Anybody else give up on high-end carry?

After a knife catches my attention by its design I first look at the materials, specs, and the manufacturer. Is it durable, strong, the right size and will it take and keep a good edge. Then I consider what I can use it for and how the materials and geometry will likely perform. I do consider the color because I want something I can easily see if I drop it or lay it down. Then I look at the price and if it is worth the amount I plan to use it for. I have never had an inclination to collect or display knives for the sake of enjoyment. I enjoy using them! Scratches, a few dings and scuffs will show it’s being useful.
 
There are so many ways to look at this.
First of all, high end might not have a fixed definition.
Although I'm not very active here, I wouldn't be on this forum at all if my knife interest wasn't a little above average.
It wasn't always like that, though. And a few years back I would use whatever I had or was given to me, and not think twice about it. So it clearly doesn't have to be high end to do the job.
After I stepped into the rabbit hole of EDC a few years back, I started buying more knives. Bought several early on to fit into the new role of EDC knife. Something small, something big, something for Tuesdays, flipper, assisted, frame lock, liner lock, back lock, compression lock, the whole nine yards. After I while I realized that the only knives I really cared about were either historically relevant (Sebenza, Buck 110 etc.) or very well thought out and crafted for it's intended use.
Beside that appreciation for timeless quality, I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to finding the best suitable equipment for any application or situation I might find myself in. And with many activities to put me in many weird situations, even though my day job is quite boring, there is an abundance of justifications to buy very specific knives for quite specific tasks.

Now, whatever budget we're on, we should buy responsibly and deliberately. Both in regards to the environment and our finances. Buying something just because it's on sale, or buying a pack of 10 when you only need one, because the unit price is better, is just as bad as buying higher end than you can afford to loose / replace. If you can't afford to break it or loose it on the first day, you should really think twice about it. I'm all for getting knives and tools that I enjoy using, but stretching your budget might stress you up and reduce that joy significantly.

I'm lucky enough to afford any of the knives I've been interested in so far, but I never buy just because it's high(er) end. My acquisitions usually starts with a problem that "needs" solving. It doesn't have to be expensive, but as mentioned above it has to be good for it's- and my intended purpose, then it doesn't matter if it's a Sebenza or a Dragonfly salt. Often times I don't even find the knife thats right for my specific use case, and I put the whole acquisition on hold.

As most of my knife use is related to recreational and volunteer activities, I don't really have to take wear and life cycle cost into account. If I do my research right, I get one knife for a specific task and it would last me a lifetime with proper maintenance. Things become a little different when you use a knife professionally and extensively. Especially if you pay from your own pocket.

I'm not sure what higher end is, most of my knives are probably above $100, so their certainly higher priced than they have to be to do the job. But they are priced just right for me to enjoy them the most. I chase functionality and don't care for exotic materials or steel snobbery, and will continue to do so.
 
As with most hobbies, dig the hole as far as you dare, and someday you will probably look at that hole you dug a lot differently than you did when you we happily digging.
 
Yep. This is NOT going to be popular but after buying 30 higher end Benchmade and Spyderco over the years I find myself buying Ganzo Firebirds. I do stay away from the ones that are copies but I find them to be excellent knives. The blade steel isn’t as high quality as some of the more expensive brands but I have no problem with 440C and they seem to heat treat well. The lockup is excellent and rock solid with zero blade play. I have had problems with a couple of Benchmade in that regard straight out of the box.
The G-Lock (Axis) can take a little time or tuning to break in and some models seem to be a little stiffer than others but not enough to bother me considering I’m paying less than $20.
They are now making some with D2 that are going for $30-40 but at that price I would probably opt for a Byrd.
I only have one Byrd but it seems to be pretty solid and I will get more.
China has come a long way in the past decade when it comes to knives. Probably a positive from companies like Spyderco and Kershaw manufacturing knives over there.
I’m really impressed with the Spyderco Tenacious.
 
SavageSick said:
When I got into knife collecting, my purchases were determined by the logo, letters and numbers stamped onto the blade. I utterly dismissed plastics, polymers, G10s as inferior handle materials for the sake of fancy/flashy aesthetics, e.g. carbon fiber, MokuTi, exotic woods, mammoth ivory, bone, etc. However, those alleged inferior materials are far more performance driven and practical for actual cutting tasks and daily carry.

Oh yeah, during that phase, anything manufactured outside of North America or Europe was instantly deemed inferior. (Reate/We Knives/CKF/Svord/and many others proved me wrong! :p).

Only after acquiring many expensive knives (my personal definition: >$200.00), I would notice myself deeply hesitate prior to using them. Indeed, with the exception of "art knives", all knives were created for use; but using a fancy knife to cut down a cardboard box feels like driving a supersport car off-road.

The constant anxiety of carrying and using a HEC knife greatly outweighs the satisfaction of actual cutting.

Nowadays, I love carrying sub-$100.00 knives (current favorites : birk75 / delica). The satisfaction of nonchalantly using them without a worry makes me ever-smile.

My apologies if my minimalistic tendencies offend anybody.

TL;DR: Cheaper knives feel better to use!
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I think the issue has more to do with what you value about a knife than its overall value. If what you valued was the beauty of a knife then it's hard to use it as using it might diminish its value. If you value the way it performs most of all then every opportunity to use it actually increases its perceived value.

I've had knives that I hesitated to use because I didn't want to screw up the finish. I sold them. They don't do me any good sitting on a shelf. I have more than $200 in almost every knife that I regularly use though. Their performance outweighs their appearance and I'm genuinely pleased to plunge them into a cardboard box.

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This broke down a 65" tv box just the other day. It photographs well, but the blade has several scratches on it and has been sharpened a few times. Still love it.
 
