High end knives; pride of ownership or bragging rights?

Titanium Underboss

Titanium Underboss

Joined
Jul 12, 2002
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40
I work at a very knife friendly place, probably because I'm in charge and therefore make some of the rules. Most of the employees there carry nice knives. Mostly the Camilus 154cm EDCs I handed out last christmas. One fellow in perticular who is rather spendy with his money finaly recieved his custom Emerson CQC6 that he ordered, I'm assuming EONS ago. He came in last week gleeful as a kid on christmas. Literaly jumping up and down and about. He showed us all his new toy and we all agreed it was quite beautiful and well worth the wait.(I have no clue what he paid, but he said he orderd it 4 years ago if that helps.) To cut a long story short he went on bragging to everoneall week about how his knife was the best on the planet and nothing else came close,yadda yadda yadda,I own a knife worth $1200, yadda yadda yadda. He bragged almost to the point you wanted to stab him with his on knife.
I know that for me I buy the knives I can afford and still be able to put a good meal on the table and a nice roof over my family's head. I carry a large Classic Sebenza every day and have a bronzed damascus wood inlay Sebenza for formal occasions. I buy Sebenzas because I know I'm buying IMHO one of the best knives on the market. When I slide one of my Sebbies either the Woodinlay or Classic into my pocket, I have the pride of knowing I own a very high quality piece of cutlery that I have no problem depending on in any situation.What I don't do is tell everyone mine is better than theirs.
This goes beyond knives, just about anything of quality. Why do some people feel the need to brag about what they have and not just be humble and proud to own such a nice item? People who wear their Rolex president with sweat suits piss me off, it only means to brag.

I apologize for my rant.;)
 
About 15 years ago, i wore a Rolex Oyster Perpetual daily, nothing fancy, not solid gold like the ultra gaudy President, but a very nice watch, a very high QUALITY watch. I simply enjoy using and being exposed to anything of extremely high quality, for its own sake, i appreciate anything that is exceptional in fit, finish, and/or design, it makes me feel good to know i am using or possessing among the finest examples of whatever it happens to be. It is for that reason, that when i wore my Rolex, if asked about it, i told people it was a good fake, i didnt like the image of wearing a Rolex, I simply loved having on my wrist, a marvel of superb engineering, fit and finish. I sold it years ago, but i continue to wear exceptionally made watches, that are, yes, relatively expensive, but without the Rolex image that i never liked. I wear a Sinn EZM3 now, a very fine watch, probably made nearly as well as its Rolex counterpart, the Submariner, but clearly without the stigma or image that a Rolex might have, and, not incidentally, without the $4,000 price tag as well. The fact is, unless youre stuck on the Rolex "name", you can own watches nearly as well made for a quarter the price, but to some people, it's all about the name and image. I care ONLY about the quality, i could give a crap about the name.

So, to answer the question, no, i do not buy high-end knives to brag about them, if someone asks what it costs, ill tell them, and generally people dont understand why a knife would cost that much, but i know why, they are beautifully made marvels of fit, finish and function, and i own and appreciate them for their own remarkable qualities and for their own sake, not what others think about them. Do i like to show them to people, sure, i like to share their beauty and superb craftsmanship with others i think might appreciate them, but thats a far cry from bragging IMO.
 
I'm with you on the Rolex point. When I lstarted looking for a nice watch for my pesent to myself for getting the promotion I'd wanted I looked into anything and everything except Rolex. I wanted to pay for craftsmanship NOT the name. that being said I now wear a IWC Aquatimer titanium and enjoy it completly, It is a beautiful watch in every was and doesn't make people go WOW a Rolex. When people randomly ask how much it was I tell them $200 If a watch nut asks I tell them the real price. I don't like advertising my income on my wrist.
 
