Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
Showing 1 of 9 conversations about:
An afternoon's play with the Kershaw Reverb
By
reswright
Tsa1
3
May 19, 2019
Thanks for the in-depth. I wish Kershaw would just hire Sanrenmu to do the job for them.
reswright
3850
May 19, 2019
Tsa1LOL!
I agree with the principle, and I'll explain why, but sit down and strap in because this'll blow your mind: I'm more than halfway convinced that's exactly what they did.
The thing is, when a company like Kershaw hires an overseas OEM to build them a knife, they're subcontracting out their cheapest stuff with the lowest margins and the lowest quality standards. Kershaw has a US manufacturing footprint that isn’t interested in creating skilled competitors overseas, so the work is split like that. Something like the choice of washer is already in the contract. So the OEM is contractually performing work that might not reflect the standards they wish they could be doing.
Chinese knife manufacturers are fairly conscious of the effect this has had on their brand in general - when US consumers consistently see only cheap and shoddy things marked Made in China after a while it's natural to conclude that only crappy things get made over there, but people don't realize that's got a lot to do with how Western importers are operating. I think a lot of OEMs are resigned just do contractually ok work for Western brands (all they're being paid to do, after all) as a result... and saving their best effort for the things they release under their own brand.
So why do I think it’s SRM?
When you look at the Reverb, and then look around at the known Chinese manufacturers, there's really only one that's doing anything similar and that is SRM. This doesn't mean they're the OEM -- it just might mean they were the first and quickest to seize upon the design, right? But in that case, when a Chinese company is cloning the knife you end up with a knife that only looks like the original -- it'll be heavier, all the parts will be a little thicker and simpler, because they're made with less expensive materials. Cloning 101, save money on material cost, replace expensive designs with simpler ones. And we all know about Chinese clone knives that are indeed just that little bit thicker and heavier right?
But if it's the OEM of the Western knife that's just capitalizing on their knowledge to release several related but less expensive versions of the knife, you will see the product dimensions staying close with the original, for one main reason -- they want to reuse as much OEM tooling and processes and training as possible, because that's one of the reasons they can be so price competitive. The knife won't just look like the original, it'll actually share some dimensions and manufacturing marks with it. So you'll see knives with a very similar blade, not a thicker one, and they'll bear similar features reflecting the fact that they were made from the same, or very similar tooling, compared to the original knife. And instead of many firms cashing in with a similar clone, you'll see that one firm dominating the niche....as SRM is indeed doing with these little carabiner knives.
So also I picked up one of these, which might look a little familiar to you in design.
(Edited)
Tsa1
3
May 22, 2019
reswrightYeah I didn't think that when SRM or another Manufacturer is contracted they just have to do what they are contracted to do and they typically do a better job with their own designs.
I debating on picking up one of these as well now!
Thanks Again! It was a great read!
fhood
715
May 23, 2019
reswrightThat's one hell of a write up. Thanks for the hard work.
reswright
3850
May 31, 2019
fhoodappreciated. Work isn’t the right word.... it takes time and energy but there’s a nerdish pleasure to sharing the info that makes all this not-work somehow. It’s all data they try to keep behind the curtains usually. I hate facades and like figuring out what lies beneath.
Especially these days with all the problems we can’t solve, one I can solve is pleasant medicine.
KT83
17
Jul 16, 2019
reswrightHello Sir, I hope you're doing well and having a great day today.
To be honest, I haven't yet read the entire thread, but I must say, it is very refreshing, as encountering a truly intelligent person, in our current societies, has sadly become a "rare phenomenon". A person who dares to "actually THINK", create independent, "unique" opinions, by applying logic and taking on, by challenging "the subconscious programming".
No doubt that being different can be a lonely "endeavor of life" , as questioning "the norm" and thus also "challenging it", is/will, by "its" population be perceived as "a threat".
People are scared of everything they don't understand, and nothing is as unsatisfying as when you really try to "say" something, but later realize that nobody "heard a word you said", even though they were listening the whole time... still, someone has to use this unique brain of ours, as You implied (I think), the world could use, ..needs some "help", it's in a pretty bad shape.
ANYWAY..😄.., I VERY MUCH ENJOY READING YOUR THREADS, THANKS!
KT✌
PRODUCTS YOU MAY LIKE
Trending Posts in More Community Picks
Graham88
Completely surprised by the lack of blade diversity here on Drop...
I’ve been a collector of Blades since before my teens, and a retailer coming up on 15… or maybe 20 years. Drop has really been kind of an interesting experience for me, because I do occasionally get to see some unusual tech and sometimes EDC items that otherwise I might not have been aware of. And maybe it’s because I have a deep love of cutlery and bladed weapons, but I find myself trolling through the site looking at it what’s available; and it’s just it’s pretty much the same. And the bladed community here is just always confused me.. every single knife is about the same, they’re almost all drop points and although the handle materials change and brands change.. it’s really just the same knife over and over and over again... occasionally you’ll see a tanto or a slight variant; but rarely… and almost never a serrated blade. And I’m just deeply amazed at this diversion of serrated blades. And I’m just surprised there isn’t more of a request for diversity here.... and I...
Mar 12, 2020
JellyDPhoto
Can we get Sony E-Mount or other mirrorless camera options please..
Would be nice to see some Sony E mount full frame cameras on here. I currently shoot with a A99 and they killed the lense path for better or more option lenses and now is all E-Mount. 🤔
Jan 13, 2020
RayF
There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Drop Refurbished
Like-new products you can trustDrop Rewards
Get $5 for every 500 points you earn! Learn more
Drop Keyboard Club
Become a member and expand your keycap collectionCollaborate With Us
For Brands & DesignersFollow Drop