Ever liked a cheaper knife better?

Over the years I've learned the hard way that high price and brand hype do not equate to sharpness or usefulness. I've purchased some custom knives in the past, from some very well known makers, and was shocked at how average they performed. On the other hand, I've been amazed and pleasantly surprised at how efficient, useful, and razor sharp some lower end production knives perform. Whether you like big knives or smaller knives, fixed or folding, we're fortunate to have so many solid choices available to us. I've been especially impressed with the scandinavian knives, they are fantastic.
 
im gonna tell you a great knife. i got it fleabay for 10 bucks nib !!!! its an eka swede 88 . and its a fine knife and scary sharp.
 
Joe Dirt said:
Do you ever like a cheaper knife better?
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Certainly not. I use knives since 40 years and more to work, to tink and for outdoor activities. I've used Douk-Douk, Opinel, Mora knives at a time a SAK was a bit expensive for me. I still use those knives 'cause they are good knives but now i have some money to spend from time to time (i own 2 folders and a fixed, price from 100 to 300 USD) don't come to tell me how lucky i was to don't know the particular noise a highend folder makes when opening and closing, to don't know how nice it is to don't have to sharpen so often dull edges, to don't have in hands beautiful lines and so on, you see what i mean. I agree an inexpensive knife is useful but i wanted to know what a hightech knife is and i'm happy to know that.
I'm not blasé.

dantzk.
 
After reading the replies in this thread all I have to say is I really like my Queen Model 41 which cost less than my Benchmade 440 Opportunist which I also really like. What does that mean? I don't know except that I like both inexpensive and expensive knives?
 
A few months ago I convinced myself I needed a Spyderco Lil' Temperance. It took several days to hunt one down, I payed $135 for one of the last ones New Graham had. It's a superb knife: rock solid, excellent blade steel & grind, and comfy and secure in the hand.

It's in the safe, while the $40 Native is in my pocket.

The blade on the Native is just as good, the handle is better, and it's much less bulky in my pocket.
 
I can tell you that one of the less expensive knives that I own, the Featherweight Folder from A.G. Russell is one of my all time favorite carry knives. It is light and the semi-warncliffe style blade is a great useful style blade. This one is AUS-8 and I paid around $30 for it. It is so light that the knife disappears in your pocket, it is thin without a clip to make it more bulky.

If I did have so many knives and getting new ones all the time the AG would find itself in my pocket most of the time.

John
 
Joe Dirt said:
Can a $32 knife be better than a $120 knife? I guess so, in some circumstances.
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I like a $32.00 knife over a $120.00 knife if it's stolen, or I lose it!!!

Scott B
 
Hard to beat the plastic handle delicas and enduras(4) for the money.These are a great value and in some cases are better than knives out of their price range.
 
Well, for me, there is big dead zone in $30-$90 area.
"Cheaper" ones in this area don't offer anything over Byrd knives, more expensive ones are too close to price of some really nice folders.
 
Just realized this is an old thread lol...... ah well I had two cents burnin a hole in my pocket all morning long.
:D


Personally I love discovering a low cost knife that IMO is a good knife , also hearing bargains from other folks.
Since I bought my Native which I consider to be bargain , I have not regretted it once , it is simply a trustworthy cutting tool. Same goes for my CRKT knives and my Kershaw.
I like buying new knives and as one poster said sometimes thier magic wears off and they are relegated to the bottom of the sock drawer , only to be rediscovered at a later date. It's almost as good as buying a new knife :D
I keep rediscovering my customized Opinel , it is a simple work of art , beautiful , cuts like no tommorrow and is classy all at the same time.
I have a few expensive knives and they get fondled by myself and guests but never used.
Also you cannot discount the venerable SAK , mine is a scalpel , it is timeless and inexpensive.
IMO a fine pocket tool does not need to cost an arm and a leg (does not mean that it should not cost , since of course some are made from finer materials , by hand, etc).
 
