And the same is true of modern folders, regardless of how ridiculous you think they look.
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Difference between a $100 knife and a $500 knife?
- Thread starter Maverick44
- Start date
And the same is true of modern folders, regardless of how ridiculous you think they look.
For me I am personally not using a nice knife that cost over $150 bucks. After that for me it a collector item.
It's a mix of variables at play.
Custom/handmade price determined by value of time (of maker), investment made (machines/tools), tolerances, detail work, percieved value of brand, value of materials used, cost of production technicques applied (EDM, etc).
With production knives prices are determined by economy of scale, materials used, royalties to be paid, automation, overheads, cost of labour, marketing, value of brand and production techniques.
In all cases supply and demand plays a role. If the demand is healthy at a particular price point then why charge less? Maximum profit is important for any business, and making/manufacturing knives is a business. As long as there is a demand for a Strider at $500 it will be sold for $500.
A Spyderco PM2 is a great knife and can do what a Sebenza can do but Sal is the first person that will tell you a PM2 is not a Sebenza. Sal himself will talk about tolerances that cannot be matched at lower prices. This means the Sebenza is incredibly accurately made which means that every component will be perfect which will result in a superior user experience and reliability. The long series of Blade Show Manufacturing Quality Awards is proof of this in the CRK case. You get what you pay for in the CRK case.
Unfortunately this is not true in all cases. There will always be a number of chancers in the industry that fake it to make it big. Unfortunately a large % of these get away with it because a small % of $500 buyers actually use their knives. The bad boys are therefore seldom identified and dealt with. It is therefore critical that buyers be smart enough to choose well from the outcome of research done. Anyone buying a $500 knife without doing research deserves the pain if it comes. With a $150 knife the risk is low so the pain is a lot less if things were to go wrong.
Custom/handmade price determined by value of time (of maker), investment made (machines/tools), tolerances, detail work, percieved value of brand, value of materials used, cost of production technicques applied (EDM, etc).
With production knives prices are determined by economy of scale, materials used, royalties to be paid, automation, overheads, cost of labour, marketing, value of brand and production techniques.
In all cases supply and demand plays a role. If the demand is healthy at a particular price point then why charge less? Maximum profit is important for any business, and making/manufacturing knives is a business. As long as there is a demand for a Strider at $500 it will be sold for $500.
A Spyderco PM2 is a great knife and can do what a Sebenza can do but Sal is the first person that will tell you a PM2 is not a Sebenza. Sal himself will talk about tolerances that cannot be matched at lower prices. This means the Sebenza is incredibly accurately made which means that every component will be perfect which will result in a superior user experience and reliability. The long series of Blade Show Manufacturing Quality Awards is proof of this in the CRK case. You get what you pay for in the CRK case.
Unfortunately this is not true in all cases. There will always be a number of chancers in the industry that fake it to make it big. Unfortunately a large % of these get away with it because a small % of $500 buyers actually use their knives. The bad boys are therefore seldom identified and dealt with. It is therefore critical that buyers be smart enough to choose well from the outcome of research done. Anyone buying a $500 knife without doing research deserves the pain if it comes. With a $150 knife the risk is low so the pain is a lot less if things were to go wrong.
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I did not say no-one will use their $500 knives. I said a small % will. This statement comes from my own observations. Of all the Sebenzas sold what % is actively used? Not talking about carrying it daily and cutting an envelope open every now-and-then. Talking about using to the point where the knife is properly tested to verify it's credentials. A knife not used will never show up weaknesses so it will always look like money well spend ... until it is tested and fails.
That's great. I have a Sebenza and Umnumzaan that I use but it took me a long time to do so. For years anything costing more than $150 was put away as collectors items.
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I understand if you abuse/use hard your knives. I also can identify with the "collector item" rationale. At this point, I own a few that I will not use. They include Randalls as I will eventually sell them, and a elephant ivory Northwoods knife (slippie) that I have the same pattern in bone. That said, I have come around to the philosophy that collecting knives for profit is a waste of precious resources (money) tying up thousands of dollars in stuff that you personally may never sell or do anything with. Collecting for fun is a little different. Knives I buy today are to use and if they don't get used it's because I never got around to using them. That goes for a $50 knife or a $500 knife.
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I suspect that if I owned one, it would be category #2 which is why I have not purchased one (yet).
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We are in crazy times with knives... especially folders. $500 doesn't guarantee anything. Almost everybody skips the steps of learning how individual knife designs work and are made and assembled. Most people will choose a toy with an edge over a really nice knife. Unfortunately, a major trend is buying shiny, flippy, titanium handled, machined clipped, $500 "budget priced" Chinese made folders. I have no idea what you get if you buy one of those because I won't buy one until my favorite hard working US manufacturers have been put out of business. But then they will raise their prices, being the only game in town and all.
The answer to your question is not "what you get for $500." It is what you WANT for $500. That question cannot be answered by anyone other than you. My personal recommendation is to learn about every single aspect of every knife you consider, down to the screws, how they are used and even what they are made of... Learn how the lock faces contact each other. Learn about different stop pins. Personally, I have done all of this and the only $500 knives I personally think are "worth it" are the original "Big Three." CRK, Hinderer, Strider & Hinderer.
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The answer to your question is not "what you get for $500." It is what you WANT for $500. That question cannot be answered by anyone other than you. My personal recommendation is to learn about every single aspect of every knife you consider, down to the screws, how they are used and even what they are made of... Learn how the lock faces contact each other. Learn about different stop pins. Personally, I have done all of this and the only $500 knives I personally think are "worth it" are the original "Big Three." CRK, Hinderer, Strider & Hinderer.
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You do realize that there is a world of knife enthusiasts that live outside this forum, right? Observe all you want... you'll never know the true answer and can only speculate.
Of course it would have nothing to do with answering the OP's question, which is "What is the difference between a $500 and $100 knife?"
$400.
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I think the difference is being a utility knife vs becoming a collection piece. Lol I would be way too afraid to damage a $500 knife that i would never use it. Personally for a knife i plan to use I dont think i'd spend more than $200 tops.
Generally, there isn't much. Might get some fancier materials, a more sophisticated designs, MAYBE tighter tolerances
$100-200 is the "sweet spot" when it comes to getting the best bang for your buck. Ultimately, if you want a particular knife, you're going to have to pay the price for it.
$100-200 is the "sweet spot" when it comes to getting the best bang for your buck. Ultimately, if you want a particular knife, you're going to have to pay the price for it.
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This thread did help me regain some level of sanity. I've actually been thinking there was some higher level of consciousness required to differentiate 4" fixed blade hunting knives made of identical materials.
Much easier realizing when 'quality' is no longer tangible, the difference is whatever you need it to be.
Much easier realizing when 'quality' is no longer tangible, the difference is whatever you need it to be.
