Does expensive = better?

You get what you pay for...some of the time.
Sometimes you're just buying a name or a status symbol.

The quality of knives has increased so much in the last twenty years, that the gap between the legendary Sebenza and knives from makers like CRKT is rather small.

Shop around and you will discover that $100.00 will get you a top-notch quality knife that you can be proud to own.

Allen.
 
More expensive doesn't have to be better. Same thing for watches or cars - guess u can get my point. :)
 
Does expensive = better?

There seems to be ( in general ) two groups of knife owners, those who use them as a tool for their job ie.Tradesmen, servicemen etc. and those who collect knives as a hobby for their beauty, craftsmanship, resale value etc.

For the individual who relies on his knife / knives to assist in his job, finding a tool suitable to his needs is more a factor than price, in many cases a $20 SAK will be of greater benefit than a $300 + Sab, thus expensive does not equal better. To the collector of fine blades, who purchases for a completely different set of values, generaly, a higher priced knife will have benefits that are worth paying for.

Personaly, my preference is for usable tools that I am not frightened to drop, scratch and punish until they need replacement. Currently using and abusing a BM710HS and getting good value for money.
 
"There seems to be ( in general ) two groups of knife owners, those who use them as a tool for their job ie.Tradesmen, servicemen etc. and those who collect knives as a hobby for their beauty, craftsmanship, resale value etc."

I think this quote is a good base for my observation. The question of what a knife is worth is a question of value. Ultimately, the knife's value will be decided by what the individual values in that knife. If the knife is meant to look pretty, a customized Sebenza will, IMHO, be a more valuable purchase. If the knife is to fill a general working tool role, an SAK will prove to be a better purchase. So far, I've just summarized a good bit of the other posts... ;) Now, onto the rest of my thought...

I would add a third class of knife users to the original two listed - a hybrid class, among which I count myself. The hybrid user carries a knife for life's possibilities, whether they be mundane tasks like opening the mail or extreme circumstances, like cutting someone out of their seatbelt, freeing them from a burning car and grisly end. The hybrid user likes a knife to be both aescetically pleasing and functionally durable. Now, I believe that most people from the three groups of knife users have these same values. What makes the hybrid user unique is that he/she does not necessarily value one quality over the other. To the hybrid, form and function are equally valuable.

With that in mind, I think that expensive can mean better. But, as others have pointed out, the user/purchaser hits a ceiling in the $100-$150 range.
 
if you were to buy and use just 1 knife, i feel $300 is a good pricepoint for a lifetime gurantee from a stand up company :)
 
For all of you who said that an expesive Knife and not much different then a cheaper knife, I will have to think you are are wrong and should know better. First off becasue a knife is 200-500 doesn't just mean its all in the blade. your talking about the material, the Craftsmenship and the Garuntee. you can buy a 500.00 William henry or a 100.00 BM 940 Osbourne. Same Steel and the Bm is stronger and has a stronger lock. But hands down the Herny is better. Personal Preference may say no but look at the Facts. the Henry will have materials on it that the Bm will never see in it's life. All the henry's are hand fitted, Not stronger just rare and for personal reason's better materials. So if you Like Victorinox knives with thier stampped steel and inexpensive quality of handle. The only reason they have a life time warentee is because stamped steel is crap steel. and cost around a penny per blade. Also High grade steels that cost much more will hold an edge longer, easier to sharpen and take more abuse then your Home shopping network or Stamps steel. Remember high quality and high priced knives don't mean strong Though they can be. They jsut mean they are Better In more then one aspect to a certain comsumer. (A person who hase done Karate or Kung fu all there life and is rank top ten in the world is Good is it not? but a Joe smoe with a gun can Smash that person with a simple movemt of his or hers finger.) What cost more to earn? What took longer to make. Put that in knives.
 
DracoRapier,
I see what you're saying but consider this...
The materials use in a high-dollar knife are not always the best materials for a knife.
And hand-fitting is not always better than machined. I've handled some hand-made and hand-fitted knives with rather large gaps and misalignments.
It's nearly impossible for a person to consistantly match a CNC machined part for exact tolerances.

