Be careful you know exactly what you will be getting, when you order anything except a pistol with the Smith & Wesson brand name!

Smith and Wesson is now licensing out their good name to sellers of other things, and are not being as careful as I would be in "vetting" who they allow to use their name and for what.

For instance, I just bought a NIB S&W tanto knife via the internet. Turns out it is what appears to me to be a low quality knife marketed by Taylor Brands LLC and clearly marked with both Smith & Wesson AND "Made in China" in large letters. A printed hard copy "Promo" which came with it explains hat Taylor LLC has bought the right to use the Smith & Wesson name on their imports.

Looking at the knife and it's sheath, I am NOT pleased.

Winchester did the same thing years ago. Actually, for the money, the Winchester Chinese knives were pretty good value.

AFA the Smith knife goes, return it. Cutlery is one of the areas where, at least in the new arena, there are rarely bargains. You get what you pay for, or maybe less.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
Winchester did the same thing years ago. Actually, for the money, the Winchester Chinese knives were pretty good value.

AFA the Smith knife goes, return it. Cutlery is one of the areas where, at least in the new arena, there are rarely bargains. You get what you pay for, or maybe less.

No, I won't return it. Not worth the time or trouble. I'll give it to my gardener or someone like that. And I'll stick to used revolvers when I buy anything with a S&W label on it in the future.

In the meantime I'll call my local gun shop and ask them NOT to sell my 50/50 Cold Steel knife I have on consignment there. It can come back home where it really belongs.

Just look at what they have done for TC since buying the Company.

On one of the knife forums there was a comment that the Chinese on their cheapest knives , farms it out to Pakistan !!
Actually China can make good stuff but you have to now how to find it.Pakistan too can make good stuff too but you have to be lucky, I found a few.
Then there are the many Americans who whine about Chinese stuff , then whine about American prices so they buy Chinese.

I buy American when I can and I know it costs more. Frankly, we should ban all importation of all that crap unless they show an equilaztion of trade. Or put duties on it that make it cost prohibitive.

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I buy American when I can and I know it costs more. Frankly, we should ban all importation of all that crap unless they show an equilaztion of trade. Or put duties on it that make it cost prohibitive.

Me too! Damn! I just agreed with a lawyer...........


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JTEX:

Occasionally, even lawyers make a somewhat valid point.

Yes sometimes they do,pity that it is not always the case.The good ones get weighted by the bad in the public eye. I always buy American + used to shop at the Western Auto store on the square in Georgetown before Home Depot came in + put the little local guy out of business.I bought most of my appliances from them back in the days when I had no credit + the rates were high. When my credit was good,I still did business with them because they were fair.Too many people today look only at the bottom line + ignore the honest Americans who need to make a living.Alright,off the soapbox.

Norman,

It's a good soapbox to be on and more Americans need to step up and join you.

I will. When my son wanted a new lamp for his room, I looked and did a lot of research -- Have any of you ever tried to find a lamp, an ordinary table lamp, that wasn't made in China? Good luck.

What does China buy from us? (I suggest we sell them more cigarettes). We need to have a balance of trade. Period. If a country doesn't buy as much of our goods as they want to sell us, it gets hit with a major league tariff, so that US companies can compete.

It could be a sliding scale. The more they buy from us, the lower the tariff, until it is eliminated when we reach a balance of trade. And, you'd think this deficit spending government would welcome some revenue.

quote:

We need to have a balance of trade. Period. If a country doesn't buy as much of our goods as they want to sell us, it gets hit with a major league tariff, so that US companies can compete.

Well, fine, we lower our standard of living AND, since we're slapping tariffs on goods, of course, the countries with which we have a positive balance of trade (trade surplus) will do the same for our goods......can you say Great Depression II? While it is true that we run a trade deficit of about 3.5 to 1 with China (and declining), we still sell them over a hundred billion dollars worth of goods, etc a year. If someone chooses to buy US or local goods, that's fine for them. Many people can only afford the lowest end items so I suppose they would have to do without a desk lamp for their son to study on? Buying local is a fine goal but that is an individual choice. For one example, I buy from local merchants in our small town IF they are within a reasonable price range. Just for one example, years ago, I needed a simple 3 way light switch.....drove into town to local hardware store and bought one for well over $4. Hell, I didn't buy one often enough to know what they cost, but even then it seemed kind of high. Was in Walmart's the next week or so and saw the exact same switch for $1.59. Buying local is one thing but grossly overpaying for an item to do so is another.

IMO foreign trade has helped populations worldwide, including ours. That's not to say there aren't groups of people who are hurt by it, because there obviously are.

What you're saying is, in effect, that the US is such a piss poor producer of raw materials, goods, and services that we can't compete on a level playing field so you WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO HELP you out. Sounds like Democrats to me.

My company has 40% export sales which would largely go away were the economic policies espoused above be put into effect. Free men and free trade forever!

I fully agree that buying American is a good deal. Assuming the quality and price are competitive. But I see no reason for supporting some pilled-up, smoked-up, hung-over union type whose mantra is "what is the least I can do and stay on the payroll".