At What Point is a Knife OVERPRICED?

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For some knives, the answer is five dollars. For others, a hundred and fifty bucks is no problem, at least for an off-the-shelf item. Custom knives can be very expensive, with no end in sight. In-laid platinum gold, diamonds, hand engraving. Some of the knives are meant for collection, heirlooms or for display only. Others are handmade and of the finest practical quality.

But when is enough, enough? And when is it too much? While flipping through the latest issue of COMBAT HANDGUNS, I saw an ad for Mercworx Triple Threat, "now available in our exclusive Chili Pepper handle, designed for that no-slip gorilla grip, when you need it the most." The three knives displayed were handsome knives, but when I read, "Ranging from $400-$450," I almost choked. Thank goodness the knives were made for people who let ordinary knives slip through their fingers; those same fingers probably don't hang on to money very well, too.

Then three other nice looking knives appeared several pages later. This time it was a review of SureFire's Delta Fixed Blade, Echo Fixed Blade and Delta Folder. Two had S30V blades with rustproof coating, and the Echo sported a CPM 3V carbon steel blade. Sheaths for the fixed blade knives were made from an "injection molded" plastic. Prices ranged from $300-$425. These aren't large knives, either. The Echo's blade is 4.5 inches, the Delta Folder has 3.37-inch blade, and the Delta Fixed has a blade of 3.9 inches. I guess that because these knives also have a mini screwdriver, mini wrench and glass breaker, that explains the high prices of the knives.

I know people buy these high priced knives, but there's something intrinsicly wrong with paying as much for a knife as one would pay for a handgun. A handgun is a mini-machine made up of parts with tiny tolerances. A knife, however, is a knife.

Opinions?

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The Delta Fixed Knife: Bargain for $300?
 
I definitely see what you're saying, and I've thought the same thing about pretty much the same knives. Surefire, Mercworx, Dark Ops, Strider, Extrema Ratio, Masters of Defense etc. It's usually the high end "tactical" knives that I have a hard time figuring out how or why they are priced the way they are.

Of course, here I sit with a $450 Sebenza in my pocket and a $500 Busse Fusion Battle Mistress sitting on my desk, so how can I really talk? I can make individual arguments for why I feel the price I paid for each of the respective companies I named is justifiable, but I am a fan of both, and know a lot of info about them.

I, admittedly, know very little about the companies I called overpriced, so who's to say, really? I feel you, though.
 
You know, I thought an Emerson was expensive at $140. With the exception of CRKs and a few custom knives, it seems every folder out there, from $2.95 to $500 has the same problem . . . the pivot screw tension has to be just right.

At $140 I max out on a device that I have to tinker with to make sure it opens properly. I could see spending that sort of money (or up) on a collectible art knife but not for anything else.

All these guys are doing is selling a similar product for all the market can bear. With CNC machinery, practically anyone can turn out all but the blade and there are jobbers that will do blades all over the planet.

Sorry, I just cannot bend over that far . . .
 
IMO, the amount of money I put into purchasing a knife follows the principle of "diminishing returns."

With $10, I won't be getting much more than gas station junk.
With $20, I can get a Byrd or Kabar Dozier and get decent, inexpensive knives.
With $50, I have a ton of choices like the Endura, Griptilian, etc etc.
With $100, even more choices.
With $200, I can get some nice Bark Rivers, Swamp Rats, the list goes on.
With $300, I'd pick up a Sebenza.
After that, I don't even know where to go with custom folders or fixed blades. I'm on a tight budget, and I doubt I'll ever get into anything more expensive than the Sebenza anytime soon.

There are some great customs out there for hundreds more dollars, but how "perfect" can that F&F possibly be. At some point, pumping in more money for the purhcase won't improve the quality enough to justify the additional cost, IMHO.

Eventually, I feel materials are the only thing that can justify me spending any more money on that knife.

My $.02
 
I agree with MikeH. Supply and demand.

