At what point does brand loyalty become an illness?

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gstrand said:
Brand loyalty? It's the way many people are wired. How many of us came from "Ford Families" or "Chevy Families"? What about other notable rivalries? Gibson v. Fender? Canon v. Nikon? Nike v. Adidas? Playstation v. XBox... and the greatest of all, Coke v. Pepsi?

It can be argued that every single one of those is solely about personal preference... unless you're a fan of one... then, it often seems that objectivity flies right out the window.

I like knives.

I have favorite knives, and the Companies/Individuals that make them play a part in that, but that has been part of my journey.

Like many, I started out with the gateway drugs of Spyderco, CRKT, Kershaw and Benchmade. At one point, I had a hundred or so of those four brands in combination, about 40% BM, 15% Spyder, 15% Kershaw, and 30% CRKT. I opened my knife box one day and realized I had WAY more knives than I could use, and a significant amount invested in them, so I decided to sell many off and take the next step...

I then got in to the harder stuff with the purchases of Reeves, Striders (why is everyone tiptoeing around afraid to say that name?) and Emersons, and a few customs.

I like those three production brands, each has its own merits in my opinion, but I realized over the course of a couple years that I carried one particular brand more than the others. I used one particular brand more...

Never being secure in the "don't flick your knife" clause and not carrying them enough, I sold off four Sebenzas, and kept my lefty Umnumzaan. I may be selling that soon, though. I realized I am not high speed or hard core, and sold off two SnG's, a PT, an SLCC and an HT-T, and kept my lefty SnG Tanto. It's sentimental, a gift in kind from a Swedish friend.

I kept most of the Emersons. Especially my lefty versions, as they are in my pocket 90% of the time. Sure, I still have a selection of all of the others mentioned, but only onesie-twosies, and at most four or five.

So I suppose after this journey, I do have a certain amount of brand loyalty, because that's the way it happened - by use and preference.

I've done this same thing with flashlights, fly rods, fly reels, etc... after a few years, you learn to choose based on your own preference after use, not the hype or marketing.

Maybe that's just me. I won't knock your brand choices, as odds are, I've owned one. I may offer an opinion, but it will be grounded in my experience rather than blinded by marketing or anti-marketing...
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Funny : )

I have all kinds of guitars (Ovation - Guild - Fender - Gibson - Epiphone) I love them all!

I have Canon and Nikon I love them both and many others!

There is really nothing like the sound of a large trout ripping line from a Hardy reel!

I love Winston flyrods! My bamboo flyrods don't see much use anymore : (
 
syltetoy said:
There is really nothing like the sound of a large trout ripping line from a Hardy reel!

I love Winston flyrods! My bamboo flyrods don't see much use anymore : (
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Cameras, yeah, I love my G9 and my DSLR is Nikon because I already had the glass...

I have had a couple Hardy's, the most recent the Winston Perfect... They do sound nice, I just couldn't get in to them, as I prefer no mechanical drag - Old Loop Traditionals are my mainstay:thumbup:. Used those nearly every morning when I lived near the Rogue... :) Rods? My mains are Meiser customs and ones I've made from blanks. Did the Orvis rod thing (used to teach @ their schools) and Loop Rods, too. Did the bamboo thing for a while, but now I'm down to two 'boo, one is actually for sale on my smallstreams site.

Funny stuff. :)

...and the knife in my "fishing murse" as the Mrs. calls it, is a regular old Griptilian. :) just keeping it knife topical...
 
gstrand said:
Cameras, yeah, I love my G9 and my DSLR is Nikon because I already had the glass...

I have had a couple Hardy's, the most recent the Winston Perfect... They do sound nice, I just couldn't get in to them, as I prefer no mechanical drag - Old Loop Traditionals are my mainstay:thumbup:. Used those nearly every morning when I lived near the Rogue... :) Rods? My mains are Meiser customs and ones I've made from blanks. Did the Orvis rod thing (used to teach @ their schools) and Loop Rods, too. Did the bamboo thing for a while, but now I'm down to two 'boo, one is actually for sale on my smallstreams site.

Funny stuff. :)

...and the knife in my "fishing murse" as the Mrs. calls it, is a regular old Griptilian. :) just keeping it knife topical...
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I have nearly all the Nikon F models and then some and a boat load of lenses. I also have a Nikon D40 digital (great camera) As for digital I am committed to Canon as I have lot of Canon EF lenses which are from film and digital times.

My Rough Rider small Canoe gets me through most daily knife tasks ; )
 
I have certain brands that I prefer, but I'll buy about any brand out there and test it out and see how it feels, cuts and holds up.
 
akadave2 said:
I think this thread is trolling.
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...or being enhanced by examples that broaden the view of how brand loyalty affects nearly everything we purchase, which was my point. One quick digression about details and we're back. Apologies for apparently trolling. (FWIW, I don't troll. It's boring. I fly fish only. ;) s-toy, FM2's ROCK.)