Convicts in prison make one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted knives all the time--that does'nt mean you would want one.

Allen.
 
DracoRapier said:
For all of you who said that an expesive Knife and not much different then a cheaper knife, I will have to think you are are wrong and should know better. First off becasue a knife is 200-500 doesn't just mean its all in the blade. your talking about the material, the Craftsmenship and the Garuntee. you can buy a 500.00 William henry or a 100.00 BM 940 Osbourne. Same Steel and the Bm is stronger and has a stronger lock. But hands down the Herny is better. Personal Preference may say no but look at the Facts. the Henry will have materials on it that the Bm will never see in it's life. All the henry's are hand fitted, Not stronger just rare and for personal reason's better materials. So if you Like Victorinox knives with thier stampped steel and inexpensive quality of handle. The only reason they have a life time warentee is because stamped steel is crap steel. and cost around a penny per blade. Also High grade steels that cost much more will hold an edge longer, easier to sharpen and take more abuse then your Home shopping network or Stamps steel. Remember high quality and high priced knives don't mean strong Though they can be. They jsut mean they are Better In more then one aspect to a certain comsumer. (A person who hase done Karate or Kung fu all there life and is rank top ten in the world is Good is it not? but a Joe smoe with a gun can Smash that person with a simple movemt of his or hers finger.) What cost more to earn? What took longer to make. Put that in knives.
Click to expand...

You seem a little uninformed.

SAK steel is crap steel? Wow, I think I am going to disagree. SAK steel can take an edge like no other knife I have ever seen, and hold it decent enough to get through a tough task... There is also the fact that it is HIGHLY corrosive resistant, and cheap. And let us not forget that it is possibly one the easiest SS to sharpen out there. (You stated that expensive steels that hold an edge longer are easier to sharpen... If you meant S30V, 440V, D2, ATS34 , 154CM, VG10, etc.... You were wrong, they are much harder to sharpen then Carbon or 420HC or 440C)The blades are fully flat ground and will slice better then a Sebenza, Military, or most other locking folders.

The cheap handle materials are durable, and if you break one you can replace it easily and cheaply. It isn't a great plastic, but it works.

Victorinox is one of the most respected knife companies in the collecting community for a reason. They offer incredible quality construction for $20. I have never heard ANYONE say they had a quality control problem with a Victorinox. They are that well done. They offer an incredible knife, and I wouldn't hesitate to call there products the best performing knives in the sub $40 dollar range, alongside Opinel's.

As for expensive knives being better I agree with everyone saying there is a ceiling at about $100-150. In terms of cutting performance though, an $8 Opinel or $20 Victorinox can out-perform most $300 dollar knives, although they must be sharpened sooner.
-Kevin
 
I've owned opinel and victorinox, The opinel does get very sharp, But thats flat carbon. the secound i cut something i can feel the bur move then i have to re hone it. For the Victorinox cutting better then a Sebenza? HA I sharpen both of them the same way ( Japanese stones/Sypderco SharpMaker) and the Vic's are nowhere near the S30V. I'm not a sharpening Pro but I can easily sharped any knife sharper then Factory and I Give all blades a fair chance the Vic is now where near The edges on a VG-10 of an almar or a spyderco and after touching up steels like Reeve's S30V It makes vic look liek a butter knife.
 
DracoRapier said:
I've owned opinel and victorinox, The opinel does get very sharp, But thats flat carbon. the secound i cut something i can feel the bur move then i have to re hone it. For the Victorinox cutting better then a Sebenza? HA I sharpen both of them the same way ( Japanese stones/Sypderco SharpMaker) and the Vic's are nowhere near the S30V. I'm not a sharpening Pro but I can easily sharped any knife sharper then Factory and I Give all blades a fair chance the Vic is now where near The edges on a VG-10 of an almar or a spyderco and after touching up steels like Reeve's S30V It makes vic look liek a butter knife.
Click to expand...

