Did you start out buying cheap knives?

I've bought Chinese Bucks and Gerbers and truck-stop/gas-station cheapos and what not, but when I got into nicer knives, I bought my two sons (7 and 9) each a Kershaw scallion for their first knife (both US made knives).

Their older sister got a Kershaw PackRat recently, and I've been looking into getting them a larger Kershaw, Benchmade, Spyderco, etc. now that they're 10 and 11.

I figure that we'll work their way up the chain with a knife or two from each of my favorite manufacturers until they all have a nice little collection.
 
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Of course I did. Stuff like a Gerber LST or cheap Kershaws (the cheap Kershaws of today are far better than the cheap ones of 15 years ago) and cheap CRKTs. Mostly at K-Mart or REI or the mall. Plus various Leathermans, as well as some flea-market junkers. For several years that's the kind of knife I carried, from about 15-22 or 23. My first "better" knife was a Kershaw rainbow Leek. I joined BF looking for a better replacement for the Leek. I was looking at some Emerson CQC something, Camillus Dominator, Benchmade 921, and others. Back then I wasn't interested in Spydercos because they were "too expensive" (and judging by the prices at the mall, they were). Naive, uneducated, and ignorant. Bladeforums set me straight and educated me. After discovering that autos were legal in Arizona, I ended up buying Woodard Fer De Lance.

I'm happy that these days, with very inexpensive, yet quality knives made by Kershaw and Byrd and such, a newbie can start with a new knife that isn't junk, yet can learn to sharpen (and possibly ruin) without breaking the bank.I wish knives like Byrds existed when I was 15.
 
Yea,I did the whole BudK thing,then that damn late night 'Knife Collectors' show...300 knives for $150 or something.All about 85% JUNK.
I sold some for a buck or two on the bay,then just gave the rest away.

Some of you might remember the knives I showed when I first joined here.I was pretty clueless:o:foot:

Thanks for helping out the noob guys:thumbup::D
 
Paid 20 for my first one. It was a good way to determine if I liked carrying a knife without breaking the bank.
 
I grew up poor as hell, had a couple cheep $5 made in pakistan folders before I was ten.

Around 12 yeas of age I started going to the Good Will second hand stores and buying the largest kitchen knives and cleavers they hand, usually for around a dollar a knife. I would make sheaths for them out of cardboard and ducktape, then go out into the woods to chop down trees, practice bushcraft, and learned to throw knives as well.

My knives got more expensive when I started working and makeing my own income. The more I made the more I could afford to spend (obviously). :)
 
I started buying knives in the mid seventies. I bought Case, Shrade, Puma and Gerber knives. There weren't near as many cheaply made knives back then as there are now.
 
I used to buy S&W and other cheap knives at the flea market until I discovered Bladeforums- then it was all down hill from there. Thanks, guys.:o
 
Nope. I remember just like it was yesterday, my first knife purchase. I was probably eight, and I had saved enough to get myself a new knife. My mother took me to a cutlery store in town so I could pick something out. I went home with a CASE, with a big sheepsfoot blade. I was fortunate enough that I was raised around people that considered a knife a valuable tool, and therefore I didn't even know there were junk knives. I guess part of that was just the fact that when I was a boy, you didn't see cheaply made imported junk everywhere. That ol'knife took a beating through my childhood. :)
 
No I didn't. My first knife is a USA made Uncle Henry lockback made by Schrade. I used that sucker for over 10 years until I started getting "into" knives more seriously. I only buy quality because life is too short to settle for junk. I would rather save until I can afford something nice. I have since retired the Schrade. I was able to get most of the scratches off the blade.
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I started out with a Ka-Bar 4" Hunter that I got in the mid 60's. It was the most beautiful knife I had ever seen.

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Yep, even though my dad was a butcher, on his modest salary, we'd buy the cheapest hunting knives we could find. He'd sharpen them constantly or run them on the steel to keep them sharp. Buck's were always at the top of the list, and for some reason, I've been drawn back to them. The inexpensive knives didn't seem like they were that much more work, and honestly, I still wish I didn't know any better.
 
I started out with cheap chinese folders and case knives given to me by my father. Then, I bought cheap Moras and Hultafors. Then, I upgraded to ESEE knives. Now, I will get Busse and Busse kin knives and maybe some custom manufacturers.
 
The first knife I bought myself was a Buck 119, I believe. I did buy a lot of cheap crap at flea markets though. They were so cool looking when I was younger..
 
Of course I did. I still have a Gerber LST and lockback folder. I'm on my third Victorinox Electrician (broke the reamer on the other two) received A Victorinox Classic as a Safety Award and a Chinese knock off with a Golf Tool as a golf tournament prize. I also have a Tekna Dive Knife, and then while in Japan, I bought a stag handled fixed blade (I will have to research the maker).
 
I started off with a Kabar dozier thorn, so not too bad. Next knife was a JK EWOK and haven't bought a "production" knife since my first. Just realized that now.
 
Like many others I started out with the lower end knives , then as I learned I progressed (thanks to Bladeforums). Here is the order S&W, Gerber, Kershaw, Benchmade, Chris Reeve,Emerson. Then I got into customs which is where I'm at now. I prefer the look and uniqueness of something custom made over production knives. Here is the order I started out my customs in : Warren Thomas, Alan Folts, EL Iverson, Dwaine Carrillo , Tahar Raza.
Oh and all this in about a two years.
 
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