Am I missing out?

I think it depends on how you use your knife and your income level.

If you're just using it to open packages here and there, a low end knife with decent steel will be fine.
If you're cutting up food, opening packages, using it for camp chores, trimming finger nails, cutting rope or wire, and processing game/fish, I think paying more is worth it, to an extent.

Once you're buying knives with higher end steel and a decent heat treat, you'll be in a specific price range. Knives priced above that, you start paying for aesthetics, bragging rights, exclusivity, or hand crafted goods. If you're collecting, maybe that's worth it.

I use my knives and don't care if the get dinged up or scratched so paying extra for an abalone inlay or extra smooth flipping action isn't worth it to me. However, as my income has increased, so has my tolerance for higher prices.

The right answer will have a lot to do with your personal circumstances.
 
There is pleasure in owning fine things. It doesn’t matter that they don’t perform markedly better than a run of the mill mass-produced item. YMMV.

OTOH, the Bauhaus ideal delivers beautifully designed mass-produced objects. When I was on a tight budget a plain Seiko quartz watch served for years. Now I have others. With little money I would choose a Civivi Elementum and call it a day. With a bigger budget I have what I have now,
 
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Kettleman said:
On the other side of that coin are the folks that cant / wont have an expensive knife and feel the need to explain and convince others its the only correct path…

It’s a hobby to most and there is no correct answer for everyone. We are all different with varying needs / wants / desires. I say buy what you want or can and let others do the same.

Oh and can we all agree once and for all that the cold steel recon 1 is not the worlds greatest knife? Please? ;)
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It's not the world's greatest knife. It works for me though.

On the other hand it depends on a person and how much money they have or want to spend on a hobby.

But, are you missing out on something? I don't think so. After certain price point, you start to get less and less noticeable improvements for more and more money.
 
Wild Willie said:
Sometimes people reach a station in life where they can buy expensive things. This whole 50 dollar knife ad nauseam schtick isn't the only way to enjoy a hobby either... I've got a pile of less expensive knives, and they're great. I don't regret setting my sights higher though.

Just last week I spent enough money on fuel to buy a sebenza. The week before that along with fuel, we had to replace a hydraulic line in the boom that cost as much as 2 sebenzas. 500 dollars in the grand scheme of things is not a lot of money.

I'll use the tool analogy again... Walk into your local repair shop any tell them to buy harbor freight tools. They turn nuts and bolts, but they don't hold up, and aren't as comfortable to use. See what happens and report back.
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I understand that point. But, saying that they are missing out... not really for everyone. Not everyone wants to have all latest and greatest or most premium.

Regarding tool analogy - take 13€ Mora Robust and compare it to something more expensive. What will break first? Inexpensive doesn't always mean bad, and expensive doesn't always mean good.
 
CVamberbonehead said:
No, I don't think you're missing out on anything but trouble paying the rent.
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I'm pretty sure it should go without saying that if you can't afford something don't buy it.

It took some saving on my part to afford a higher end knife, but the mortgage is paid, lights are on, and the kids are clothed and fed.

Discretionary income is just that, discretionary. I rarely go out to eat, wear the same beat up boots until they're falling off my feet, darn my holey socks, patch my jeans, wear a cheap Timex watch and drive old vehicles... I don't care about appearances, but I do like knives. Having a nice one in my pocket reminds me of the payoff of hard work and determination.

If the ops bills are paid, and he's got a little extra loot sitting around to spend, there's no reason he shouldn't go for it. Asking the question in and of itself already implies a certain degree of interest.
 
LostCause said:
I understand that point. But, saying that they are missing out... not really for everyone. Not everyone wants to have all latest and greatest or most premium.

Regarding tool analogy - take 13€ Mora Robust and compare it to something more expensive. What will break first? Inexpensive doesn't always mean bad, and expensive doesn't always mean good.
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I agree that there are plenty of lower budget alternatives out there, I'm a huge fan of low tech working tools... I still carry budget (under 50 dollars) knives on a regular basis. As I said previously, they do everything a knife should. That being said, their low price comes at the expense of the little intangibles that come with spending a bit more....

Back to my tool analogy, I wasn't talking about knives there... I've done enough wrenching on equipment to know that cheaper isn't always the answer... Bust your knuckles a few times after you stretch a jaw or strip a bolt head and you'll see that in many instances the extra cost is worth it, and I'm not even a mechanic.

What do you put on your feet every morning? A cheap pair of boots will cover your toesies, but spend your days doing a lot of physical labor and dropping a few Benjamins (I realize you're in Europe so substitute whatever currency you use) doesn't seem like a big deal.
 
Wild Willie said:
I agree that there are plenty of lower budget alternatives out there, I'm a huge fan of low tech working tools... I still carry budget (under 50 dollars) knives on a regular basis. As I said previously, they do everything a knife should. That being said, their low price comes at the expense of the little intangibles that come with spending a bit more....

Back to my tool analogy, I wasn't talking about knives there... I've done enough wrenching on equipment to know that cheaper isn't always the answer... Bust your knuckles a few times after you stretch a jaw or strip a bolt head and you'll see that in many instances the extra cost is worth it, and I'm not even a mechanic.

