Truth be told, I think about anyone who spends over $100 on a knife takes some care of it and has backed away from a messy job or two. The higher the $$, the more it happens.
You want a true "neglector," hit the pawn shops or the gas station $5 knife jar. I've found Gerbers make pretty good yard knives.
This is one hell of a stretch man!
I agree that a ton of people do what you're saying here, but I know for a fact that most people who really love knives and see them as the most diverse single tool ever, beat on everything....
We have no $5.00 gas station knive's (We like performance and our fingers and maybe, a need for a little piece of mind)
The last time I used a knife hard that cost less than $400 was years ago....
This is not a 'snob' thing, it's just that once you've worked your way through the Spyderco's and BM's (ETC) you want to see what's higher up in the price chain and why...
There is a lot to choose from when you get to $400-$1500, and a lot more to be learned, both good and bad.
The only way to figure that out is to buy those knives and use them hard.
'Beater or 'neglector' are maybe the wrong words.
Used hard, but well maintained is a much better way to put it, regardless of the price.
I can safely say that while I fully understand that we all have budgets, it's worth exploring knives well beyond a large collection of $50-$100 knives.
I am not going to ever say that price makes a knife better, but there are some very interesting knives at higher price points that are worth using and learning from.
