Are you taken in by "overbuilt" marketing?

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And for me it has nothing to do with marketing. The last time marketing got me was when I was 10 and needed a SAK because of MacGyver. :cool:
Now it's just the "Hey, that's neat!" factor, and sometimes a slip-joint does that...and sometimes it's some huge honkin knife that some people feel an ineffable need to judge me over.
 
I spend most of my knife time here, and so apparently have missed the vast majority of knife marketing. I may well be susceptible, but I don't have any data.

Some people never ever use their knives to pry things. I'm fine with that. Some people never spank their girlfriends, either. I'm fine with that, too. I, on the other hand, have and will continue to use a knife to pry with should I feel it's necessary or desirable depending on the circumstances. For those times, I find I prefer to have a solid, heavy use folder available. I don't like the term "over-built" as I don't care for the pejoritive connotations or logical issues.

Now, I generally carry at least two knives. One is a small, slim knife that is fairly non-knife people friendly. Today it's an Mnandi. It fulfills my requirement for a pocket scalpel. And if it's too large, I have a Ladybug in ZDP-189 on my keychain that is ludicrously sharp, as I know to my own personal horror. Fortunately, I do carry bandaids in my EDC bag.

Still, if you think about it, you ain't gonna get a lot of prying done with a Mnandi. Or a Ladybug, for that matter. Yes, I carry a titanium prybar on my keychain (next to the Ladybug), but it's not sharp. Sometimes you really do need a knife to get to the point where prying would make a difference. So, yeah, I like to carry a tool appropriate to the need. I don't pry with my Leek, but I won't hesistate with my 0561.

Here of late, I've been buying Striders. Which is weird, because when I first started really heavily in knives, I really did not like the way they looked. I did finally break down and buy one, though, just to see if I'd been missing something. I like the SMF. Got an AR coming, now. Still looking for a decent SnG. These are serious heavy use folding knives.

I still like my smaller knives. I have a couple of Leeks, a Wild Turkey, Mnandi, Ripple, etc in the daily rotation for small, absurdly sharp knife. But, I also like my large, heavy use folders for those situations where they are appropriate (not that they aren't also absurdly sharp--they are). Granted, I work in an office these days, at least mostly, but I'm terrified at the thought of being jammed into a stuck elevator with a group of Jehovah's Witnesses, so I feel profound emotional comfort by carrying a knife I know I can use to pry the doors open. YMMV.
 
Kershaw Cryo is the most overbuilt folder I own. At the time I loved the idea of the flipper acting as an guard, spring assist, frame lock, deep pocket carry, titanium carbo-nitride coating, blade length, etc. It has a lot of things going for it that I like. But than I got a Rough Rider Canoe as my next knife and had a "WTF the Cryo can't cut a thick piece of cardboard to save it's life in comparison to this cheap Canoe". At that moment my fascination with folders such as these died, I learned I prefer performance and ergonomics over just about everything else. Something that Canoe had that the Cryo didn't, the dang thing just sliced through cardboard with ease in comparison and fit my hand perfectly like they were made for each other. It was slow to open, no lock, no pocket clip, no titanium carbo-nitride coating, but I didn't care it worked and it worked dang good and was comfortable to use.

Whats funny is I probably be into the heavily overbuilt folders right now had they just released the ZT 0566 a few months sooner, I got tired of waiting and got that Canoe to hold me over. Now I have very little interest in the 0566 unless I could get it cheap. It went from being the #1 knife I wanted to own down to one of the last ones I'm interested in, I have more interest in it now due to wanting to test out Elmax and having what is effectively a larger Cryo to occasionally EDC than actual interest in the knife itself. For the most part the traditional slipjoint bug has got me and I have no regrets.

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Oh wait this was on marketing, there is marketing on knives? Where? I am serious, I don't watch TV, block ad's on the internet to cut down on wasted bandwidth and malware, etc. I am pretty out of touch on this ad's and marketing, I am equivalent to the guy who lives in a cave when it comes to this pretty much :D.
 
