Ashamed of purchase price

Everybody had their own interests and their ideas of what they are willing to pay. If people have extra money they are free to spend it on knives, cars, boats, beer, whatever. Some people spend insane amounts of fishing boats, motorcycles, golf, ski trips, whatever. An expensive knife is a drop in the bucket compared to a modest bass boat.

If it bothers you to tell people at work what your knives cost then avoid that part of the conversation.
 
I understand what the op is saying. I have a coworker who I guarantee will show up one day this week with some knife he found or purchased at your local gas station and be like, "Hey I got another knife. Cost me $7.99! Look how fast it opens." I usually just give him props on his find not telling him how much my knife cost or how mines will last longer.
 
Dsmroots said:
I have found myself ashamed to mention what I have paid for them.[/QUOTE]

I'm sorry you feel "undeserving" of being able to carry a really great knife like a CRK, Strider, a nice mid-tech, XM-18, or the like.
When someone asks to see my knife, I am proud that I am able to carry such an excellent example of beautiful craftsmanship and precision. I was a machinist early on, and learned to appreciate fine metal work and close tolerances.
My friends generally enjoy it when I can explain some fundamentals of folders such as various blade-steels, edge-holding, and scale materials such as G10, carbon fiber, or plain titanium slabs.
Not something to be ashamed of whatsoever.
I guess I'm a snob...
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I tend to stay away from the price question unless someone shows general interest in buying a nice(r) knife. I constantly try to push knives into the hands of my friends who dont have them, and only a few have gotten as into it as I. At the end of the day though, i havent any safe queens or serious collectors items so all of my blades get to see use.

OP - Be proud of your blades! But dont forget to be
honest and understanding of people and friends who dont know as much about our hobby. With luck they can educate us on thier 61 reissues of 59 strats, 1940s rolex bubble backs, designer handbags, and collectibles of all kinds.
 
I usually answer the price question with another question. Are you interested in buying one? If they answer no then I generally don't tell them.
 
You friends can pound sand if they have a problem with how you spend your money. You get better steel and workmanship as you go up in price. No need to be ashamed of how much you paid. Besides, your friends have no need to know how much your knives cost.
 
You may not be able to afford that Lamborghini Gallardo...
You can however afford that great knife because mabye that is your attainable Lambo Gallardo...
If it makes you happy everytime you get to use it that EASILY money is well spent IMO.
No need to be ashamed of something practical and well crafted regardless of price.
 
It's funny. Ive seen welders wear ostrich skin boots to work. Light their kamel non filters with a silver zippo encrusted with turquoise. And they carry a buck 110.
 
Some folks just don't get it. The challenge is to make them understand your point of view on quality knives. It took me a bit, but now they understand why I have quality knives. That doesn't mean they're buying better knives, but I get asked to see my latest purchase a lot more than why I spend so much on my knives.
 
Dsmroots said:
First off, I don't want this to turn into a pricing debate between manufactures. There is plenty of that.

I am a modest person who likes modest styling and prefer functionality over astetics. I find beauty in craftsmanship. The problem with this is that once you get into some of the more precision built knives, even in production knife territory, you still hit higher price ranges. So when I do compare knives to friends at work, the first thing they ask me is how much I paid for my knives. I have found myself ashamed to mention what I have paid for them compared to a $20-30 kershaw, sog, or Gerber. Am I the only one who finds this problematic? I love my benchmade's and there are plenty of other makes out there that I have my eyes on but even those are 200+. What I have opted to do is just not disclose the purchase price but the feeling of guilt/shame is still annoying.
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Nobody cares about how much you spent on a knife. Ashamed? Why do you care what others think of your consumer habits?
 
RetiredGuns said:
I don't sweat it much. The guys at work are used to me having an expensive knife on me. Most have some sort of hobby. My boss will carry a $30 Gerber, but spend $250 on an autographed baseball that sits in a lucite holder. I figure I can at least use mine in everyday tasks. My other boss carries an old carbon schrade pocket knife and is about $50k into restoring a '68 Chevelle & a '70 Nova. A lot of us have something that most would consider extravagant.
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If I lived near you, I would like to meet your friend with the '68 Chevelle and '70 Nova. Two great collectables!

Eric
 
I always say, it is great to be able to afford nice things, as.long as one doesn't lose appreciation for others. I love my higher end blades, but never lose my appreciation for the ones I had before I could afford nicer ones.

I don't have many fancy things in my life. I work hard. If I like to put my money into my blades that's my business. I see people w name brand clothes, fancy cars, new tech devices every time they come out. That's their choice too.

There was a time my lifting partner asked me about the cost of a knife. He is a man whose never known anything but poverty and just can't seem to get out of it no matter how much he works. When he realized a had a number of knives over $100 he was blown away. So, I guess I did feel that guilt.
 
I have to say it really depends on who's asking. For example, if my father ever asks, I would never ever in ever of evers tell what I paid for my knives. Then again I grew up hiding my purchases from him.

My good friends know I have expensive knives. So does my fiancé.

It is difficult when the people asking you are uninformed. For example, my friend's 16 year old son thought my knives were cool and decided to ask for a knife for Christmas. He had seen Smith and Wesson and Gerber at a sporting goods store. It took a while, but I finally convinced him to ask for a Kershaw, which he got.

I am not ashamed of the cost of my knives, but I am careful about who I tell the cost to.
 
