Do you buy cheap knives anymore?

Kershaw and Buck have loads of good knives that are under $50. Rough Rider has many good and useful knives under $20. I have very nice expensive knives, and many that are useful and value priced. I will continue to buy both types.
 
I still buy cheap knives and favor my $52.00 kershaw blur to alot of my knives that cost me fore times that much.
 
Many of the very inexpensive knives mentioned above are great cutters and great values. It is nice to have a Bose or other fine knife, but I have, so far, not been able to bring myself to use my more beautiful knives for my many ugly and ungentlemanly chores.

Many traditional Stockmen and others, also mentioned above, have very sharp and very strong Sheepsfoot and other special purpose cutting blades. The Kershaw Needs Work ($34) and any of the Bob Dozier Hunters ($20 - $25), Bobcats ($45) Fat Bobs or Fixed blades, etc. are very sharp out of the box, and very strong cutters. The Dozier KaBars and Bokers are beautiful, as are many of the great traditionals under $50.
 
the only cheap knives i buy are balisons because i dont want to ding up my model pcc model thirty or spyderco spyderfly
 
For me "cheap knives" have morphed in dollar amounts over the years. I used to really think long and hard over dropping $50 for a Cold Steel large Voyager 20 years ago and now I don't bat an eye at $100 to $150 for a Bechmade or Spyderco. Several $100's for a Sebenza or a Hinderer XM-18 is simply a passing thought. It's all relative to your cash on hand and your taste in knives. We must feed our addiction. :D
 
I'm thinking of buying a wood inlayed Sebenza with double lugs, which would be the most expensive knife I've purchased. Like others have said, I buy based on value and what I want, not necessarily price only.
 
Lately I've been into ghetto knives, Douk Douks, Okapis and Kudus. Having loads of fun with them doing things I would never do to my Case slippies or customs.
 
I've been 'into knives' most of my life. I've bought a lot of knives and learned a lot in the process. I would submit that you should not make price the main criteria.

I do think you can get a useful, quality knife for less than $50. I have a few Victorinox Swiss Army Knives that cost less than $50, and I carry one of them every single day.

Depending on where you buy it, you can get an ESEE Izula for less than $50 and they have quite the following. I have two of them.

I will NOT buy a cheaply made knife. I normally avoid anything made in Asia, since often they are made to the lowest price point, and not usually the highest quality standard. I realize I am generalizing, and there are certain to be exceptions.

I have no experience with them, but I hear a lot of good things about Mora knives, which all seem to be less than $50, so that would be another case of a 'cheap' knife being good.

I'm big fan of buying what I like and using it for what I bought it for. If you like it, and it works, go with it, and don't make price the only criteria.

SP
 
Chinikaylo said:
Am I being unreasonable?
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Not unreasonable, you just haven't thought it all the way through.

If you want a knife to sit around and look at, drool over, and have bragging rights due to, a $300 custom made knife might be right up your alley.

If you want a knife for cutting rope and untying knots, a $40 NOS Colonial marlin spike is about right.

If you want something that will sharpen after cutting ten or twenty cardboard boxes, something you won't fret over if its lost, and something inexpensive enough that you can give it away when a friend turns out be knife-less, well, a $7 Rough Rider is right up that alley.

I've been a knife collector for years (primarily USA made BSA knives), but my EDC nowadays is a RR stockman.

I wouldn't take a tray of RRs to a knife show, but I sure use one multiple times every day.
 
I really don't, but not because of the price just because I see other knives that I like more and happen to be more expensive. That said if I go on vacation and see a nice cheap knife with a logo from the place I go to I might pick it up as a souveneir and never use it.
 
Some people buy pricey customs to look at and for bragging rights. They usually don't carry use them if they are bought for those reasons. This sort of knife buyer usually has a less expensive EDC.

I know of a few people who use their high dollar customs. I'm one of them. If I could afford a custom Emerson, I'd carry it. If I could afford a Brend #2, I'd clear brush with it. Depending on the maker, the product is totally worth the price and is a knife screaming for use. A Busse (for example) was made to withstand tremendous abuse... Every Busse is. I'm not an investment knife buyer and so, I can't understand why people buy them only to keep them NIB in a safe.
 
I only buy Case folders, ESEE, Gerber ( The American Made ones ) or Tops. So yes thay all cost at least $45 and up.....
 
all I buy are what you would consider "cheap knives". I have never bought a knife that cost more than $50. But I do avoid the $5 and under blades; except maybe the VIC's on ebay.
 
Chinikaylo said:
Do you buy knives that are around or under $50?

Are there any particular examples of good knives for around this price?
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Not really. Maybe an SAK or something new from one of the big manufacturers, but nothing I seek out regularly.

Merry Christmas.
 
I do shake my head at some of these coffee-house warriors who sit on the couch flicking their Striders and ZT's while waiting for the video game to load.
I have a hundred times more respect for a guy (or girl) who carries a cheapie and actually uses the thing. A knife is a tool that by definition must be destroyed as it is used and maintained (removing metal as it cuts and is sharpened). That said, if you can afford to use an expensive knife, God bless you and go for it. As for me I use the best I can afford most of the time, generally a mid-range Case paired sometimes with a Spydie or Mcusta. This Christmas all the toy-opening duties were handled by a Case small Texas Jack and a medium Douk-douk (with a little help from the phillips driver on my son's Wenger Highlander). I met a guy the other day who proudly showed me his Taylor Smith and Wesson, just happy to meet another knife-guy, I said "Cool!" and asked to look at it and showed him mine.
I'll chat with a knife-guy over a look-how-much-I-paid guy any day.
I got a kick out of carrying a Cold Steel Kudu for a while but went back to my better quality stuff.
 
I think I hear where you're coming from yobbos1, but I think you're being too black and white on the issue. That said, there's lots of guys who buy and collect knives more for the coolness and love of them. If they know their stuff and don't care to use their high end folders to cut everything in sight, that doesn't make them not "knife guys" IMO. :)
 
I'm not really "against" anyone here I just get frustrated sometimes with the types who would never dream of actually cutting anything with the high end uber-folders in their pockets. Not trying to run anyone down but I do get annoyed at some of the snickering that goes on in some subforums if you happen to like TL-29's or Mercators or whatever. Just because you paid a lot of money for something it doesn't necessarily mean it's the greatest thing since pockets were invented. It MIGHT be great, it's just not a guarantee.
 
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