Cheaper knives are punching above thier weight?

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thatsaknife

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Mar 27, 2015
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I am referring specifically to Shrade SCHF42
Seems like alot of knife for 50 US dollars.
I like the non tactical leather sheath.
In a perfect world it would be made in the country that sells it but for quality of manufacturing Taiwan has some of the best ISO 9000-9001 manufacturing facilities so one really cannot argue over quality can they?
 
I suppose in point of fact one could very easily argue over quality, country of origin notwithstanding. I have no problems with foreign knives that are original and not foreign knockoffs. But I have a few newer Schrades that are okay for the price, no experience with the schf42.

A good deal of cheaper knives, mostly folders, are punching above their weight these days.
 
Yes I did not express myself correctly you are perfectly right.
What I meant is that we cannot argue over quality based on county of manufacture as the only criteria.
 
Its not going to explode on you or anything.

Of course one could get 3 or 4 Moras for the same price. Or a Vic Farmer and a Mora.
 
I own a vic rancher pioneer and I luv it.
I have an IKEA carbon scandi knife and sheath that I got 25 or more years ago.
It looks just like a Mora (maybe made by Mora?)
I also luv it.Holds a wicked edge. Cost like 5 dollars
 
I actively seek out such knives and tools. Price vs. performance ratio is what it's all about, regardless of specific price point.
 
As much as people will pine for "the good old days" and say "they don't make `em like they used to," it's a good time to be in the market for an inexpensive workhorse knife. Chinese factories have proven themselves capable of making products on par with those of other countries, at least when contracted to do so by Western brands (Kershaw, Boker, etc.) that care about quality control. Almost all of my user knives are low-cost imports, whether for EDC or outdoor use, and Kershaw and Buck in particular still make very nice American knives for reasonable prices.

As is seen here on a daily basis, there are so many options available that many knife buyers are overwhelmed and actually end up spending some time asking around or doing research on their own. There really is something for everyone.
 
Some old knives and their blade steels sucked balls especially one from the dark ages of the early 1980's not naming any names here!

Cheap knives these days are pretty fantastic!



Ignore non cheap ones, lol
 
I rock a sak at work, an Opinel at home and I usually have a Mora on the trail. For my use the performance of the cheaper knives is actually better than the expensive knives I have. There's more to a knife then super steel and titanium. Funny though, all my cheap knives come from Europe.
 
My collection has a good mixture of affordable and expensive knives, I enjoy different aspects of each of my knives. One day I might be in the mood to carry a Douk Douk, and the next a Sebenza. From a point of view of pure practicality, there are lots of relatively inexpensive knives that could fulfill my everyday needs. A SAK or basic Leatherman multitool and something along the lines of the Cold Steel Voyager would probably tackle any cutting chore or small repair that I might come across in both my urban and rural life, add a Mora or machete and my outdoors needs woud be covered as well.

Some people find a special pleasure in finding tools that perform well without costing an arm and a leg. My dad, although he's a handsomly paid judge who can afford much nicer knives than me, swears by his Opinel #7 and keeps beating on an old Victorinox Hunter that I gave him some twenty years ago.

When it comes to knives, and I suspect the same applies to many other items, there's a point of diminishing returns where paying more money won't get you a significant improvement in performance. A $500 knife probably won't be ten times better as a tool than one that costs $50. Some customers are willing to pay for nicer materials, better fit and finish, etc.
 
thatsaknife said:
I am referring specifically to Shrade SCHF42
Seems like alot of knife for 50 US dollars.
I like the non tactical leather sheath.
In a perfect world it would be made in the country that sells it but for quality of manufacturing Taiwan has some of the best ISO 9000-9001 manufacturing facilities so one really cannot argue over quality can they?
Click to expand...

You can get that. BKT. The 15 specifically.
 
Also, Condor has plenty of knives in the sub $50 range that come with good quality leather sheaths.

In addition to the BK15, the Opinel, svords, etc that have already been mentioned :).
 
I'd say we're living in a golden age for cheap knives. Kershaw, cheaper Spydercos, Ontario, Condor, there are a lot of great value blades being made right now.
 
For a solid inexpensive knife, check out the Cold Steel Medium Voyager.

I got mine for 30 bucks and it is an awesome knife that locks up SOLID

I also like the stone-wash on the blade.

Its one of the few knives that I feel like I got more than my money's worth.
 
I think the idea of cheaper knives "punching above their weight" is really the wrong framing. It turns out that a good knife relies not only on very mature technology, it's not very expensive technology to implement. The real question is "Are expensive knives even punching at their weight?"
 
shecky said:
I think the idea of cheaper knives "punching above their weight" is really the wrong framing. It turns out that a good knife relies not only on very mature technology, it's not very expensive technology to implement. The real question is "Are expensive knives even punching at their weight?"
Click to expand...

That's more of an argument about diminishing returns than anything else.
 
shecky said:
I think the idea of cheaper knives "punching above their weight" is really the wrong framing. It turns out that a good knife relies not only on very mature technology, it's not very expensive technology to implement. The real question is "Are expensive knives even punching at their weight?"
Click to expand...

I was actually about to pose the same question. The fact is, much of what people pay for in expensive knives are prestige features, like fancy materials or decorative machined elements, special cosmetic finishes, and tolerances tighter than realistically necessary (nice to have, yes, but not necessary) which all increase the "deluxe factor" of the tool and allows the manufacturer to ask a higher price for their wares. The truth is that a lot of the manufacturers of the inexpensive knives that wow people with their bang-for-the-buck performance could probably be asking at least a little more for them than they currently do, but they either don't realize it or else have reason to believe that they'll maximize profits best through sales volume rather than selling a little lower quantity at higher pricing.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
That's more of an argument about diminishing returns than anything else.
Click to expand...

Depends on what returns you are looking for. Like what scales are best, TPE or stabilized desert iron wood encrusted in gold? If you look at it all day the gold is the go to. If you beat on it everyday the returns will not be very high on the gold encrusted scales, you will break them off rather quick.

TPE may be less expensive but the returns being used are much greater. Defiantly punch much higher than their price point suggests.
 
Boris74 said:
Depends on what returns you are looking for. Like what scales are best, TPE or stabilized desert iron wood encrusted in gold? If you look at it all day the gold is the go to. If you beat on it everyday the returns will not be very high on the gold encrusted scales, you will break them off rather quick.

TPE may be less expensive but the returns being used are much greater. Defiantly punch much higher than their price point suggests.
Click to expand...

That's basically what the law of diminishing returns is. You must spend more and more money for more and more minor (practical) improvements.
 
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