So...

If I have $350 to spend on a knife, I can easily get any of the brands mentioned from various sources, MSRP notwithstanding. The question is, why do I pick the one that I do? If I pick the same company or maker with my next $350, I have become, to a degree, loyal to that brand.

Enter this for evaluation: I need money. I have an SnG, an Umnumzaan, and a '98 Commander. All are of basically equal value, and similar size, weight, and usability.

Which one will I sell? Will brand loyalty come in to play? I know that is not a sickness level of loyalty, but I believe to say "I have no brand loyalty" is kidding ourselves.
 
I have no brand loyalties per se... I have bought from all 3 of the major production companies, customs and cheaper knives. I paid for them with my own hard earned money. None were gifted to me. I may have more Spydercos than Kershaws but that doesn't mean I'd get every single Spyderco I can afford. If for some reason Spyderco start producing stuff that doesn't suit my liking I'll move on. I paid for these knives.

As far as recommending knives I recommend those that I personally own and like. Case in point, I'd recommend an Ontario RAT3; a knife I own and have personally used and more than likely it'd be shot down for the "original" equivalent.
 
Skimo said:
See I thought they were veiled remarks about Strider knives, not Cold Steel.
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I was trying to read between the lines too, and here I thought they were talking about either Sypderco or the Kershaw mafia! :o This thread has elements of veiled criticism of some fanboys, instead of fanboyism generally. It would be ironic if this discussion turned into a proxy of the brand wars.



midnight flyer said:
The best thing is that none of the fanboys don't really see themselves in that light. They are so deep into the club they think they are defending their territory.
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It's like sports. Disclosure: I am not into team sports. Please do not revoke my man card. I've always been amused when sports fans refer to the team as "us" and "we", as in "we had a good season". What, are you on the team or employed by them? Nevertheless, they have such a strong identification with the team that they actually feel that they are a part of it. The rabid fan of Team A has a biting critique of a player on Team B, even though the fan is no expert (and usually no athlete!)

From the outside, these brand rivalries, whether sports, knives, trucks, guns, etc., seem silly but harmless enough. After all, it's not exactly sectarian violence.

Robert, great post BTW. :thumbup:

I am shocked and amazed that this thread still lives, and in General no less.
 
KeithAM said:
- Unwillingness to consider the merits of other brands.
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This seems to be biggest impediment in brand-zealotry. The fanatic locks themselves into limited options when there's all sorts of fine blades out there.

:foot:
Granted, I've got several favourite sources for knifely goodies, and it can be tough to be more adventurous with a few hundred bucks and try something new.

Dagon said:
What bores me is, when someone asks for advice of a knife to buy, there are some fans who will always suggest their fave knife - no matter what the question was. Things like - I'm exaggerating just a little bit:
- "Q: I'm looking for a sub $100 hunting folder. A: Why don't you save up a little and buy a Sebenza"
- "Q: elegant gentlemen folder advice wanted. A: Military of course, plenty elegant enough".
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Ahh, how often have we seen this one? Afraid I might almost have been guilty of it myself on occasion. I try to keep my mouth shut when I read the OP's specifications and I ain't got any good suggestions that meet their criteria. I try. :D
 
OwenM said:
The day it interferes with a person's ability to be objective.
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yep i agree...I wont name the brand on here but one model of knife above all others seems to get heated arguments going the second anyone doesnt praise them on this forum (i like this particular knife, just dont own one atm). Be objective, and contructive...hating or liking something without a whole lot of merit is never a good thing and blinds us from other possible knife buys :D
 
I stick to production knives only because I don't have the $$$ to spend hundreds of dollars on the fancy, custom knives that I would love to own.
I have a few fixed blades and several folders. I like a couple Spydercos, a lot of the Kershaw, CRKT, Cold Steel, Ka-Bar and a few other brands.
As long as the knife the comapny makes does what it is supposed to do and I can afford it, I really don't care what brand name is on it. I don't care about the politics of the company president or any of his employees. I'm buying a knife, not a political advisor.
If someone badmouths a certain brnad of knife I own, so what? As long as I like it, their opinion doesn't matter to me one iota. Buy and use what you like and let the other guy do the same. If you don't buy the same brand as me, it just means there are more for me to buy.
 
If I've had pretty positive results with certain brands,then that's what I'll go back to,most of the time.
 
There's a lot of nice knives out there. It's the golden age of knives.
 
shunsui said:
There's a lot of nice knives out there. It's the golden age of knives.
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+1 on this. I can't think of many (yes there are one or two) knives being made by any of the major players in the knife world that aren't good solid knives. The rest is a sliding scale based on your requirements, preferences, and budget. :)
 
I never get many knives from the same company or maker. I like to explore the world and buy knives from all countries, in all styles and for all purposes. That keeps it fresh and exciting.
 
I am not loyal to any one brand. I will buy any quality brand name just so long as it begins with a S and ends in O. I'm not picky.:D
 
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