Do you buy into the hype?

Before I ever read on BladeForums, I'd buy in to magazine article "hype" and yes I've bought some knives from reading opinions from those and here. I have to say I've been a lot happier overall with the models bought from what I've read on here, than the advice of a single magazine writer.
 
Hype, buzz, whatever, it also comes from a perspective that is often inexperienced or uneducated. I've been using and buying hard use military oriented knives for 30 years - the worse things to happen were the survival knife craze and tactical folders, especially tantos.

There's the ugly side of hype - useless features, overdone marketing, and completely BS descriptions of fantasy use. I suppose the world remains as free as it is simply because of the few uberspecwar operators who had a folding knife to use after the last grenade pin hit the knee deep pile.

That kind of propaganda completely obscures an honest evaluation of knife features, or even allows real discussion of features that can be both helpful or uncomfortable. Two example on one knife - the SnG: NO, those aren't thumbstuds, they're stop pins, quit getting it wrong and complaining about them; and the grooves on the back of the blade/handle are great for gloves - but can tear up bare skin. CC's are a better EDC.

Or: Sebenzas are probably the most precisely made knife today. Which adds ZERO - ZIP - NADA to it's usefulness as a knife. It really doesn't make any measurable difference in actual cutting ability. In fact, one complaint about Sebenzas is that they are tempered too soft - which does impact edge life. But the hype ignores the reality - and people praise the handle, not the blade.

What is a knife for, again?

Hype, buzz, whatever, it's like sifting five miles of beach for a lost diamond ring. All the sunbathers are either a distraction or just in the way, and no help at all.
 
most precisely made knife today. Which adds ZERO - ZIP - NADA to it's usefulness as a knife.
Click to expand...
Some appreciate build quality, rather it makes the knife (product) more "useable/useful" or not. If everyone found the same thing important, there would be one knife on the market. Obviously those custom makers and high-end production makers are in business because there are some that find the extra $ worth it. It's not necessary for anyone to understand the decision to spend $500 on a blade and it's rather narrow minded to knock it.
 
The hype is part of buying,sebbs and striders,i would never have tried them without the forums and talk,back 10 years ago i would have never paid $400 plus for any knife,know look at all of us we are junkies......
 
I've given in to the hype many times on Bladeforums. The results were sometimes great, sometimes less than satisfying. I surely never would have bought a Sebenza if it hadn't been for Bladeforums. That one worked out great. It's one of the finest knives I've ever had the pleasure of carrying. The whole Busse thing didn't work out as well. I got a big knife with questionable fit and finish, and an extreme lack of cutting efficiency. Oh well. You win some, you lose some.
 
Hype? Well its more word of mouth to me. Alot of knives that I have owned are the result of other members whose knowledge i trust and respect, giving feedback on a particular knife. I have owned alot of knives from alot of brands many times out of just curiosity on its own. Sometimes "that post" will push me over the edge and convince me to buy something I otherwise may not have.

It all comes down to whether or not its "YOU" so to speak. Alot of people love the Benchmade 710.....not for me not one bit. I'll take a spyderco Mili over it anyday. Others would disagree. Yeah I would guess hype kind of steers me to look at a knife, but materials, design and quality are what prompt a purchase.
 
No, I don't buy into the hype. Most of the hyped blades are nice. But I often don't like the price. And if the price isn't right nothing else can be right enough to buy it for me.

Some things however do have some effect on me. So I ordered my first traditional the other day. (They just look soooo nice.)
 
Call it exposure, I came here from a guitar forum on the recomendation of the forums owner. We occasionally discuss knives on that forum so it kind of made sense to follow the boss over here.

I’ve bought quite a few knives from monitoring these discussions. I had never heard of Bark River, RAT, Lone Wolf, Becker and a few others. I never cared for Cold Steel, Benchmade or Spyderco but this forum has caused me to take a closer look at them, I’ve become real partial to the axis lock, I don’t know what it is about the Spyderco but I probably will never give them a chance.
 
