What I find baffling is how consumer driven we’ve become. I’m all for treating yourself, I’m all for great quality, but goddamn are people ballin that great where they can drop that much money, that often, on new knives every few months? Lol work with the knives you have! I know so many people with a collection of 40 knives and most just sit on a counter for years, no different than women’s jewelry. You wanna know what’s really wrong with America? We seek pleasure in pure consumption instead of pride in our creations, experiences, skills. Any damned fool with a few bucks can buy the latest and greatest knife in some fancy steel, but who actually can make great memories with it, truly master it? It really has become an unhealthy addiction.
@@JunkyardFox we have a consumer overspending crisis, and business is rushing helping into it with easy credit patterns like Klarna, Afterpay, and Affirm. Consumer debt is skyrocketing, and luxury goods are among the fastest growing sectors. And you're right. Everyone wants the experience of getting a new knife - and I think the social media validation of "new knife day" is part of the problem.
On one hand you are right, on the other hand it's an oversimplification. You have to pay people living wages. Even $15 an is grossly inadequate in most places in the United States these days with the rampant inflation. If we are talking about skilled labor, you need to train people while giving them incentive such as health insurance, vacation and sick leave. Reasonable and flexible hours for parents, etc. US companies are terrible with these incentives.
I think the whole philosophy of knife companies needing to come out with new designs every year is crazy. I would rather have them perfect current designs and then spend 2-3 years on a new design. 1 home run design every 2-3 years is enough for me personally. So many knife designs are throw away designs. They don’t have enough time to test them and use the design. They have to design it as fast as possible and rush to produce it as fast as possible. Also Chris Reeve has enough home run designs. People are ridiculous.
I’d also be curious to see dealer numbers when it comes to what’s actually moving at retail price and not on sale. It seems like a lot of spyderco inventory goes in and out of stock pretty regularly while most of the brands from overseas have inventory at every dealer that sits in stock until they do some big sale. Plus a lot of these overseas brands sell direct now through their own websites at retail cost and offer significant discount codes. Which is kinda ridiculous because anytime a US company has done something like that, dealers call them out for undercutting them and it’s a big deal. This is why you see brands like Benchmade, Spyderco, etc only selling products at MSRP on their own sites, which is out of respect for their dealers.
I work as a chef, and it has always been an industry with high turnovers. After covid, a lot of people were temporarily laid off, and I think they realized their job sucked. I don't think it's laziness, I think they realized something that is very true. So people went back to school, switched careers, etc. Manual work is hard. I love my job, and I work at a place where I am treated well and compensated for what I do. There's no simple answer to why there's a work shortage, but the fact that rent and housing prices are through the roof, grocery costs are rising, etc and wages aren't rising at the same rate is a huge factor. Why work a job that puts your body on the line when it's not going to provide a decent living? If companies are well-managed, treat their employees well, and create stellar products they are more apt to succeed. If they don't... well, see ya later.
I see both sides of the argument. But the reality is knife addiction and money are real factors. I no longer buy new knives, and I also do not buy Chinese made knives. I strike the balance by buying USA knives on the second hand market. Plus I feel more motivated to use them because they are used already and don’t need to keep them prestige. Great argument as always
IMO it's not just that "nobody wants to work", it's that people of our generation have been taught not to stick with any job. We are constantly job-hopping. I don't know how many times I've been encouraged to not worry about getting a raise from my boss but rather to just find a new one. That's the new thing. I want so badly to stay with the company I'm at and just continue to get better and continue to increase my pay so that I can build a life. I don't want to have to constantly be job hunting, considering moving, etc. But even the job itself is making that hard. No one seems to offer raises because they expect people will move on. How do you build a company with depth when you have employees constantly coming and going? Love it or hate it but this is our job market now; it's become a war zone. I think the American knife industry is suffering under this same ethic, it's going to be hard to hire and hold on to talented employees and let them grow their skill level over time. Companies don't have the incentive or ability to really invest in a worker and their development. Employees don't have the incentive or ability to really invest in growing the company they work for.
I've looked at jobs at Benchmade, since they're local - and I've never bothered applying because their wages are low compared to other companies in my job field.
i 100% dissagree but thats ok i should have went in detail the companies i was talking about and about what, i didnt because i want them all to do better but most of the companies mentioned in this video are doing great work and i applaud them
They are doing the best they can. And I know everyone can do better. I wish people were more motivated to work and we could get back on track with some of the QC issues we are seeing. Thanks for chiming in even though we have a completely different view!
