Are there really a lot of differences between a $50 EDC knife and. $250 one?

Bigtiny6181 said:
I dig spydercos and kershaws, but most are NOT made in the U.S. The ones that are... Have a heftier price.
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There are plenty of Taiwan made Spydies that cost a whole heck of a lot more than the stuff coming out of Golden.

US Kershaws do tend to cost most, but again still most are very affordable. Picked up a Knockout for around $55 as a gift, made in the US, great knife.
 
TheStupid said:
Any fundamentals that would make a real life difference?
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I usually avoid threads like these because there is no correct answer... or more accurately, there are many correct answers.

An over-simplified answer might be: cost of materials used + cost of production + profit margin = cost of knife. If a maker invests 48hrs hand-crafting a blade from raw stock to a finished knife, at a humble $10/hr, that's already $480 in labour alone... :eek: Labour of love, indeed! Compare this to a factory worker who also makes $10/hr on an assembly line that spits out large batches of knives--the cost per unit is dramatically reduced.

Analogy time... yay! :rolleyes: A fast food burger can stop the rumbling in your belly as well as a gourmet burger at twice the price, but which would you enjoy more? That's entirely up to *you*. Is there a difference? Certainly.

-Brett
 
I don't classify knives according to cost. I look at suitability for a given task. Some very cheap knives have been great cutters and they have stayed with me... Some expensive knives have ended up in the metal recycling. :)
 
For $50 you get a dlc Leek at Wally.

For $250 you get an A163-1 Socom Delta with a cmp-d2 blade that gpk had hidden since 2013.
 
Value, such an elusive qualitative reference to score!

So much depends on what you expect the knife to do. If you want a folder cut,and slice and sometimes poke, pry and prod - $50 gets you a lot. I'm a fan of the Ontario RAT-1 knives; what you get for <$30 is amazing in fit, finish, materials and ergonomics. I also adore my Sebenza.

Ten years ago as one went down below $100 it was like falling off of the flat earth!

Today, with the proliferation of simply fantastic offerings under $100, it is harder, for a knife user contra to a collector, to justify some of the prices previously commanded for production knives.

Different folk buy different knives for different reasons. I am a knife user but also appreciate craftsmanship and tight tolerances; I do, after all, own several Chris Reeve's knives. That said, I love beating the snot out of my Beckers, RAT-1s and Kershaw Emersons - notwithstanding a drawer and safe full of real Emersons. Remember, loss is the #1 risk to a folder.

I said all of that to say this: now is a great time to be into knives. The "value" afforded by so many offerings has been a game-changer!
 
My most expensive EDC knife is a Buck 110, that cost $40 (including tax) at Wally World.
My least expensive EDC is an Opinel No.8. In between I have Rough Riders, Colt, Marbles, and a couple slip joint Bucks (USA and China made.)
The least expensive Rough Rider I have is a Barlow, that was around $9.00. The fit and finish are quite good. No gaps, centered blades, even edge grind on the blades, edge retention is excellent, and there is no blade wobble.

I'll never buy an expensive knife. I do not need a "super steel" that I can't sharpen in the field or need expensive diamond hones to sharpen it. The 440A, 425HC, 1095, 1446 Krups, etc. that I have are quite capable of cutting everything I need to cut, and of skinning and dressing any fish and game I may get.
I don't baton my knives, stab cars, or otherwise abuse my knives. I expect they will all out last me.
 
timberweasel said:
I usually avoid threads like these because there is no correct answer... or more accurately, there are many correct answers.

An over-simplified answer might be: cost of materials used + cost of production + profit margin = cost of knife. If a maker invests 48hrs hand-crafting a blade from raw stock to a finished knife, at a humble $10/hr, that's already $480 in labour alone... :eek: Labour of love, indeed! Compare this to a factory worker who also makes $10/hr on an assembly line that spits out large batches of knives--the cost per unit is dramatically reduced.

Analogy time... yay! :rolleyes: A fast food burger can stop the rumbling in your belly as well as a gourmet burger at twice the price, but which would you enjoy more? That's entirely up to *you*. Is there a difference? Certainly.

-Brett
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Well said! There is obviously a difference. The only question is, is it worth it to the buyer. Yugo vs. Lambo? I'd rather have a Lambo. :D
 
afishhunter said:
My most expensive EDC knife is a Buck 110, that cost $40 (including tax) at Wally World.
My least expensive EDC is an Opinel No.8. In between I have Rough Riders, Colt, Marbles, and a couple slip joint Bucks (USA and China made.)
The least expensive Rough Rider I have is a Barlow, that was around $9.00. The fit and finish are quite good. No gaps, centered blades, even edge grind on the blades, edge retention is excellent, and there is no blade wobble.

I'll never buy an expensive knife. I do not need a "super steel" that I can't sharpen in the field or need expensive diamond hones to sharpen it. The 440A, 425HC, 1095, 1446 Krups, etc. that I have are quite capable of cutting everything I need to cut, and of skinning and dressing any fish and game I may get.
I don't baton my knives, stab cars, or otherwise abuse my knives. I expect they will all out last me.
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Interesting.....

I can cut a lot of stuff too with a tin can lid...... But that's not saying much... ;)

Edge retention is excellent compared to what?

Diamonds to sharpen what steels?

I haven't seen a steel yet that I couldn't sharpen using Silicon Carbide and I have seen just about all of them over the years.

If you like the knives you have that's fine, there are a lot of people out there just like you.

But the only one you are fooling is yourself thinking there aren't better performing knives and steels and you need diamonds to sharpen them.
 
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timberweasel said:
Analogy time... yay! :rolleyes: A fast food burger can stop the rumbling in your belly as well as a gourmet burger at twice the price, but which would you enjoy more? That's entirely up to *you*. Is there a difference? Certainly.

-Brett
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As if I couldn't get any hungrier right now. Thanks, Brett!
 
afishhunter said:
My most expensive EDC knife is a Buck 110, that cost $40 (including tax) at Wally World.
My least expensive EDC is an Opinel No.8. In between I have Rough Riders, Colt, Marbles, and a couple slip joint Bucks (USA and China made.)
The least expensive Rough Rider I have is a Barlow, that was around $9.00. The fit and finish are quite good. No gaps, centered blades, even edge grind on the blades, edge retention is excellent, and there is no blade wobble.

I'll never buy an expensive knife. I do not need a "super steel" that I can't sharpen in the field or need expensive diamond hones to sharpen it. The 440A, 425HC, 1095, 1446 Krups, etc. that I have are quite capable of cutting everything I need to cut, and of skinning and dressing any fish and game I may get.
I don't baton my knives, stab cars, or otherwise abuse my knives. I expect they will all out last me.
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That's cool. Personally, I cut a ton of cardboard daily. Cardboard absolutely destroys the edge on 440A, 420HC, 1095 Krupp 1446, etc. I would spend more time sharpening than I would cutting if I used those knives.

Oh, my DMT diamond sharpening card that I use for touch-ups cost $10.
 
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