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As someone else noted, this is my primary resource for knife information. Do I buy into marketing? Sure, to some extent. I like the idea of the overbuilt folder but not too big or heavy. For daily carry a 0550 or 0560 will do the trick. Other days, a small thinner knife do but thats when a larger knife would draw too much attention. Now I'm looking for a do it all folder. If I planned on slicing cardboard all day long, I'd be looking for something thinner. I'm not :)
 
Is there marketing in knives lol? I dont know ask that fella named "Kai"?

Everybody likes to think their too smart to get "marketed" to. Nope not me they might market to rubes,but not me, not this guy...my opinion won't be swayed...oh hey there sal nice to see ya what's that? You got a new catalog for me to take a gander at? Sure I'll look as long as you don't market at me or anything...
 
Ryanol said:
Is there marketing in knives lol? I dont know ask that fella named "Kai"?

Everybody likes to think their too smart to get "marketed" to. Nope not me they might market to rubes,but not me, not this guy...my opinion won't be swayed...oh hey there sal nice to see ya what's that? You got a new catalog for me to take a gander at? Sure I'll look as long as you don't market at me or anything...
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Talking about commercials, ads, and such. Not catalogs and information I seek out. I don't recall ever seeing such a thing minus 1 or 2 ads in a gun magazine, but I haven't read one of those in years.
 
I love big, overbuilt tactical knives, but I dont care about marketing or what anybody has to say about the "mall ninja, tacticool or hype" crap, nobody needs to determine what anybody else should like or not like. Every knife has its place though and overbuilt knives are sometimes very necessary.
 
Well, what if I need a knife to cut through a building when it falls on me?

I had a CRKT M16 14T for a while and enjoyed the heft and Carson's video explaining the wonder of the knife. But alas it got to heavy to lug around in my MaxPedition EDC bag waiting for a building collapse.
 
This kind of covers it

Firestrike:

As a Busse fan and owner, I for sure like overbuilt.

Thier marketing had zero influence on my decision, Noss did.

Before I even knew what a Busse was, back in my KaBar's are the best thing ever days, I watched Noss beat on a FFBM (what's an FFBM I thought) for what equated to a couple of hours. That is when I knew that I had to have something that could withstand more than anything I would ever use a knife for. Not that I don't enjoy thinner knives for certian tasks, but there is something to be said about a knife that just won't break no matter how stupid you get with it.
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I EDC a small Busse fixed blade and I have a "Busse" Scrapyard SOD 7 1/2" blade that's .275" thick SR-77 steel .

I have lots of other knives that are NOT built like tanks , but it's nice to know you have at least ONE that just will not fail you under any condition .


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HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS !
 
The most overbuilt folder I own today is the ZT 0566. It is very well made with the tightest tolerances of any folder I have ever owned. The blade steel is a pain to sharpen but takes a great edge, the retention of which I haven't had the opportunity to test. I don't carry it because its just too bulky to wear with a suit. My Leek and RAT 2 work perfectly well for urban EDC and for anything that requires more strength I have a BK14 and a WRKT Backpacker. I have ordered a Condor HB Camp Knife for when I am outdoors.

The upshot of all this is that I realize the only reason to carry an overbuilt type folder that steps over the utility line into FB territory would be to somehow walk around the local knife laws should they prevent FB carry. YMMV but even my own reasons to acquire the 0566 were subjective and not based on any utility requirement. I am an admitted KAI fanboy. I really like the knife and appreciate the engineering that went into it. It will however, remain a collector's piece and probably see little to no use in my life.

I am certain there are enough and more people for whom a "tank" folder would actually see significant use, but I cant help but marvel at the offerings from Medford and the like.
 
My marketing ear has a sensor alert for "overbuilt" just as it does for "super steel", "titanium" and "carbon fiber". However, I'm not easily seduced so then I proceed to evaluate features, materials, company and quality. Frequently, I find an overbuilt knife not advertised as such. The prime example is the Boker Minos which is the toughest high-quality overbuilt tank of a small folder I currently possess.
 