@@ericasedc in my live tonight im going to go into better details about the companies im talking about and what, i do agree this generation needs to work harder and be more competitive
I agree with Neeves, I've been working as a geologist over 40+ years my first field knife was American Ka-Bar lock blade folder while the drillers carried the cooler Schrade lock backs and Case Bulldogs. Then I got an Emerson CQQ-7 made buy Benchmade that I used left-handed and loved it. Used to scrape rock faces, to separate cores etc. I even bought an extra one on clearance for my collection then I bought Kershaw Onions and Leeks and ZT for EDC when I wasn't in the field so on so forth. In the last year I bought my first Chinese knife for 29 dollars and blew away anything I have ever used. It boils down to steel types and engineering, the US graduates far less engineers than China almost 2 or 3 times more in the year so the Chinese knife companies have hired the engineers, the makers here cannot hire engineers. It boils down to what is offered I looked at Emerson and they only offer CM154. The Hinderer I own if I was to go back in the field I would carry it, CRK not so much I would break it. Bottomline, today I saw an American knife maker offer 84 knives they were sold in 52 minutes. For a total of $36K. Wow, just, wow.
The main issue is the shrinkage of the workforce due to a large portion of them retiring (which is not an issue outside Western countries and Japan). Companies are forced to hire lesser skilled and poorly motivated people. Current generation isn’t lazier than other generations, it's just perception because you will encounter more lazy people at work since companies are less inclined to fire them. And this form of job security leads again to people feeling entitled, but this entitlement isn’t restricted to young people ( there are enough clips of Karen's to back that up)
Exactly what you said! No matter how much I love a knife, if it's not USA, I won't buy it. I just can't bring myself to hand over that much $ to a Stranger. 🔪👍😁👍🔧
That’s a good point.. Most of the problem comes from lack of quality and quantity of manufacturing.. If TRM had the means to get more supplies they need and could hire more staff maybe I would have a shadow right now.. I continue to support makers like Spyderco US line, Hogue, TRM, Protech, and even Benchmade because of their quality.. I’m not going to buy US just to do it but when they make something I like and is good quality I get multiples
Hey Erica. I work as a ER nurse. We break our ass because we don’t have workers but its because these hospitals dont want to hire at a fair wage, for what we do. It may seem fair to some people not in my field but thats only until you do it. I deal with blood, piss, shit, death, sorrow and compassion and feeling of despair. The big wigs make the real money and dont even touch a patient. On too of that they treat all their workers like shit. I hear you to some degree. I agree with your knife points 110 percent but no so much on the aspect about millennials being lazy. More maybe just that they are not willing to put effort in for less than they work. So i here ya but also go back and forth with this same argument myself. Great video!!
I'd love to be an ER nurse but after being wrongfully convicted of domestic violence apparently I could never work in the medical field in my life. Even though I've never commited any crimes. I also can't serve the military which sucks. But I just really think this government needs to be completely remade from the ground up. Where we could put our people first before the government. The way it should be.
Also, part of the problem is that the few young folk who actually want to work, who have the desire and drive to work, just don't have the job skills and training. I hope companies out there are willing to train those who come to them and exhibit drive to do the best work they can for them.
One problem with getting better prices on American knives (besides having to pay our workers more) is that the cost of insurance and the money they have to spend on what modern "safety" has come to, is ridiculous. I'm all about real safety I'm in construction) but the American safety train ran off the rails 20 years ago. They practically have us trying to work while wearing suits of armor. They have to spend an exorbitant amount on safety just to keep insurance. American industry needs help
I definitely appreciate the heart behind this video. I think the China versus USA issue is a a little more nuanced given that we have some talented American designers behind many of these made in China knives. Sure, I lament that manufacturer is taken out of the USA, but they still are USA designed.
If an employer is unable to find employees it implies that the job they're offering is worse than other opportunities people have. Workers do have the upper hand right now. Employers whining about being unable to find workers should make their job offers more attractive. If you can't compete on pay, find other incentives for people to work there.
Not that easy. My generation wants unicorns shitting money rainbows for the easiest jobs. But thanks for watching and taking the time to chine in with your opinion!
I’ve seen multiple 20 year old kids walk out of a 80k a year job this past year. I’m not even joking. Your logic is correct but something has drastically changed recently.
I'm hesitant to also buy non American but man I just bought a chaves sangre 229 and the fit and finish and grind is a lot better than a few American mades I've bought recently.
I can't justify paying 2-3x the price for an inferior to comparable product to bolster this fake American pride by supporting these companies that hire loads of Mexicans anyway.
It's not that our generation "doesn't want to work" it's the issue of why would they want to bust their ass like I do for 40 plus hours a week when they can make six figures showing their ass on the internet. They choose to work smart not hard. I think the majority of us that work hard are just bitter with those that make money doing basically nothing.
I agree with you 100%. I refuse to buy any knife made in China. You are spot on about getting people to get off their ass and go to work . I’m with you all the way and I’m glad you took the time to make this video.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
none of these arguements make sense, spyderco, benchmade, hogue, even tactile now are killing it on the heat treat, Reate is the only chinese company doing highend steels anywhere near proper hardness but even still theyre running it soft... At the same time the US only has a 3.5% unemployment the lowest its been since 2007? so people are working... these videos on both sides of the arguement are just making alot of assumptions... we should stop making asses of ourselves. the lack of inovation fro american makers falls on the makers not employees, the lack of hardness from chinese makers is also on the makers. If you want to see change people need to stop buying every dam sprint run of the same damn knife from the american companies.
