Am I missing out?

donkey12

donkey12

Gold Member
Joined
May 9, 2023
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252
So first off don't read this the wrong way, it's an honest question. Am I missing out on not owning one of these high dollar knives? It blows my mind that some of the folders are $500 and up to Lord knows. Call it 500 to $1000. Clearly they are works of art and top quality, but do they perform better? Is it just pride of ownership? I also don't own a Rolex, a Casio for $60 works great. I'm middle aged and the price tag isn't the issue. For me I think it's the value. We're all different and I'm not putting anyone down, heck maybe I'm missing out on a quality knife!
 
I would say that, once you go above maybe $120, it's all about aesthetics and how the knife feels in the hand. It's the same with most things. A Mercedes isn't going to get you to the grocery store any better than a Kia, but it sure feels better.
 
If you need to cut something, no not really. If you want to experience a high level of fit, finish, and high end materials....whelp, those things cost money. 🤷

I own many knives that cost a lot more than many folks here would pay (as do many others here), and trust me when I say, those purchases weren't because I needed to cut something!
 
donkey12 said:
So first off don't read this the wrong way, it's an honest question. Am I missing out on not owning one of these high dollar knives? It blows my mind that some of the folders are $500 and up to Lord knows. Call it 500 to $1000. Clearly they are works of art and top quality, but do they perform better? Is it just pride of ownership? I also don't own a Rolex, a Casio for $60 works great. I'm middle aged and the price tag isn't the issue. For me I think it's the value. We're all different and I'm not putting anyone down, heck maybe I'm missing out on a quality knife!
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I’m a stock Glock and Tacoma guy - I like things that just work. That being said - these are enthusiast purchases. Does my Sebenza do the same job as an Endura? Sure does. But the bank vault lock up and hydraulic action and ease of reassembly after servicing it myself justifies the Sebenza to me. YMMV.
 
I guess I am missing out too, then. My most expensive pocket knife cost around $130 I think. Does not seem to be negatively affecting me. I am not into buying extreme luxury items, so no Rolex watches or things like that. I guess if you have the money, and you don't have a better use for it, spend all you want.

This is a hobbyist / collector / aficionado forum so you should not be surprised to see some really expensive knives.
 
Of course you’re missing out. The real question is, is that a big deal?

Let’s represent your disposable income as “X”. Let’s further suppose that you have 4 different hobbies: knives, guns, fast cars and loose women.

If you divide X equally between the 4, each hobby gets 1/4 of it. If, in a moment of weakness, you spend 1/2X on loose women, the other three hobbies have to divide the remaining half, or 1/6X each.

If you spend the entire X on fast cars, you won’t be shooting, buying knives, or fornicating much until your next X comes along.

This example is vastly simplified (especially the part about loose women). Most males of my generation learned all this in high school, I’m not telling you anything new.

Two useful things to know:
1) different hobbies bring you different levels of enjoyment at different times - you’ll go through stages. Manage them for maximum personal enjoyment.
2) the same amount of X will take you farther in some hobbies than others. Additional spending is not always proportional to enjoyment - find the “sweet spot” in each hobby to maximize your overall return on investment. (Hint: it’s different for every person.)

Hopefully you can avoid falling below some minimum level of function in each category, avoiding the necessity to open mail with your car key or ride a Greyhound bus to Pittsburgh and back. Ideally, you’d maintain your knives reasonably sharp, your guns reasonably accurate, enough gas money to get where you need to go, and your woman (or women) below a punitive level of extravagance.

But you’ll always be missing out on something, there’s just not enough X to buy it all. The trick is, make sure what you’re missing out on is stuff you don’t care about.

Life is a balancing act. Sometimes you balance it pretty well, other times it can all crash to the ground in an instant. No guarantees, just smart and foolish choices.

Best of luck to you.

Parker
 
In my opinion, frankly put, no, you're not missing a single thing. Honestly, I've got and had dozens of cheap knives that were just as good as my $500+ CRKs, $1000 Medford, $700 Something Obscene, and so on and so on. Hell I've had sub $50 knives just as good. However (and this is a gigantic however), I never owned any of them long term, never put them through any hard use, so I cannot attest to their ability to take abuse and/or go the distance. And that's the issue. CRK owners make major claims about such things and that's where value comes in.

In my honest, intelligent and experienced opinion, the best knives reside in the $100-250 range. Best value and overall quality.
 
You buy the expensive knives to pet and photograph and then when their back is turned, you cheat on them with cheap beater prozzy knives.

Just kidding ;)

(but seriously I have a hard time using my expensive knives in the same fashion I would my budget blades).
 
