Bought some nicer knives, can’t go back

[JJ_Colt45]

I still use less expensive knives I have at times ... and I don't have to spend X amount to feel I get a good knife ...

but the way I've come to look at it is the nicer quality knives I carry and use not only perform better (for the most part ... it's not always true) ... some inexpensive knives like a Mora are still great users ...

but the higher priced quality knives I own I can use and use and they last where I may have had to buy 6 cheap knives to get close to the use from one nice CRK or CPK ... so Im not sure in the long run that I'm spending more money ... it just gets spent in bigger single chunks.

 

[Velitrius]

Next step is track down a lightly used Darrel Ralph Dominator... They can be found new for 400'ish.

Hell yeah. Or find an old Camillus CUDA Dominator... mine is still unbelievable. They're out there too.

I got stuff that goes from super cheap to super spendy. They all make it into my hands at some point. Lately I've been spending most of the time with a Benchmade Bugout, but a Kershaw Oso Sweet or Scallion make it in the pocket, and the Bob Ogg custom slipjoint will end up accompanying me too.

If you keep them all out in the open like I do, you're bound to pack a variety around.

 

[Sonnydaze]

I bought a folder today for $300...and it is used and has been sharpened. I am used to "nice" knives, both fixed and folding, and seldom go less than $150...unless it's an Endura or Manix variety. I'm quite content with CRK's and the equivalent such as Brad Southard AVO, Spyderco Slysz Bowie, etc.

 

[colin.p]

Same happened to me.
Shit knives then a $50 "expensive" knife to a $100 knife to a "just once" purchase of a $220 knife. Now I'm just not interested in anything below $150 and have around half a dozen folders above that price point.

I gave myself a limit of $300. So far haven't exceeded it and I'm still within range of most ZT's, Spydercos and Benchmades.

It's like looking in a mirror....

 

[SW-EDC]

Yup, your done
Once you've handled better quality knives..that's it!

 

[Lapedog]

Business has been good lately and I’ve indulged in a few CRK’s and ZT’s. Lovely folders with obvious quality. I find it hard to carry my Leek, Al Mar 2 and even Kizer Flashbang. Am I crazy or will I get over this? Have I fallen into the rabbit hole? Is a Shiro or full on custom next?

Not necessarily. When I got my large inkosi it was my most expensive knife at the time. For a long time that was all I wanted to carry.

Then one day I went out a d wanted a knife I wouldn’t have any qualms beating on. I brought out my Spyderco waved Endura and loved it. Sometimes I go back to appreciating and carrying my cheaper knives. I tend to carry one knife per month and that is the only knife I want to carry. Then something happens to remind me how much I love a cheapee knife and suddenly that is the only knife I want to carry.

For example my Emerson cqc7s just have some weird quality to them imho where sudddly they are what i want to carry because they are so rugged.

Then i love my cqc7 platform but they are sort of thick liner locks. So I end up carrying my very inexpensive kershaw cqc7v.

Then there might be a night where i am going out drinking, another good reason to carry a less expensive knife.

Also sometimes I will see a knife in a video or something that will inspire me to carry a certain knife. For example I will play a video game where the main character carries a fixed blade. Now i want to carry a fixed blade and fall in love with it all over again.

 

[MSchott]

Thank you, nice collection by the way. I'm sure I will once again appreciate the value of my less expensive pieces. The Leek is one of the great knives in it's price range and a fine slicer. The Kizer at a slightly higher price is lovely and has a VG-10 blade. It's basically a less expensive 0450 and I hesitated getting the ZT because of this.

 

[sharp_edge]

Maybe I am in the minority. I have knives in the $300+ range but am still thinking about picking up a cold steel recon 1 and spyderco endura zdp-189, and waiting anxiously for the bladehq spyderco m4 pm2 which is less than 180 dollars.

 

[chopsaki]

Meh.. had a CRK and a Hinderer but I sold them after a while. No doubt they are nice but they just didn’t sing to me after a while. I just realized that I have a sweet spot in the 100-200$ range. Cheap enough that I’ll use the crap out of them and nice enough so I’m not giving up too much in the quality department and I don’t freak out if I were to loose one.

 

[sabre cat]

Give it time, you'll go back. We all do.

I don't have knives that are nice like yours but, I have stuff in the $100-200 range. What have I been reaching for lately?
A cheap Cutco piece of garbage that I think cost me $35, used. And, that was way too much. It's lightweight and easy to deploy.
The nice thing is that I don't worry about it like I would my more costly items.

 

[Mick_1KRR]

I too got into CRK, Strider, Medford and Hinderer after starting with Spyderco, Benchmade and ZT.

Once made the jump, I didn't think I would ever go back to mid tier knives but after a while, I learned to appreciate them again. A PM2 isn't a CRK, but it wasn't designed to be. It is a damn fine knife though and I've found that I can find enjoyment from a $50 Roadie as much as I do my Sebenza.

You just have to view each knife from a different perspective and you'll find there is a lot to appreciate from mid tier knives as well as the higher end knives.

In my opinion, by all means explore high end knives and enjoy them, but don't over look some mass produced knives because you'd do yourself a disservice.