New level of respect gained on this one. You got the balls to say how it really is and you fuckin nailed it exactly. I'm a 37 year old UPS driver and literally wear the soles off of my work boots while people younger than me just sit back and collect free money.
This is a completely solid argument and I agree with you 100%. However, as a business, you have to figure it out. I run professional kitchens for a living, as well as owning my own business. Being in business is hard regardless of situation, but you have to figure it out or you go out of business. It's just the nature of the market. Those businesses that operate at the highest level regardless of the challenges they face, stay in business. At the same time, that's the American spirit. "Figure it out". I'm also not saying that you should run your business the way 100 strangers tell you to. But if you're "ok" with being just "ok", then you'll stay just "ok". Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.
You are correct on the people do not want tot work!! Here at TRM we have been having a heck of a time to even get people to show up for interviews. We are on the mend of this. New employees that want to work and work hard. 2023 for the WIN! (fingers crossed) Whatever you do take pride in it, if you can not take pride in what you are doing find something else that you can take pride in.
I'm an American. I like Buck for what it is. They have a quality product for what it is. The world is a lot bigger than us. Other countries have superior blades. You speak on that America has issues. Understood. The blade is number one the construction is two. You don't need to call customer service if you have a quality knife.
i will never switch to china made knives USA knives are expensive but i will continue to buy American made knives and guns pray for America hopefully these people will get off their asses before its too late
So I don't think people your age are lazy I think they realize they don't have to settle I worked for years busting my ass so some guy can make millions off me so if they wanna look for better pay good for them . Here is an example I bought a WE miscreant 3.0 and got a extra titanium clip and a knife carrying case for 150 a cf elite bugout s30v is 180 , on the other hand I just got. Zt0640 blk and that thing is a tank I'm sure I could break the miscreant with it so I'm torn 90% of my knives are American made . I love the redoubt but why did I have to buy awt scales to make it awesome it should of came that way for the price . And American companies maybe lower your prices I got a buck 110 sport with s30v micarta handles 130$ and it had a burnt grind I was like shit so try harder lower prices and we will be ok . Great opinions and video oh my Japanese massad ayoob is the shit very well made .
agree, there isnt a worker shortage its a wage shortage. ill pick the corn outta your shit for a large enough salary. red voters have fooled themselves into spending their entire lives working to make 1 guy stupendously rich and telling their own thats just how it is
@@slang-d-west theres literally a mass cultural movement in China where young people are quitting the system because they know its all BS idk what point you think you are making but "chinaman love his country and work hard!!!" is a point about as nuanced and intelligent as a second grade textbook
Totally agree with all you’ve said…until the end. If u were able to access payroll/salary info, you’d see real quick that US companies such as Benchmade, Spyderco, Emerson, etc…could very, very easily pay more on the hour to recruit talent. That might mean all of management, such as VP’s, CEO’s, COO’s, Plant Managers, engineers, etc…, might have to take a cut in pay, but it most certainly can be done. How much profit do you think Spyderco brought in last year? Benchmade? Pro Tech? Microtech? A restructuring of salaries could help an awful lot toward paying hard working hourly folks. And with more pay on the hour, you’re going to recruit more talent. It’s Business 101. I know first hand as a Plant Manager because my plant did it last year- and we had too many applicants and hired tremendous help. It can be done I promise you, but the big wigs gotta give a little…and ohhhh yes there’s lots of high salaried big wigs at our USA knife manufacturers. Keep up the great content; you earned my sub.
It's obvious that American companies are raising prices while not innovating and using lower quality materials. No question. People not wanting to work also equates to less people to pay.
And no one to make the stuff we want. It goes deeper than people want to believe. You have to have skills to make knives. It can't just be Joe Shmoe off the street.
@@ericasedc Sure. But if someone thinks American companies aren't price gouging, they aren't paying attention. The lack of sales should not be handed to the customer in the price. That, and China and other countries are (in many cases) bringing a better product to the market, better steels and materials, craftsmanship, etc. as of late. Imo, it's as simple as figure it out or eat the dirt.
