High End Carry, Thoughts, conversation, Questions, Everything.

[Lycosa]

Don't go broke or crack up.

 

[flatface77]

The design is the deal for me. Some of the best-made knives have designs that don't do it for me. Some of my favorite designs are produced in mid-grade materials & I have to send them off to have them upgraded. The AFCK has been my favorite off & on since it first came out. Luckily for me, they recently made sprint versions with nice scales & my favorite steel. I bought a couple of safe queens & now carry one every day with no worries. Best of all worlds there.

 

[dfkdfk]

Lets put it this way..after I got my vette painted I was afraid to drive it, park it, etc..then I thought what the hell did I bother if I wasn't going to use it..well guess what..it got hit by a moron who just decided to back right up into it..so now its in the shop getting fixed..and I'll still drive it around because that's what its for..so if you buy and expensive knife and don't use it..whats the point unless you buy it just for display or for collective value..its no different than an expensive watch..I have a bunch of them and wear them every day...if they break..I get them fixed...

I hear ya man. I had a nice diesel Mercedes that I babied for years. Was concerned with every scratch, every little issue. One day I was driving down the road and white smoke started coming out of the tail pipe. Turns out the headgasket blew and they wanted 6k to fix it. I sold the car for $500 for scrap.

Stuff like that puts things into perspective for me - at least with material possessions. Enjoy the stuff you have while you have it. If you want to carry a fancy knife go right ahead. I carry everything from $20 to $400 knives. They all give me enjoyment for different reasons. If it gives you enjoyment too then rock on.

 

[23xdm3.8]

I really find this and other similar threads fascinating. I love a good knife and it seems the more I spend on a knife the more I like it while at the same time the more I like a knife the more I am willing to spend for it. So there seems be a self perpetuating cycle which involves me spending more and more money for better and better knives and getting more and more addicted to buying knives that will see less and less time in my pocket since you can only carry so many knives at any given time. Bottom line, a good knife makes me happy and the better the knife, the happier it makes me. I like being happy. Life is short, and I sort of doubt that on my death bed, I will not look back and wonder why I spent too much money on my knives.

The last two sentences pretty much sums it up for me

 

[Hadji Flip Me Over]

My most and heavily used knife in my rotation is a startac umnumzaan. My solution to the scratches, instead of sending back to CRK for spa treatment, I did a hand rubbed satin finish on the flats of the handle. So anytime I get a ton of scratches, I just break out the 600 grit wet sandpaper and work it out

:thumbup:

 

[Sonnydaze]

I say carry and use it. I sometimes carry and use a DDR custom that sold for approx $1100 on TNK.

I have a DDR custom coming in tomorrow, although it wasn't $1100. But sure, I'll carry it...if I like it. You don't know until you have one in your hands. Then, you keep it or sell it. If you keep it, carry it; that's what it's for.
Sonnydaze

 

[sigsoup]

Like a lot of other forum members, I started out with some inexpensive knives like a Kershaw Scallion, then a few Benchmades, then a couple of SOG's. I found that I had an itch that these knives couldn't scratch. When I spent $150 on a BM Auto I couldn't believe how expensive of a knife I just bought! But alas, the itch still wasn't scratched. I kept hanging around the forums and kept hearing talk of a "Sebenza." So I started researching those and decided to buy a small Sebenza 21 Insingo; lo and behold--the itch was scratched! But after a few months the itch came back and seemingly, the only prescription or cure was another CRK--voila--itch scratched! Yet again, the itch returned--another CRK. Returned again--another CRK. Returned again--a Hinderer. Returned again..... Do you see where I am going with this?

It sounds like CRK needs to make an anti itch cream for us. All These itches that need itching can't be healthy for us.

 

[Ernie1980]

I have several "high end" knives that are in my rotation. They don't work any better, but I appreciate the fine craftsmanship and materials I am using. If you are going to be scared to use it, then don't get it. Buy an expensive, and then enjoy it!

 

[Ares1307]

I actually started asking these exact same questions when I first got onto this forum. I a Spec Bump really really bad, but when I found out that there was a cheaper version made exactly the same by the same company, the Speed Bump, I didnt see the point of paying soooo much extra for the same knife. Now that I have it, I love it but dont use it that much because Im not the best at sharpening and that particular blade is pretty tough for me. I would still like a Spec Bump, but I probably wont buy one for a long time/if at all, its not at the top of my list of 'Will Have One Day' knives.

