This short little guide is designed to help some of you buyers are sceptical about buying imported items. I have been dealing in cutlery among other items on ebay for 4 years now and I'd like to help you all understand just what made in the usa really means these days. the fact that a knife maker such as Smith & Wesson, Schrade, Case etc... make the claim that their product is made in the usa, usually only means that it was assembled in their factory in the usa. some of these companies have factories overseas as well. it has become standard practice these days for these companies to import the needed materials ( handles, steel, etc..) from china or elsewhere and then assemble them here in the american plant. the fact is the quality of the materials being imported and used is absolutely excellent! the quality can be compared to any major brand out there claiming to be made in the usa. the big advantage to this is that these companies are proding their product at a much lower cost overseas and you can get it at a much cheaper price because of that. so don't be so quick snub an imported piece of cutlery because the truth is it was probably made in the same factory as the one that says "Made in the U.S.A." was and made using the same imported materials (even the packaging is imported in most cases).