I am of several different minds on this. First off, I am in agreement with you on the “what if there isn’t anyone around to fix these issues?” statement. I myself have worked a few different jobs mid and post-COVID where, despite being pretty underqualified, I was thrown in and even promoted quickly simply because I was willing to work. That being said, I can’t blame anyone for wanting to step back from the workforce. Hard work sucks. I would’ve loved to collect unemployment and done remote work like everyone else, but it wasn’t financially feasible and, as such, I found vocations I never would’ve considered otherwise. My main disagreement with you is that I don’t believe that companies like Benchmade, Spyderco, etc. suffer as greatly from these issues as stated. They’re companies, first and foremost, and far from small ones at that. It’s not a single issue that stops American-Made knives from being as desirable now. The fact is, companies, especially pedigreed ones such as the aforementioned, get complacent and a little greedy as a result. “Of course we should spend 200 dollars for a baseline, throughly un-special knife. It’s a (insert company name here) after all!” Another factor in nailing down all the issues comes down to the consumer, especially those that partake in EDC “Culture”. I thought that the point of “Everyday Carry” was to have a few things that are reliable for your job and/or life and, as such, are on you at all times to accomplish whatever you’re tasked with in life. So why, then, is it that everyone has to have 50 different things in rotation for every single task? EDC is all about Consumerism now. Grabbing up the latest release from wherever just to ditch it the minute something else comes along. That’s not to say no one should have anything nice, but at least use the nice thing you have for a while. And these people do not hold companies to a higher standard. If a company’s lineup is bad, don’t buy it. Make them refine and innovate before getting your money that easily. So, to wrap it all up, yes, these companies face issues with employment and that sucks. But, they are companies and, as such, need to be held to a higher standard if they aren’t delivering products worth purchasing. And us, the consumers, need to mind our wallets a little more closely. This was an excellent video, and you’ve somehow managed to create one of the most open discussions regarding EDC I’ve seen in a long time. Keep up the good work! (P.S. if you do want a knife from a pedigreed brand, go to your local pawn shop or scour any one of the numerous secondhand seller sites online. You can find some really good deals, and your money goes into an actual person’s pocket rather than a brand’s. I found a Gerber Fastball for $20 because someone misidentified it and I’m definitely not complaining.)
I appreciate your take on the situation but I have a hard time looking at the available data and coming to the same conclusion. When I look at unemployment data. It at the lowest it's been in 50 years. I don't see any data to support that people are not looking for work. When I look at the careers page for Chris Reeves knives they have one job listed. Spyderco has 1 production job listed. If these companies were short staffed I would expect to see more job openings.
Appreciate your input! Not seeing the same thing as you. Benchmade recently had a banner across their website that read “BENCHMADE KNIFE COMPANY NOW HIRING!” Online
I agree that we as Americans are lazy. However I don’t agree that, that is what keeps us from building products with better design and better materials. I am in a manufacturing business and we still produce high quality products and have increased our production 40% in the last 18 months. We had terrible turnover right after Covid but with a real focus on our culture we turned things around and are doing great right now. So I don’t accept your reasoning as an excuse. It all is driven from the top. If the ownership is willing to change and do things differently and treat employees the way they deserve to be treated they will find employees ready and willing and capable of doing exceptional work. I believe in American made products but we can’t do things the same way we have always done them and expect to stay at the top. Jerrod I feel made a great appeal for the American companies to step up and up their game. I believe they can but am losing faith that they will. If they don’t it will be another “auto mfg” collapse. I hope they prove me wrong and start paying attention to the customer instead of focusing on their place at the top.
Good points. I agree with "it is all driven from the top", however "the top" is caught up trying to change from yesterday's model to one more relevant to the present times. It takes at least a few years to rearrange supply lines to make it so that you can quickly source needed materials locally or regionally. Your sector might be the exception, but many sectors are having this difficulty. At the same time you have many publicly held (by shareholders) companies which are driven by the need to provide maximal profits to those shareholders and this short term maximal profit seeking model sacrifices long term ability to innovate as you are forced to divert funds from R&D to provide for those maximal shareholder profits. I think a change from this shareholder capitalist model into a stakeholder capitalist model is a much needed one. When all stakeholders have "skin in the game" (owners, employees, communities, the government) there is greater potential for everyone to be on the same page and pull together as a team. Well run private companies can do this as they can smartly balance owner profits with employee benefits and investments into necessary R&D. Public companies are at the mercy of their shareholders and often this means a demand for maximal profits at the expense of everything else.
@@gaberoo9099 yes ,I agree that is why I won't work for the large publicly held companies. Our sector is also suffering from these difficulties, but our company has pushed through bc we have driven ownership that sees the advantages of being nimble and decisive. It is possible.
@@malcolmholt2010 Kudos to you and your company. Yes, of course it can be done. With vision and patience as opposed to the urgency of maximal short term profits that most shareholders demand.
You do have a point with China pumping out slightly different knives, but that's also our point.... It's really IS that EZ to listen to what customers want and make minor adjustments to your product based on that input. Even if it shouldn't be taken to the extreme that China takes it too.