I have a Crusader Forge FIFP EX.... thought it was "overbuilt" too. Then I got my Cold Steel Recon 1 that cost me 60$, which is almost 20 times less money than the Crusader. That triad lock on the CS is way...way stronger than any framelock I've seen. I'm probably going to put up my EX for sale soon. That should tell you something about all this "tank framlock" nonsense.... What good is the thickness of the titanium of a framelock it it tapers down to a super thin lock relief on the handle? It's meaningless... The lock will fail at its weakest point. There's no point thickening the rest of the lock and reinforcing it while neglecting the weakest part...
 
My friend smokes a pipe...several actually, he spends $200+ for custom pipes. Does he need to spend that much money to enjoy his tobacco? no. Does he enjoy collecting custom pipes, yes! Do I need a "overbuilt" Folding knife? NO. Do I enjoy collecting knives and attracted by unique designs? Yes! My pocket knife is hands down the most expensive letter opener/box cutter on the block, i'd bet money on it. If I go look at my shelf full 'O knives, I can pick out a very small, light cheap Colt folder whose blade can bend w/ your bare hands, it is an amazing box cutter and letter opener. Will it impress my friends? No. Will my ego swell when i carry it? No! Will chicks care what kind of knife I carry? No. I am no longer in the military, I no longer work in security, I am not a "prepper", I "car camp" occasionally and the sad fact is, the mutant hordes are not at my doorstep nor are they coming any time soon. The reality is, I commute to work on the bus and work in the education system so I dont "Need" an over built knife.
The truth is, we, on the Blade Forums, enjoy collecting knives and dont buy into marketing hype but instead buy knives we enjoy using, collecting and carrying.
 
A tad overbuilt?

Please note, that Im not putting down the quality of some of these knives. They may well be built by craftsmen putting a lot of quality materials and work hours into making these knives.

IMO its clown-ish big for a folder and useless for carrying around in a pants pocket (especially summer weight pants), which is how I carry my EDC folder, but thats just me.





 
RamZar said:
My marketing ear has a sensor alert for "overbuilt" just as it does for "super steel", "titanium" and "carbon fiber". However, I'm not easily seduced so then I proceed to evaluate features, materials, company and quality. Frequently, I find an overbuilt knife not advertised as such. The prime example is the Boker Minos which is the toughest high-quality overbuilt tank of a small folder I currently possess.
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?

Carbon fiber folder on top and bottom one titanium - why would you need to be on the alert? ;-)

 
I want, very selfish of me, ONE overbuilt folder so I have on order a Crusader Forge Tac4 Tanto.
 
Bob6794 said:
Talking about commercials, ads, and such. Not catalogs and information I seek out. I don't recall ever seeing such a thing minus 1 or 2 ads in a gun magazine, but I haven't read one of those in years.
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Well I am just trying to educate folks a little. Marketing is not really ads any more, its striking up conversations and providing high quality images that can easily be shared on the internet and social media. Its Lucas Burnley posting pictures of cypops that are for sale on dedicated forums, it's Dalibor showing his new pivot on IG, it's cutlerylover or Nutnfancy getting a free knife to review on youtube.

Spark charges knifemakers around here so that means believe it or not every interaction they have here could potentially be construed as marketing or advertising.

Creating a catalog - again marketing.

It's not a bad thing but to think that the forums and knife community as a whole aren't steered some times by marketing is naive.

Surely you guys noticed that when SHOT happened and all those kick ass Kershaws got posted a handful of guys who were creating posts that had nice big pictures and similar disclosures? That could not have possibly been orchestrated marketing could it?

FYI this thread worked it's marketing magic on me and I know have a CS Lawman on it's way to see about this overbuilt stuff.
 
The Becker BK-2 and ESEE 5 stand as mute testimony to the lemming-like lure of professional marketers - who clearly - based on the sales success of those two jokes of a knife - have found a market niche in those with Freudian complexes that correlate spine thickness with a thickness of a different sort.
 
I would just LOVE to see one of these people yank out a mirror-polished, micarta-handled BK2 around a firepit populated by real bushcrafters. I can hear the giggles now....
 
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