I also do not buy things for the name and certainly not for bragging rights. I'm not a "name brand" kinda guy (obvious by the way I dress). For example, I'm rarely without a pair of sunglasses on and in the beginning all of my glasses averaged about a hundred bucks each (not that expensive by a longshot to most people, but it was to me back then), but now all of the glasses I wear are in the $10-$20 range. Not the best things in the world, but I like the way they look and the way they feel and find myself wearing the "cheapies" when my more expensive glasses all stay in my drawer. The same now goes for my knives--I used to equate price with quality, but I favor some of my $35 knives just as much as I do the $100+ ones.
 
Originally posted by Ti. Underboss
Why do some people feel the need to brag about what they have and not just be humble and proud to own such a nice item?

Click to expand...

It is simply a lack of class, end of story.

I am a "name-brand" guy, but I most certainly do not brag about my items. Actually, I often get embarrased when people ask. Though I must admit, I do sort of like the attention, at the same time I don't. Go figure...

Drjones
 
Brag to whom? 99.9999999% percent of the people would not know a high end custom knife from those on the counter at the walmart, much less appreciate it. I dont personally know anyone else into knives. So I assume nobody has a clue what I am carrying or how much it cost. Therefore its for my pleasure and mine alone. If you want to show off buy a fine home or car, not a knife.

Also I had no idea a Rolex could cost 4,000 bucks.
I knew they were expensive, but thats it. Doubt I would recognize one from a distance either. I also could not appreciate one to the tune of that much cash. Just like the guy that says his 5 dollar chinese made knock off knife cuts just fine.....my 35.00 timex iron man watch keeps perfect time, and is water proof down to 100 feet, which is deeper than I ever swim. ;)
 
I still enjoyed a watch that my mom bought me. It costs $200 HKD (about $40CDN) and heck, I've yet change the battery on that thing. It's still running fine. I must say it's a fine piece.
I do buy brand name, but only ones who have a good price vs quality & performance ratio.
 
OK-My EDC knife now is a BM 770. Not a real high priced knife but a very good small folder to carry to the office. I have worn a Rolex every day (24 hrs) for 17 years. I wear it because my wife bought it for me. It took her a long time to save for it and I honestly don't know what it cost then or now. I do have a Swiss Army watch that I wear when I am doing yard work and rough stuff. It probably cost 50 bucks and keeps beter time. However in 17 years that Rolex has never needed a battery and has never broken. Plus it reminds me of times when life was simpler and we didn't have mountains of other bills and kids to put through college.
I buy good knives because , like my Rolex, they work better than cheap ones. I don't care what anybody thinks. In fact I can't remember the last time anyone noticed my watch or my knife.
 
Some of these stories remind of one of my own.

Up until quite recently, I drove a 2 seat V8 mercedes. I absolutely loved that car. Every minute I was driving it I could just -feel- how fantastically engineered that car was. The car felt like it was milled from a sold piece of steel. It was the best car I have ever owned.

At any minute, virtually 99% of the time I would look around and know that my car was engineered far better and far faster than any car within sighting distance.

But one thing I HATED was the image. I do consulting work and customers would always comment about the car and make comments about my finances or how much money I "wasted" on the car. Ugghh I hated that image.

Unfortunately with economic downturn I sold the car recently. While I miss the engineering and dynamics of that vehicle, I DON'T miss the image of the car, nor the presumptions of the folks who saw it.

p.s. if they thought the car was expensive, they would have freaked when they knew how much my pocket knives were:eek:
 
I agree with most of the above-expressed sentiments---however, if I was ever fortunate enough to get an Emerson CQC6, I think it might be hard for me to control myself. The 4 year wait sounds about right and I'm not sure if Ernie even takes orders anymore. That knife literally put him on the map.:cool:
 
Don't get me wrong I was in no way downplaying Mr. Emersons work in any way. Only using it as a referance point. I admire all of his custom work. Although IMHO his production models could be a little better.
 
To most folks, Rolex has become the watch word (pardon the pun) for high end watches.

To non watch folks, buying a Rolex means you have arrived at a spot in your life. It's a status symbol. A recognizable icon.