However, some knives are subjectively "overpriced" when the materials and workmanship don't add up to the MSRP. Strider comes to mind. But this didn't stop me from buying a Strider. So maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about. :thumbup:

right on
 
when I can find a knife of the same materials for a third the price or less with a lifetime warranty.
 
J85909266 said:
Of course, here I sit with a $450 Sebenza in my pocket and a $500 Busse Fusion Battle Mistress sitting on my desk, so how can I really talk? I can make individual arguments for why I feel the price I paid for each of the respective companies I named is justifiable, but I am a fan of both, and know a lot of info about them. I, admittedly, know very little about the companies I called overpriced, so who's to say, really? I feel you, though.
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Okay, but how much of all this is practical? Believe me, I fit the old saying about men and toys, but I'm more practical about guns and knives. What makes us willing to pay more for knives that are outrageously overpriced? Take for instance your Sebenza. What is it that made you spend as much as you did? Was it the looks? The weight or balance? Performance?

Many things factor in. My dad was a naval aviator. Not long ago I told him that the Cougar was the best looking jet of any he'd flown. He responded by saying that it was sturdy, but "it was a lousy jet." Speed and altitude were both lacking. Sure, it could go through a storm while keeping a formation, but other than that, you had to dive to reach mach speed and...what are you going to say? I was just judging it on looks, and on the plastic jets I used to play with when I was a kid. But if I had to fly jets like my dad did, I might not have the same affection for the jet.

The bottom line is that we judge knives partly on how they perform and a LOT on how they look and feel. The CRKT S-2 had a titanium body and ATS-34 blade, wasn't bad looking, yet I was able to buy a bunch of them for twenty-five dollars a pop. What was it about the knife that made it a poor seller? I don't know, but I do know that I'll never buy a knife for $200 or more. At least I don't think so. I still remember buying new stainless steel Ruger Security-Six .357 magnum revolvers for $169.

hardheart said:
when I can find a knife of the same materials for a third the price or less with a lifetime warranty.
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Okay, but what if you can buy a NEW quality knife for half the price, or much less than half the price?
 
For me, just about any knife over $50 is overpriced. But I wouldn't demand anyone else be held to that opinion.
 
I don't have a set price limit; a knife is overpriced when there's another knife I'd rather have that costs less.

-Bob
 
A knife is overpriced when the construction, materials and performance is not proportional to the price.

For the vast majority of common EDC tasks, it is hard to tell a difference in performance between a $50 Endura and a $500 custom folder. For some people, the extra expense is worth the slight performance gains and the pride of ownership inherent with owning a handcrafted knife. Custom knives are certainly better in terms of fit and finish, but don't necessarily perform better. Does this make them overpriced? I certainly don't think so, but not everyone shares my views.

I own a few customs and a lot of high quality production knives. I don't really consider any of them overpriced, but I doubt that I'll ever spend $500 for a knife again. Once you hit the $300 mark, you hit a point of diminishing returns. Right now I'm more interested in simple inexpensive knives that offer excellent performance.
 
My latest Winston fly rod was over $600. I plan on fishing it, among several others, for the rest of my life and enjoying the experience. I'm not wealthy, but I buy the best when I can. $600 for a "fishing pole"? It's not a fishing pole, it's a fine fly rod. John Geirach once answered "It's not a shotgun, lady, it's a Parker". One of my hunting buddies processed two elk with a Walmart Gerber without sharpening and he really likes it, can't understand why anyone needs more than a $40 knife, but buys Sage fly rods for hundreds. When is a camera overpriced? A $50 point-shoot will take good photos.

When is a knife overpriced- when the materials, time spent on assembly and finish, shop expenses, advertising, tooling, taxes, decent wages, retailer markup, and idle money in inventory are so low that the maker or dealer profits like a bandit. I'll bet it doesn't happen often:D.

As an aside, one thing to keep in mind is the Feds get their 35% cut off the top with SS and income tax, something to consider when pricing a new knife.:) I'll bet we would all gag if we totaled up the taxes for income, property, inventory, and sales not only on the knives but the supplies needed to make and sell them. :eek: :) Regards, ss.