Great rant. People complaining about knives drive me nuts. They want the best of everything. You know ninety percent of the people complaining about knives never even use knives. 👍👍⚓⚓🇺🇲🇺🇲
Young American workers are NOT lazy, or perhaps I should say, there are plenty of hard workers among us. The problem is that most American companies don’t pay a living wage. People working for those companies can barely afford older, junkier cars. They will NEVER be able to afford a house! So why knock themselves out? We need PROTECTIONISM. We need to make access to the American market dependent upon paying living wages. Foreign companies with competitive advantages due to lower labor costs should be paying high tariffs, to level the playing field. American companies are reluctant to do that, because most of THEM do the same thing! But that is what is necessary. If we closed the American market to manufacturers who don’t pay $15/hr or more, American makers could pay THEIR employees $15+/hr, and then they would have loyal, hardworking employees, who would stay with them for the long haul. Most companies are not any more loyal to their employees than their employees are to them! We really can’t blame the employees. They need living wages. In the US today, given inflation, even $15/hr is getting to be insufficient. Within a very few years, America companies will need to pay $25/hr to hold employees long-term. We shouldn’t have to compete with Southeast Asian companies, where wages are low. The US needs to institute tariffs to level the playing field, so that we can afford to pay living wages. Until and unless we do that, US manufacturing will never be able to compete with China, etc.
I think it's because of the 1) Cheap Labor 2) China is the largest producer of Steel, World-Wide 3) China wants to be known for making great Knives. When you combine all of those issues, it makes a Competitor that very aggressive and very hard to compete with. The reason they don't have the Staff, is because they aren't paying their Employees enough. The Cost of living on the West Coast has become ridiculous. Out here, we have People living in their Cars and Motorhomes, instead of buying a Home or renting a Rental Property. Because of the high cost of living and the low full-time wages. It's hard out here... So, those that Work, they choose Employment that can better support their livelihood. The U.S. is not a major manufacturer of Steel, anymore... And, our cost of living is out of whack with what the average Working Class Person earns in a Month... I agree, this is not a great time for our Country's Manufacturing Sector. We pay more for Labor and for the cost of materials that we need to manufacture our products. And, Americans are greedy. We always want to make as much as we can. So, in my opinion, a lot of that goes into the U.S. Products; "GREED!" In my opinion, this all adds up into the final cost of our products... :-) Peace, Stiletto :-)
Benchmade were always overpriced but now it's just ridiculous I don't know if you've seen any Shot Show videos, they have some new colored Bugouts that I'm pretty sure are the same old grivory and S30V and want like $200 for them and a thin titanium m390 knife and want $480 for it If I remember right, they're out of their minds 🤦
The problem with American knife companies is they’re forced to compete with slave labor and intellectual property theft . Until the playing field is level American companies will continue to lag behind the competition. Makes me want to buy another Esee just thinking about it .
It is a good point, but where i live min wage is less then half the avg rent apartment more then 1000$ difference. Issues could be wages or just the system all together . So many things are about the quick deal to make $ not a good product. But i do Agree with you so hard to find workers my brother went through so many workers past couple yrs . dang hard to work when you have no where to live you girls are a testament to how hard the system is, you are tough as nails. love these vids .
At the end of the day...this is what capitalism is all about. If another company is making better quality at a cheaper price...then people will buy it. Hopefully it breeds competition on our side and forces us to figure it out. I just find it ironic that China is beating us in capitalism when it comes to knives. And yes...people this generation doesn't want to work. But I'm also thankful for that. Because that means that I can use this opportunity to run through everybody and perform. For the hard workers...this is when you show up while everybody else is lacking.
Says everybody doesn't want to work, doesn't say anything about what all these companies are offering to pay new workers. lol Our rent just went up $600 a month, on top of going up $400 a month last year. Raises aren't matching inflation or the cost of living, and every job I've been looking for to replace mine is paying the same, or less, unless I shell out thousands of dollars to go get a bachelor's degree to meet higher qualifications. The "wHy CaNt wE FiND aNyOnE tO wOrK" question isn't always the fault of the workforce. Sure, there's a lot of people unwilling. But there's also a lot of companies paying their workers dogshit and expecting them to get by with magic and wishes.
I am a slipjoint aficionado. From my point of view, the problem of US knifemakers is best illustrated by the following example. The Medford Gentleman Jack and the Chris Reeve Impinda are both basically quite acceptable slipjoints, but in terms of fit & finish, function and choice of materials they cannot compete with knives from Reate, the manufacturer of Jack Wolf Knives, or J.E. Made. These knives from Chinese production usually cost around $300 - and are therefore not exactly cheap - while the Gentleman Jack now costs from $460 and the Impinda almost $500. How can I justify inferior quality at a considerably higher price? Right, by playing the 'Buy American' card and blaming others (politics, workers) for my dilemma. The latter usually happens in western industrialised countries when I have slept through market developments for years. Rick Hinderer, among others, proves that there is another way. With the Tri-Way-Pivot-System he has focused on innovation instead of burying his head in the sand or spreading crude political views. However, strangely, many of these companies still seem to be doing well.
Who the heck has 10 Sebenzas? I have a handful of Spydercos, and I won't shell out the cash for 1 Sebenza... maybe one day. I also work from home, and I absolutely bust my hump doing it. I may not currently be putting literal sweat equity into my employer, but I am definitely putting in stress equity. One of the main reasons I work as hard as I do is senior co-workers that aren't pulling their weight. It's not just millennials that don't want to put in hard work; it's an across the board issue.
