Collector or user?

R

robertj298

Joined
Mar 7, 2014
Messages
244
I have a hard time understanding paying upwards to over $100 for a pocket knife. Maybe if I thought it was going to be rare and worth a substantial profit in the future I could understand but just to use I can't see it. Case in point. I have a Schrade Uncle Henry Stockman that was made in the U.S.. Although it has a Delrin handle , the fit and finish on it is superb. All 3 blades have the same very smooth medium pull with excellent snap. I would put this knife up against the few GEC knives I have. I paid $10 for this knife new in box at a garage sale. So are the other knives worth 5 to 20 times more than this knife?
 
Beauty is in the eye of the beer-holder.

An object is worth exactly what somebody is willing to pay for it, and not a cent more.

**********

This opens up a lot of objective and subjective comparisons and conclusions that are up to the individual making them.

So I guess my answer is: yes... sometimes... but not for any particular objective rhyme or reason
 
I think you'll find many of us here aren't into knives for (only)practical reasons, but for the shear joy of owning, collecting, using and hunting down knives of different sorts.
I think I knife is worth whatever your willing to pay. I don't mind paying GEC prices for example because well, that's what they cost and I want them. ;)
 
When this question of value comes up, I like to compare traditional knives to the modern one-hand openers which dominate the market. Modern Spydercos, Benchmarks, etc. can sell for well over $100, and they are mostly machined out and assembled with screws, a testament to modern manufacturing methods. Traditional knives, on the other hand, are greatly made and assembled by hand, with lots of fitting, filing, sanding and tweaking, a testament to the cutler's art. Back when the Uncle Henry was made, labor was VERY much cheaper than today, and there were economies of scale as well: many more knives were sold and used 40-50 years ago. By today's standards, the Uncle Henrys are serious bargains, even at 30-40 dollars, much less the $10 you paid. But that doesn't mean the $100 GECs aren't worth their freight, either.
 
People buy things because it brings them enjoyment, they like these things. Some people care only for one knife and that is all they want. As long as it cuts, they are happy. They are users. Collectors have many knives that may be new or unused in anyway. Take for instance the balisong knife that is in my profile picture. It is a balibalistic LST, a custom balisong by a decently well known and respected maker, very difficult to get on the list and there is a limited number that he even takes. Who else makes balisongs? Production wise its limited, benchmade, microtech, then we go lower or higher doesn't matter. That balibalistic is more of a show piece than an actual flipper. However it does cost roundabouts to a month's rent for some small apartments in NYC. This was a knife I've wanted since I was a teenager but never had the means to buy until I grew up and got a job. It makes me very happy to see it and hold it and flip it around. This concept can be applied to almost anything, watches, cars, coins, stamps, what ever blows your hair back. Some people put hundreds even thousands of dollars into handmade knives and step away from production too. It makes them very happy to have it in their hands even if it is not to use. I use the balisong as my example since there is a picture of said object.
 
I'm willing to spend a fair amount of money to get the functionality I want in a pocket knife and all of my knives are users, and willing to a pay a bit for good fit and finish as it makes me happy. I have no hesitation in spending a couple of hundred dollars on knives I intend to use so long as they deliver the features and manufacturing quality I want, and there are features I want in my pocket knives that tend to be a bit hard to find south of a ~$100 pricepoint. To each their own, however. Hell, I've probably spent more on sharpening stones than I have on all my pocket knives put together anyway!
 
It all depends. Depends on what you want and the value you place on what you want. And then sometimes what we want exceeds our grasp. There are things others value a great deal that I don't much care about. But if the purchase price and ownership costs of a Bugatti Veyron were to suddenly come down to Honda Civic levels, I'd be all in. Different strokes.
 
Yes they are worth 10 to 20 times what the $10 knife is worth . It is the old Supply and Demand principle . Are they a better knife ???? That may depend on your description of a Better Knife . If you just want to cut , they both will cut well . But for many of us , we want more than just the ability to cut . To describe what all the " More " entails would take a book .

Harry
 
Old Engineer said:
Yes they are worth 10 to 20 times what the $10 knife is worth . It is the old Supply and Demand principle . Are they a better knife ???? That may depend on your description of a Better Knife . If you just want to cut , they both will cut well . But for many of us , we want more than just the ability to cut . To describe what all the " More " entails would take a book .

Harry
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You have said it perfectly, Harry!
I have paid a lot more than a month's rent for a knife!! Was it worth it??
Heck Yes!!!! Not knocking Schrade Old Timers, but it's a thousand times more beautiful, many times more useful, and gives me great pleasure.
But I didn't marry the first girl I ran into either!!:D
 
Kamagong's quote is pretty spot on, at least thats how I feel. I like the thrill of the hunt for a knife that is very rare, or that no one else has etc. Buying it, trading, selling it to someone else... Its all part of the fun and community that exists in this hobby.
 
My father in-law worked his entire life for one of the Big 3 automakers He always commented on the TV commercials of someone in some permanently sunny climate driving some giant 4 door 4x4 to go get their groceries at the mall.

Was it the sensible purchase? Is it a practical vehicle for what was depicted? Will it appreciate in value? Economical? Suit the climate? Was it used to its full design potential? Nope all around.

Would a Chevy Cruze hatchback have been the better and lesser expensive choice for the purpose presented? Yep.

All that to say, we buy what we like and what we can afford and it does not always make sense?

,,,Mike in Canada
 
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