What do you put on your feet every morning? A cheap pair of boots will cover your toesies, but spend your days doing a lot of physical labor and dropping a few Benjamins (I realize you're in Europe so substitute whatever currency you use) doesn't seem like a big deal.
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I get your point. When it came to shoes, it kinda became more clear. Today I'm in Mizuno Wave Rider 26, and they aren't really cheap.

Tools and knives wise, I tend to go for middle option usually. So I know I won't be failed, but it won't break the bank either.

I just had my last university payment 2 months ago, so I'm kinda still used to restricted budget after these 3 years of hell (working and going to uni at the same time isn't easy). So yeah, I'm used to be careful what to spend on.

But I spend more on shoes, because I'm less tired and my legs feel better that way. Sometimes, costs are justified. It comes down to if it is worth it to you.
My knife - I use it few times a day. While my shoes and my phone see plenty of use. Just for comparsion.
 
LostCause said:
I get your point. When it came to shoes, it kinda became more clear. Today I'm in Mizuno Wave Rider 26, and they aren't really cheap.

Tools and knives wise, I tend to go for middle option usually. So I know I won't be failed, but it won't break the bank either.

I just had my last university payment 2 months ago, so I'm kinda still used to restricted budget after these 3 years of hell (working and going to uni at the same time isn't easy). So yeah, I'm used to be careful what to spend on.

But I spend more on shoes, because I'm less tired and my legs feel better that way. Sometimes, costs are justified. It comes down to if it is worth it to you.
My knife - I use it few times a day. While my shoes and my phone see plenty of use. Just for comparsion.
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I spend way more on knives than I do on my phone....... Haha

I just use my phone to buy More knives.
 
LostCause said:
I get your point. When it came to shoes, it kinda became more clear. Today I'm in Mizuno Wave Rider 26, and they aren't really cheap.

Tools and knives wise, I tend to go for middle option usually. So I know I won't be failed, but it won't break the bank either.

I just had my last university payment 2 months ago, so I'm kinda still used to restricted budget after these 3 years of hell (working and going to uni at the same time isn't easy). So yeah, I'm used to be careful what to spend on.

But I spend more on shoes, because I'm less tired and my legs feel better that way. Sometimes, costs are justified. It comes down to if it is worth it to you.
My knife - I use it few times a day. While my shoes and my phone see plenty of use. Just for comparsion.
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Absolutely nothing wrong with middle of the road, it's where most of my stuff sits. I'm far from an elitist, just a working class schmuck trying to make a living... Worked 2 jobs through college, so I feel you there.

I've long been a proponent of buying the best one can afford. For some folks that's 50 bucks, for some it's 500, others have a far higher threshold.

Almost everyone has that "thing" that others find excessive... Life would suck without having something to work towards.
 
SwissHeritageCo said:
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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I don't take pictures of my knives or fondle them or get a hardon while cleaning them spotless... but I get your point. My most expensive knives (ZT 562CF, two Emersons and Benchmade CrookedRiver) barely see office/urban duty, but I never take them on hiking trips, vacations, climbing, or to the beach. Besides being heavy, they are also quite expensive (even though I bought them on the Exchange here). I mostly carry my Spydercos, ColdSteels and chaper Benchmades. They are ligther and easier to replace, because I will cry a lot less if something happened to them.

Answering to the OP original question, I don't think you are missing much. Sometimes a certain pattern or size or materials are only available at a certain price tag. Say you want a long, thin, slicy blade, linerless G10 scales and glove friendly one hand opening... well... the Spyderco Military, even in the cheapest flavour, is going to cost about twice what your currently most expensive folder costs.

Mikel
 
That truly depends. I have been pretty disappointed in some $500 customs. I also have some great knives that are around the $150 mark. And for what it is it's hard to beat a Mora.
I've been here a long time and I've witnessed a lot of trends and chasing after the next new thing.

Here is the what I have come to believe:
Today there are few knives I want to own that fall below $120. I believe once you get over $550 (give or take) you are generally paying for branding, methodologies, and art level materials and craftsmanship. You will probably not gain much in usage characteristics with the exception of purpose built knives such as "race knives" for cutting competitions and the like.

Personally, I have found the following to be true across the board in my life:
I am a hobbyist level woodworker and knifemaker and I value fit and finish.
I appreciate technology and enjoy testing and evaluating and I therefore like to try different steels.

I have a knife that is easily worth over $1500. It was made for me by an expert knifemaker who is up in years who has given me some mentoring and he used the knife to teach me the basics of folder design and fitment. The materials are premium, the lock design is his own, and I would have paid full price for it because it has great value to me.
His knives start in the $800 range and go into the tens of thousands. He uses premium materials that few makers are using anymore. While his knives will absolutely cut, you don't buy his knife for performance. You are paying a premium that reflects his expertise, the materials and labor, and fact that he provides for his family with his business.

Monetary worth of any thing comes down to your value parameters. This is true in most areas of life and certainly true with knives.
Like I stated earlier, based on my values I believe the performance widow currently sits between about $120 and $550 or so with some exceptions.
 
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catspa said:
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
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Where do I pick up your book, Parker's guide ro sh*t that matters. Also will there be a signing? Joking aside, very well said.
 
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