High end pocket knives

Would you eliminate a knife in the 700-1000 range that had RWL34 blade steel? I am thinking that it is not really a premium knife if it has RWL34 blade steel.
 
VorpelSword said:
Differences in opinion are what make the world go around. When it comes to the relative desirability of pocket knives, everyone's opinion has validity.

With that said, I respectfully question that a CRK folder bought today will exceed the MSRP of the same or similar CRK knives in the foreseeable future.

That Magnicut is their go-to steel in 2025 does not preclude the introduction of a better performing steel in the future . . even .at a higher relative price point. It is my opinion that folks will be willing to buy the newer wonder blade over the the then "vintage", pre-owned knife with the "old" steel. CRK
is making and selling as many of their folders as that can consistent with maintaining their high standard of crafstmanship.

With al these knives already in the hands of CRK aficionados (myself included) , I just do not see a "vintage" knife selling for anything higher than a current model unless there is a significant problem with the new production . . .not like with CRK.

When the one-piece line was discontinued, the resale price of existing specimens skyrocketed. This was because the known universe of that line of knives had become finite over night. If the line had been continued, but in a different steel, that would not have been the case, as folks wanting a one-piece hollow handled knife would have flocked to the newer, higher performing steel.

We can see this in other premium knife makers too. To be sure, there are Randall Made knives that have some special provenance that makes them an investment, but for an in-catalog knife in regular production, any vintage knife on the re-sale market will not exceed the current MSRP for that model with the same options.
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I have no crystal ball and past performance is no guarantee of future results, but in the past the discontinued CRK's have increased in value, even with the older steels. Time will tell if thst holds true for the 31s as well.
Time will tell, and don't buy knives as an investment. I do however wish I had bought or kept many CRKs that today are much more expwnsive to buy, if you can find them, but not for the profit they might bring.
 
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no order:
Machinewise Senora ...I am not that impressed with an integral, but seems to be a great knife
Hog House Model T gen2...but concerned about the blade steel
Herman Knives Sting...hard to find
 
Re Expensive dDscontinued CRK Knives:

I do have imperfect knowledge and a record of demonstrably bad judgement . . .ask my mother-in-law. What I am thinking of not exceeding MSRP area the fixed blade Pacific or Green Beret in previously standard steels such as S30V. Other than the Sebenza 21, I am not familia with the history of CRK folders. What I had in mind for the discontinued high priced CRK knives were the one-piece line for which there are no currently produced models. The entire line was discontinued. Within weeks whatever was available rose to several times their original price whether used or not.

I am not aware that a plain Sebenza 21 commands 3 to five times its brand new in the box price. I don't think that is true of the SSebenza 31 knives produced in years past either. Now, I am open to correction on that and there are probably outliers with some rarity in embellishment or a limited edition etc, but I think that my evaluation holds in general . . .

Although I may indeed be very wrong. School me (gently).
 
RICHARD BYARS said:
If someone was willing to give you 700 to 1000 $'s that could only be spent on one knife...... after thanking them, what would you buy.
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Many brilliant suggestions above. The truth is at $700-$1K you have a vast selection of new and second hand knives to choose from. It really depends what your personal preference is.
Here are a few of my suggestions.........

A2 Knives - The two Andres make brilliant knives. I am intimately familiar with their process and I can tell you each knife is as close to perfect as can be achieved.

CRK - They still make the quintessential daily carry, hard use knife. I would choose a 31 with a Magnacut Insingo blade.

Bret Dowell - If you like traditional pattern knives Bret's knives can still be ordered for under $1K. They are beautifully made true heirloom pieces of traditional cutlery. Unbelievable value in today's world.

Frank Centofante - If you wanted something from the classic days of custom knives the late Frank Centofante made beautiful knives that can still be had for very realistic prices.
Frank was the chairman of the U.S. Knifemakers Guild in its heyday and he was one of the early makers of the gentleman's pocket knife, often in collaboration with such knifemakers as Bob Loveless. His knives regularly come up for sale on ACK for under $1K.

Now all you have to do is tell us you choice......... :)
 
Danke42 said:
$1000 = high end now? When did that happen.
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While I might have a difficult time convincing myself that I should pay a thousand dollars for any one knife ( that is just old-guy sticker shock) my first thought was that a Grand was just the b bottom edge of "Expensive" in today's knife world.

Back in the mid 2K decade, I wrote an essay on buying multiple knives for our son before he deployed to Iraq with the marines. Among them were knives from Randall, CRK, Ek, Camillus, Ka-Bar and more . . .just a lot. One of the themes in the essay was that in my anxiety for him, I spent nearly a thousand dollars all together.

That anyone in 2003 would think a Kilo-Buck on a bunch of knives, some of them from premium makers, would be over the top, speaks to how knife prices have inflated some twenty (plus) years later on. One example: Both the Randall and the Chris Reeve were within a few dollars of each other and together did not exceed $500 as I remember it.
 
Steven65 said:
RWL is brilliant steel. It is definitely a premium knife steel.
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Not $1000 but the warm feeling it gives me is 10x that.

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