please explain...

[Ruffnek]

I never have understood the fascination with blades.I realize that they are useful as tools but never really understood the difference between my $30 Kershaw and a $300 Benchmade that both do the same thing.Fit and finish on this Kershaw seems pretty tight and clean,so why would I buy one Benchmade when I could buy ten Kershaws?This isn't a troll thread,I'm just trying to understand the fascination.

 

[7.62]

I never have understood the fascination with blades.I realize that they are useful as tools but never really understood the difference between my $30 Kershaw and a $300 Benchmade that both do the same thing.Fit and finish on this Kershaw seems pretty tight and clean,so why would I buy one Benchmade when I could buy ten Kershaws?This isn't a troll thread,I'm just trying to understand the fascination.

I once asked the same thing. Now I carry a $600 knife in my pocket and have lots of other knives that are over $100. Just like anything in life, if you want quality you have to pay for it. Not to say that there are not some good knives out there for far less money. Quality of parts and blade steel are a big piece of the puzzle. And yes sometimes the name on it is a big part of the price too....but all products are that way to an extent. The biggest difference I actually notice and matters to me the most is the blade steel. Cheap steel can get sharp, but not as sharp as quality steel. And you can tell a difference, I sharpen knives as a business so it see it daily. Not only can they get sharper but they hold the end longer. That's just one difference but it's the one that mattes most to me. Also I like a pretty blade...pretty cost more. Just like in Vegas! Lol.

 

[K_W]

I could not own an expensive knife as I would never use it.

My most expensive knife is a SOG that retails for $60, but which I "only" paid $30 for at the NRA show. I carry it every day along with a $25 Leatherman Wingman, which I always use instead as I am not wanting to damage my "expensive" knife.

 

[Ruffnek]

I could not own an expensive knife as I would never use it.

My most expensive knife is a SOG that retails for $60, but which I "only" paid $30 for at the NRA show. I carry it every day along with a $25 Leatherman Wingman, which I always use instead as I am not wanting to damage my "expensive" knife.

That's always how I felt.I paid $75 for the M&P knife and I lost it a few months ago.Thought I was gonna need open heart surgery.

 

[Vigilant]

I submit the same argument for knives as I do for sunglasses for the folks that say, "I always lose them or sit on them(sunglasses)". When you pay over $100 for sunglasses, or knives, you tend to be a little more conscious of where they are. My box cutter/utility knife is a BM AFO-II auto knife, it retails for $200ish, but I always know where it is, if I break it, BM will fix it if I didn't abuse it, and sometimes even if I did abuse it!

 

[M67]

Best advise I have is to buy a $300 knife, use the crap out of it, truly experience it, then start a thread asking why not spend that much on a knife.

 

[ModernGunner]

I dunno, ALL of my knives are 'cheap' (less than $100 paid for the most expensive), and ALL of them are sharp enough to shave with. ALL of them get their turn at being 'beaten', because they're ALL just tools. ALL of them keep a good edge, though I do touch them up every month or three... maybe.

Not sure how much 'sharper' they need to be than that.

 

[Bradsknives]

If you're a gun person.....why pay all that money for a Sig, H&K, Wilson Combat, or other firearms that are considered high end when you can buy a Hi Point? When you squeeze the trigger on a Hi Point is goes bang just like the others. We all know the reason...it's the quality you desire in an item, and it's no different with knives.

 

[Que]

I have a chiding point with anything I buy, including guns, knifes, cars, etc. It's not scientific, but I'm willing to pay for the "tools" that could possibly save my life or get me out of a jam. The first knife I ever bought was at the 1500, from Brad. It was a $10 knife and cut everything I needed it for. After a while, the locking mechanism loosened up and I had to keep tightening it, and the blade chipped. At one point I was in Ghana and used it to cut something and it fell apart in my hand. It took about a year for this to happen.

I talked to Brad and asked him why he sold it to me and he explained that he carries knifes for everybody and doesn't pressure people into the expensive blades, even though he knows there are better choices. I now carry a CZ, which isn't a top of the line, but I trust my life with it. Also, I usually carry a fixed-blade, too. I don't use either very much, but I've used them more in "real life" than a of my guns combined.

 

[Knife Lady]

Some people buy expensive knives to collect only. Some knives as great warranties with them so if you spend a little more and break it the warranty will cover it. A less expensive knife can last for years depending on what you do with it and how much you use it. I don't think spending $100 on a knife to be used everyday is a lot of money. I carry an ESEE Izula which is not expensive at all and I trust it will do what I need. I am glad that you have referred to knives as being tools. No matter which knife you carry and use find one that you are happy with and that it will perform as you desire.

 

[M67]

I picked this up at Blade in the beep beep lottery, cost $385



This is the first run of 3" production Warhncliffs, so secondary market (if it's anything like the 3.5" when they came out) means that it's worth $700-$1000 at the moment because not many are out there.

Titanium isn't cheap, CNC machines aren't cheap, Merican labor definitely isn't, and yes, some makers charge a price for a knife because they can, but custom and semi custom knives hold values way better than guns and depending on the maker you can have a hell of a lot better investment, like use it and still double your money.

