High end knives ruin the rest?

I have two Hinderers and 7 CRKs. I typically carry either a Hinderer or my CRK large Insingo but the mainstay in my pocket is always a Vic alox soldier. Even days where I am in the office and can't have a clip-on knife the alox Vic is with me. Just a perfect knife!
 
It all depends on the individual and the choices you've made. But I find as with knives and everything else for that matter that whether it cost less or much much more I purchased it for a reason. So very often this is not the case. No matter the cost the reason I like it has nothing to do with how much it cost so it also has nothing to do with how often I will tend to use it either.
 
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It wont ruin other knives but it will change the way you look at them .
And entering custom world will do this again .
 
I have some high end blades and some middle of the road and some budget blades I love them all I have had people ask me why I don't just focus on one segment and my response is I like them all
 
Yes it will ruin you toward lower quality.
It's like raising up level from high end off the rack suit which is good enough but not perfect fit or comfortable to wear all day long.
Then having custom tailor made suit made that fits you perfectly and comfortable to wear all day & night long. :D :thumbup:
After that perfection, why would you go back down to almost perfect level????:confused:
 
I don't think high end knives ruin the rest. I own several higher end pieces and I enjoy them, but it doesn't subtract from the joy I get out of my more "budget" priced knives. I actually get almost more satisfaction from my "lower" end knives since I am not hesitant to carry and use them more often since they didn't cost as much and are more easily replaceable. All knives have there place and for me both high end and "lower" end bring me joy
 
I've pretty much come full circle. I started out with Spydies and Benchmades, moved up to CRKs, Hinderers, Georges and Beggs, and now I'm back to the Spydies and Benchmades. I still carry the higher end knives occasionally (especially the CRKs), but nowhere near as often as I used to.
 
Gideons said:
For a long time I have been on the fence about purchasing a XM-18. I currently love the knives I own. A ZT 0560BW, ZT 0566BW, ZT 0630ORBLK and ZT 0350TS. These knives I would consider like the high end mass production knives... and I'm wonder once you take that next step... does it ruin the knives you use to love? In the future will it make all other knives seem subpar and thus ruin them?
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It did for me and it might do it for you.
I didn't look at the lower priced knives as sub-par but I did have trouble respecting them.

I think everybody has their price range as to what they think is too low to respect and what is too expensive to buy and use. It took me a long time of buying and selling to figure out what my price range was.
 
No from me also. I went from CRK and Hinderers and now back to Spydies, new Cold Steels and Benchmade. Everyone values quality in different areas, i've turned away from titanium frame locks cos they just don't hold up and last the test of time if you actually use them for hard work (long term). Sick of the million and one types of lockup issues they can have. For Ti frame locks CRK do last the longest tho, and the rest of the build quality is fantastic.
 
After a while I got to figure out were my comfort zone was with predominant type of use, Steel types that I am comfortable with, lock styles that I prefer, and price zones. There is still some occasional fluctuation, but I am finding my own personal comfort zone. It is futile to defend my choices due to the variability of user needs, tastes etc. I once traded off an XL Manix in s30v I believe, for a used ESEE 4. I still have and enjoy my 4 that I regriped with T.K.C. scales. The 4 put me in the happy place more than the Manix, for my outdoor use focus. Find your comfort zones and have fun.
 
How would you know if you don't try others to compare it to?

No person is the same. So, perfect for one won't be perfect for another. How could it be? Twins? Father and son? Clone?

I know. A morphing knife that conforms to you. Bam! QM here I come.
 
I started out with a SOG Flash ($35) and a Spyderco Tenacious ($45). I've moved on from there and now spend up to about $300. I'm sure soon I'll move up to the CRK or Hinderer level but I still love using the flash and if I hadn't ruined my tenacious I would still use it. I'm not sure I would spend in the $1000+ range simply because I think I would be hesitant to damage/dirty it, I think the knives in that price range are just too nice for my plebian uses. I work on cars as a hobby and love to go camping so I want something tough but I won't be afraid of beating on or getting covered in fluids/grease.

Perhaps I just haven't hit that "high end" section of the knife world yet, if and when I do, I'll probably have to revise my thoughts. For now, I'm good with the value I find up to $3-400 range.


Have a good one ya'll.
Tony
 
Gideons said:
does it ruin the knives you use to love?
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Heck no. It helps you figure out that almost all folders over maybe $130 are a ripoff from a purely functional perspective. That is to say, $500 knives don't cut better than $120 knives. They all cut stuff.

As for the subjective, feel good aspect of owning an expensive knife, only you can decide if its ruins your love for more moderately-priced knives. Over the years, I have developed a growing revulsion to spendy knives because I figured out how stupid it is (for me, not necessarily you) to drop $450 on a knife to open cardboard boxes and cut zip ties.

So it all depends on your mindset. Spendy knives don't cut better. They can make you feel better. You have to figure out whether a Hinderer or any expensive knife makes you feel stupid for getting duped, or makes you feel great for having an exclusive knife in your pocket. If its the former, it can either make your appreciate entry level knives (like it did with me). If its the latter, then yeah it can "ruin" less spendy knives that don't make your leg tingle anymore.
 
I don't think the higher end has impacted my personal lower end much, I still love all of my knives, but life is short, and I find myself going for the better stuff more often.
 
Does not spoil anything. Variety is the spice of life. I tend to dwell in the medium priced modern range up to $200, but a $200 purchase is not common for me and even after getting one, I still carry my SAK daily. Nothing changes other than I have another knife to fondle.
 
Not at all, the SAK Farmer is never far from my pocket. So many things you can accomplish with the Farmer and some outdoor skills. The Mora is a lightweight knife and an excellent cutter. Those are just two examples imho.
 
In my experience, especially as of recently with the rise of amazing mid-techs and customs, it has not.

If anything, it has made me look at the customs I used to own, and wonder if they were worth the cost I paid for them. If I can get damn near perfect Fit and Finish with premium materials at under $500, it makes me realize a lot of the time, I was paying for the name and the fact that custom makers just can't produce in volume, which equates to higher prices.

I have had customs that didn't have perfect blade centering, didn't have "premium" materials, didn't have perfect fit and finish. Meanwhile, I have owned mid-tech's that have had all of those at less than half the cost.

This is not a knock on custom knives at all, I still appreciate them and have a few (one on order, one in for replacement scale), but as time goes on, I will more than likely be selling off expensive pieces to help pay for added life costs and the fact that I feel like I am getting my money's worth out of knives that cost less.
 
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