I work in manufacturing, gotta have to hard disagree. People want to work, but finding people who are skilled at manufacturing is hard the ability to pick up the skills quickly enough to keep up with changing product lines is actually rarer than you would think. And finding people with those skills who will work for a manufacturing wage is harder. folks who do that type of work aren’t given the respect or wages they deserve and as a result it isn’t an attractive option. The older generation can do it because they bought their houses and fixed their cost of shelter long ago when things were cheaper. Rent is too godamn expensive, housing is so damn expensive that if your job can’t meet that or have an upward trajectory that adds to your resume and value as a worker why bother, even if you are fine now if you aren’t moving ahead your landlord and living expenses will eventually grind you into a worse quality of life year after year. You can’t have a family like that. Chinese companies can just throw man hours at knives for fit and finish, they can get their belts and machinery for cheaper too , American companies have to innovate with designs to stay ahead or just offer a solid product. We also aren’t a country with strong and efficient manufacturing infrastructure too so that limits those options as well. I order custom parts from machine shops for my job, and it’s really expensive if you did a knife that way would pay $200 at least for a RAT 2 or more.
Also, in regards to your point about Chinese knives looking the same, and I preface this with saying I am 100% American, in blood and in culture. I am pro America in every situation imaginable. However most of our high end knives all look EXACTLY the same to me too lol
Erica Wow! I couldn’t agree more I had to wait until late last night to watch this and so am responding this morning You are lucky you don’t owe your soul to the FREE STUFF overlords of knifedom or you would not be able to speak freely as you do God Bless you for it Like you I worked all my life from 14 as a tool and Diemaker then for the last 25 years I had two churches at the same time serving congregations of elderly people who were in and out of hospitals and then into nursing homes So I know a little about work and a lot about hard working Americans Most of my parishioners had been farmers truckers or factory workers many of whom had lost their jobs due to economic hardship here in Michigan Consequently I always like you try to buy from American companies both my firearms and my knives I just got trashed yesterday bc I asked a reviewer on Shot Show 23 to review Case Knives and some Troll pops up and called me a sucker and said Case sucks Well he’s entitled to his opinion as I am to mine but I am allowed to ask a reviewer to review American made knives This is a great reviewer and a really solid guy and Btw he got back and said he was planning to
Sorry I wasn’t done Love your bravery You obviously will get hurt by the knife snobs and JW crowd and crazy for everything China ppl but I know in my heart you are right and so am I I keep telling the traditional ppl who have sold out for a few dollars that I know American workers get to go home to their families after work I can’t be sure about the workers in some other countries so I buy American European and very little else and I try to do the same with as many other products as I can Many young ppl won’t care about this bc they aren’t planning to have kids bc they claim to care so much about the planet or the future when all they really care about is their damn selves They aren’t planning to have kids so they don’t care if someone else takes over the world I care what happens to the world my children grandchildren and my great granddaughter lives in Sorry for the rant but someone has your back Love you
I’ve been a welder/fabricator for a very long time. It’s never been this bad. The skill-gap is immense! The current generation are utterly helpless and extremely lazy. True story: If a supervisor politely ask a couple team members to stop bullshitting and get back to work, they literally call HR and say they can’t work in a hostile work environment. Guess who’s side HR takes. It’s pathetic and seriously troubling. We are down hundreds of skilled workers. And we are a world leader in what we build. You got kids making $30 per hour in rural PA and you can’t beg them to work. This is a result of Social Engineering. It’s very intentional.
Great video Erica I can tell you put thought into it, I agree that labor is a problem right now for the industry, but I will say too that my criticism comes from a place of continual support for US makers but support doesn’t mean silence, I don’t care about new designs as much as I care about innovation, we need to lead, and hard times are the times you buckle up and innovate. Hope all is going well, continue making great content
Just to be fair, it’s also the content creators/influencers that’s exacerbating the problem. The more of the culture bashing the American companies… it can influence the buying power. realistically speaking small companies just can’t compete with large companies that has cheaper labor force and buying power in terms of raw materials. The question is how much we r willing to spend at the premium price to support small American companies to keep them from goin out of business.
@@ericasedc Since you brought up heat treat I a rainbow effect and a dark spot on my Benchmade Bugout with S90V when I hold it up to the light. Could that be a Heat Treat Issue? Should I send it in to Benchmade?
