Diminishing Returns

It really depends a lot on your knife needs and objectives. Most basic cutting can be accomplished with very modestly priced knives as evidenced by my two layer SAK that I carry every day. But I like "better" stuff too.
 
You have to pay to get the features you want. Worth it? Yeah, of course, that's why you bought it. A 14.99 Timex outruns an Orvis Field Watch at 139.99 and fits better. I don't ever buy a knife and sell it. I gift, if the knife no longer is best for my needs, and a friend expresses interest in it.
 
Under $40 you could probably find quality made knives that will get the job done and most if not all styles too. You just won't have the premium materials or fit and finish.

$20 is where I say you are hitting dimenishing returns as your looking at properly heat treated knives in 420hc, 440a, 8cr13mov, Aus8, etc. And sufficient build quality to back it up.

It's also hard to argue if you need a good slicer that anything past a Opinel is past dimenishing returns. And other arguments can be made about other types of knives I'm sure too.
 
The diminishing returns are pretty steep in sharpening gear too. I spent a lot of money getting stones that can get a high polish, and then found I like a toothy edge off a coarse stone almost everywhere (except the kitchen and woodwork). It’s amazing how far a Norton Crystolon C/F stone can take you.
 
I think the point of diminishing returns is about $150 but in the end does it really matter, you want what you want whether it's beyond that point or not.
 
I think that you generally get what you pay for, if you make an informed purchase. I have seen painted AUS 8 with a skimpy liner lock knives go for between $80-$100. On the other hand, there are higher quality offerings with better materials, for half that.
There is a point of diminishing returns for most people, but actual value is a big factor.

This being said, everyones threshold is different
 
Along the line of getting what you want regardless.... the diminishing aspect is not really important unless you are being very very careful and selective with your purchases. I stand with my comments above. I cut most things with a SAK that currently runs about $30 (used to be $20).
 
Insipid Moniker said:
It's a little hard to judge, as most of us want slightly different things for our knives. If you're after cutting geometry, anything beyond an Opinel is probably past the point of diminishing returns, but if you want absurd edge retention you'll have to pony up a bit. Personally, I probably hit what I would consider to be my point of diminishing returns at around $100. I'll happily spend more than that to get a combination of features I like all in the same knife, but I acknowledge that the improvements that I'm getting then aren't quite as meaningful and may even begin to fall more into the realm of personal preference.
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I agree. While I have some CRK, Hinderer and other high ends knives, a $100 Spyderco really does everything that I need out of a knife on a day to day basis.

That said, I appreciate the feel, finish and function on the higher end blades, but none of them really cut any better than a $100 Spyderco.
 
Objectively, I think that the point of diminishing returns begins once the price of the cheapest implement that can cut has been exceeded. Beyond that price, you are hopefully paying for refinement of the implement in terms materials and workmanship. At that point I think you are firmly in the realm of the subjective, as only the person making the purchase can really determine if the expense is justified.
 
What I always find interesting is when a "generic knife" topic comes up, how many people immediately assume folders. Anyway...

FortyTwoBlades said:
All depends on the feature requirements, but generally it's a matter of value. If you think of your dollars as points that are being put into certain stats of the knife, it can help you mentally break down what you're getting for the money. Certain features are difficult to do cheap, because they're inherently a complicating step. But if you manage to find a product that is a close match to your requirements, with no "points" spent on stuff you don't want or need, and that tool is priced fairly for the materials, features, and labor involved, then it's going to be a good value. Value can be found at any price point. People may say that a thing is worth whatever someone is willing to spend on it, but if someone spends $150 on an MTech (and some people do, apparently--scan eBay's sold items sometime and be amazed at what some real got garbage sells for for unknown reasons) then that guy got a poor value, because that same $150 could have been used to purchase something that was better in every possible respect, OR could have bought a whole bunch of that same knife from a different source (hey--there's no accounting for taste!)

I'm a simple guy. I like knives with efficient geometries in pretty inexpensive steels without a lot of glitz and glam factor, and I don't need the latest and greatest in mechanisms. As such, there are a lot of quality knives in the $4-$50 range (yes, $4 -- not a typo) that are quite good for my needs and preferences, and a surprising number of them are from European or North American makers.
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I agree with pretty much everything above. I've arrived at a point where I define "premium" steels as BD1, VG10, BD1N, X50CrMoV15, etc. I value ease of sharpening, toughness and corrosion resistance in most of my applications. Heck, done right, 8Cr can be a fine steel. I'm to the point where I wrinkle my nose even at S30V and S35VN. I'll buy them if the overall package strikes me but unlike the current craze, I see it as a detriment the further up the so-called "premium" steel ladder one goes.

For me, there's really two price categories: 1) Good value for the price, regardless of that price. 2) Splurge cuz I just wanna.

