Do your Expensive EDC’s stay at home? Or do you carry less expensive EDC’s?

I used to carry cheaper knives while leaving the more expensive ones at home but not anymore. This Sebenza Classic was like NOS when I first got it and I tried carrying it when I first got it but would always end up after awhile putting it away for something else.
I rejoined the CR one year challenge before Christmas and now can’t imagine leaving the house without it clipped to my pocket.
Life’s too short to leave them locked up!
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So I have about 60-70 knives, split pretty evenly between fixed blades and folders, not a large collection but I do appreciate good tools aka nice knives. Today’s load out is below, the Japanese style blade is one of my most expensive knives and the one on the left one was very reasonably priced. I only have one knife I have never used but only because I had so many of that size. Gotta use em, never gonna live long enough to cash in on safe queens.IMG_2189.jpeg
 
I've come to the conclusion that I don't really need any expensive knives anymore. I still like knives it's just that now days there are so many great quality knives you can buy for under $100. I've sold or gave my son most of my more expesive knives I still have some expensive slip joints and am going to list them on the exchange. I'm 68 and no longer need the latest and greatest blade steel or titanium scales I'm just enjoying my knives.
Here is a sampling of what I have left that are worth over $100 Hess White Tail, WE Beacon and GEC #83 LockbacksVM0V8C[1].jpg
 
I have Spyderco and Benchmade folders, nothing I'd classify as super expensive. As a result I use them all. Some more than others but they all get used.
Same story with my fixed blades.
 
My Buck, Spyderco, and CRK knives were all bought with the intention of using them. But, when a couple of the Buck and a couple of the Spyderco showed up in a fluffy padded zipper case instead of in a sheath (or just in the box), it seems the intent of those was to be show pieces instead of users. Those four haven't been used so far. All of the rest get used as they should.
 
BJ987 said:
This thread is interesting because it shows how varied ranges of value are. A lot of people on here give their Sebenzas a lot of love and only keep their $1000+ customs at home. For me, I don't wanna mess up a $300 knife. I'm sure there are people out there whose most expensive knife was $200 and they cherish it and that's great. It's just that there are so many really good budget options these days, that I always keep one of those on me to cut with and maybe a more expensive knife too just to feel cool.
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I agree. My expensive knives spend more time safe at home. And that’s the way I like it. But with constant price increases , almost everything is expensive now. I think I’ll be giving myself a $200 cap for a while. Speaking of $200 , that’s what a new PM2 goes for now. That’s crazy to me.
 
We have all seen the sales threads where the OP states that the knife was carried but never used to cut anything.

That’s how I determine if I will put an expensive knife into rotation. I will carry an expensive knife but I won’t use it unless I like it enough to give it the green light for EDC.

Those couple days of carrying and not using help me determine the fate of the knife in question. If it doesn’t meet my EDC standards then it’s still in decent shape for resale. If I get the warm fuzzy’s just from carrying it then into the rotation it goes.
 
Did 7 miles in the woods yesterday with my WC Inkosi. Didn't need it for much except picture taking ( both of it and it as a base/ stand for my camera) and digging an old bottle and than an old beer can out of the river bank. While digging I got that uneasy feeling... NIB Sterile Gen 4 XM-18 inbound...uneasy feeling gone. Everyone needs an unbreakable beater.





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Hands were much too muddy to dig out my phone for a picture out there so here they are a bit of cleaned up and ready for my " shit I drug home from the woods" (as my wife calls it) collection.



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At least this time it wasn't a 1/2 rotted beaver skull.
 
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not so dull said:
I usually take my "expensive" fixies to the field and leave my pricier folders at home: after all, what would happen to a solid well-made fixie? there is nothing to break. And a folder, yeah, you should be caring and gentle with it, treat it like your first date)) I don't care about scars and scratches.
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When I leave my "expensive" (it is more appropriate to call them more expensive without quotation marks, because what is expensive for me may be small change for someone else) folders at home, I don't care about scratching them. I'm not worried about my knife losing virginity — after all, who wants to stay a virgin for the rest of their life? :D I just don't want the opening mechanism to break.
 
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This thread has inspired me to carry my CRK Mnandi. I am trying very hard to not let myself get too paranoid about using it. This is going to be challenge.

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SimplyMinded said:
I carry stuff worth less than $100, mostly because having lost a couple more expensive knives I'm afraid of doing that again.
The CRK warranty is good but it's not "I lost it" good.
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I found the out the hard way in my youth that unless I carried something with a little worth, I would inevitably leave it somewhere. I was that way with knives, sunglasses, and girlfriends. Got into the higher tiers and started keeping them around.
 
DavidABQ said:
This thread has inspired me to carry my CRK Mnandi. I am trying very hard to not let myself get too paranoid about using it. This is going to be challenge.
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Just tie on a bright fob in case you drop it in the woods!
 
I just received my large Sebenza 31 Night Sky. It has tremendous symbolism to me. It's been with me every day since I got it. Sure, I carry it in a leather slip, but I would also use it to cut things. It's also one of 3-4 knives that get carried at a time. I live all my CRKs differently, and usually carry 3-4 on me. Some for harder tasks, others for lighter use. But I had over $2k worth of CRK in my pockets every day this week. (5.11 Apex tactical pants make it possible, and are cargo pants that don't look like cargo pants.)
 
Funny enough, I treat some cheaper/limited knives more as grail than their much more expensive counterparts.

Case in point, I have a payara from al mar, and a TRM shadow, all those are considered standard production models, but the payara has been discontinued, and the new administration has not lived up to their legacy, the shadow, I had to bust my ass to get a chance to buy it, love the knife but the thought of having to relive all that experience makes me not want to carry it.

Meanwhile a sebenza,medford,grimsmo get put through the wringler and are treated like workhorses, get dropped like nothing.
 
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