Are expensive knives worth it?

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I will say yes too bc of what others mentioned regarding a pricier knife stopping the cheap knife accumulation phase. It did for me anyway; it was liberating. I had amassed way too many knives in the sub 150- range that (in my case), some of those weren't even priced up there due to quality or steel, just hype or marketing.

Once I educated myself on here with steels and build quality and aligned that with my own personal needs, I could finally shed this poor man collector phase; buy a couple quality folders and allocate additional funds to good sharpening materials.

Its annoying that I had to go through that to get here, bc I did the exact same thing with guns years ago, I knew I was finally comfortable when I was spending more on a couple good optics than 7 mediocre ar-15s. Indian, not he arrow still applies.
 
K.O.D. said:
There is definitely a sweet spot for me. Most of mine are $100-$250 U.S. and in this journey I've found a few things.

At a certain price point you become annoyed by things on a $250 knife that would not bother you on a $180 one. I start going through the motions of should I return it, or will it be better broken in or if I tinker with it.

Over ~$200, I find it's easy to be disappointed, because you look for things to be wrong, instead of being surprised at how well made the less expensive knife is.

Expensive to me is over $300 and "worth it" is hard to define.
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I agree with this 100%
 
Steely_Gunz said:
$500 is about my top currently. At that level I can expect premium fit and finish, high end/well treated blade steel, and an excellent warranty.

Honestly, the pandemic has pushed me to that level of purchase. Like a lot of lucky folks, my income did not fall during the last couple of years. However, guns and ammo have been hard to come by. I sorta put down shooting February 2020 and haven't looked back. Instead, I have been buying knives inwouldnt have been able to afford to try out without allocating those funds from my shooting habits.

I dont find much that floats my boat in dedicated pocket knives under the $300 mark as of now.
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This is entirely where I've been at. I got into higher end knives and production knives just stopped interesting me for the most part. Then, recently, I just grew bored overall, because I didn't really have anything on my radar that was really any different than the high end knives I already have. So, on a whim, I purchased a new Swiss Army Knife (a Traveller Lite), and fell down that rabbit hole. Now, I'm back to enjoying looking at new knives and planning new purchases again, and it doesn't hurt that my money goes WAY farther in that realm!!

I still carry my expensive knives, but man am I enjoying these Victorinox knives. ALOX Colors? Gotta get 'em all!! 😅
 
Different strokes for different folks.
I agree with "the more expensive knife is usually a better choice" within reason.
Given my situation and the reasons I carry a pocket knife, my choice happened to be a Spyderco Shaman.
 
I'd say yes. Though my definition of expensive is not necessarily the same as others ($500-600ish)

Over time I've become increasingly comfortable buying expensive knives, one of the root causes of this is, i think, the increasing cost of knives in the mid range. For example 10 years ago I had a harder time spending more because I had that nagging feeling that I could get 3-5 great knives for the same cost as the knife I really wanted. Today though I have a harder time buying knives in the new mid range price bracket ($170-250) because I can't shake the feeling that this Spyderco/BM/whatever is halfway to the knife I really want.
 
I dont think so, but also yes lol.

Most everyone gets through life just fine with $10 walmart kitchen knives. My wife uses our kitchen knives that we got on sale from BJs years ago, even though I am too snobby to use them much lol.

People who carry pocket knives mostly have cheap junk knives or at best a Gerber or (often fake) Swiss Army knife. They get by just fine.
We are just knife snobs, and thats ok. Most people (at least here in America) dont even carry a knife anymore, they just ask to use yours so they can break it lol.

On the other hand, are better knives objectively worth more than cheap junk? Of course! You pay more for quality, and to get a tool that will last and have high performance and safety. A Benchmade or Spyderco or Case or GEC (or a hundred other quality knives) wont let you down or injure you like a piece of crap gas station special like many use.
 
For me they are, because as an enthusiast they bring me an amount enjoyment that I feel warrants the price. Simple as that.