This pretty much sums it all up. I have CRK's, had hinderers and other "high end" knives, but i still carry less expensive knives along side them. If i need to cut through inches of hard plastic or hose or open a can when i don't have a can opener, i pull out my CS Recon 1 or Para 2 and it breezes through it no sweat. Would my CRK do it too? yeah it would, but i find enjoyment from using refined classy/expensive knives for other tasks, like cutting and enjoying food, opening things etc. they're just fun to fondle and appreciate. My Recons would out perform my CRK's for abusive hard work, but my CRK's beat my Recons when i'm on the couch and want to cut some meat to put on a cracker or spread some butter on bread. My most honest opinion - Enjoy them all and don't become a snob because they all have their place and both have strengths and weaknesses.

 

[DrRollinstein]

My original limit was $80, and yesterday i just bought my second Microtech. So. Welcome to the club.

 

[Officer's Match]

Give it time, you'll go back. We all do.

I don't have knives that are nice like yours but, I have stuff in the $100-200 range. What have I been reaching for lately?
A cheap Cutco piece of garbage that I think cost me $35, used. And, that was way too much. It's lightweight and easy to deploy.
The nice thing is that I don't worry about it like I would my more costly items.

Funny, I was just thinking about a Cutco I was given by a previous employer 25+ years ago. It started out like this:

And as of right now looks like this:

 

[Tommy-Chi]

I rarely count my knives but I'm up to around 40 and I've only been collecting since 2017. The last 3 knives purchased were all Hinderers. The last 10 knives...I don't think there was one under $250. I'm tapped out, but I'm expecting a knife to be delivered to me in June from a Bladesmith at Blade Show, and it's around $850+.

Hi, my name is XXXXXX... and I'm an knife-oholic. If, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit collecting entirely, or if when collecting, you have little control over the number of knives you buy, flip or fondle, you are probably knife-oholic. A knife-oholic is someone who cannot stop buying, flipping, or fondling knives, no matter what they do. If you're the type that takes out your collection and looks at the glimmer of the blade steel under a bright light own up, you're hooked. We are beyond human aid -- we are hopeless -- powerless to stop. WE, OF Knife-Oholics Anonymous, are more than one-hundred-thousand men and women who are trying to recover from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. The only requirement for membership is an honest desire to stop .... MAKE IT STOP! MAKE THE BAD MAN GO AWAY....?SOB.

OH WHAT THE HELL - ONE MORE!

 

[Winch]

My most expensive is $200. I'm pretty happy with knives in the $60-$200 range. There are some good values (says the guy who just bought an Endura 4).

 

[MSchott]

My most expensive is $200. I'm pretty happy with knives in the $60-$200 range. There are some good values (says the guy who just bought an Endura 4).

There are so many great knives in the $150-$200.00 range. ZT, Spyderco, Benchmade and others. But as much as I love my 2 ZT's there's a different feel to a knife like a Chris Reeve.

 

[toal299]

Business has been good lately and I’ve indulged in a few CRK’s and ZT’s. Lovely folders with obvious quality. I find it hard to carry my Leek, Al Mar 2 and even Kizer Flashbang. Am I crazy or will I get over this? Have I fallen into the rabbit hole? Is a Shiro or full on custom next?

Sounds like you find yourself in the same predicament most of us here are in. Addicted to knives! It could certainly be worse.

 

[toal299]

I too got into CRK, Strider, Medford and Hinderer after starting with Spyderco, Benchmade and ZT.

Once made the jump, I didn't think I would ever go back to mid tier knives but after a while, I learned to appreciate them again. A PM2 isn't a CRK, but it wasn't designed to be. It is a damn fine knife though and I've found that I can find enjoyment from a $50 Roadie as much as I do my Sebenza.

You just have to view each knife from a different perspective and you'll find there is a lot to appreciate from mid tier knives as well as the higher end knives.

In my opinion, by all means explore high end knives and enjoy them, but don't over look some mass produced knives because you'd do yourself a disservice.

I couldn’t agree more. I started out with a Sebenza and went straight into the custom world from there. But even though I love my custom knives I have Come full circle once again and am learning to appreciate mid tech knives again.

 

[jstn]

I used to be on that ever-increasing-price-range path, but I eventually came to realize that there’s a lot to say about a $50 knife that you won’t hesitate to use and wouldn’t feel dumb if you lose it.

Carrying around a sebenza nearly gave me an anxiety attack. Now, with rare exception, I stick with things that cost under $200, and typically only consistently carry things under $75.

“Budget” used to mean you gave up a lot of build quality or desirable features, but recent trends have done away with that -Stedemon ZKC and the various other Chinese brands have spoiled me a bit on that front. US-based brands are catching on as well, and I’ll probably grab the copper mini Natrix and the Endura Wharncliffe when they come out.

I am in the same boat. Bought a bunch of high end midtechs and some really pricey customs and they sat in my safe. I find $200 is my limit to use a knife, and I just can't justify keeping safe queens.

 

[MSchott]

I am in the same boat. Bought a bunch of high end midtechs and some really pricey customs and they sat in my safe. I find $200 is my limit to use a knife, and I just can't justify keeping safe queens.

I can see not wanting to carry ultra pricy customs or even hand engraved CRK’s but typical Hinderer’s, CRK’s etc are meant to be carried and used. I’d be pissed if I lost my Small Sebenza 21 but that doesn’t keep me from carrying it.