get what you pay for?

G

GT Bmo

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Feb 19, 2013
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I am new to the world of online knife forums, i dont want to piss anyone off but why do knives with seemingly the same characteristic's sell for such wide price ranges
eg( 100 for a sypderco with s30v and 1000 for a hinderer with the same steel)
please help me i just dont know
i apologize in advance if this is a stupid question
 
A lot of it is because of the quality of construction, more than the actual blade material. The blade material is a small part of the MFG costs. Also, the quantity made has a lot to do with the overall cost. Can you sell a knife if you make 5000 of them cheaper than you can with one that you only make 100 of? Supply and demand is the main driving force behind any final sales cost of a product.

Blessings,

Omar
 
It's true. You do get what you pay for, but keep in mind supply vs demand and the principle of diminishing returns.

Nobody is going to take offense to this question. Stick around for a bit and you'll know.
 
Fit and finish can differ....labor cost...
The raw materials costs are only a portion of the total costs.
There are variable costs and fixed costs and direct and indirect costs...
 
I'm sure there are craftsmanship differences. The question for 99% of people is, will the average Joe ever notice the difference? I will admit that I wouldn't see a performance sifference. I'm not that hard on knives. For most of the production knives, it's name, and amount produced. Less made, higher production costs, and higher collectability.
 
Suppy and demand, labor costs, etc.. These are key things to consider. An individual knife maker can only produce a limited number of knives compared to a production knife company, so prices must be adjusted accordingly. The stronger the demand, the higher the price in order to secure the supply to meet that demand. The materials used to manufacture the scales, liners, etc.. The precision and attention to detail, higher fit and finish than what is found on an average production knife. These things affect the cost of the knife. And let's face it. You don't spend a lot of money on a high-end knife just to simply cut with it. You buy it as a work of art, to appreciate the quality and workmanship of the individual who designed and manufactured it. It also makes you part of that special club of like-minded individuals. It's like buying a watch. No one buys an Omega or a Rolex just to tell time. You buy a cheap $30 Timex at Walmart for that.
 
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It is supply and demand. The custom guys, Les George, etc., get a lot of money for their knives, although sure, they're good knives. However, so many of the customs are SO heavy-duty that I wouldn't carry them around for casual stuff. They seem to weigh 6 to 7 ounces or more. Maybe okay if you're in the woods a lot, or in construction.
Chris Reeve Knives is pretty famous. Basically mid-tech knives; very close tolerances, S35VN and S30V blades; they last forever. I love Sebenzas and the Umnumzaan. These are $400 knives. Striders are more "tactical" and are good quality knives in a similar price range. I've had several Hinderers in the 6-700 dollar range; excellent knives built with care, but too heavy and heavy-duty for my uses.
For my uses, a $100 Spyderco Paramilitary 2 with S30V/S35VN blade-steel is just fine, although Spyderco makes a lot of variations of this knife in better steels if you want. And then, of course, Chris Reeve knives, which are around $400. Big price difference, but they're the two folders that I love.
 
As people have stated, supply and demand is a big factor in what these higher-end blades go for. Another big thing that many people overlook is that its not just about material costs. A lot of higher-end companies (Hinderer for example) are very small operations. There are only a handful of employees building these knives with a lot of time spent on each piece, compared to a more mass-produced knife.
 
As people have said, build quality, tight tolerances, desire for exclusivity and brand appeal all play in. Part of the appeal of extremely high-end things lies in their expense. Pride in ownership is big for anyone who collects anything and a high price tag makes you value something a bit more.
 
consumer tastes and preferences influenced by information disseminated. lots of supply and demand mentioned while no real exploration of the elasticity.
 
Hype. The fit and finish, rarity, all that hooplah just backs it up. Some people think it is worth it, some not. Personally, I only see production, and custom. What's the point of a $800 production knife with the same materials that others use? If it isn't unique it isn't worth the cost, IMHO.
 
The cost of a knife:

Materials-

There are wide ranging combination of materials in blades, scales...ect.

Fit/finish-

The more refined looking and feeling knives take more time and labor to produce.