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A lot of it comes down to how you value things and what your budget is. There was a time when someone suggesting I spend more than $40 on a knife was ludicrous, because it was just a tool that cut things. Over time my budget and how I value knives has changed, but there are plenty of budget and less expensive knives I still buy and enjoy. And sometimes you just want pretty things.

My photography prof put the course levels in terms that made a lot of sense for it and a good analogy for a lot of other things. He said the basic course will improve your photography by around 50%, by teaching you the fundamentals. The much more demanding intermediate course will see an improvement of at most 25% and the advanced course would only get you another 3-5% progression in your craft. It can sometimes come down to how you value a thing to spend that much for 3-5% over what the intermediate model will give you.
 
calm said:
You need to try a recent, high spec KIA 😁
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Extremely high rate of mechanical and electrical failure. Both KIA and Hyundai. I know I worked for them. Literally the only manufacturers I worked for that brand new cars would show up DOA with blown motors and transmissions with literally only 10 miles on them. Pure trash.

I place my trust in my vehicles similar to my food... Never ever Korean!
 
I absolutely agree with Quiet Quiet . I love my benchmades. I love my protech that I treat like crap, honestly. But the fit and finish of my CRK is beyond all of them. That being said, I also own some benchmades that cost way more than I paid for my CRK that I wouldn't cut with unless it was the last knife available. So no, you don't need to spend some ridiculous amount of money on a knife. But some of those really expensive knives are very, very nice!
 
NeverEnuff said:
Extremely high rate of mechanical and electrical failure. Both KIA and Hyundai. I know I worked for them. Literally the only manufacturers I worked for that brand new cars would show up DOA with blown motors and transmissions with literally only 10 miles on them. Pure trash.

I place my trust in my vehicles similar to my food... Never ever Korean!
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I only have experience with the Korean made KIAs, 2015 onward, and they do not seem to have more issues than most cars. I have had Mercedes and the newer ones are not that reliable. The pre-1990s, different story.
Maybe the KIA/Hyundai made in other countries have a different quality than the Korean made ones :confused: .
 
My most expensive knives are two Emerson CQC7’s that I found used, so take what I’m saying with that disclaimer. I think it all depends on the individual and their circumstances. When I got my first Spyderco, also VERY used, I thought it was the best thing out there. I couldn’t afford much as a young teen and that was a very expensive knife for me at that time even though I traded for it. Couple years ago I bought a used Emerson. At that time it was also a VERY expensive knife for me, at around $185 shipped to me. I’d never dreamed of spending that much money on a knife before but I’d wanted a Benchmade Spec War since I seen one in the mid/late 1990s but couldn’t come close to actually buying one then. So I splurged on the Emerson CQC7. In my mind it’s like I might not have a new Ford Raptor or a Corvette but I’ve got several very high end (to me) knives that I can use. All knives can cut stuff but some are cooler than others and only the individual can decide where cutting and coolness intersect. None of my current friends circle know a Benchmade from a butter knife. To them a knife might as well come from a display at a gas station. I get excited about a new knife I’ve got on order and they’re like “meh… yeah great man.” They cut the same things as I do but I enjoy the knives I use. On the other hand they like fancy fishing rods and expensive watches. Me, I buy my shirts where I buy my car batteries and wear a Timex or G-Shock and could care less. It’s all in what matters to you, the user, in my mind.
 
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A non knife guy friend asked the value of this box. I asked him to guess, “$500?” … Yes, $500 😂. You may or may not be missing anything by not paying $500 + for a folder. I’d say that for me “collecting” is a progressive addiction, I love knives though. You can find quality folders from $35 to $150 that compete with $500 + folders ( China has some serious budget offerings these days ).

71052498254__6728F6B5-2403-4BE9-B0FD-9E7466666FE3.jpeg

Because threads need pics - Here’s a Les George VCEP Gen 1.

( I drive a Kia ).
 
Certain things with appeal to you and maybe increase your spending limit.... Materials, fit and finish also play a big.part......The link I'm posting below is an eye catcher for me.......This knife sold for $195.00!!!!! Seriously....
Talk about bang for your buck. He .makes the steel, forges 1084 and 15 N 20.....Just that labor alone🤔...
Anywho,.I commissioned a blade from him and he just.finished it.... He's now working on the sheath. Ill include a shot of it too...... Add $130 to the above price and that's what the new one cost.....



First eye catcher

Thread 'Sold... utility knife 5"' https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/sold-utility-knife-5.1921046/


My new one,

https://imgur.com/V7p4Zng
 
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