I bought a $30 Dexter Russell nakiri-style knife to see if I like the blade style with the idea being to commission a custom made to my specs. But alas, I'm quite smitten with this $30 wonder. I did a little work on the edges and may thin it out some but this budget blade has pushed that custom build from something that was going to practical (made to my specs) to a splurge purchase now.

My Wusthof Gourmet (budget line) 8" cook's knife at ~$75 is fantastic. It has great ergonomics, excellent design, and for a home cook, the lower HRC is not a big deal. But then I have a $150 Yaxell that I love and bought specifically for certain points I couldn't find all together in any other knife.

My Dragonfly 2 and Manix 2 LW have risen to the top of my knife experimentation and will take quite a lot to knock them out of their spots. I know can be very specific about what I want: Wire clip, ergo's, thin FFG blade, steel I prefer, lock type I actually like, etc.

So, I don't really have a set price that I think triggers the point of diminishing returns as much as I do, does the price overcome whatever shortcomings or specific desires I may be looking for and if so, by how much? I've been dreaming about the upcoming Spyderco Kapara since we got our first glimpse. Even started a thread about it over on the Spydie forum. It is gorgeous and appears highly practical and checks a lot of boxes for me. But... I don't really like the compression lock. So at nearly $200 for a pocket knife, I now must ask myself, is there enough in the rest of the package to overcome the compression lock and to justify the price. Sadly, the little voice in the back of my head keeps whispering no. It keeps telling to buy another kitchen knife and some new sharpening stones I've wanted to play with. :)
 
GatorMedic said:
Food for thought: diminishing returns starts at your second pocket knife.
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Two knives are necessary, one for work and one for Sunday-go-to-meeting.

On the topic, beyond Victorinox and Morakniv, I start to pay for what I want more than what I need. I imposed a threshold of $100 a few years ago and have only crossed it once since then.
 
GatorMedic said:
Food for thought: diminishing returns starts at your second pocket knife.
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I have a 4” belt knife for walking in the woods.
And another 4” belt knife for walking in the woods when it might rain.
And another for when it just rained but isn’t dry yet.
And another for when I’m staying overnight.
And another for when I might be hunting too.
And another for when I might be fishing too.
And about six others for specific conditions I haven’t identified yet.
And two more on the way. :)
 
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GatorMedic said:
Food for thought: diminishing returns starts at your second pocket knife.
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Scarcely! Only if you buy knives that are functionally redundant. ;) My own strategy of knife and tool purpose is that I identify functional gaps in my "arsenal" and get new knives and tools that fill those functional roles for different contexts. :)
 
I like the idea of premium steels but better materials have become less important than better build quality for me.

I find it hard to place a hard dollar amount on it. I think anything over about $150 stops being "better" and simply starts getting more refined.
 
Here's the rub...

You can't do work without a tool. And better tools make for better work.

But as Bob Loveless noted, "Knives are just tools and when we forget that, we've lost perspective."

Our culture is radically committed to consumer capitalism. "You get what you pay for" is deeply rooted culture moral commitment whose truth is almost universally accepted. As with other consumer goods, what we have and display is statement of our social rank for our peers.

What did Loveless say? What store did he get his start in?

IMO, most people will be happiest with a knife that is in the same price tier as their watch and car. I wear a Timex and drive a Toyota and my knives (and guns) are similar. Everybody needs to sort this out for themselves though.
 
My take is that 40 or below are just cutting tools and often fairly poor quality, lower end materials, poor heat treatment and low end budget steel. Forget taking most of these apart easily.

80 to 150 range varies. Usually very good cutting tools with better quality and mid range materials. Sometimes even higher end materials either the handle or the blade only though.

200 to 300 is the sweet spot. Great materials high end steel, ti, cf etc scales, m390 etc steel. High quality. More high end maker designs. These vary between art knives and user knives.

Over 300 for me is Diminishing Returns but I'm a knife nut and like something I'll get it. Have several over or around 500 and I like them very much and they are worth the cost to me.

I rather buy the 200+ range but have an assortment in the 150 range that are fairly nice.

Do you need more than a 30-40 knife? I dunno. I think sub 30 knives are fairly crap except for many exceptions. But there's also exceptions about price being good. There is always bad knives in every price range.

What do you want? Are you a knife nut? A collector? A user who loves knives? Ask yourself what you want. Why are you on bladeforums?
 
I think the biggest change in society is people have multiple things because of credit. Bitd people often only had the one watch, one family car, one guitar, and one knife. They would use them untill they wore out and broke.
But with the internet you keep more up to date with whats new and the side effect is you get bored with what you have and start collecting more and more.

Im a watchmaker and I would agree something like a Rolex is a status symbol. But its a status symbol because everyone recognises it even non watch people. Where as a knife spends most of its life inside your pocket out of sight. Only other knife people are going to recognise what it is.
 
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