I don’t know what it is about the Spyderco but I probably will never give them a chance.
Click to expand...
You'll be missing out my friend... but we can't buy them all.

Today I received my first CRK... a Large Sebenza 21, Cocobolo inserts and double lugs. I gotta tell ya, it was hard to pull the trigger on that kind of $$ for a pocket knife. I recall hearing on a video (by cutlerylover) about the knife being over hyped.. as if it was made by God himself, setting folks up to be let down. With that, I tried my best to take it for what it is... a tool. After dropping those $$ I sure didn't want to be disappointed when I finally got one.

I've got to say, in MY mind, it's actually better than the hype. But, in the end, it's still just a pocket knife. And for SURE more than I ever thought I'd spend on one. Would I do it again, yes... in fact, now I start saving for it's lil brother.
 
Last edited:
The feedback is faster here to report industry changes - particularly to new or recently dropped models. The manufacturers sub-forums are great (Yes, I miss the Kershaw one!). Yes, I have bought knives from suggestions/info here - and it's been 100% accurate. Not so with even the great 'Blade' magazine. They are better than any of the gun rags, but have still not been as accurate as this forum in general.

Now, you want hype that will lead you astray, read a gun rag. Heck, read a gun forum! My favorite ragging is on the internal hammer lock S&W has employed since 2002 on their revolvers, the dreaded 'IL'. Many folks have opined that there will be no new S&W revolvers in their arsenal due to that IL. I 'discovered' S&W when the IL came out - in 2002 - so many of mine have it - and it is a non-issue to me. Had I believed the hype, I wouldn't have half the revolvers I have now - they weren't available before. Folks coming into the mix now who follow the pundant's hype are doomed. The knife crowd, undoubtedly also gun forum members, are, all-in-all, a lot nicer, too.

I had hype forced upon me in a 'model/toy train' forum. I was all but excommunicated when I stated that LGB engines & cars were my choice due to the quality and longevity. I was told that 'they' had 'model' trains, while I had 'toy' trains. I insisted they were all toys... their's were finer and more accurately detailed - and needed TLC to work. Mine worked. And - at 10 feet, you couldn't tell, anyway!

I think that as long as we remember, anything these things do after cutting something, the function of a knife, is gravy. An MSRP $75 Buck 347 Vantage Pro, an MSRP $350 Buck 172 Mayo TNT, and an MSRP $400 CRK Large Sebenza will all cut open that new package containing your new Busse (...or Rat Cutlery!) knife. Fit, finish, and overall quality, not to mention bragging rights, go to the Sebbie. I opened my RAT RC-5 with my Buck Vantage Pro when it arrived. I learned about both here on Blade Forums.

Stainz
 
Last edited:
i ignore most of the hype. 99% of my buying decisions are based simply on what I like for myself. I do though consider the short and long term market value of my purchases, so I guess the opinions of others factor in just a bit.

I started out with Kershaws, made the logical step to ZT, and now I'm on Microtech OTFs, Protech mafia series, and sub-$1000 customs (unless I find a nice Ken Onion).
 
A lot of my purchases are based on the reviews of knives on these forums. If I didn't rely on the feedback of the members, I'd probably still be picking knives based on aesthetics. The education behind which knives and why will certainly influence the buying decisions of the knife community- and I'm no exception. Some knives I've bought based on hype:

BM Griptilians
Spyderco Enduras/ Delicas
Spyderco Military
Hinderer XM-18
Spyderco Paramilitary
Fallkniven A1

Much, much more. And even though I ended up selling or trading most of them, I was very happy with the purchases.
 
On the other hand, myth busting is a popular sport here - if the fanboys don't whine too much about their special icon taking some grief. After all, not every knife is for everyone, and all the big names have been traded or sold just because they didn't really appeal to a user - usually for a specific reason.

