Are expensive knives worth it?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Oklahoma Outlaw said:
I don’t want to live in a world where mediocrity is the rule.
Click to expand...
Well unfortunately there’s a few points I’d bring up:
1) mediocre is often used to describe average, particularly among knife aficionados.
2) the bell curve is used to describe the probability of most natural phenomena
3) a bell curve stipulates that achieving the average is more probable than above average…

Ergo, you kind of live in that world.
 
Yes,yes they’re worth it. When someone spends more money than they ever have on a knife, they treat it differently. They won’t do the same things with it as their beater/cheap knife. It will be used more cautiously until they realize it can be used as the maker intended for its use.
Is there a discernible difference between my T.A. Davison and Maserin Plow, hands down there is. I can’t believe I just made that comparison :oops:
It’s only when someone decides to move to the next level will they understand the difference in knives.
 
I need my knives to be able to be carried and used , maybe somewhat abused , often working outdoors or hiking .

I don't want to spend so much that I feel inhibited about using , damaging or losing .

Still , I'm willing to risk up to $100 or even $200 just to have a better quality , more interesting knife than would be functionally necessary .
 
To each his own I guess. In my opinion it is not worth it. I have lost pocket knives and I have seen pictures of broken sebenzas. There goes your 400 dollars. I'm happy carrying my $35 made in Spain pocket knife that does everything I need it to do.
 
J85909266 said:
Everyone has a sweet spot. I chill at around 4 to 6 hundred as my high end. After that, I am just paying for aesthetics.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure you’re paying for something other than functionality far before that range.

Maybe you think you have to shell out 4 to 6 bills to get a good knife and everything under that is junk and everything over that is gravy, but I don’t. With the current offerings I’d say over $300 you’re probably paying for aesthetics.

That said, it’s all relative. I bet there’s folks on here who would move the scale even farther in both directions. One guy would surely say “I bought my SAK for $50 and it works great. Anything beyond that is fluff”. At the opposite end of the spectrum you have the rich guy who goes on canned hunts in Africa who carries a $15,000 Loveless hunter with the nekkid lady logo to skin his endangered rhinos. For him that’s the minimum that will work and anything higher he’s just paying for aesthetics. 🤷‍♂️

The whole deciding factor here is everyone’s personal definitions of the terms “expensive” and “worth it”.
 
Last edited:
Stahlmann said:
Not so. One thing is for certain. The old adage "you get what you pay for" doesn't hold anymore, if it every really did. More expensive, doesn't necessarily equate to higher product quality. Particularly when it comes to cutlery it seems.

I suspect you could run both knives through a series of cutting performance, durability and maintainability tests -- in other words, product quality tests, and the differences between the two would be negligible.

THEN you consider the "pride of ownership" factor. For many it means little. Their focus is on product quality at the best price. For others, it really means something. It's tangible and that's fine. Difficulties only arise when they try to justify their pride of ownership in terms of product quality, rather than the extra utilities they receive from owning a certain brand name, something with a certain look, something with a certain bling or something that is known to be expensive.
Click to expand...
It seems like every time you post, you're always trying to make it sound like your opinion is some big view that "many" share. This is called projection, and it's embarrassing. You sound as though you're attempting to justify your inability, or disinclination to spend money on knives.

What's more telling is what you don't say: "Difficulties arise when I try to justify my opinion that people couldn't possibly feel "pride of ownership" because I don't feel it myself."

As I said, embarrassing.
 
Stahlmann said:
Not really, no. There are indeed quantitative, objective measures when it comes to product quality and product assurance.

On the other hand the "pride of ownership" factor is indeed subjective. It depends on the customer.

For some, wearing a Rolex watch, and having people seeing you wearing the watch is very important. To others, it makes no difference at all -- they just want an accurate timekeeper. Yet others look down upon wearing one because they realize the objective/quantitative benefits of wearing a Rolex in say 1950 (e.g. accuracy, durability, etc.) have long been surpassed by Casio G-Shocks (and their lower-priced cousins) at a small fraction of the price.
Click to expand...
Except, yes, yes it is.
 
Wolverine666 said:
I appreciate your viewpoint and your comparisons. But concerning the $40 knife question , I remain unconvinced. I feel that a $40 knife will very rarely be on the same level quality/fit&finish-wise with say a $175 knife. I’d like to say that it would never be on the same level. But I’ve learned to never say never. I’m happy to agree to disagree.
Click to expand...
Let me ask this. I recently bought 3 knives that have been on my list for a while. The first one retails for $139.99 and is often offered at that price for sale. I bought mine new for $71.99 from a reputable reseller. The price of the knife changed drastically (by 48.6%) yet its product quality didn't change. How would you explain that given what you believe that essentially boils down to "more expensive equals higher product quality?"
 
