$3,495? Just trying to learn why

The more they make the less overhead you have to pay for each knife. With only 1 knife a month, you are on the hook for a whole month of rent and utilities health insurance and wages. All of a sudden a $10,000 knife seems reasonable.
 
Douglas Wever said:
Yes to everything posted so far, and as the end buyer I am trying to get specific information in order “to determine if it is worth that . . .”. as suggested by SVT Freak

No one is going on record here why this knife is worth that. I have a $2,600 pair of Leicas and I can give multiple reasons why I own them instead of a $400 pair of Leopold’s.

My question as a consumer is, what specifically about the Bremer knife represents such exceeding quality, or industrial design, or craftsmanship, or rare metal, or whatever, that would compel me or another consumer in a free market economy to spend 3.5 times more than a seemingly similar high quality knife from say Randall? That is a legitimate question in the same way people compare any number of products prior to purchase.
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It sounds like OP is out of this thread at this point so probably won't get a response. I don't mean to be mean or accusatory, but you're a man who appears to own fine and expensive things. What is your time worth? Let's say Bremer's material costs are $100, and he put 30 hours into making the knife. Is his time worth $100/hr? What is the value of a master craftsman's time? There are specialty professions that charge over $1000/hr. Even if the knife took him 15 hours to make, over $200/hr for his time is fair in my eyes given the quality of his work and skills. Also, like others have named, there's a scarcity component. I've been going to knife shows for years and have seen many Randall's. They aren't hard to come buy.
 
In regards to high end knives, watches, cars, guns, etc.
If you get it. You'll get it. And you will appreciate it for what it is.
If you don't. You'll move on. Dumbfounded as to why someone would pay so much for xxx product, when yyy product does the same thing for significantly less.
 
NorthernSouthpaw said:
In regards to high end knives, watches, cars, guns, etc.
If you get it. You'll get it. And you will appreciate it for what it is.
If you don't. You'll move on. Dumbfounded as to why someone would pay so much for xxx product, when yyy product does the same thing for significantly less.
Click to expand...
You just nailed it spot on. Why would I buy a $10,000 Breitling when I can get a $20 Timex? It just tells time right? Because as long as there are people of means who see the value in fine work, there will always be a market for high end “tools” that do the same job as cheap ones.
 
Douglas Wever said:
What feature would the Brend knife have accounting for 3.5 times the price? Thanks
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This has probably been answered to death already, but I can highlight some of the more specific reasons that might address your original inquiry, Douglas.

The first you already alluded to yourself, and not2sharp helped to clarify it. Walter Brend is counted among the earliest of custom makers creating what would later come to be known as tactical knives. Being a longtime resident of North Carolina (thus his Stars and Bars logo), his knives were discovered, tested, used, and adopted by many soldiers passing through Fort Bragg, including Special Forces and Delta soldiers. Once you develop a good reputation within the special operations community, your meteor rises in the rest of the knife world almost immediately. The cache associated with that puts a premium on your work. Just look at what similar fortunes befell Daniel Winkler.

The second reason was mentioned by Ebbtide and several others. Walter Brend's grinds are absolutely incredible, particularly considering that he accomplishes them freehand. Personally, I've seen a few others whose work I believe superior (Billy Mace Imel and Bill Luckett come to mind), but for the most part you can't match a Brend in precision grinds with any production knife or most customs.

The third and final reason is one that I discovered recently at Blade Show. I spoke with Mr. Brend for a while at his booth while I admired one of his beautiful folders. He told me that he personally manufactured every piece of that knife, including lathe-turning pivot and spacer pins, screws, and thumb studs; blanking, heat-treating, profiling, and grinding the blade; shaping, heat-treating, and fitting the titanium bolsters, liner, and liner lock; and matching, profiling, and polishing the mother-of-pearl scales. I was amazed that he put so much of his own labor into every element of the knife (which was flawless, by the way). But he insisted that it was the only way he would construct a knife and call it his.

That kind of devotion to craftsmanship shows. And it commands a premium. Does it make his folder worth the $5,000 asking price? I don't know. But I do know that the knife was gone when I walked by a few hours later. Lots of other beautiful, handmade, pearl-handled folders with lower price tags were still sitting on other makers' tables.

-Steve
 
^ Priceless to my way of thinking (especially reason 3) :thumbsup:

Ray
 
Thank you Whip. Appreciate the answer. Makes sense. Mr. Brend’s new $3,495 Model 2-8 from the Atlanta show is still up for sale below Links removed, read the site rules), as well as a 1985 2-9).

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Douglas Wever said:
Yes to everything posted so far, and as the end buyer I am trying to get specific information in order “to determine if it is worth that . . .”. as suggested by SVT Freak

No one is going on record here why this knife is worth that. I have a $2,600 pair of Leicas and I can give multiple reasons why I own them instead of a $400 pair of Leopold’s.

My question as a consumer is, what specifically about the Bremer knife represents such exceeding quality, or industrial design, or craftsmanship, or rare metal, or whatever, that would compel me or another consumer in a free market economy to spend 3.5 times more than a seemingly similar high quality knife from say Randall? That is a legitimate question in the same way people compare any number of products prior to purchase.
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Custom Knife Makers who rise to the top of an incredibly crowded field, whose designs become accepted and proven by military, that achieve "name" recognizable designs, and whose designs are licensed to or picked up by major manufacturers [Benchmade, Spyderco, CRKT, etc.] can demand pretty much whatever they want for their handmade knives. Just like a well recognized artist can get thousands or tens of thousands of dollars for a painting. The cost of materials is not the measure of the art. Same discussion always on the dive watch forums [where I used to post] ... Rolex and Timex both keep time. In fact, the quartz Timex keeps better time, so why is a Rolex hundreds of times the cost? Heritage, history, marketing, artistry, quality, design, collectibility, resale value and demand. Cost of materials, and what the object accomplishes are not the guiding principles in establishing price.
 
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