Do you guys who own high-end knives, also buy cheap knives?

B

blade_guy

Joined
Jan 7, 2006
Messages
95
I love a quality knife. That's why I have a relatively pricey (to me) Benchmade.

But I find that I also can't stop buying cheap knives as well.

For example, I have bought cheap Smith & Wesson pocket knives for around $15, just because I like have cheap, disposable knives around for mundane tasks.

I've also bought a package of those horrible set of 3 Humvee pocket knives, gave away one as a gift, and kept the other two in my cars' glove box, just in case I ever forgot my daily carry. That way if the car is stolen, and the cheap knife is lost, I don't care.

I've probably spent around $150+ on several cheap pocket knives. I suppose that I could have bought a more expense knife at that price, but I'm glad to have some disposable knives around for the more mundane tasks.

Do you guys stay away from cheap pocket knives, or buy a few for kicks?
 
I DO buy high end knives, but I don't buy cheap knives like S&W or anything like that, as for ME, I find it a waste of my money. The knives I keep in my truck are: A TOPS CQT Magnum, a Benchmade Rant, and a SOG Seal Pup 2000. And I am going to add either or both, a Spyderco Blue Rescue, and or a Pacific Salt.
 
I dont own any really expensive knife (greater than $200), but I dont really ever buy any really cheap knives. I have a few from my younger days that are CCC but now I dont buy anything cheaper than a SAK or FRN Spyderco such as a Delica. I figure that if im going to go buy a CCC I mines well buy a SAK which I know will be of good quality and serve more than one purpose. I would rather spend the extra couple of dollars on a delica and know that I have a knife that i could rest assured that when i need it, it will function. If I want a real beater knife I use my Opinel which is cheap and good quality.
 
I'm gonna admit that i do sometimes receive/buy cheap knives occasionaly. Usually its just an impulse buy to have a knife:o
 
I do not own anything over $250. However that is a lot of $$$ to me. Not all cheap knives mean low quality. I own several Frosts, Erikssons, and two Opinels. I love every one of them and carry them in the field more often than some of my "higher quality/more expensive knives". I do not purchase those cheap knives from China, or Pakistan though.
 
Cheap knives, cheap women... gotta stay away from them :D

-Michael
 
Interesting responses so far.

The logic I use to buy cheap knives are as follows:
-better a cheap blade than no blade, so I buy several to keep around in various places, in case I need one when I'm not carrying.
-better to lose a cheap knife, than my more expensive knives. I won't weep over the cheapie at all.
-I still have/carry a good quality knife, so the cheap ones are used for hacking stuff, opening boxes, stuff I wouldn't want to use my good knives on.

Maybe I need to stop thinking this way. :)
 
Note that "cheap" does not always mean "poor quality".

Take Victorinox for example, who by their sheer market influence is able to command prices of ~$30 - ~$50 for a "swiss army knife" of excellent quality. I'd garner that Victorinox is the exception to the norm and not the rule, however.

I personally learned my lesson buying "cheap" knives and found that I was spending more money breaking the cheap ones than if I'd bought one good one. So I shelled out the $ for a good Benchmade and I'm not looking back.
 
I don't own anything custom or over the top pricewise, but I do have some nice blades. I carry a small sebenze, BM942 in D2 with carbon fiber scales, and a BM670 Apparition.

This summer I drove cross country and bought a Spyderco Dragonfly, just because it was more discrete and I wouldn't mind if I had to turn it over, say at the St. Louis Arch or something like that. I wouldn't say it's cheap--the steel is decent and I love the shape, but it was inexpensive at only $30.
 
I love knives that are worth more than they cost. SAKs, KaBar Doziers can be had for 20 bucks and work great.

A cheap pot metal knife might be 5 bucks, but you can't ever get it sharp and it falls apart. I'd rather buy a utility knife (you know the kind with the disposable razors) than a real cheapie.
 
Mine run from $200.00+ customs to $10.00 imports, if I want to try a pattern I have never owned before, I will buy a decent quality cheapy and then if I like it may buy a better quality one.
 
To me buying junk is just money you could have put towards quality.Life is to short for that.This applies to all tools.Ive been through this with knives and tools,shop for good prices on quality and leave the junk alone.
 
I have to agree with the above posters who stated that they will purchase an inexpensive knife (e.g., a Victorinox SAK), but won't touch a poorly made knife.
 
I guess this all depends on your definition of cheap. Cheap can be a synonym for inexpensive and/or for inferior quality.
 
Keith Montgomery said:
I guess this all depends on your definition of cheap. Cheap can be a synonym for inexpensive and/or for inferior quality.
Click to expand...
I guess I would have to say price. For $15-$20 I try to get the best quality I can, knowing that it's not going to be stellar.

But for daily, mundane tasks like cutting boxes, opening mail, it'll do.
 
I've been spoiled by good quality knives. although the cheapies will probably get most jobs done - I cant stand a crappy knife.:mad:
 
There is cheap and then there is inexpensive. Now, THAT is a whole different ball of wax!! I DO buy some inexpensive knives, but they are o good quality.
 
love4steel said:
I've been spoiled by good quality knives. although the cheapies will probably get most jobs done - I cant stand a crappy knife.:mad:
Click to expand...

And an Opinel with a carbon blade will get many, many jobs done a heck of a lot better than many "quality knives", especially the so-called "tactical" knives".

So, what makes a knife a crappy knife? :rolleyes:

Hans
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top