But soon after I bought the Speed Bump I bought my first 'expensive' knife, a ZT 350. Before the ZT I never spent more than $50 on a knife. I loved the ZT so much I didnt use it, I traded it for a different knife for work that I used alot, and bought a ZT 350SW which I now use more than any other knife Ive ever owned. Now I dont know if it was the steel of the lower quality knives I used to own, or my newly acquired sharpening skills and products, but my newer knives are sharper than any knives I ever owned before. I never thought I would spend more than $150 on a knife, in fact thats still about my limit, but I never thought I would spend more than $50 a few months ago so things change. I never paid more than $120 on any knife, until Friday.. when I purchased a ZT 303 which has been my Dream Knife for a very long time. Im still scared to mess up my favorite knives, but I still use them. I just want to by duplicates now. I dropped my brand new Benchmade Griptilian 550HG on concrete the day after I got it in the mail and chipped the tip of the blade, put a tiny (almost invisible) chip in the spine of the blade, and chipped the G10 on the bottom of the handle. I was sooooo pissed/sad/crushed but I fixed the tip, which is all I can fix, and still carry it everyday. Now I want to get a new one as a back up, and buy duplicates for my ZT 350SW and my ZT 303.... which I will do but not until after the holidays, and probably not all at once.

I for one think that I am getting what I pay for, when I buy a cheap knife it will cut and get the job done. When I buy a more expensive knife I can buy a knife that better suits my needs, I live in Arizona so I dont really have to worry about rust on a knife I use all the time so I dont have to buy a stainless steel knife, but I do like a knife that gets razor sharp and holds an edge for an extremely long time. I like a thick tough blade that feels like a tank yet is practical for an EDC, so ZT fills my needs. I also like a secondary knife that is light, thinner blade, a slicer, so my Griptilian 550HG is perfect for that. I have Three main EDCs, my BM Grip, ZT 350SW, and soon my ZT 303.. and they are all in different price ranges, but they are all perfect for my needs. The point is that I use them all and love them all. They are all worth the money Ive spent because they all do the jobs I need them to do, and they do it better than the knives I used to have. Im not saying that they are better BECAUSE of the price, Ive had a Spyderco Tenacious that was better than some knives costing double or triple its price. To me its all about how its made, which is why I look more at brands than at prices. There are a few good brands I would like to try out, but for the most part I stick with my top three, when it comes to folders anyways. I still dont really see myself spending more than $150 on a knife unless its another ZT 30X or ZT 121, but thats just me, and my mind changes all the time.

Good news is, if you buy it and feel you spent too much or just dont want it, you can sell it and get most if not all of your money back on the Exchange.

 

[SOLEIL]

I worry less about the cost of a knife then I do the ability to replace it. Many of my knives are discontinued or limited edition and very hard to replace. Everything still gets carried at one time or another. The handguns I carry usually cost much more than the knives. Buy what you like. If it makes you happy it's all good whether you carry it or not.

 

[worshipNtribute]

I started off with a 30 dollar kershaw blur. I beat it up for a year, played with a friends benchmade mini griptilian and liked it. About 30ish knives later, (sebenzas, a hinderer, couple of custom fixed blades, and plenty of benchmades/spydercos), I only kept two knives. A mini ritter with m4 steel and custom grips and a para 2.


Why didn't I keep the sebenzas / other 500 dollar knives? I liked the ritter more as my EDC. I love everything about it, and even though its technically 100 dollar knife, I just preferred to carry it more. The axis is smooth, it fits my hand perfectly, and its small enough to forget about when its in my pocket. So I eventually upgraded the handles, and then grabbed an m4 blade. Now its my perfect knife. Its valued at much less than any of those high end knives, but I wouldn't trade it out for one of them any day of the week. I've had every sprint of the para2 at one point, and I kept the regular satin blade s30v version. The sprints had nice steel and cool colors, but the price wasn't worth it for me. Money really isn't a problem for me either, I just didn't see a big enough difference to justify 200 dollars.


In conclusion, if you like the high end knives, then get them. I've had a couple, and although I admire the craftsmanship and work, they just weren't a good fit for me. Its a similar conversation when it comes to watches. Some people can wear a seiko 5 military and be happy with it, while others need a zenith moonphase. Both tell time.

