Do you guys use your most expensive knives?

M

manny90

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Aug 6, 2008
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So me and my friends have recently started buying more high end knives. I have bought knives since i was old enough back probably 9-10 years ago but just recently have we been buying the more expensive (in our opinions) range of knives like the pm2 and manix. We even have second thoughts about using these knives for anything else besides opening packages, but when i see people spending thousands on grimsmos and other custom knives, i always wonder if those knives are used for anything else besides the occasional packing tape or are they purely for collection?
 
I use all mine, but I've kept the price to within $200. Still, that's a lot for me. I own firearms that cost more and I take them hunting and I drive my truck, that cost much more, in the mud and haul horses and carry all sorts of cargo and don't blink at those uses. So why not cut up a melon or break open a bale of hay or process game or whittle with an expensive knife? It's not abuse or misuse. It's not like you're carving into rocks with it.

FWIW, this topic has come up a lot.

Zieg
 
Yes, I do. I bought them for myself to use. If I won't use them who will? They'll end up getting passed to my kids when I die and they will probably pawn them off for a fraction of a fraction of their cost.
 
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I use mine but my most expensive is around 250. Still its expensive to me and I use it every day.
 
My most expensive (currently) was $350, and I have no qualms about using it.

I take firearms differently; I have guns that are rare and parts are impossible to find, so they are safe queens.
 
These are my 3 most carried EDC items as of about 6 months ago (about a year for the light)
25422B80-D82A-4368-8C49-2A88BB93197D_zpsgtjrwmsr.jpg

My PM2 is one of my favorite users. I don't neglect, or abuse it but I'm not scared to use it either. My most expensive knife is a Hinderer XM-18 FDE DLC Bowie with green scale. Which I also use... but like Matt ^^ the level of use varies with price. I love the PM2 as a user so much I have a NIB blurple s110v on stand by for when I'm ready to retire this one.
 
So I'm sure a lot of used to be in your shoes too. I remember when the most expensive knife I had was about $150 and I wasn't afraid to use it but definitely was very cautious to what I was doing with it. I still always carried a beater with it too.

Now once I get a new knife (which the one's I'm buying now days seem to be in the 300-600 price range) I'll carry it and carry it but also carry something else to actually use until the new one gets "snail trails" or a mark in the dlc or similar.

One of my most used knives is a Strider SMF in Psf27 and a ZT 0804cf. I think the idea of having something just for show and not using it is kind of silly. If I had the money I would for sure buy some customs and absolutely use the crap out of them. Not going to own a Ferrari and drive it like a Geo Metro
 
My two most expensive at the moment are my CRK umnumzaan and Pacific. The zaan I carry daily and use for everything. The pacific I'm hoping to take on a camping trip soon. I'm not intentionally destructive but I won't baby them.
 
Yes, I use my two most expensive pocket knives.

I also use my most expensive kitchen knives, which cost more than my most expensive pocket knives.
 
manny90 said:
So me and my friends have recently started buying more high end knives. I have bought knives since i was old enough back probably 9-10 years ago but just recently have we been buying the more expensive (in our opinions) range of knives like the pm2 and manix. We even have second thoughts about using these knives for anything else besides opening packages, but when i see people spending thousands on grimsmos and other custom knives, i always wonder if those knives are used for anything else besides the occasional packing tape or are they purely for collection?
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Yes totally. I use all of my knives but I have never sold a knife and have no plans to sell any. That is the difference. If you plan to turn it over (sell it) then, like old collectable comic books, it better be like new or mint. Haha it is sad but the only nice knife I have that I pretty much never use is my only Para 2 because it has a black DLC blade and I don't want to scratch it up. The theory was that the DLC reduces friction on the sides of the blade. If that were actually true I might carry and use the knife. In fact it increases friction. Since that is the case I keep it as my only safe queen. (someday I need to actually buy a safe for it).

I really, really wanted a Para 2 in M4 but since they sold out and are only available on the exchange I quickly lost interest. I'm just not into the rush, rush of pouncing on an inflated pried knife before somebody else. Turns me off. I did buy the Military in M4 so that made up some what for my loss.

Who knows maybe one day I will drink too many espresso macchiatos and end up ordering a Para2-M4 for a fabulous price. And I WILL use it hard.
Don't hold your breath though.
 
Yes. In fact, I use them hard sometimes. If it's so expensive that I can't bear to use it, I won't buy it. Of course, I'll be realistic as well. My most expensive knives in my very humble collection are a Benchmade Griptilian and Spyderco Endura 4. I trust these knives with my life, so buying them is an investment I'm willing to make, especially since they aren't so expensive that I'm afraid to use them. Let them get weathered and worn through usage. They'll become even more valuable to me the more scruffed up they get.
 
My most expensive knives are the pm2 s110v, zt0450, and lionsteel SR1 the only reason that i dont use the last two currently is because im waiting to get the wicked edge i ordered to reprofile them (and well i flattened the edge of the sr1 like a dumbass)
 
Certain knives get babied more than others but not because of money. It's more about wanting to preserve the looks of my fancier "dress" knives. If I know for sure I am going to be using a knife hard there are certain knives I'll choose over others.

So for example, I won't hesistate to use my CRKs or Hinderers for any cutting task. On the other hand, if I end up using my Liong Mah GSD hard it will be because I didn't plan ahead properly.

These are all expensive knives for me.
 
I cant comment on folders because i hardly use them. I am not really into folders either so the ones i do own are cheap budget ones that get abused alot.

But medium sized fixed blades are what I love and use/buy the most.
I use to be cautious like you and collect higher end knives rather than use them. I ended up with a busse RMD and Axehammer costing me over $1000 (Aus dollar). They just sat around looking pretty. The axehammer I ended up selling because I regretted paying $650 for something that was going to just sit there. Then the more I looked at the RMD the more it begged me to be used. So one day I got it out and smashed it tip first as hard as I could repeatedly into a solid plastic stool and then torqued it. This was to test if the rumors about its toughness were true. I figured it will either help me get over collecting or it will break the knife and I will get a free replacement from busse. It arose undamaged (sr101 is tough stuff). From there on I found the enjoyment of using awesome expensive solid knives. I started using all my knives regularly from then on in. I didnt keep abusing unpurposely like the RMD tip test, but they get used hard if I need them to do heavy work.

Collecting has its perks and unused knives are pretty, but using them and giving them character is just to enjoyable to deny.

I still keep one safe queen to express my collective side and something that I will be able to use/rely on/guarantee to be sharp in case of SHTF. But everything gets used and enjoyed.

I personally think if you do want to collect and maintain some knives, set your favourite one, two or three aside and then go beat on the rest. You get the best of both worlds that way. YMMV ;)
 
Most expensive is not necessarily the one I like best, the most rare or the most precisely made. The ones I like best I don't use, the second-line ranking ones I will use:

P4270246_zpsqu0fctzy.jpg


Favourite ones are kept neat, regardless of price, some never to be used.. The top one below (an "Oryx Raider II") is ten times cheaper than the Lile, yet roughly equivalent, more precisely made and probably harder to find... Function, precision of workmanship and rarity trump price.

P4297716_zpson1msvgj.jpg


I notice the Lile "Mission" is now more rarely seen, so use will eventually move on to others, unless I see glut of them...

Gaston
 
Since I value performance over features and high end materials, my most expensive knife is my beloved buck 110 and it definitely gets used.
At first it was too shiny and beautiful to mess up, but that silly notion quickly disappeared and I started to really use it.
Do you buy these knives to collect ?
If not then you need to remember that they were meant to be used.
The knife isn't super shiny, extravagantly engraved ,or embellished is it ?
 
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