I do agree for the most part with the sentiment of having fewer more expensive knives rather than accumulating large numbers of more entry level knives. That's not to say that I don't enjoy knives in all price ranges though. I get as excited about purchasing a Victorinox Classic with interesting scales and swapping them onto a Rambler, or picking up a simple Case knife in a funky color that I dig and putting a satin finish on the blades and bolsters, as I do about my $4-600 knives. But I want both. At this point, for us here, it's not just about what we need to cut. It's about cutting what you need to cut with items that you enjoy.

I will say that there is a price range, somewhere in the middle of my range, on big brand production knives, where I start to weigh the price versus putting those funds towards a higher end purchase that I may enjoy more (particularly when Benchmade and the likes start creeping well above $200). The way I see it, if you can afford a $250 knife, you can afford a $400 knife. Likewise if you can afford a $400 knife, you can afford a $600 knife. Otherwise you should've likely stopped before $250. It's up to each of us to determine where our diminishing returns are on our own enjoyment. I personally find enjoyment in all price ranges.

So far, that has only taken me to just above $600, and that one was worth it. However I know enough about myself in this hobby to not fool myself into thinking that my "tastes have evolved" or that I now know the way. I know full well that I have no idea what the next thing to strike my interest and become a "must have" will be. I recognize that in a hobby, we don't necessarily decide these things with logic, but rather often twist logic so that our desires fit our "needs". As long as I'm having fun with the knives I buy, I'm fine with that.
 
IMO, there's diminishing returns after $100 or so, but I'd rather carry one really nice knife than own several mediocre knives.

That being said, I have too many nice knives...
 
To add - I only have a few pricey knives, or what I view as pricey. And I rarely carry the things bc they are pricey...which is silly bc they are utility objects. Plus: 1) I have 2 daughters, 9 & 11 - neither will ever care about knives outside of the fixed blades I make them carry when they are old enough & 2) all of my buddies / peers are very much knives are a tool guys...so the only people I have to discuss these knives with are e-friends after I take a picture occasionally.

I want a Herman knife, and I can afford one...but whats the point I suppose, I likely wont carry it often, wont pass it down, and nobody will ask to look at it and marvel in its craftsmanship besides me...which may be enough but WEW, this thread got in my head and now I want to use it or lose it / KonMarie. Thanks OP!
 
Yes and no for me.

My sweet spot is about $100ish usd. That can get me a CS Recon 1, Kizer Begleiter M390, Kershaw Bareknuckle 20CV, etc. I'm more then content with my options around that price range. Heck, the Spyderco Endura gets more pocket time then most blades I carry.

Could I buy a $600 knife? Yes, I can afford it but once you get past about $150, I'd rather put that $ toward a new handgun or AR15 build.

Everyone needs to find what budget and materials work for them. One thing about knives, there are options for all budget ranges.
 
CAP55 said:
Depends, what does it take to slit open an envelope or a package?
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If it were that simple folks would stop at one. We collect because we get enjoyment out of the hobby. I'm not a car guy, I have one car, a my brother is and has multiple because he gets enjoyment from his hobby. Its the same sort of thing for almost any hobby you could mention that involves objects that also have a practical use.
 
tokerblue said:
IMO, there's diminishing returns after $100 or so, but I'd rather carry one really nice knife than own several mediocre knives.

That being said, I have too many nice knives...
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Aesthetics is everything to me; if I don't get some kind of buzz from looking at a knife I could not care less about expensive materials. So to me a "really nice knife" is simply one that looks good in my impeccable opinion.
 
You get what you pay for.

However, not everything needs to cost an arm and or a leg.

Koenig Arius.
Had one and eventually sold it, great knife and we'll made (and if you have one and use it, more power to you) but for me wasn't worth the cost.

Hinderer Full Track.
Great knife, loved the blade profile and stonewash and even the tool. Lock stick which I was able to alleviate some but eventually sold that.

Demko AD20.
Great knife! Didn't really need it or a 3V folder. Sold it but given the opportunity I'd probably buy it again.

Hinderer XM24.
Another good knife and very large. Really made to use with gloved hands (in my opinion) and wasn't using it all that much so I passed it on.

I'm loving my Spyderco Shaman, Kershaw Leek and Sig / Hogue K320. All which cost far less than the 4 mentioned above.
 
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