's a slight bit loose now, but it keeps on tickin so I wouldn't hesitate in suggesting it to someone for an EDC knife.

 

[ez bake]

I have a Benchmade that says made in China on it. I paid $30 for it and it's every bit as solid as the other two Benchmades I have that are worth $130 and $160. I'm definitely a Benchmade fan no matter where they're made, and also very quickly becoming a Spyderco fan after the 2 I purchased from them.

My CRKT M16-13Z has been to hell and back after all the abuse I've sent it over the past 10 years. It's a slight bit loose now, but it keeps on tickin so I wouldn't hesitate in suggesting it to someone for an EDC knife.

Yeah, I was going to add that I don't care much for where a knife is made anymore - just about the quality and functionality. The rest of the world was making knives for thousands of years before the US became a country.

 

[willystruck]

I've got several Bucks that are made in the U.S. I'll have a table at SuperDaves gun show.

 

[Johnny]

I really like Kershaws, but that is mainly because of the flipper. I can open with my index finger instead of having to use my thumb. It just seems quicker and more natural to me. I am sure if I carried and used one more often that I had to open with my thumb I would get used to it. The reason I asked about the USA made is because I really try to pay attention and buy an American made product over something made overseas all other factors being the same. I just wanted to know what was out there. I have a buddy that prefers Spyderco and he has ones from Japan and US and I can't really tell a difference in quality. Thanks to everyone for their input so far. I feel like a jack donkey sometimes because I asked a lot of questions and don't usally contribute a lot to the forum, but I am learning and appreciate the time everyone takes to answer my questions.

 

[ez bake]

Good luck on your search for an EDC folder man. That's not a bad question at all. There are a few knife-models that you can't find made in the US, and as such - I buy those based on my needs, but if you want to buy mainly US-made knives that's perfectly acceptable to do.

I too am a fan of the flipper-open knives. If you want an over-built high-quality US-made flipper, then I'd stick with Zero Tolerance (which is a part of KAI Limited which also owns Kershaw). If you don't need something that tough, then you've got plenty of options.

Ken Onion and Kit Carson popularized the flipper in the modern-day "tactical" (I hate that word) folder. I think CRKT makes some of the M16 and M21 models in the US. Kershaw makes some good knives in the US as well (my personal favorite is the Galyean designed Kershaw Rake or the old original small Junkyard Dog).

Buck makes their entire line of Vantage knives in the US I believe (all flipper models). The Vantage Pro is one of the best deals in knives.

Spydercos have that big hole that makes opening easy - I'm a fan, I won't lie, but I also like variety too, so I've got some thumb-stud models and some flippers.

 

[Johnny]

Robar, My first flipper was a CRKT M16-13Z. It is the knife that converted me. Then I bought a Kershaw Zinger and then a Skyline, and a Ken Onion Ripple. I won' hardly pick up a knife unless it is a flipper these days. I have wanted to get a Junk Yard Dog for a long time. Just never had a chance to hold one, and in the review I watched on youtube it looks huge. The Rake looks nice to. I like the shape of it. I will most likely do some shopping at the end of this month. Again thanks to everybody for their input.

 

[ez bake]

Robar, My first flipper was a CRKT M16-13Z. It is the knife that converted me. Then I bought a Kershaw Zinger and then a Skyline, and a Ken Onion Ripple. I won' hardly pick up a knife unless it is a flipper these days. I have wanted to get a Junk Yard Dog for a long time. Just never had a chance to hold one, and in the review I watched on youtube it looks huge. The Rake looks nice to. I like the shape of it. I will most likely do some shopping at the end of this month. Again thanks to everybody for their input.

The Skyline is an awesome knife. If you're looking for a Rake on the cheap, KershawGuy over on Blade Forums has factory blems for a great price. My rake is a blem and it's functionally perfect. His website is www.kershawguy.com and I think you can order all of his blems from the site. The Zing is going away and he's still got them in Orange (if you're into Orange knives).

Also, the CRKT Gerry McGinnis colab knives are awesome. The Tuition is probably the best knife I've ever owned for under $30.

If you don't mind import knives, Kershaw is releasing a colab with Rick Hinderer called The Cryo. Hinderer's other two collabs are with ZT; the 0550 and 0560 - both are 100% bad ass knives and made in the US.

 

[Johnny]

The skyline has gotten more carry then any other knife I've got. That 560 looks kick ass. I will check out kershaw guy.