As a PS, I'll simplify my opinion by saying the complexity of the product has only a limited effect on the final price point. The costs mentioned above apply to knives exactly the same as to the very complex automobile.
 
Knife collecting is best described as being something along the lines of...
To each his own!
It gets complicated once it becomes an addiction.
Money will not become a problem once you reach the highest state of "blade collectors enlightenment".
That's when,
"Underpriced" is a steal to own
"Overpriced" is when you need to steal to own.
Either way a true collector will still want 'em because nothing else matters so much in life other then owning that something desirable at that given moment in time. Damn the consequence, its probably going to be the only way to attain a perfect peace of mind.
 
thats the problem that I have with Benchmade. dont get me wrong, they make veeery good knives, and I have no problem with their quality. their price however..............

i just cant really justify it. sure I'll pay that price, or a better price. but do i really need to pay $200 for a knife from one company when I can get a diferent knife with equal quality from a diferent company for a lot lower price?

my answer is no. why should you have to pay more for a knife just because of a name?

for example, the Kershaw Lahar and the BM 960 Osborne. the materials are not that diferent. G-10 grips, 410-420 steel liners respectivly. only real diference is the blade steel. VG-10 for the Lahar vs. D2 for the Osborne with nearly identical RC hardness. The fit and finish on the Lahar is as good as any BM that I have played around with including the 960. the edge on both is pretty freaky sharp if you ask me.

so all in all, would I personaly prefer the BM or Kershaw? the Kershaw. why? same quality in my opinion and for a HECK of a lot cheaper price than the BM, even at retail.

so to answer the main question, when the knife is to much for its quality.

will i still buy the 960? yes, but I'm a knife knut, so why would i care? ;)
 
In my "opinion" any fixed blade over $200 and any folder over $100 and any knife that has scales that are worth more than the steel in the knife they are on are over priced. It is hard for me to justify some super wonder stainless when I can get a carbon knive for much cheaper that does every thing I ask and more. To each his own though.
 
I don't know, I mean when I see some custom knives I think they are way too overpriced and not all that, I just can't justify spending that type of money...but on the other hand I am almost certain if I were a custom maker I probably would charge alot of money for my knife. Because I would make a knife to the very best of abilities and put alot of time and care into it, with best materials available (it is hard to put a monitary amount on one's time and ability). I guess too, if you can afford a higher $$ knife then the cost is less likely to take a hit on your budget.
 
Confederate said:
I know people buy these high priced knives, but there's something intrinsicly wrong with paying as much for a knife as one would pay for a handgun. A handgun is a mini-machine made up of parts with tiny tolerances. A knife, however, is a knife.
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These were my thoughts as well. How can a knife cost the same as a pistol with all its precision machined steel parts etc...and beside when you buy a pistol you practicaly can't get a flawed or defective, it will perform as expected... while when buying knives this is not the case, it seems more like a lottery...from my own experiences (and from others) it seems there a a lot of such knives (which doesn't perform as expected or are defective) put on the market which are not cheap by any standards...one such experience (not so long ago) opened my eyes regarding spending that much money on a knife or anything else (for that matter) which is disproportionaly priced by common sense...
 
MikeH said:
A knife is overpriced when no one will buy it. Period. End of story.
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That is not true. Some people would buy the product for much higher price than it costs now. Just not enough that the manufacturer would sell all what he wants. These surplus pieces would not sell ergo they yield no income = there is impulse to lower the price.

Manufacturers do they best to persuade us there are big differences between their products so that they can affect the price. And if they are succesful enough (that's what marketing has been invented for :)) to sell how much they want for the price they set then the knife is not overpriced even if it costs hundreds, thousands or hundreds of thousands. If they won't be able to sell the knife in sufficient quantity then the knife is overpriced. If they can't cope with demand the knife is underpriced.
 
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