Quiet said:
This. Don't EVER be ashamed of how you enjoy your income after your needs are met. There will be plenty of other people who will try to make you feel that way, don't let them. They don't matter. :thumbup:
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Yup. Couldn't agree more. I have knives in every price range. I can justify the price I paid for each of them, I just don't need to explain the reasons to people who wouldn't understand. Never be ashamed of your stuff. What other people think doesn't really matter. It is what you think that matters.

Oh, and my ZTs are more precisely made than my SAKS and I can justify the price I paid for each.:thumbup:
 
Unless you're into the hobby and are already familiar with the costs associated with higher end companies and even customs- it's hard to understand the prices people pay. It wasn't that long ago when even I was dumbfounded by a $200 benchmade... fast forward a year and change and I don't blink when I see those prices now. I'm not rich by any stretch, but I do spend more on knives than most laypeople could comprehend.

As a result, I try to keep prices to myself because I don't want to give the wrong impression of who I am (I'm not flashy), how much I make (I'm not wealthy), or my priorities (I pay all of my bills, but also allow myself a knife budget). It does get awkward when people ask (as they often do), "how much was that knife?" I sometimes tell anyway, but on my custom- I say don't even ask- you wouldn't understand. Due to that same guilt or shame of talking about pricing with non-knife collectors, I typically say- "it normally costs 'x', but I traded a few older knives for it" even when I bought it retail, just to avoid the above misconceptions.

As other's have said, some people buy golf clubs, designer clothes, sports memorabilia, restore cars, etc... On the outside looking in to any other hobby than one I'm currently interested in- I couldn't justify the expenses people shell out, in the same way they don't understand knife collecting/prices.

This is the one outlet aside from with a couple of local collector friends where I can comfortably talk about the hobby- and I suspect it is similar for a bunch of us on here.
 
The newest 'fad' for the young people here are those electronic cigarettes. The same dipshits that quit smoking to save money are buying these 'vape units' or whatever and spending 200+ on mods.
Same dipshits will spend 200 or more a week in alcohol.
I drank that heavily once upon a time, but after my daughter was born, no more alcohol.
These people spend way too much money on something that will have no value, no longer operational, in the toilet or literally up in smoke to scrutinize my purchase decisions.

I enjoy high end knives and watches. And every one I buy, I know will be worth something in a year. 2 years. 25 years. Some scoff at the prices I pay, but I see the value and appreciate the quality.
 
lilBIGfoot said:
The newest 'fad' for the young people here are those electronic cigarettes. The same dipshits that quit smoking to save money are buying these 'vape units' or whatever and spending 200+ on mods.
Same dipshits will spend 200 or more a week in alcohol.
I drank that heavily once upon a time, but after my daughter was born, no more alcohol.
These people spend way too much money on something that will have no value, no longer operational, in the toilet or literally up in smoke to scrutinize my purchase decisions.

I enjoy high end knives and watches. And every one I buy, I know will be worth something in a year. 2 years. 25 years. Some scoff at the prices I pay, but I see the value and appreciate the quality.
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If people want to spend their money on consumables, I agree with you- it's a waste compared to watches and knives since they'll have spent 10x more than we ever will and we'll always having something to show for it, but even being in their shoes as a former drinker doesn't warrant the name calling IMO. If we're aware of the ignorance of non-knife people with regards to pricing, we should attempt to accept that other people will spend on whatever they want- no matter if we agree or understand.

As a side note, I smoke cigars on occasion and spend far less than some people I know on cigars- but if that's what they enjoy spending thousands on- I'm not going to fault them- it's their right. Oddly enough- it's those same high end cigar smokers that I know that make comments on what I spend on a knife. I guess what I'm saying is, if I want people to accept the fact that my hobbies are my right, I have to reciprocate by not being overly judgmental.
 
the only person that I have to answer to about what I spend on my knives is the wife, and she doesn't seem to mind, so as far as im concerned, anyone else can bug off.
 
lilBIGfoot said:
The newest 'fad' for the young people here are those electronic cigarettes. The same dipshits that quit smoking to save money are buying these 'vape units' or whatever and spending 200+ on mods.
Same dipshits will spend 200 or more a week in alcohol.
I drank that heavily once upon a time, but after my daughter was born, no more alcohol.
These people spend way too much money on something that will have no value, no longer operational, in the toilet or literally up in smoke to scrutinize my purchase decisions.

I enjoy high end knives and watches. And every one I buy, I know will be worth something in a year. 2 years. 25 years. Some scoff at the prices I pay, but I see the value and appreciate the quality.
Click to expand...

Nothing like in a thread about the shame of being judged that you judge folks and call them names.

Value is in the eye of the beholder.
 
lilBIGfoot said:
The newest 'fad' for the young people here are those electronic cigarettes. The same dipshits that quit smoking to save money are buying these 'vape units' or whatever and spending 200+ on mods.
Same dipshits will spend 200 or more a week in alcohol.
I drank that heavily once upon a time, but after my daughter was born, no more alcohol.
These people spend way too much money on something that will have no value, no longer operational, in the toilet or literally up in smoke to scrutinize my purchase decisions.

I enjoy high end knives and watches. And every one I buy, I know will be worth something in a year. 2 years. 25 years. Some scoff at the prices I pay, but I see the value and appreciate the quality.
Click to expand...
Oh man, when I go out w coworkers it blows me away what they will spend at the bar. My Shirley temples are usually on the house cuz folks think I'm a designated driver.
 
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