Are expensive knives worth it?

Are expensive knives objectively better than cheaper ones or are worth it?

  • Total voters
    185
Horizon7 said:
Respectfully, do your research before you buy an expensive knife like a ZT.

10 percent of blade forum members have had lock failure issues with their ZTs. That's extremely dangerous. There was a poll done here not too long ago.

Also, go to YouTube and search "ZT lock failures." Many videos there.

I would recommend Spyderco or any knife made by WE or Reate.
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87% of made-up statistics are made up.

OP, don't listen to this guy.
 
Horizon7 said:
Why are you trolling? Adults are talking. Leave the room.
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Oh, the irony.

OP, there will indeed be a significant jump in materials quality and fit/finish that you'll get with a ZT product. They make great knives, and any one of them will serve you well. Make sure you come back to let us know what you settled on!
 
My zt909 ,609,and 220 ; lockup fine no failures; they are great knives,definitly get your moneys worth.And if you get them preowned which I do, you can really get a bargain. how bout 130 for the 220,139 for the 609 and 130 for the 909; that's a real game changer...
 
randomknifeperson said:
I definitely appreciate quality where its at, and yes I am aware of the massive size difference, that was another reason for me to upgrade.
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You will love the ZT 0452, I think. It's a very slim knife, so it carries well in a pocket but when opened, you suddenly have a seventeen foot long blade in hand. Plus, the action on these are great, with such a long blade, deploying it by flipper-tab takes very little effort. I loved mine, and only moved it on because I had a ton of other knives I was carrying at the time.
 
Depends --- What do you consider expensive?

That said, if you are chasing the "flavor of the month", expensive just isn't worth it in most cases. You only have to wait for the prices to later decline once the knife hasn't been the "flavor of the month" for some time. Remember, most marketing hype is just that. Marketing. Meant to do only one thing - separate you from your hard earned money. That said, you find this in all groups of luxury item collectors (and, yes, knife collections truly are luxuries).
 
Mo2 said:
I won't buy zt's any more for many reasons that one included.
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And to believe the false statistics this guy keeps posting, and basing such a decision on them is ridiculous.

Hopefully you came to your own conclusions not based on obvious trolls, unreliable YouTube videos, or general unverifiable gossip.
 
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craytab said:
And to believe the false statistics this guy keeps posting, and basing such a decision on them is ridiculous.

Hopefully you came to your on conclusions not based on obvious trolls, unreliable YouTube videos, or general unverifiable gossip.
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Can you just sit down. It's an issue. The 90% in that thread maybe 10% of that actually use there knives for more Than cutting open mail.

Besides that I dont care what you or those 90% of people think. It should be fixed.
 
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The miracle is so many options exist. I am pleased there are great folding knife choices now from $20 to $600 or so that can all be considered hard users and not just safe queens. That is quite a range. The choice is the consumer's. It makes today a Golden Period for Knives. Better materials, better manufacturing, better designs ... than ever before.
 
Mo2 said:
Can you just sit down. It's an issue. The 90% in that thread maybe 10% of that actually use there knives for more Than cutting open mail.
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Are you having trouble reading the extremely informal data as well? Perhaps sit down yourself (not in front of YouTube or insta).

This is why we can't have nice things.

It's an issue for a very small amount of knives. Mistakes happen, just like any big manufacturer.

The real problem is the blatant bashing of a respected manufacturer that the vast, vast majority of customers have no problem with. Then, the trolling of said satisfied customers. Be careful of whom you choose to agree with on this. Obvious trolls don't make good bedfellows.
 
craytab said:
Are you having trouble reading the extremely informal data as well? Perhaps sit down yourself (not in front of YouTube or insta).

This is why we can't have nice things.

It's an issue for a very small amount of knives. Mistakes happen, just like any big manufacturer.

The real problem is the blatant bashing of a respected manufacturer that the vast, vast majority of customers have no problem with. Then, the trolling of said satisfied customers. Be careful of whom you choose to agree with on this. Obvious trolls don't make good bedfellows.
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At this point I don't care what you have to say about it.
 
leghog said:
Depends --- What do you consider expensive?