And those who prefer a certain feature seem to be equally opposed to those who hate it. Reasons fly in the discussions, and a bystander can analyze and choose which might suit them.

Conversely, there are those who pony up regardless of the knife, but buy the "club membership." From that point on, they parrot the party line and rise to the defense or opportunity any chance they get. We've all seen the major knife suggested even when someone askes which of two fixed blade fishing knives might be better - "Well, get a Sebenza!"

Now, offering a third choice is a little off thread - I've done it - but these posters don't get it at all - and just add to the improbable hype. (50/50 chance someone follows this with a description of how the Sebenza is a passable creekside fillet knife. )

All told, knife magazines have fallen off my radar just because they can't keep up - and really aren't honest enough. The articles all seem to read like infomercials.

Not so here, you can always look to get a straight up appreciation for what a knife really does - and having the most precise pivot and handle in the world still doesn't make it a great cutting knife.

It's like praising Zippo for having a good hinge on the lid. Which it needs.
 
Now wait just a minute - are you implying that a Sebenza isn't a great fishing knife? Them's fighting words.

Only kidding. I don't even own a Sebenza. Never bought into the hype.
 
While I don't necessarily buy into the hype, I will hear what others have to say about a certain knife, both good and bad, before making a decision. For me, if it's aesthetically pleasing, appears ergonomic, has good steel, and is inexpensive, I'm all for it. No knife is a safe queen if I have anything to do with it.
 
Hmmm...I guess I have to say yes. Knife stores around here tend to carry low to mid-range production stuff with the occasional high-end production model. All info, hyped or otherwise, on new (or new to me) knives comes from here or one other forum.

My perspective is that of a new user and not a learned collector. A T. Bose 5-blade Sowbelly would be a grail for some but I wouldn't buy one. It's too big and I'd get confused about which blade should be used for a given task. My Commander and 710 were purchased after surfing this forum. Nice, well made, and respected but both are too big to be an EDC for me. So they sit on the shelf and the "hype" could be considered a flop.

I don't know enough to differentiate between the S30 on my Sebenza and the 154CM on my Sequel. Yet I like them both because their size is easy for me to carry, they cut what I need them to cut, and they both take a great edge when I run them across my Sharpmaker.

Now I've branched out into a hollow-ground Mini-Grip (another purchase after reading this forum) to experience a different type of blade grind. Light, nice size and steel so this one fit right in to my EDC rotation. The "hype" for for this one is a success.

I'm going to pull numbers out of the air and say that 75% of the populace have heard of Gerber while 10% might know Hinderer. I'm here because I enjoy learning about (and especially buying :cool:) those "10% makers" even if the hype occasionally leads to something sitting on my shelf to be sold when I get around to it.

I'll let you know into which category the Hinderer falls next week. :D
Dan
 
Once you are around long enough to form a thoughtful opinion of who's opinions are worth hearing, and who's are suspect (very few here, but we all have our own list), the knife advice you got here on BF is about the best opinion you can get.
 
No hype for me thanks. i have the knives i need and i'll use it till i need a new one. most likely the same, a 110.
 
I don't know if I would call it hype but I have definitely bought knives that were popular on the forums without a chance to actually see them.

I don't have any friends that are into knives enough to go buy something expensive like a Sebenza or even a Zero Tolerance knife. There are no knife stores in my area and the gunshops hardly carry much more than the local Walmart.

So I rely on opinions from the forums sometimes. I think I have enough knowledge and / or experience at this point (I'm 54) to know what types of knives I like and that work for me so I start there. I also am a Manufacturing Engineer with studies in Material Science so that helps a bit.

But if enough people on the forums are raving about a particular knife than I figure it is at least worth consideration. You will have detracters for any popular piece but if enough people like it then there is usually something to it.

So I would just tend to call it popularity rather than hype because there is generally a good reason that a lot of people like a knife. Now if a whole crapload of posts came up praising some knife made by United Cutlery then I would be inclined to call that hype or maybe BS.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top