If your Opinel dulls that quick you have put a wire edge on it.

I said cut better, not edge last as long. Those thin Vic blades are scalpals.

I don't know, maybe you are sharpening different then me, but I can get the Vic steel as sharp as S30V, but yes, I should say VG10 can be made a little sharper then the Vic.
-Kevin
 
The steel that Victorinox uses does not hold an edge like CRK's S30V (or BG-42). It does hold a MUCH better edge than ANY other SS blades in it's price range. As far as cutting ability....a V-nox will outslice most others.

If you're the knife-knut you say you are, a little additional time with the sharpening stone isn't that big of a deal. :rolleyes:

BTW, Victorinox and Chris Reeve Knives are the ONLY two brands I carry and USE on a daily basis.

Paul
 
I don't think you even have to get to $100 for a "point of diminishing returns" point. As far as a durable, useful tool, it's hard to beat a Spyderco Calypso Jr., at $50 or so.
 
"I view these gentleman's accessories as companions." I think I'm gonna vomit :D I like watches and knives, maybe even have a little fetish, but pulease... "You get what you pay for" is true only in the sense that you walk out with what you purchased. Andy Rooney of 60 minutes comments from time to time about the snobs and fools that actually believe that. If you are a practical user, follow the comments about diminishing returns. Hard to beat a $17 Dozier, a $35 Endura, a $50 Calypso, a $90 Military, or even a $150 Poljot. But I will keep trying ;) I suppose I didn't mean to offend anyone, but certainly wanted to make my point unequivacable. Perhaps I should have just quoted Shakespear: "A fool and his money are soon parted".
 
stich said:
Perhaps I should have just quoted Shakespear: "A fool and his money are soon parted".
Click to expand...

Thomas Tusser is generally credited with that quote.

Perhaps more to the point:
1) the right tool for the right job, and
2) buy quality and cry once, buy cheap and cry everytime
you use it.
 
"Let the buyer beware". Quotes that ring true on all fronts. If price = quality on all...even most accounts, then what is to keep a knife company from charging a small fortune (~200-300$) for a knife constructed from 420 steel and possessing a kraton handle. The answer is consumer ignorance. If you don`t know what you are getting for your money, then you will regret it later. Some knives are worth their price, some are not. It is up to the buyer to decide what is quality and what is crap, despite the price. Some buyers value durability, some value edge holding capabilities, some value fit and finish. I think that most knives are manufactured and marketed specifically to address these preferences since most knife companies are aware of how diverse the knife-buying public is.




Curiosity yields evolution...satiety yields extinction
 
I just cant see how anyone thinks 300.00 is alot for a knife...most car payments are 400.00 plus a month ...most apartments rent for around 1200.00 a month ..2500.00 plus in new york city..and my friend leases an audi a8 for 900 a month...so 300.00 for a knife you will use forever is a bargan.
 
Dr sharp said:
I just cant see how anyone thinks 300.00 is alot for a knife...most car payments are 400.00 plus a month ...most apartments rent for around 1200.00 a month ..2500.00 plus in new york city..and my friend leases an audi a8 for 900 a month...so 300.00 for a knife you will use forever is a bargan.
Click to expand...

And by that same token you can buy a Buck 110 for $30 at WalMart and use it forever, or a $50 Spyderco, $8 Opinel, or $20 Victorinox.
-Kevin
 
At the Solvang knife show recently, I got to see Chris Reeve's knives and their fit & finish were as far as I can see, Perfect! But the table behind him and I to the right (approximatley), was a custom knife maker who's fit and finish was awfull, not worthy IMO to be in the same room with CR's and some of the other maker's work.

The blade grinds on all of this maker's knives I handled were ground far out of symetry. Something I'd expect from Camillus's or Kabar's mass produced USMC knives but not a custom maker charging several hundred dollars per knife!

Clearly more expensive does not equall better! Buyer be ware!

Collecter
 
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