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Do you buy Metal or do you buy the design?

Like those above I have to like the design but I also want the steel to perform well. case in point I recently picked up a crkt m16-13z, yes z for the dreaded aus 4 steel. well after a couple of weeks i'm pretty well satisfied. I think for the price it's not a bad knife and I really like the design. however aus 4 is as low as i go since no matter how cool the design is if you have to sharpen 3 times a day you're not going to be happy. later, ahgar
 
I guess I tend to do both. I don't buy designs I don't like, but I don't buy knives that are mystery stainless or 420j2 either.

I think that I would pay a lot for a design that I really liked, even if it didnt' have a great steel, but I would never buy a design that I didn't like, just because it was made of some super duper ultra steel.
 
I put design above materials as far as selection is concerned. However, if the price is high, it had better have nice materials too. I almost never actually use my knives for anything, but usability is very important to me. The grip design has to fit my hand for me to want to buy the knife. That often means that I don't like midgy little handles, especially with large blades.

And for balisongs, flippability if paramount, because that's all I do with them anyway.
 
Sometimes I buy a knife that is very redundent to other knives in my collection just so that I can try a new steel or compare two similar knives with contrasting alloys. I have bought second-rate knives just so that I can look at the performance of a simple sawblade (L6) knife. I purchased a John Greco knife with a sub-optimal design (from my perspective) just to have a beater with an A2 alloy blade (the price was right). I value designs a lot, but there are many types of knives that I just won't buy with a second-rate steel. For example I wouldn't buy a Buck Vanguard with a 420HC alloy blade to use on elk, but I'd be comfortable if I was only going to work on deer-sized game. The result was that I have one Vanguard with an S30V alloy blade, one with a BG42 blade and one with a Buckcote blade. I also have a similar Benchmade Rant with an N690 blade.
 
I buy the design, but only if the steel is something decent. I won't buy 440A no matter how nice the design is.
 
I tend to look at designs and end up gravitating to certain companies by default. Like Artfully Martial said about steel; if you're generally looking at a certain price range, the steel is probably there already, so I'm looking for design qualities and handle materials.
What I also end up doing is passing over many no-doubt fine knives because I have prejudged many companies based on poor designs and inferior steels of the past ,regardless of what they might be producing now.
 
The most important thing IMOP of chosing a knife is edge retention and a design/lock that keeps my fingers bleeding.
 
I sometimes find myself buying both also. Sometimes a certian metal apeals to me so I will look to see what's available.
 
First, I look at design, than at steel, but without proper heat treatment, steel does not mean much, so I will buy only made by company with good reputation for overall quality.
R
 
Bors said:
Ok, I have been buying and trading knifes for a while. I have been carrying knifes for a very long time. I just noticed I have been selecting knifes based on the type of metal used for the blade rather than design. At first, it was design but now it’s the type of metal. I find I’m collecting metal rather than knifes. Does anyone else do this?
Click to expand...

My criteria are (1) Is it made by a reputable knife maker?

(2) How does it feel in my hand? Could I peel and cutup a 50 pound sack of potatoes with it without getting a hand cramp.

Then (3) How much does it cost?

The (4) What kind of steel and handle materials go into it?

Summary, let the knife maker worry about the steel and heat treatment and let me worry about the cutting chores.
 
I buy the knife based on the design, but it needs to be a practical design. I also shop based on price, and yes, quality.I don't usually mind the exact metullergy, as long as it will get the job done. My knives are tools, not display pieces.
 
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