Legendary_Jarl said:
To each his own I guess. In my opinion it is not worth it. I have lost pocket knives and I have seen pictures of broken sebenzas. There goes your 400 dollars. I'm happy carrying my $35 made in Spain pocket knife that does everything I need it to do.
Click to expand...
To me it boils down to pocket jewelry. It people want to spend their money on that, good for them. I just take issue with those who try to defend defend the purchase of XYZ knife based on its "quality."

75 years ago, spending more on a Rolex because they were rugged, water resistant (if not waterproof), highly accurate timekeepers was very defendable. There really wasn't much around that would do the same job for the same length of time for significantly less $$$. The greater expense was justified by the watch's performance.

One would be a fool to attempt that "argument" today as there are cheap watches which are bulletproof and keep excellent time. People buy Rolex watches (and Pateks, Piagets, Vacherons, etc.) because they're status symbols, because of how they look, and in some cases because they're shrewd investments. Same with knives.
,
 
I would say that knives over $100 are definitely worth it, knives over $200 are generally worth it, and knives over $300 can be worth it. The $100-200 range can get just about any type of steel in a production knife, and the $200-300 range pretty much covers all steels plus every useful feature and design available. This is not to say there aren't knives worth owning that go for $400 and up, but there's nothing significantly better as far as performance and durability within that range that can't be had for less.

All that said, knowledge about and proper maintenance of good quality steels and edge geometry is worth as much as the dollar value of a knife. That is to say, with the knowledge I have today (in many ways thanks to BladeForums) I can get a $100 knife which is at least as good as a $200 knife I might have bought before I knew what I now know. So, thanks folks!
 
I still have some of my less expensive stuff hanging around for sentimental reasons. I carry a Shiro now everyday. If it's in my pocket it gets used for what needs to be done. I don't plan on ever selling so I use but not abuse them.
I do have one that I only carry on Sunday's though as I don't usually work.
Needed some roots cut so I did:
F3root.JPG
 
I am going to say no it is not worth it.

But that is more just something to be mindful of rather than a fixed reason to never buy an expensive knife.
 
If the knife is right, the price doesn't matter. This applies from 10 to 400 $ (and over...). If you get disappointed the disappointment will be proportional to the price you paid, of course. That's up to you, you didn't choose wisely. This is a big part of the buying process. Don't blame it on the manufacturer.
Here, an example. It's a personal tweak of the maker's design. I don't use it much (except on my desk) because, in the end, the original design fits better in the pocket.
Original :
Zh0efnq.jpg

Modified :

3CtyVta.jpg

I love my modified version because it's lighter, it has a longer blade and a slimmer profile. But I reach at once for the original when I want a fixed pocket knife.
I tell ya, it's complicated.
To answer the original question : yes, they are worth every penny, at least in my book. Every leap in price has been (somehow) rewarded with a leap in quality or a valuable lesson (ha, ha...).
 
Stahlmann said:
Let me ask this. I recently bought 3 knives that have been on my list for a while. The first one retails for $139.99 and is often offered at that price for sale. I bought mine new for $71.99 from a reputable reseller. The price of the knife changed drastically (by 48.6%) yet its product quality didn't change. How would you explain that given what you believe that essentially boils down to "more expensive equals higher product quality?"
Click to expand...
You’ll note the phrase “never say never” in my last post. Your “example” is why. There could always be some sale , liquidation or other uncommon situation where something (a knife in this instance) is marked down more than it normally would be. And yes , I believe that for the most part (not always) , the higher the price , the better quality is expected. I’m also well aware that whatever people are willing to pay (say for a hot commodity) is what the market will dictate.

Anyway , despite your best attempts , my stance on the subject still stands. Opinions are fun😃
 
I’ll preface this buy saying I’m not a fan of proprietary hardware, but the authentic Shirogorov tool bit sets (with tweezers) are between $500.00 and $550.00.

There are alternatives which are cheaper however, around $230.00.
 
Oklahoma Outlaw said:
I’ll preface this buy saying I’m not a fan of proprietary hardware, but the authentic Shirogorov tool bit sets (with tweezers) are between $500.00 and $550.00.

There are alternatives which are cheaper however, around $230.00.
Click to expand...
I’m not a fan of proprietary hardware either. It’s been a deal breaker for me in the past a couple times. Depends on the knife.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top