Are extremely expensive knives also extremely good?

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EatingSarma

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ESEE Izula and Recon1 tanto are what I usually carry. I haven't bought a knife in years until recently and I never felt like I need anything better. I know these 2 knives are nothing special but they work for me.

I met several CRK or Benchmade fans over the years who were basically putting their Inkosi and Osborne and what not into my face while insisting that I absolutely need one...

What's the deal? I've seen and held these knives and they are nothing special IMO. Some Benchmade models even feel like toys.
CRK guys kept going on how easy it is to disasemble their knives... why would I do that?

Is there any real benefit for something so expensive? I don't care about titanium handle and I don't care about flipping as I simply won't flip my knife... I just want it to cut. I have a friend who is perfectly happy with his D2 Ontario Rat and uses it more than I use my knives.

Also, I've never seen these dudes actually use their knives for anything, fair share still have factory edges, and I've seen one use keys to open something while his knife is safely tucked in his pocket...

What's the real deal here?
 
It sounds like you have made up your mind, and that's totally fine. My recent purchase of an ESEE 5 has led me to believe that it may be the crux of price and performance where I will use and abuse the knife and not feel bad about it. The combination of a tough cost effective yet well heat treated carbon steel with Micarta to hold onto makes for a about as bombproof of a survival knife as I could hope for.

That said, there is something to be said of quality and price point. To be honest, unless you are paying for a very high performance steel, you most likely won't see a massive return on your investment terms of use once you get over the $200-300 price for a fixed blade when it comes to something is good for "cuttin' stuff". After that, fit, finish, ergonomics, steel performance, warranty, pride of ownership, etc are what you are paying for.

When it comes to folders, IMHO, that's a who 'nother can of worms. As you go up in price you really do see some fantastic crispness to the fit and finish, the materials, etc. I have no qualms about dropping $550-600 on a Spartan SHF because it really oozes a quality that can only be described as a well lubricated battle tank.

Still, even then I don't wang on them as much as other folders. I have found my sweet spot is around $90-200ish dollar for a folder that I will use and will come with some premium performance. Dropped in the woods, gimme a chunky Cold Steel folder, but for EDC a Spyderco Para 3 in Cruwear has been a knife that I have not needed to swap out for any job I put it up to.

In short, yet you can get some bonus performance out of a higher end knife, but you don't have to spend a fortune to get return on your investment. However, there is nothing wrong with people buying what they like. My old man carries a Buck 110 I bought him for $25 from Walmart on clearance 15 years ago. He doesn't see why I need to carry a $90 Recon 1. His head would spin if he knew I dropped 5 bills for a Spartan or plunked down 700 without batting an eye for an OTF auto ;)
 
Most cheap or mid-range knives can do 99.9% of what expensive knives can do. They cut, hold an edge decently, and they’re enough for most real-world use. People might spend more for reasons that aren’t purely practical: craftsmanship, materials, pride of ownership, appreciation for unique designs or designers or makers or brands, collecting, resale value, or just wanting "the best."

I spend more for many of the same reasons.
 
OZ Rosie or SPK Lamia come to mind. Really expensive and really good imo. Worlds apart function wise from a quality $200 to $300 knife? No...

But they are roll out, thumb flick and reverse flick better than may and hold their value well, if things like that are important to you.
 
EatingSarma said:
ESEE Izula and Recon1 tanto are what I usually carry. I haven't bought a knife in years until recently and I never felt like I need anything better. I know these 2 knives are nothing special but they work for me.

I met several CRK or Benchmade fans over the years who were basically putting their Inkosi and Osborne and what not into my face while insisting that I absolutely need one...

What's the deal? I've seen and held these knives and they are nothing special IMO. Some Benchmade models even feel like toys.
CRK guys kept going on how easy it is to disasemble their knives... why would I do that?

Is there any real benefit for something so expensive? I don't care about titanium handle and I don't care about flipping as I simply won't flip my knife... I just want it to cut. I have a friend who is perfectly happy with his D2 Ontario Rat and uses it more than I use my knives.

Also, I've never seen these dudes actually use their knives for anything, fair share still have factory edges, and I've seen one use keys to open something while his knife is safely tucked in his pocket...

What's the real deal here?
Click to expand...

The Izula and Recon are both quality knives and will do everything you need. Both Benchmade and CRK use better materials and are better built but they aren't neccesary.

There is probably someone with a gas station knife that thinks you spend too much on knives, btw. It's all relative.
 
