Spyderco offers more affordable knives made in China - does anyone have experience with these? What is the quality. I typically avoid purchasing made in China items if I can. How do they hold up? Is the quality there?

Several years ago, I bought a Tenacious when they first came out and I was (still am) impressed with the knife, especially for the price point.

Thank You.

I've owned a Tenacious as well. It was noticeably cheaper made, sharper edges and less refinement to the fit, not as smooth of a pivot. Which makes sense, given the price point.

My main complaint is the 8Cr13MoV steel, it wears too quickly for my taste doing general tasks like boxes and light cutting. But the blade is a nice slicer, quality Syderco feel and handling, solid lockup. I'd get back into that lineup if they made a slightly premium version with a different steel. That knife was stolen out of a vehicle some years back so I don't have it any more.

I now have a Byrd rescue folding knife. It hasn't been used as it's just a glovebox knife. But the same thoughts apply vs. the Delica/Endura - cheaper materials, cheaper fit/finish, solid handling and lockup. I don't like the Byrd line's thumbhole shape, I found out.

Edit:
I would say that if you're looking for a nice Spyderco knife the Chinese made knives are not what you should go for. These are functional knives, and are a decent value, especially if you find them on sale or something.

If it's something like their Bug, Honeybee, or Grasshopper, they're cheap knives that happen to have a Spyderco logo on them. I had one that I hardly used, yet the locking mechanism broke.

Something like the Persistence, Tenacious, or Resilience are pretty good. The ones I've handled felt like Spyderco's, opened smoothly, etc. As Rustpot posted, they cut costs on the steel. If you find them in the $40-something range, they're a good buy. For more than that, I'd rather get a made-in-USA Kershaw.

I have had the Resilience for many years. It is my preferred knife to carry. Rock solid and has held a decent edge. I wish it wasn't made there, but I'm having a hard time justifying replacing it with a US made one.

Todd

I had a Tenacious.

It is a very nice knife. No complaints at all. For the price, it is hard or impossible to beat.

I have a Laci Szabo Spyderco folder. It is very well made. No problems with this knife!