Just like the BMW a KIA will take you from A to B. But the feeling is completely different. (No offence to KIA owners).

A 2$ horse urine-type wine bottle will get me drunk just like an 80$ Italian Barolo. But the feeling, the feeling is not even comparable.

When I think of knives I think in the same terms. For utility one of my Moras will be enough, and I use mine a lot. As a screw driver, for prying and in other terrible ways. It does the job. But when there are tasks for my Mini-Rukus I use it and the feeling is very different.

In the end it comes down to value for the money. Benchmades are expensive but my Mini-Rukus is worth it, for me. And thats all that matters.

About Kershaw, When it comes to craeting customer value for the bucks paid, they are up there with Mora. Storms at 52$ MSP is a hell of a catch.
//Jay
 
It's hard to beat a Spyderco Delica for the price (folder). I own about half a dozen of them and keep them all over the place, paid about 25$ each.

Overall though I think anything from Helle (fixed) is the best value for the money.
 
All to often I feel that way , when I use my FRN Spydies , or SAK's .

Chris
 
I got a Para Military for Xmas. Loved it. Then I got a Pacific Salt. I'm carrying/using IT a lot more than the Para now.
 
I got a Sebenza and carried it for a few months. It's nice, (donning flame suit now) but I ended up preferring my Spyderco ParaMilitary better. It's not necessarily a better knife, but it works better for me.
 
i bought a Benchmade 960 MCP not to long ago and i have to say, i like it pretty well and it cost half as much or less than the majority of knives i own. price doesnt always dictate quality. ;)
 
I carry cheap knives a lot. One of my faves in the last couple years has been the Storm models by Kershaw. I use these a lot and find them to be very good for some heavy duty uses. The locks wear very well and the knives overall take quite a bit of pounding and are pretty much a lot of bang for the buck spent to get one. I've found that the blades hold up quite well and keep an apex on the blade pretty good over time compared to others in different steel. Has to be the size of the carbides in the 13C26 steel that makes it so edge stable.

The longer the edge remains to a good thin apex or even a not so thick one that reflects only a small amount of light back at you it can make the blade cut a lot of things that other steels don't do as well once the edge gets thick and chips out reflecting a lot of light back in the same amount of time so to me this is one of the key reasons I still contend that 13C26 is a great beater steel even if others do want to argue with me until they are blue in the face convinced it is too thick in the configuration Kershaw is using it in. With the kind of edge stability this steel has one just has to use one over time to appreciate just how long they stay sharp enough to continue using thanks to that 1/6th of a micron average carbide size.

I know a couple guys that are the types that don't sharpen their knives themselves but bring them by here or to a show about once a year if that to have someone sharpen them up real quick for them. They have been carrying these Storm knives working them in the oil fields here in Oklahoma and they hold up very well in real users hands so no one is going to convince me that this steel is not a chameleon capable of wearing multiple hats for uses besides a razor blade. Nor can they convince me that Kershaw is making a mistake in the current configuration they have been using it in in this knife. I've seen the old knives these same users used to bring by after the same amount of time and the edges on the 13C26 are in better shape after a year in the pocket of one of them. Buy one for yourself for a $30 bill and you'll see for yourself.

I mean don't get me wrong there are things about the knives I don't like. I'm not too thrilled by Kershaw's thumb studs on this model. (they take off skin and are just weird IMO) Nor do I like the pocket clip or how much of the knife is sticking out of my pocket in tip up carry mode and I'm not too thrilled with the tip down mode either (mine is sporting a custom STR low rider now ) or the gap being so large in the frame lock but I've learned to live with all of that considering the price point of the knife. Overall for the money its still a high 8 or low 9 on a scale of 10 in my book.

STR
 
I have three Kershaw AUS-6 DWOs that I got off of Ebay. They were each less than $20. I'm not a heavy user of knives, but these little folders always come in handy from time to time. I'm afraid that if I got an expensive knife that I would be less likely to use it very often, because of wear.
 
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