Lesknife said:
After a knife catches my attention by its design I first look at the materials, specs, and the manufacturer. Is it durable, strong, the right size and will it take and keep a good edge. Then I consider what I can use it for and how the materials and geometry will likely perform. I do consider the color because I want something I can easily see if I drop it or lay it down. Then I look at the price and if it is worth the amount I plan to use it for. I have never had an inclination to collect or display knives for the sake of enjoyment. I enjoy using them! Scratches, a few dings and scuffs will show it’s being useful.
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I own some “high end knives” and some basic reasonably priced pieces. Depending on my mood of the day and what I have planned, that’s what I toss in my pocket.. half the time I’ll toss in an old Boker slipjoint that I picked up at a knife show for $30...probably $130 now! Great steel..holds and edge and sharp as heck. Lost and found 2 months later...I was just as happy when I found it as if it was a $300 piece.
 
I use them all. Here’s what I do. I fondle the knife for about a week and get familiar with it. In that “honeymoon” period I take the opportunity to get some really cool pics of it, enjoy it’s newness and then I never look back. I don’t go out of my way to damage nice knives, but if it needs cutting it’s gonna get cut.
The real thing to get over is selling your knives. After that week period I know if I’m going to keep it or not. If not it goes up for sale in newish condition
 
If the Microtech Ultratech or Chris Reeve Pacific knives fit the "High end" definition, then no, haven't stopped carrying and using those.

In fact, the build quality, materials and utility of those are why I use them, not with regard to or in spite of price.
I do have a Bob Doggett CQC-7 with MOP scales and Ti hardware I don't carry, because who knows if/when Bob will get back into making knives? Did he survive the Sandbox, even? I don't know. The chisel grind of the Emerson blades won't slice straight, anyway. :-)

I also have a $1,500 BURN square-button Latama that I don't carry because frankly, it's not that sharp, even though I specifically asked Mr. Panak to make it sharp. That's another story.

There's a Chris Reeve 1-piece (maybe a Mountaineer?) that's in pristine shape and is a really nice piece of craftsmanship; it's in a Survival Sheath Systems kydex sheath and strapped to my bug-out-pack. If the balloon goes up, what difference will it make whether that one gets scratched up? 'Till then it's not a daily user.

Similarly there's an HP Microtech CFO-II in the case and not being carried because "the knife that should never have been made" (as Bob Bartoli once called it,) isn't going to be reproduced in all likelihood.

I have an older Benchmade Presidio SBK 5000 has been used hard, is all scarred up from being dropped, has paint worn off, I think that's exactly how a $250.00 knife should be used.
Probably could replace it with some effort, but I like it especially because this is an old one with the step-type scales instead of the diagonal ones. 154CM steel will always be useful.

I guess for me, it comes down to evaluating replace-ability and usefulness, quality and design, instead of price.
 
My now carry of choice is a sprint pm2 but I’ve had striders, CRK, hinderer, customs and much more. I’ve used everything I’ve had, for some reason when that first scratch came on a blade it just made me want to use it more. Kinda like buying that Ferrari and driving it full speed on a race track, there will be chips and scratches but your using that tool for what it’s made for. Pm2 just always end up back in my pocket maybe because they are the kings of cardboard in my opinion
 
I have no problem carrying my SHF hiking in the woods.
But I'll carry a CRKT or similar when out on a boat...
 
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It used to worry me, but not any more. I'll carry and use everything.
I used to worry about scratching Titanium handles or damaging the blade, and the blade I still watch out for. I sometimes carry a Gerber EAB if I know I'm going to do some nasty cutting.

But no point in these knives lying in a drawer, they're tools to be used and enjoyed.
 
Interesting topic that seems to be asked in all kinds of forums, with the majority saying that the less expensive knife/item is just as good as the more expensive one so why would you buy, use or carry the more expensive one. Mainly because I enjoy them and I can afford it, quality workmanship is something I look for in the things I use. I made a living as a Pro Photographer, I need my tools to workk everyday and produce amazing results.
My interests at the moment would be photography, Jeeps and overlanding, wine, folk art, camping, travel, Australian Shepherds, cooking, knives both folders and Japanese Kitchen knives. In the past there were other interests and to be honest I am happy with my desire to buy the best that I could afford at the time because almost all of those other things, than the fast cars, are still high end and functioning well because they were well made objects, for example my Audio and fishing gear.
Anyway my folder collection runs from $50 to $ 2,000, and my Kitchen knives are worth between $75 and $4,500, I use and enjoy them all, yes I would be sad to lose a $800 knife or break a $1,000 kitchen knife, but I bought them to use not display on the wall. Same goes for my Jeep, yes it will look pristine if I only drive it to the market but I bought it to take on the trails, the risk of scratches and breakage come with the use. We all have different ideas of value, I remember when I thought a $25 bottle of wine was expensive.
As to what I carry everyday, I alternate between my high end folders and one of my Benchmade Bugouts, whatever the mood of the day.
 
Yes, I own several high end knives. However, my EDC is 29 dollar Cold Steel Bush Ranger. Of course, then I liked it more than the fancy-schmancy stuff, so I bought a second one...
 
I own a couple CRK Sebenzas and I do occasionally carry them but more often than not I find myself carrying one of my Kershaw Leeks. I just love the blade shape and the assisted opening is fun.
 
I used to have several $200 plus, some a lot more, at any given time. Now I don’t have any. I found the nicer knife a knife is the less I wanted to use it, or even carry it. Plenty of great knives out there that are relatively inexpensive that I don’t mind getting dirty.
 
I didn't give up on them but I've only been using a Buck 110 Slim for the past couple months. It cost me like $22.
 
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