Wow, that brought back memories. We were actually there last October, visiting both the factory outlet store in Ibach and the Swiss Knife Valley Museum and store in Brunnen. As expected, you can find Swiss Army knives (Victorinox) practically everywhere in Switzerland, and also as expected, no factory tours. However, the "seconds" bins at the factory outlet store offered up some nice bargains from a constantly changing inventory. We ended up with four small various kitchen style knives for $26. Sharp buggers too. The only difference between the "seconds" and the standard retail offerings appeared to be the logo on the blades was stamped off-center, upside down, or some similar cosmetic defect. I had to stop my wife from shopping there, or we'd have needed another piece of luggage to get it all home.
Why are usa made knives so expensive?
- Thread starter mikey52
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Wow, that brought back memories. We were actually there last October, visiting both the factory outlet store in Ibach and the Swiss Knife Valley Museum and store in Brunnen. As expected, you can find Swiss Army knives (Victorinox) practically everywhere in Switzerland, and also as expected, no factory tours. However, the "seconds" bins at the factory outlet store offered up some nice bargains from a constantly changing inventory. We ended up with four small various kitchen style knives for $26. Sharp buggers too. The only difference between the "seconds" and the standard retail offerings appeared to be the logo on the blades was stamped off-center, upside down, or some similar cosmetic defect. I had to stop my wife from shopping there, or we'd have needed another piece of luggage to get it all home.
eveled
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With the diverse selection and the price to quality ratio Buck has. I don't know why anyone would buy a foreign made knife.
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I carry a Case pocket knife most of the time.
Got a bug a couple of years ago while the Wife and i were in Maine at Kittery Trading Post, and ended up buying 2 Randalls, and a Boker Magnum, which is made in China. I also have a Buck 110 that the Police Dept. issued to us, and I carried it on my duty belt until I retired. It sits in a drawer now, but it's still in very good condition.
Got a bug a couple of years ago while the Wife and i were in Maine at Kittery Trading Post, and ended up buying 2 Randalls, and a Boker Magnum, which is made in China. I also have a Buck 110 that the Police Dept. issued to us, and I carried it on my duty belt until I retired. It sits in a drawer now, but it's still in very good condition.
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In pricing - don't forget about the extent of their advertising!!! Labor costs, the steel quality, amount of automation are all valid points as well.
To each their own. You don't have to denigrate those of us who happen to like Randall knives or any other knife for that matter. I buy what I like and don't think of any of them as a "status symbol", just like I buy guns that I like.
I do in fact have a Buck 402 Akonua and I like it too. But I'm not a snob about owning it over my Randalls. Like I said, "to each their own".
I'm not trying to start a war here, just stating my opinion.
, which isn't worth much at all.There are a lot of factors to consider.
Type of knife is only part of the picture.
For me, steel quality in the blade is the highest consideration. I don't use my knives hard but I use them a LOT. I need my blade to be able to take a good edge and keep that edge for a very long time. Otherwise the knife is useless to me.
Type of knife is only part of the picture.
For me, steel quality in the blade is the highest consideration. I don't use my knives hard but I use them a LOT. I need my blade to be able to take a good edge and keep that edge for a very long time. Otherwise the knife is useless to me.
Thread makes me wish I would have invested in the Puma brand back in the 60s. Unfortunately not a rich kid but did score a Puma Skinner back in 67. Ran me around $25-30 back then. Guess that older carbon Pumaster steel used makes em quite collectible and valuable. That White Hunter was a dream of mine too back then.
xring33
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While cleaning out my wife's late uncles things, most of which ended up in a dumpster, I came across this old USA made colonial knife. It was rusted and gummed up shut but, I did manage to get it back to working shape. These used to sell for just a few dollars back in the day.
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jtcarm
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OP: there is your answer. D2 is quite a bit more expensive than the 420C stainless steel typically used.
Not only is the blade stock more expensive, I'll wager it's harder to work. After all that trouble, it's doubtful they'd put together a shoddily-built knife.
THEmodelof1989
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To each their own. You don't have to denigrate those of us who happen to like Randall knives or any other knife for that matter. I buy what I like and don't think of any of them as a "status symbol", just like I buy guns that I like.
I do in fact have a Buck 402 Akonua and I like it too. But I'm not a snob about owning it over my Randalls. Like I said, "to each their own".
I'm not trying to start a war here, just stating my opinion.
I certainly was not trying to start a war either. I'm sorry you feel denigrated for owning a randal as that was not my intention either. I simply issued a factual comparison of the quality steel used by Buck that isn't used by Randal, and at a much better price point. I'm sorry you didn't care for my semantics, but don't worry, I'm sure I'll be banned sooner than later for having an opinion on knives, in a knife forum, where the OP was asking speficically about quality and pricing of American steel, and for my attitude about being censored for using language that other members are allowed to use. My opinion isn't worth much either, but that opinion is that s30v beats the snot out of 440b...
Believe me I don't feel bad at all about owning Randalls.
Don't want you to get banned either. We all have likes and dislikes when it comes to our "collections".
Oh, and with the moniker "The Model of 1989" you can't be all bad.
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THE PILGRIM
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JJEH
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I love TOPS knives, give 'em a try, I'm sure you'll like 'em!
Reminds me of the preacher man with the dowdy wife railing against those fools who spend their time chasing after young, beautiful, hip slinging daughters of Satan. Then we find out that actually, um, turns out that the preacher...
)So, if some day, Model of 1989, you choose to buy a Randall, we won't hold it against you.
(Hey, there's a country music song in there somewhere!)(I like Bucks, too. I am promiscuous in my affections when it comes to knives!
)
Autonomous
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It was time to get my wife a nice kitchen knife set. I wanted American made of course.