One can easily spend more on less recognizable watches and just as easily spend much less on equal or better watches. My personal favorites are Omega, Sinn, Breitling. However, I still wear sub $200 O&Ws and Seikos with no problem. 99% of folks out there couldn't tell a Hamilton Khaki from an IWC Aquatimer. Or a Glycine from a Panerai.

I buy what I want, not what everyone else likes.
 
When I see someone wearing a Rolex, I assume it's fake. 95% of them are and the fakes are so good these days that you can't spot 'em without a 10x loupe.

That why even if I was a watch person, and I'm not (I've got a 15-year old Seiko that keeps nearly perfect time. And if accurate time is your desire, my cell-phone gets the time it displays from the cell-site. The cell-sites are all synchronized to GPS which is synchronized to the Naval Observatory and considered one of the most accurate time standards in the world. So, my cell phone is a much better timepiece than your Rolex... and I'll bet you can't make dinner reservations with a Rolex... and making dinner reservations is, afterall, the zenith of utility. (Note both parenthetical within a parenthetical and also that the parenthetical is substantially longer than the statement that it's paranthetical too raising the question of which part is actually parenthetical. Am I good or what? Don't answer that.)) I'd never wear a Rolex. If you do wear a real Rolex, you have to know that everyone you meet is assuming that it's fake and that you're an exceptionally vain person for wearing a fake Rolex.

I won a Tag Haar (SP?) watch in a contest once. I could never wear a $5000 watch, so I donated it to a charity.
 
how many people hate telling others how much there knives cost

cause i always get this look yall know the look

the what are ya fuggin nutz look

so i just say it cost a few dollars or something lame :D

but with me its pride cause i want the best and i work hard for it
 
Actually I was a watch nut for a while, I still wear an Omega Seamaster Pro. Some people think of Rolex as conspicuous consumption but and to some they are. Rolex is one of the few makers that make their own caliber movement. Most of the others get them from ETA or even Zenith etc. Im kind of old fashioned. I like mechanical watches, I grow attached and battery operated watches never last for me. Im like that with knives. The ones I truly cheish are simple steel and natural materials. I still carry G10 and micarta handles knives though.

Knives, especially custom knives are art pure and simple. Some are for using but it goes on up to the extreme jewel crusted pig sticker and above. Even thought I like art knives I feel guilty buying one that I know will never have a chance of being used and I try to buy using knives even though deep down I know I will just look at it for the sheer joy of it.
 
Spark has requested that we use the "report to moderator" feature to avoid giving more attention to the troll.
 
I like good stuff and I don't care what anybody else thinks. There are some knowledgible knuts in my church, and they often ask what I'm carrying by the pocket clip.

When I rode Harleys I often used Sifton cams and alloy push-rods for better performance but I only used one decal one time with bragging rights. When I used an S&S carburetor, I modified the stock air cleaner cover so that the bike looked stock. I guess I'm more concerned about what I think than someone else. But then, it was fun to be a "sleeper."

Of course, I also own a three dollar flashlight, so maybe I'm a wannabee snob.
 
I definitely see your point. There is something very dignified in a quiet disposition.

However, I will tell you that there is some sort of disorder that is known to accompany Emersons. Waiting for the custom knife gives this disorder time to quietly fester. You said the guy waited four years for his knife. I think the price that Emerson charges for the CQC6 is between 5 and 6 hundred dollars, so he is pretty stoked about buying something that is worth (to many people) much more than what he paid for. (Actually, it can be a very very good investment; double your money in just four years, actually in no time, he doesn't collect money until the knife is in the box ready to be shipped; but alas, Emerson doesn't take any more orders for custom knives).

Come to think of it, some of the production knives are going up in value. A Commander that from 1998 can be sold for just under $400 I am told.

Anyways, yea, the guy sounds kind of like a kid on Christmas morning, or the next day at school after Christmas, when everyone is bragging about what they got.

Hopefully it should wear off in a couple of months...

By the way, I agree with pretty much everything that has been said. Products, items, accessories, food, cars, clothing, should all be bought used, worn, and consumed because it satisfies you, not for anybody else.
 
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