American made used to really truly mean something. You're paying a bit more for a product that was the standard to go buy, pride in product, top of the line warranty, top of the line customer service. Now you way over pay for questionable product with questionable QC just to try to meet needs, and usually terrible customer service (a true thing of the past). As a Union Electrician I try my best buy USA made boots, tools, and clothing as much as possible but the cost to quality to do so is so hard to justify in a lot of cases. You're not at all wrong though. Hard working prideful people are way too hard to find these days. Very few people take any pride in actual work, they just want the easy life without the work to earn anything. Also people just don't care. People dont care about how the people making these products might be treated or how little they might make. People dont care that if you dont support American made you are hurting American workers and American companies. Unfortunately these companies for many different reasons make it hard go out of your way and spend more of your hard earned money to support them, and times are hard spending extra for many people is asking a lot these days. Many things are just messed up in the world we live in right now and needs correcting sooon. Life is too damn easy for the average American that they damn near hate America let alone just done care even though they have no idea how others in this world survive and have it. I dont know I'm ranting now
...or if the Chinese are making a superior product for a fraction of the price, nah, I'm getting their product. Their workers are building a better product. Maybe they do something better than American workers.
I think some people don’t want to work hard, they want an easy job and not get to hot or too cold. Companies are definitely short staffed. Here in Aus it’s the same. And some people can’t be asked to do anything, they want money for free. People could sure use a hand sometimes, the one’s working are stressed.
I didn't call you a hypocrite I asked you how did you know your money wasn't buying Chinese made knives. Anyway since you redefined your stance I reserve the right to do the same. I agree with you, Fletcher, and Jared and here's an issue I have with U.S. manufacturers let's take Buck for example they have no problem sending great designs overseas to be made with cheap materials like Buck did with the Hexum if they made that here they'd be relevant meanwhile here they keep leading with the 110. This year the 110 is 110% more 110 we know that the current trend is for rapid 1 hand openers however we're going keep 110's in hopes that current trends are wrong. Come on Buck! snap into the 90's then there's CRKT who's motto should be disappointment in hand they're in bed with a gang of great designers and want us to pay 100 dollars for D2 and if it isn't that then its something like 4116 which is the kitchen knife version of 8CR. And when they do have something made in the U.S. it's 200+ dollars and made by someone else(like Hogue) so they want us to buy U.S. made stuff from them that's NOT made by them which is why it costs so much. Well then Ill buy a Hogue instead of yours.
It is pretty simple for me to sit in my arm chair and tell knife companies to just do better when I can buy American made firearms for the same price as an American made knife. It's a knife for Christ's sake, it's a sharp wedge that folds into your pocket sometimes with a clip.
Thank you for your opinion and position! P / s Many American companies should reconsider their policies in relation to their consumers ! What I mean ? Take for example one of my favorite American spiderco companies. So if during maintenance or for some other reason I lost or broke a washer, spring, screw for attaching a clip or body lining, I have to send a knife across the globe to change it for me. When it would be much easier and cheaper for me to order this part from the manufacturer or from the dealer. But no, I will have to look for a secondary donor to save my time and money. The same Chinese companies, as a rule, can easily and naturally provide you with a replacement axle washer, bearing or screws at your request. IMHO
We had our plant shut down for three weeks for COVID and then they started running two shifts a day instead of three shifts. We were able to get rid of our crap people and the only people we had left actually wanted to work.
I afforded a GEC once. A fellow redditor was selling a bullnose for his original price of 60. Never again have a seen an affordable GEC. Flipped it for the same price because nail nicks arent my thing but it was a very nice knife. The handle filled your hand well and the micarta felt nice and dense
Whenever you send people unemployment pay similar to what they make in their normal pay, people will usually choose the unemployment pay. Covid has been the first time in over 30 yrs that we saw real wage growth. I think some in this generation might have a lack of work ethic but I think it's more so not wanting to just grind for bad pay like pay generations did
I bought a Kizer Sheepdog with the S35VN steel, Titanium clip & carbon fiber scales about a year ago. Two years ago I bought the mini with the same specs. 6 months ago I bought the version with micarta scales & a 154CM blade. I don't know of any American counterpart to that model. All of my other knives are American.
I am Irish and don't particularly look for American made products which are in actual fact around 20% more expensive over here. It's true my last two knives have been Chinese (Kizer Original and Kizer de l'Orme). That being said my favourite knives are American made. My day to day carries are the Chaparral frn and the Mini-Griptilians and have been for years (these are really well made pieces). I am eying up the Delica 4 or the Stretch 2 in K390. These are my new grails. They are more expensive than Chinese knives but I feel the classic American designs are still the best. The 940, the Bugout, the Griptilian, the Manix, the Stretch 2 are amazing knives in their basic forms. Kizer and Civivi make good inexpensive products but the American standards are still the best for me. However, I don't think we need so many new models all the time and American companies should be about the tried, trusted and traditional quality products. (As you can see I don't like bling and/or fidgety pocket jewellery).
I've given an order of magnitude more money to US knife companies than those in China (Hinderer, CRK, Benchmade, Spyderco, Curtiss Customs, Mixcrotech, Guardian Tactical, Les George, etc.) but it doesn't stop me from buying knives like a WE Kitefin which is a great bang for the buck. And, I've had recent good customer service from companies like CRK, Hinderer, Spyderco, and Benchmade, so they are not going downhill all the time for everyone.