We have some older Chicago Cutlery and the rustic style goes with our country kitchen. Turns out most CC is made in China now.
Enter Case knives. Made in USA and still affordable. The walnut handles are unfinished and looked rather plain. Some Johnson's paste wax and a hair dryer fixed that. They look great now and came with a decent working edge.
We have some older Chicago Cutlery and the rustic style goes with our country kitchen. Turns out most CC is made in China now.
Enter Case knives. Made in USA and still affordable. The walnut handles are unfinished and looked rather plain. Some Johnson's paste wax and a hair dryer fixed that. They look great now and came with a decent working edge.
THEmodelof1989
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Believe me I don't feel bad at all about owning Randalls.
Don't want you to get banned either. We all have likes and dislikes when it comes to our "collections".
Oh, and with the moniker "The Model of 1989" you can't be all bad.
My clever handle doesn't make me immune to being human and coming off unpleasant though; I understand that. I appreciate the vote of confidence.
Reminds me of the preacher man with the dowdy wife railing against those fools who spend their time chasing after young, beautiful, hip slinging daughters of Satan. Then we find out that actually, um, turns out that the preacher...
So, if some day, Model of 1989, you choose to buy a Randall, we won't hold it against you.
(I like Bucks, too. I am promiscuous in my affections when it comes to knives!
I knew it would cut deep lol
I'm not trying to knock Randal specifically so much as I was trying to think of a very popular and expensive knife manufacturer that doesn't use the quality of steel that other less expensive manufacturers use. Randal comes to mind first and foremost when thinking about an expensive knife that uses inexpensive steel that most would not consider premium, especially for the price. They look pretty, but I, and many others, are not trying to put an $800 blade through its paces in the field; that's why I said they aren't working man's knife. Long story short is, if y'all like yalls randals, then I love them, and please don't let my personal opinion on knives have any bearing on what you want regardless of its quality. I'd love to have the funds to buy Randal, with that kind of expendable income I may have a few, or maybe I'd buy another akunoa and a few s&w revolvers instead.
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About 1981 to 1982 I bought three new Randals. Through that time and probably on to today Randal never advertised spectacular edge retention. They mostly promoted their knive's role as military and survival knives. There are numerous pictures of WW II U.S. Army brass and a few USN officers carrying Randal knives. Randal's famous #1 has been fairly called a sharpened pry bar. Using D2 or S30V hardened for best edge retention would have made Randal's knives inferior for their role. Today's stainless cutlery steels that are sold with claims of stupendous edge retention have to be very hard. Some of them are as hard as high speed steel milling machine cutters. It has long been known that knives could be made that hard but when that is done the blade looses its strength and flexibility. There is no magic steel. Randal did not use steel that would snap for good reason.
The thing Randal does do that most other knife makers do not do is forge their blades. That arranges the grain structure for a stronger steel part. you will never get a forged blade from Buck, Case, Kershaw, or any other American mass producer and I doubt you'll ever get one from Bench Made. Most knives are stamped out of belts of steel that the knife manufacturer buys in rolls. The stamping is given bevels by grinding. Knives that are so large that stamping is not cost effective are ground from flat stock. Only a tiny fraction of American blades are forged. If you want a survival knife that in a pinch can be used for things other than cutting forged steel that is not super hard is the way to go.
The bigger part of the Randal story is that they are pieces of art. It is expected that the edges of their grinds are perfectly straight and location of the edges mirror each other from side to side. That is not so easy when it's done by hand. Where the tang enters the hand guard the joint is soldered to close any gap. I do not know how to describe it except to say the soldering job looks good. That takes too long to do on mass produced knives. While buying both Bench Made and Randal knives you are paying for the brand's prestige but making Randals takes more skilled hand work.
When I bought my three Randals the cutlery store in the shopping mall had plenty of them on the shelf. Mine cost $125 to $165. On my budget the amount they would have been devalued by use was too much so I only used one of them. Later during the 1980s I sold the two I did not use back to the store I bought them from for about $25 more than I paid for them. I wish I kept the user. I do not intend to critisize those who buy Randals but I'll never spend what Randals cost today for a knife.
The thing Randal does do that most other knife makers do not do is forge their blades. That arranges the grain structure for a stronger steel part. you will never get a forged blade from Buck, Case, Kershaw, or any other American mass producer and I doubt you'll ever get one from Bench Made. Most knives are stamped out of belts of steel that the knife manufacturer buys in rolls. The stamping is given bevels by grinding. Knives that are so large that stamping is not cost effective are ground from flat stock. Only a tiny fraction of American blades are forged. If you want a survival knife that in a pinch can be used for things other than cutting forged steel that is not super hard is the way to go.
The bigger part of the Randal story is that they are pieces of art. It is expected that the edges of their grinds are perfectly straight and location of the edges mirror each other from side to side. That is not so easy when it's done by hand. Where the tang enters the hand guard the joint is soldered to close any gap. I do not know how to describe it except to say the soldering job looks good. That takes too long to do on mass produced knives. While buying both Bench Made and Randal knives you are paying for the brand's prestige but making Randals takes more skilled hand work.
When I bought my three Randals the cutlery store in the shopping mall had plenty of them on the shelf. Mine cost $125 to $165. On my budget the amount they would have been devalued by use was too much so I only used one of them. Later during the 1980s I sold the two I did not use back to the store I bought them from for about $25 more than I paid for them. I wish I kept the user. I do not intend to critisize those who buy Randals but I'll never spend what Randals cost today for a knife.
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Back around 2003, one of my Kosovo friends ordered Benchmade 5000 autos at a discount for those of us that wanted one. I carried mine in K'vo and then later in Afghanistan. I have carried it ever since.
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