Do yourself a favor and buy a CHEAP knife!

O

ohen cepel

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Sep 19, 2002
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I suggest this since I received several Maxam knives when I placed an order the other day.

Thought I would use one in the garage as an abuse "tool" for the times I shouldn't use a knife but still foolishly would. Or to cut stuff that I knew would be hard on a blade.

In the end. It made me REALLY appreciate a good blade, good steel, tight lockup and all the things that many of us take for granted I think.

Buy yourself a cheap knife and carry it for a day or 2, just so you can appreciate quality a bit more later. For me it was a real eye opener and I really appreciate the nice knives I have that much better.

May be the best $1 you could spend as a knife guy.
 
Learned that lesson a long time ago, I am very selective of what I buy now and why I carry knives with Ti Frame locks and CPM-M4 steel :D. You can still get a high quality "cheap" knife like the Endura, delica, JYD II, and many others but even those could be considered expensive to some.

I use my expensive knives like I use my cheap knives and most of the time I can use them harder because they are made from better materials.
 
Just the other day I tossed a $1 folder in with a 24 pack of Diet Dew at the local small town grocery store.

Like a 4 inch blade, and looks a lot like a Bladetech. Chisel ground edge.

Gonna have to toss it, because I wouldnt feel right giving it to someone. It is THAT bad.


Frost cutlery. Sweet.
 
I was given a frost cutlery from my manager at work.
Every Christmas hes gives guys frost knives, and the girls candles.
He wont buy any quality knives, he uses these and when they break he sends them in for replacement.

Look at this beauty (mine has a black painted blade)
2cp7z3c.jpg


Ill never throw it away, as it was a gift, but I will never use it
 
I won't buy a cheap, junky knife. I will appreciate & use what I have now. If need be, I can send them back to the maker for refub.

I have been there done that with cheap knives. As my knowledge has progressed, so has my knife spending budget.

Buy what YOU like & I will buy what I like.
 
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Just received a Douk-Douk in the mail and, although it's inexpensive, it's quite the cutter. Can't wait to really use and abuse this thing. The steel is wonderful, though I wonder how well the edge will hold up.

I have owned a couple cheapies though, and even with light use, blade play develops. Just don't understand it.
 
LOL @ Frost Cutlery...here is their "Custom Bowie" rofl!

15-213BPW.jpg


I'm pretty sure this thing would do more damage to the person holding the thing than the intened victim ha ha!
 
Yeah, i've got a relative like that. It's weird, i am constantly showing him quality knives and explaining why they are exceptional. He even buys some decent cheap knives like CRKT, but he can't distinguish between quality and complete garbage. he's always showing me the "great deal" he got on a knife from bud k catalog. its usually something like that frost abomination. i think he hasn't noticed since when do you use something like that? I noticed my little cousins running around with rainbow leek imitation folders they got from him as presents so i bought them all mini griptilians. Now they can learn to appreciate quality. Friends and family are great for giving presents of low quality knives. They just don't know the difference and some cant be shown.
 
YayILikePie said:
Just received a Douk-Douk in the mail and, although it's inexpensive, it's quite the cutter. Can't wait to really use and abuse this thing. The steel is wonderful, though I wonder how well the edge will hold up.

I have owned a couple cheapies though, and even with light use, blade play develops. Just don't understand it.
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The edge on a Douk holds up decently, and is quick to restore. Love mine.
 
Some people just never get it. They don't care about what knives they use.
They feel like as long as it cuts something it's serving the purpose and they are not gonna see past that.
I sure see a lot more cheap knives when people pull them out than decent. And a decent blade that costs 30 bucks at WalMart is really getting serious to the average person.
 
jill jackson said:
Some people just never get it. They don't care about what knives they use.
They feel like as long as it cuts something it's serving the purpose and they are not gonna see past that.
I sure see a lot more cheap knives when people pull them out than decent. And a decent blade that costs 30 bucks at WalMart is really getting serious to the average person.
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"Never get it"? If it serves its purpose, aren't they truly getting it?
 