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EatingSarma said:
ESEE Izula and Recon1 tanto are what I usually carry. I haven't bought a knife in years until recently and I never felt like I need anything better. I know these 2 knives are nothing special but they work for me.

I met several CRK or Benchmade fans over the years who were basically putting their Inkosi and Osborne and what not into my face while insisting that I absolutely need one...

What's the deal? I've seen and held these knives and they are nothing special IMO. Some Benchmade models even feel like toys.
CRK guys kept going on how easy it is to disasemble their knives... why would I do that?

Is there any real benefit for something so expensive? I don't care about titanium handle and I don't care about flipping as I simply won't flip my knife... I just want it to cut. I have a friend who is perfectly happy with his D2 Ontario Rat and uses it more than I use my knives.

Also, I've never seen these dudes actually use their knives for anything, fair share still have factory edges, and I've seen one use keys to open something while his knife is safely tucked in his pocket...

What's the real deal here?
Click to expand...

Some are. Some are better than extremely good.
 
As a large generalisation extremely expensive knives are generally extremely good.

Now that statement is very broad.........and there are many cases where that may not be not true, but as Sal Glesser has so elegantly said in the past......generally you get what you pay for.
 
I started as a benchmade fan because their quality was better than your typical $40 knife but when I bought and used a CRK, everything changed. They aren’t even in the same universe in any regard. I still have my Benchmades and still love my 940s, but my Chris Reeve knives are by far my favorite and I own many knives that are much more expensive than Chris Reeve. There’s no coincidence they won so many awards over the years at Bladeshow.

Get a Large 21 Sebenza in your hand and you’ll see what I mean. I’d rather have one Chris Reeve for $500 than 10 cheap $50 knives.

Almost all of my “cheap” knives over the years either broke in some fashion, had terrible edge retention, and had zero guarantee. Compare that with CRK, won’t break or malfunction, holds a great edge, hollow ground blade last much longer and allows more sharpening over time without sacrificing too much steel, zero blade play in any direction (ZERO), premium materials and steel that will last a couple decades,INCREDIBLE warranty and customer service, holds their value even if used because everyone knows what they are getting, extremely easy to take apart, clean and reassemble after field dressing game or hard/dirty use, and I could go on and on.

Just get a gently used 21 or Large Inkosi one and carry it for a year. Thank me later.

One of the only “cheaper” feeling brands that has continually surprised me is old Cold Steel models. No warranty but damn they are ROCK SOLID, RAZOR SHARP AND CRAZY STRONG.
 
Above a certain price point, it's about "style" rather than "performance".

If what you have performs the jobs you need done, then you have all the performance you need. You might get a kick from having something fancier, or you might not. That call is up to you.

edited to add:
And for me that price point is a little over $100 in 2025.
 
John Phillips said:
I started as a benchmade fan because their quality was better than your typical $40 knife but when I bought and used a CRK, everything changed. They aren’t even in the same universe in any regard. I still have my Benchmades and still love my 940s, but my Chris Reeve knives are by far my favorite and I own many knives that are much more expensive than Chris Reeve. There’s no coincidence they won so many awards over the years at Bladeshow.

Get a Large 21 Sebenza in your hand and you’ll see what I mean. I’d rather have one Chris Reeve for $500 than 10 cheap $50 knives.

Almost all of my “cheap” knives over the years either broke in some fashion, had terrible edge retention, and had zero guarantee. Compare that with CRK, won’t break or malfunction, holds a great edge, hollow ground blade last much longer and allows more sharpening over time without sacrificing too much steel, zero blade play in any direction (ZERO), premium materials and steel that will last a couple decades,INCREDIBLE warranty and customer service, holds their value even if used because everyone knows what they are getting, extremely easy to take apart, clean and reassemble after field dressing game or hard/dirty use, and I could go on and on.

Just get a gently used 21 or Large Inkosi one and carry it for a year. Thank me later.

One of the only “cheaper” feeling brands that has continually surprised me is old Cold Steel models. No warranty but damn they are ROCK SOLID, RAZOR SHARP AND CRAZY STRONG.
Click to expand...
I too love my CRKs, but I love my LGs just a tad more! I have a VECP that the action is like glass!
 
For example Boker still uses 440C for their vollintegral models and they are about $500+^ now. Is 440C "extremely good" ?
Depends if it's worth it to the seller. The buyer marks a knife at a certain price, and if the seller finds it to be a good value [to them] they'll go for it.
 
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