That said, if you are chasing the "flavor of the month", expensive just isn't worth it in most cases. You only have to wait for the prices to later decline once the knife hasn't been the "flavor of the month" for some time. Remember, most marketing hype is just that. Marketing. Meant to do only one thing - separate you from your hard earned money. That said, you find this in all groups of luxury item collectors (and, yes, knife collections truly are luxuries).
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Your value system is critical to choosing a knife. Some here don't blink an eye buying a $500+ folding knife. That is not the person I am. That said, I have spent way more on fixed blades than my use dictates because I simply like knives. So, buying an "expensive" folder (for you) if you are going to use it is probably an okay thing. It would be for me because I know I use folding knives 100x more often than a fixed blade.

The marketing thing always tickles me. Fishing lures come to mind.... they sell lures to simply attract the customer versus the fish. Oh, I'm sure they work too. But honestly, most of them work. Folks here on BF do a lot of the marketing for the manufacturers with our posts and experiences. That's okay.
 
Good for a post-Christmas morning chuckle! OP, yes, you will notice a difference, whether or not the 0452 is The Knife for you. I have quite a few duplicates of various ZT models, and I'm one that reports no issues(and several were purchased second-hand, here). Getting into the $150-200 range is expensive for me, and I've reached my point of diminishing returns with my WE 608. I dearly want to love this knife, but I just can't get there. The action is wonderful, the ergonomics can't be beat by anything else I own, I've jokingly said I feel it's too, "Klingon War-blade", but it is a very respectable tanto grind, so... I've also owned a Terzuola ATCF, and two Microtech DA copies thereof. Beautiful! Unequalled dreams to handle! WAAAAAAYYYYY too much money for me to carry with a pocket clip, traipsing around in an ambulance. Sold 'em.

I too love Spyderco, but aside from a bare handful, I have no desire for much of any of their offerings post-2004 or so, because of the way-too-artsy designs, or the uninspiring leaf/Endura/Delica re-issues.
 
OP - have you made up your mind? One more piece of advice I'd like to offer is, to buy second hand if you care about your wallet and if you do not have an emotional reason (e.g., for an important anniversary). Like many other production brands, ZTs do not hold their value well down the road, e.g., if one wants to sell quickly a brand new ZT 0562cf here I believe it is an immediate (at least) $50 or 20% off.

If I were you, I'd already pulled the trigger on this ZT 0452cf which is $70 off the retail price (p.s. I have no connection with the seller whatsoever).
 
Sometimes. The expensive knives often have superior materials and very good fit and finish, but not always. And the higher the price, the more the return for your money diminishes, as others have said. And if a person uses a well made, strong knife during work, there is no need for spending a lot of money for other than increased durability. And that can be had for far less than 200 dollars.
I find that one of the pleasures of acquiring knives is getting a good deal, that is a high value at a bargain price. Relatively speaking, that is hard to do for a price tag north of 400 dollars.
Can t end without mentioning the M word. Marketing. Perceptions about value can be formed by marketing. Even if there is little basis in fact.
Maybe that point of view is just my excuse for being cheap, er frugal.
 
I've found my threshold to be around $160. I've paid more than that, a Spyderco Southfork and Winkler, both are well worth it. I've paid less than that, pukko's that i've made and also been very rewarded. I have found personally that over $160 I can't justify a large outlay of funds. I have found I am pleased with spending a bit more. I get better steel, ergonomics and other things that I appreciate.
 
I have knives whose original cost ranges from about $20 to $1250. Every one of them was worth it to me. If they weren't I wouldn't have bought them.

I have about 10 dedicated users. If an application came up which one of my users would not fill, I wouldn't hesitate to use one of the others, but I feel no compulsion
to do so.

Value is determined by what a willing buyer will pay to a willing seller, nothing more. I will pay a lot more for a knife than I will for a watch. I own and need only one watch, and my Filson keeps time just fine. however, that attitude does not give me the right to say what a watch is worth to someone else, or how many they should have. I am not a reverse snob about watches, or anything else.
 
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