Diskin knives, Chavez (which is SUPER hot right now), RJ Martin (especially the new pivot), Curtiss, Todd Begg, David Mosier, Medford, Curtiss, Hinderer, hell even Chris Reeves are up there in price when you buy them new. And 6 of those makers the secondary market is huge and the knives are worth more than sticker price.

In a couple months I'll be ordering a frame lock from Chuck Gedraitis which will probably set me back $400-$550 depending how beefy I go and what I want him to do to it.


There's a level of art, attention to detail, fit and finish, and satisfaction (like a gun) that high end knives have.

Yes, they all cut, but at Shelia said most guns go boom. Some just do it better than others.

Spyderco makes everything from $50 knives to dayum! because they know there's a buyer at all levels and it goes to show how certain materials just cost more and how labor (which country it comes from) affects price

 

[flatlander]

Buy the best tool you can afford. When it fails, hope you're around to buy the next step up. If you're happy with whatever tool you buy then good for you. I've seen a whole bunch of less expensive tools fail at the wrong time as well as higher end ones. The failure rate on the higher end ones is much less which tells me any tool can fail but you also get what you pay for. I pretty much just carry CRKT folders and Busse fixed blades. I've carried that combo for many years and it works for me.You are the only one who can decide what your life is worth.

Bob

 

[rockhopper46038]

At some point, appreciation of the art steps in for me. If you have no particular appreciation or fascination with the skills and materials of blade making then there is probably no reason whatsoever to spend more than $100 (or, at most, a couple hundred) on a knife. And I'm not saying anyone should pay for more than that for a competent tool, if that's what they want.

I have a Kershaw Cryo clipped to my pocket all the time. I think I got two of them for $30 during an Amazon sale. It's metal bodied, heavy, and the blade is machine made 8Cr13MoV. I'm happy with it for what it is. When I am out at night I add a Spartan CQB tool, also machine made, 154CM material, about $150. Add an ESEE 4 and a Spartan Phrike, and that's about as much as I've spent on a "workaday" blades.

But I spent several thousand dollars on a hand forged katana from a very highly skilled sword smith that took many months to produce, and I got to participate at various times in the forging, claying, heat treating, sharpening, and polishing of the blade, as well as the making of the habaki and shirisaya. I doubt I'll ever cut anything with it (unless the zombies come). Practical? No, but the experience was worth it to me.

 

[rhino]

I used to be in the crowd of people who admired the higher end knives, but I didn't embrace the utility. I was not willing to pay more for a knife than a lower priced Spyderco or some of the nicer CRKT.

Then a bunch of the people with whom I associate started carrying Zero Tolerance knives. I thought, they're cool, but too expensive.

Then I got a new job and rewarded myself with a ZT0200 from Brad. After I owned and used it a while, I understood. It's not any methodical process of evaluation, but I just realized there were differences between that ZT and the other knives I'd owned in the past. I also decided I liked it and the additional money was worth it to me. Will they cut any better than a cheaper knife? Probably not, unless I have to cut a lot of stuff without access to my sharpening gear. Will they last longer and not fail under heavy use? Yes, and that's a big thing.

I still love cheap and less expensive knives. I really love mid-range knives like the ZT line. I love knives that deliver way better performance than their price point would indicate (like ESEE). Someday, if I may even love expensive knives. For now, I'm in that niche between ESEE/ZT and BUSSE/Grayman. Someday I may bridge that gap, but I'll be fine if I don't.

 

[CindyE]

I have never carried a knife, they kinda intimidate me, but I have recently been thinking about it. I'm glad to see this thread. I appreciate quality in most things, so a knife is probably no exception. The only knives I know about are kitchen and steak knives, and I hate cheap, flimsy knives!

 

[rhino]

I have never carried a knife, they kinda intimidate me, but I have recently been thinking about it. I'm glad to see this thread. I appreciate quality in most things, so a knife is probably no exception. The only knives I know about are kitchen and steak knives, and I hate cheap, flimsy knives!

You're come to the right place!

Warning: once you get past your initial hesitation, you'll probably get addicted like the rest of us.

 

[DaKruiser]

I have never carried a knife, they kinda intimidate me, but I have recently been thinking about it. I'm glad to see this thread. I appreciate quality in most things, so a knife is probably no exception. The only knives I know about are kitchen and steak knives, and I hate cheap, flimsy knives!

Then do yourself a favor and stay away from the cheap carry knives,

My wife never carried a knife until I picked up a ZT0350 for her as a gift, she uses it daily now and would feel lost without it I would guess. She also carries a small Busse magnum bear cub fixed blade, it's small, light, gets very sharp, and could be used as a pry bar if needed.

 

[Dean C.]

I carry around a Chaves Redencion and I absolutely love it. You get a good feeling whenever you clip a badass knife to your pocket or at least I do. I would post a picture but it had its entire thread! https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/cutting-edge/348632-some-blade-show-2014-pictures.html

 

[Bradsknives]

After I spend money on what I consider a high dollar knife, I always go back and read the following below. It makes me feel a little better about parting with a large sum of money.

 

[rockhopper46038]

Very nice, Brad. I like it.