I don't know, my one-dollar pot steel jackknife is an EXCELLENT weight for a heaving line.

Pity it can't cut for shit.
 
intriguing thread.
i am up too late or up too early, which is it.......?
cheap knife.
around here we have a saying
" all wood is good wood"

so is a knife , any old knife better than no knife??

i thought a Caly III Carbon Fiber ZDP was,is a fine piece of cutlery?
do i need a s-----r?:barf:
buzz????
 
Sword and Shield said:
"Never get it"? If it serves its purpose, aren't they truly getting it?
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That's right they don't get knives and they don't care. As long as their knife will cut what they want to cut they look no futher than that.
They don't get superior steels that hold an edge multiple times better than their cheap blade will.
They don't get tightly built knives with strong locking systems that are way safer to use.
They don't see build quality that enables a knife to last far longer.
They think by buying many cheap knives over the years, that perform poorly in comparison they are saving money. Instead of buying one decent one that would outlast dozens of their poorly performing cheap knives they are saving money. Like I said they don't get it. They never see the big picture.
 
And besides, how cheap do you wanna go? If you can buy a really nice Spyderco/Byrd for $15 that will serve you well for years and years, how much more does anyone think they can save on a cheap knife?
 
philwar said:
And besides, how cheap do you wanna go? If you can buy a really nice Spyderco/Byrd for $15 that will serve you well for years and years, how much more does anyone think they can save on a cheap knife?
Click to expand...

Some people simply buy box cutters with disposable blades in order to bypass having to ever sharpen an edge, ever. I decided to spend an afternoon hanging around Home Depot searching for a specific Klein pocket knife, and discovered that there are a lot of people out there that don't even understand, or even care, about learning to sharpen a knife, so they'll simply pick up a basic utility knife and a pack of disposables.

Use, flip the blade, use, throw away.
 
I don't know. I have purchased inexpensive but well made knives and high end prod. and custom folders/f.b's and lower end f.b.'s I don't have a problem with either. For instance, I just picked up an NRG II off ebay for less than 30 bucks shipped, not a second either. How could you go wrong with a price like that with and American made knife. I also picked up about 6 wks ago a very lg. bowie to take camping. Again off ebay, and when I rec. it i was bummed as it was a BUD K bowie. But ya know what it is a 440 grade of steel, nice wide blade, .250" thick, very nice diamond wood handle and guard has no gaps and it it extremely tight as in not loose etc. etc.

The bowie was right about 15 bucks with shipping I mean dirt cheap yet everything about the knife spells quality made and I ain't kiddin. IT is almost identical to the Laredo I bought too. Save the BUD K knife is about and inch or two longer and not as thick. Looks like the same guard and handle material. Oh yea the BUD K knife has a full tang as opposed to a stick tang.

I think the manufacturing process's today are even that much better than say 5 years ago as for getting an item of a quality manufacture. So not spending alot of money on a knife is not necessarily a bad thing. Sure there are still flea market type items out there that you have to be aware of but for the most part the knives that 4 or 5 yrs ago you wouldn't go near have been upgraded some what just with better manufacturing process's and materials and of course cheap labor from China. Very hard to compete with. keepem sharp

PS here are some inexpensive but very well made knives I have picked up of late: RAT 1 folders, BUD K bowie, SEBER rachet knife, NAVY compression lock folders(these especially are extremely well made with a high degree of fit and finish but super cheap), some older CRKT model M16-04, M18's, the old UZI Defender tactical folder USA made, etc.etc. BW custom bowie from Pakisatn very well made although heavy in the hand, CS GI tanto and Warhead and the KONCEPT line of folders which are probably as good of a folder as I have owned with excellan materials used.
 
Yeah, you can get some nice beater knives for around $20 if you look.
 
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