Supply/demand-

The more something is wanted the more it is worth on the market if the supply is relatively small. See Spyderco Paramilitary 2 sprint run.

Branding-
There is always some markup for branding be it a companies brand or a designer and this goes in all products not just knives.


Good branding drives supply/demand and fit and finish will also contribute to it.

However, the more expensive steels cost more, premium scales cost more, it costs more to build them with high build quality, and it costs more to have the best designers design the knives. So if you want the best knives, designed by best designers with the best materials you will pay more.
 
Anyone that says it's a stupid question would be a jerk IMO. You're trying to find out info on a subject you're new to so any questions are good ones. Knives are the same as any other product. You can get an Aero leather jacket that costs $1100, or a Wilsons leather for $120. They're both leather, they are the same quantity of materials so wahts the dif? You know the answer, like a Polo cotton T-shirt is $45 and a Walmart 6 pack of cotton t's is $4.99. There is also additional value added depending on the maker, or artist and his popularity. I'm willing to pay for a Hinderer or Strider. Partly because they are well made, and part because I love the designs and the fact that they are very well made. A lot of people think paying over $100 is crazy, I must be a real lunatic!
 
Some say you get what you pay for but I've found it isn't always the case. I buy expensive knives because I've found that you don't get what you don't pay for.
 

Unsure, of the precise reason or thought process of why, and how, a person makes a final buying decision? Presume, sharpness, reliability, function, beauty, ownership, passion, pride, and heritage. For myself Strider, everything about the final article, their commitment over the years, the creativity, the always new innovative evolving product. Knowing that the day that it arrives, is going to be a good day! Add: (Made in USA.).

Yes, the maker is running a business, who needs to draw a wage, and cover the business costs, which are relative in industry. I do feel that possible talent has the final say, in orchestrating price. Its what you are into, a person who collects stamps might invest say, $15000.00 on one rare stamp, for example, and think paying $250.00. on a folder, extortion. Suppose, man, fire, and steel, has something influencing, to do with our interest?
 
RemyKaze said:
Hype. The fit and finish, rarity, all that hooplah just backs it up. Some people think it is worth it, some not. Personally, I only see production, and custom. What's the point of a $800 production knife with the same materials that others use? If it isn't unique it isn't worth the cost, IMHO.
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This to a very large degree. When you get into some markets, like guns and knives, hype becomes a very real marketing tool. Very often, the more an item is hyped, the less it is actually worth in real world performance. Once upon a time, I collected Randall knives. When I realized they were the most over hyped knives, and didn't really perform any better than a lot of good production knives, I was lucky enough to sell them all off and break even. They were decent knives, but not outstanding, and certainly not worth what I had paid for them. But I had bought the hype, and paid the money. Now I just use moderate priced factory knives. In the past 20 years knives and the steel they are made from, has come a long way. CNC and machining technology has also come a log way. You can buy any GEC, Spyderco, Buck, Case, or other factory knife that will perform well for the rest of your life at a moderate cost.
 
GT Bmo said:
I am new to the world of online knife forums, i dont want to piss anyone off but why do knives with seemingly the same characteristic's sell for such wide price ranges
eg( 100 for a sypderco with s30v and 1000 for a hinderer with the same steel)
please help me i just dont know
i apologize in advance if this is a stupid question
Click to expand...


That comparison is more like the Spyderco around $100 - $150 and the Hinderer for $365 (Before the aftermarket scalping) keeping things realistic.


The Hinderer is a $365 knife, that's what Rick set the MSRP at so in the end that is the price, the reason they sell for more has nothing to do with the the quality, steel, F&F etc so this is one case that you really don't get what you pay for when one pays more than $365 for one. The availability is the problem by design in that they sell to Active duty Military and 1st responders first so the amount of knives that make it to the dealers are kept very low on purpose. That's supply and demand really and some will pay those huge prices for their own reasons.

So that comparison is a bad example really.


About most of the other knives out there on the market, yes you generally do get what you pay for, that goes for production and custom knives.
 
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