I had a reader submit this question to my blog.
“Hey there. I am trying to learn about their origins. your page shows them made in u.s. and Japan.
MANY other pages, i think including SOG lists the SE 37 as being made in Taiwan. Can you help me sort this out. The older Seal knife 2000 (S37 )was made of AU6 steel, but i wonder if it would be more desirable than the current SE37 if it is made in Taiwan.”
So I sent this question to my contact over at SOG and this was the response I got.
“Our older version of the Seal 2000 Knife (SE-37) was made in Japan, with
AUS6 steel. The newer version is made in Taiwan, using AUS8 steel,
which is better quality steel and more durable. Some people consider
the Japanese version “more desirable” simply because it is made in
Japan, and they have a reputation for higher quality. However the
improvements that were made when we transitioned to Taiwanese
manufacture, I think, supersede the innate quality that is given to the
Japanese version - this is why we made the changes in the first place.”
I was very happy I got this question because I wasn’t aware that SOG had changed the origin of these knives and it allowed me to update my SOG Seal Knives squidoo page.
I followed that up with another question on when this change was made and got this response.
“The change from Japan to Taiwan was at the beginning of the 2008 manufacturing year.
The knives are virtually the same from Japan to Taiwan. There is rasping on the spine of the Taiwanese blades that was not on the Japanese ones, and the earlier version of the Taiwan blades did not have a diamond pattern at the top of the handle near the bolster, but that has been adapted recently to match.
I do not have a country of origin list that I can give to you, but to answer your more specific question: all of our Seal knife series is manufactured in Taiwan as of 2008.”
SO, if you’re in the market for one of these knives be aware that they are now being made in Taiwan, not the US, or Japan no matter what you see on other sites. I personally prefer knives made in the U.S.A. but that’s my personal preference, it doesn’t have anything to do with quality. I believe these foreign manufacturers quality standards must live up to SOG’s company standards so I think these are still excellent knives. In other words, if I had decided that the SOG Seal Pup Elite knife was for me, then I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase it just because it was made in Taiwan.
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