 

[flarp]

If I'm going to spend that amount of money on something, I'm going to get some use out of it. Cost may affect whether or not I get it (having finite funds and all), but after that, it doesn't really factor in. The knives in my EDC rotation vary a lot in price, from my $20 SAK to my Ritter Mini-Grip w/ Wilkins scales that cost a bit more. In fact, those are the two in my pocket today...

 

[jleephoto]

I've carried some kind of folding knife, every day of my life since middle school, slowly working my way up from cheap flea market stuff to higher end productions. At this point, I have a hard time being satisfied with most sub-$100 blades with the exception being a couple of spydercos and benchmades. I coasted for a while buying $100 knives 2-3 times a year when I got a little bored with previous. Finally, I decided that I could justify the price of one of the higher end productions since I carry and use them every day, and that if I ever got bored with them I could sell them with very little loss of value. I stared with a used Strider PT which I promptly lost while trying on pants in a dressing room. That hurt, I tried to go back to some of my cheaper knives, but just couldn't get over the difference in quality. I ended up buying a few other nice $200 knives like a Buck Mayo 172, and a Bradley Alias, but in the end, I finally just purchased a Small Sebenza Insingo thinking that would put my mind at rest. I love it! I can't imagine a nicer knife, but then I NEEDED a larger one with some decorated scales.....it's a chronic disease. For those of us OC types that want the best of something that we use every day, there's no stopping it. About the best we can do, is to buy used knives that have already taken most of their depreciation, or something rare enough that we might can even sell for a few bucks more than we paid. That at least eases the pain.
**Added** Agree with what Cynic said, you may not truly appreciate the difference in the $400 knife until you've gone through the full compendium. There's a lot of excellent $150-200 knives out there like the Spydie Military or the Benchmade 940s, etc. If you can stop there, great, but the problem with these is that you can't use them then expect to get most of your money back out when you sell. Wish I had the money for all my $200 knives to buy a least one more higher end.

 

[MRaymond]

I found that I really appreciate the journey one takes to get up to buying and carrying knives considered on the "high end". For years, I carried a trusty benchmade 707, not really cheap but not really expensive either. Then I found this place and started doing some "research". Several spydercos, a ZT and some other knives later I settled in to this:

I carry it and use it. I also carry an use my Paramilitary 2 quite often. Today however, this is what I am carrying:

I appreciate well made tools. That is what made me get a Sebenza. I would not have appreciated it as much if I didn't take the journey and work my way up to it.

 

[pvicenzi]

Good thread. My first stockman did everything I needed it to do. It sharpened pencils, cut fishing line, and even could be used to play a baseball game. It cost me about a week's paper route wages. Now, I carry a Sebenza which I use for the same stuff. Except for baseball because a knife needs two blades to play that old game..

 

[Simple Man]

I tried to change from my G-10 Endura 4 (of 4 years) about a year ago, thinking I needed to "upgrade" to something "better". After 6 or so knives, one of which was a Seb. I could not find anything I liked better than the E4. I also tend to have a hard time once you start getting into the gun range amounts money.

 

[jnichols2]

Get the knife you love to use and carry. Sometimes that calls for a little trial and error. You can easily sell the errors.

Don't shop for a brand name or price range -- you will love neither.
The knife you love may cost $100, or it may cost $800. If you love it, it will be worth it.

Right now my love cost $140. It gives me no joy in my drawer. I need to feel it in my hand and in my pocket. I need to see what it will cut.
If I find something more expensive to love, then I will spend the money.

 

[chrisfa]

what i really want is a auto... sadly and stupidly i cant even order one here to play with in my own home let alone carry it

 

[R.Russell]

My advice is that whatever you spend, make sure you are comfortable with it and that it will hold its value. I'd rather spend $400 on a custom knife I know theres a market for and use it knowing I can sell it for a small loss or break even. I can't imagine spending more than $200 on a production knife, it just seems silly. There are tons of great makers here that need your patronage--- working with them through the process and with your preferences is part of what will satisfy the hell out of you when you reach in your pocket.

 

[Arakiel]

My new $15 Bee L05 has rendered obsolete my unique sebenzas, elishewitz mini tank, crawford Ti point guard custom, CK&T Brend, GREEN Ox forge "Black Knife" along with a whole host of others. Time to empty the safe.