anyone find it hard to go back to a cheapie?

Love to carry my Opinels, SAKs, occasionally a Rough Rider, etc; they have their own charm that is different than for example a high-end Spyderco.

There is a difference between cheap and cheerful as opposed to cheap and nasty !
 
I know what you mean. It's just like the time I wired up my system with Monster Cable. After that I could NEVER to back to regular cable. It's Monster Cable or NOTHING.

Any sub $300 knife simply cannot open a box, an envelope, cut carpet to shape, whittle a whitt'lin stick, open packages, etc.

It is simply impossible to chop wood to size with a sub $300 axe as well. My Fiskars axe TWISTS RIGHT IN MY HAND when it gets close to wood. I swing it, and at the last second, it just flips right out of my grip and does what every other sub $300 axe does... hits the flat of the blade against the wood and dents the metal.

Funny thing too, my 99 cent can opener won't open cans of Fancy Feast for kitty. It's fine with cheap cat food, but if I even bring it near a can of Fancy Feast it glows a dull blue color and makes a sound like it's ringing out.
 
I want my knife to perform and operate smoothly, everything else comes second. I've had a few high end knives in my hand and while they were very nice they were more flash than function. When they make a LH FFG XM-18 I think I'll move up to a expensive knife but for now its proving increasingly hard to beat my LH military, and my S90V millie easily matches the quality of some of the most expensive knives I've seen so I tend to question that high price.
 
I find that as I begin to spend more per knife, I am less inclined to carry my cheap knives. I still carry some of them occasionally though because I don't care as much if I lose them.
 
Not really hard for me at all. I usually carry 2 knives one being my Sebenza that seems like it wants to go with me everywhere but I almost always have a slipjoint with me. I have some pretty nice slippies but I got to my Case Sodbuster Jr a lot. That knife just makes me happy when I use it for some reason. I also carry a couple different SAKs frequently that I really like.
 
Peak_Oil said:
I know what you mean. It's just like the time I wired up my system with Monster Cable. After that I could NEVER to back to regular cable. It's Monster Cable or NOTHING.

Any sub $300 knife simply cannot open a box, an envelope, cut carpet to shape, whittle a whitt'lin stick, open packages, etc.

It is simply impossible to chop wood to size with a sub $300 axe as well. My Fiskars axe TWISTS RIGHT IN MY HAND when it gets close to wood. I swing it, and at the last second, it just flips right out of my grip and does what every other sub $300 axe does... hits the flat of the blade against the wood and dents the metal.

Funny thing too, my 99 cent can opener won't open cans of Fancy Feast for kitty. It's fine with cheap cat food, but if I even bring it near a can of Fancy Feast it glows a dull blue color and makes a sound like it's ringing out.
Click to expand...

I love it when people who are too cheap or too henpecked to spend a few dollars on something nice feels the need to mock those that do.:cool: Just saying.
 
After carrying and using a custom knife for so many years, I have no desire to go back to productions.
 
knarfeng said:
Nope.

For me "quality" is a matter of function. If it works good, it is good.
Click to expand...

I'm with you. My pockets lately have been carrying a Case swayback, an ESEE Izula, and........A Cold Steel Pocket Bushman. :p
 
In a different vein, a $27 Buck 110 from WallyWorld, still US-made and with 420HC steel, cuts as well or better than some of my $125-$185+ 'custom' 110s with BG-42 - teardrop Damascus. Additionally, my <$50 old Kershaw Blur, with it's 440A steel, opens packages as well as my $150-$200 Benchmades - and is a lot easier to re-sharpen. Finally, my $47 Buck #347 Vantage Pro has essentially the same blade as my >$200 Buck 172 Mayo TNT - which works every bit as well for cutting chores as a $400 Sebbie.

No, you don't have to spend hundreds - just be prepared to spend more than $20.

Stainz
 
I have a number of custom but I still carry quality production knives. Currently I have been carrying the M4 Ritter Grip and find myself completely satisfied.
 
I don't find anything difficult about going back to or carrying a cheapie as long as we're talking something that is cheap in price not in quality.
 
i got no problem using no-name crap knives for simple or crappy purposes around the house/yard...got a couple of them in the garage, including a fixed blade Frost (that does a fine job cutting plants)...for the record, i don't seek to buy those crappy china (usually) knives; i just end up with them as a circumstance...but use them i will

there is no knife i own that carries any special reverence; no safe queens, no "look at me" knives...i use a lg. sebenza to gut fish all the time...
 
Last edited:
Depends on what you call a cheapie. Now a days you can get a CRKT Drifter,
Persistance, Vex, Rat 1 etc. all for under 30 bucks. And they are all great/superb
knives. While I appreciate the fit/finish and overall quality of the more expensive
ones, I still enjoy the "cheapies" just as much. Plus they get used more simply cause
they're easily replaceable.

However, if you refer to "cheapies" as a POS flea market knife, then NO WAY I could
ever tolerate using one of those.
 
No problems at all. I won't buy junk knives, but I'll carry a Buck, Kershaw, or Sodbuster one day, and swap out with a Sebenza the next.
 
knarfeng said:
Nope.

For me "quality" is a matter of function. If it works good, it is good.
Click to expand...

+3? I lost count.

While I started out carrying knives in the $150 range, it was more about experimentation and trying to find what works best for my needs. Over the years, I've learned that my cutting tasks for folding knives require a very thin blade, either hollow ground or flat ground, and should have a straight edge, be it sheepsfoot, lambsfoot, or wharncliffe, paired with either a clip, spear, or drop point blade.

In a sense, this could mean that one of those vintage Imperial slip joints from the '50s would suit my needs just fine, as the blades were thinner. These knives were inexpensive and just downright functional. However, one of those Case Swayback Jacks, particularly the one in chestnut bone and CV blades, seems to be calling out to me.
 
Knarfeng pretty well sums it up for me as well. A 'quality' knife is an effective blend of design and material. I will only carry a quality knife, which might be an Opinel or a Benchmade.
 
I find it easy to go back to my victornox's. But I know what you mean. It's just not the same. The smoothness, that excellent steel, those materials...drool..*ahem*. But I still love my spyderco native and vics. I used to carry those $2 chinese special knives, now those, I will never go back too.
 
Lost a couple...(wife) and its easy to switch for me. There are some cheap knives that have a seat belt cutter, a window cracker and a nice blade of 440- all for around 15$. I LOVE CHEAP KNIVES!!!
 
Actually, I know am finding that I have a hard time buying expensive knives. I used to carry a sebenza, but now I'm carrying Opinels and SAKs.
 
When I am around my home territory, I carry expensive knives. When I travel (fly), I carry cheaper knives with removable blades. I disassemble the knives before packing and put the parts in different suitcases. On long trips, I can't wait to get home.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top