It's across the board generational speaking with the lazy virus. Plenty of my Gen-X are trying to scam out at the house "working" or begging for disability. And I want to put Case on blast notice. No exaggeration half the Case knives I've bought have some kind of issue. No way should piss poor quality control be so raging dumpster fire that you should only buy a Case knife in person in hand to be sure you don't get a turd. I will say while Spyderco knives are getting sky high pricing at least for the most part they are still pumping out quality.
May I ask what your feelings are on the hogue knives? I've been collecting Spydercos for years no need to sell me on those curious about the hogue models. Thanks
I think you're right, it's a structural problem. But that's just part of game, companies also tend to take less and less risks, because the economic pressure from China One solution is to automaten their Industrial production, which is possible even in small scales. But that will not keep people employed in the US, it's really not easy. I'll keep in using my Bugout/M4, but I can't affort to buy another. Thank you so much for providing all the content and sharing your thoughts, your opinion and views are highly appreciated. Keep your attitude and never give up
I complained about the Native 5 to Spyderco Native 5 to Spyderco via email and I got an immediate response. I got it through Amazon a private vendor so they were not able to do much but I was impressed with their immediate concern.
There’s so much that has gone wrong with our country, it’s insane. With my career, I never stopped working during covid. You can’t be a forklift mechanic and work from home. I think a lot of the issues with US companies is the national minimum wage increased drastically and that’s not what minimum wage is for. So with that, inflation of course hit us hard and more people wanted more money for working low to no skill jobs. Paying people more money to be unemployed than they would make at a regular job became a thing. I’m still supporting our US knife companies and I refuse to buy a Chinese made knife but our prices are too inflated. Benchmade is obviously one of them. I don’t care about innovation and having the best steel possible. The knives I buy are determined by what I want to test out, use, and see what they’re all about. My girlfriend and I both ordered new knives yesterday. I had to convince her to stick with a US company and buy what she really wants instead of just settling for a knife because the price was cheap for being Chinese made. She has wanted to try out the Spyderco manix 2 for a long time so she finally pulled the trigger. I wanted another benchmade bugout because it’s one of my favorite knives but I couldn’t see spending $171 on a knife that should only cost, at most $120. I bought a Hogue Deka clip point and I am extremely excited for it to come in! We both are extremely excited and we can’t wait to use our new U.S.A. made knives!
@@ericasedc got my hogue deka today. Brown handle, black clip point magnacut blade. Initial impressions I’d say are below average. The handle scales flex even more so than the bugout. Which is kind of sad. The grind lines are decent but not the best. It’s scary sharp though! The action was gritty, not smooth, and there was a lot of blade play. It’s sad that I had to take apart the knife, clean out all the black oily residue, clean out the over loaded lock tight, apply my own KPL and minor amount of lock tight, then reassemble. Blade play is gone and the action is now smooth. Time will tell how I like or dislike it though. I really hope it outperforms my initial impressions.
Let's not forget that Benchmade doesn't support your 2nd ammendment rights. Get woke, go broke. Love there knifes, but can't buy from them anymore. Support the company's that support you.
Supply and demand if they can’t keep up with the supply then demand will diminish it’s unfortunate but that’s what happens when you make quality stuff with a slight mark up and can’t keep up…
I don't know if I will ever buy a Benchmade at their current prices but if they can't keep up with demand then they might be selling their products too cheap.
Hey dude, this was a great video and I’m really happy to see another younger person taking pride in America and American made products. Our country isn’t perfect but it’s ours.
This video speaks volumes about your character and maturity, Erica. In several facebook knife groups people are losing their shizz over Benchmade's new 2023 lineup and prices. I LOVE my benchmades. I am in no way happy about the price hike, but understand that there is so much going on behind the scenes that no one can fathom it. The US is in a downward spiral right now. I appreciate your level-headedness and perspective, because you are correct. Our society has become self-absorbed and as @JunkyardFox states, we now derive our self worth through consumption and showcasing our status symbols and what we are seeing if the affect that mindset is having on everything we know and love. Best knife tube hands down, keep it up!
American design is what sells. The Chinese copy American designs like crazy. Chinese designs actually suck. Cheap American skilled workers are in short supply. Good skilled American workers are very expensive. And are in short supply. That's why so many American designed knifes are made over seas. Contacted out by American companies. That's the only way they are going to get cheaper.
One thing for sure is leatherman needs to upgrade all of their tool materials to a more premium metal , for all the tools. Another thing is, they dont hire the people. Yes there are people who want to work. Men like me who are willing to bust our butts but instead we usually get turned down because they prefer quantity over quality. I'm a huge fan of premium knives, s35vn, cpm 3v, elmax, m390 etc. These are my type of knives, and I've worked my back and bone to make the money to buy these. I just recently purchased the medford usmc fighter. Honestly I think it's the best knife in the game. But thats what I got for today.
