High End vs. Medium End vs. Low End

[DangerZone98]

There are worse addictions than knives ( and we are terrible enablers as well ).

Welcome to Blade Forums milefile

You should totally get into watches, friend.

Watch people can be funny too. If you post a watch with your knife here in BF, nobody complains. They might even compliment your time piece. Show your knife in a watch forum, and you’ll have bricks and tomatoes with your username on it.

 

[Delgadonine]

You should totally get into watches, friend.

Watch people can be funny too. If you post a watch with your knife here in BF, nobody complains. They might even compliment your time piece. Show your knife in a watch forum, and you’ll have bricks and tomatoes with your username on it.

 

[VorpelSword]

You should totally get into watches, friend.

Watch people can be funny too. If you post a watch with your knife here in BF, nobody complains. They might even compliment your time piece. Show your knife in a watch forum, and you’ll have bricks and tomatoes with your username on it.

Going to a watch and clock show is an experience. The folks, attendees and venders, are. . . .different.

I went to a Japanese sword show once and that too ws a different experience.

I do recommend both if you have the oppertunity.

 

[cutchu]

 

[pease]

I always carry a SAK, I also typically have a Spyderco or Buck on me. I try to grab the SAK first in case it needs to be sacrificed unless it's a true one hand opener emergency. I have a Sebenza that gets to go out for dinner on occasion but I'm pretty scared to actually use it. I'd say I'm a cheap guy at heart but willing to entertain the mid level with a toe in the pool of the higher end.

Use the Sebenza that’s how you will really appreciate it

 

[TrainedBullets]

I essentially have three subsets of collections: higher end folders (CRK and Grimsmo); Fiddleback Forge fixed blades; and SAK.

I could boil the SAKs down to one (Compact, the rest just sit in drawers), CRKs to two (small DP Sebenza with black inlays and Mnandi), and I have just one Grimsmo (Rask, my favorite folder of all).

I couldn’t possibly cut my FF collection to fewer than six: Bushfinger, EDK, Esquire, Runt, Monarch, and Sneaky Pete.

 

[RocketFoot]

I’ve not been into collecting knives for very long. I’ve always had a few and been kind of picky about them, but this year something clicked and I guess I’m a bit obsessed now. There were some pricey knives I had to have, and plenty I have yet to acquire. And there are some eye wateringly expensive knives I can’t ever picture myself paying for. What’s a little unexpected, though, is how much I appreciate budget knives. Recently I picked up a QSP Penguin and a Vosteed Raccoon and they’re both great. You can for sure tell the difference between that and a Pro-Tech or an Axial OTF (a couple at the higher end of my collection), but I still really enjoy them. I have a Kizer Original Copper on the way. And I just impulse bought a Spyderco Tenacious in carbon fiber. Anyway, just wondering if any of you guys also have diverse collections of budget knives and nicer stuff or do you focus just the nicer stuff or whatever. Thanks and have a great weekend.

My collection is very diverse! I started accumulating knives many years ago and some aren't super great quality but each one of my knives has a story that I remember each time I pick one up. I also have some really nice "grails" and each one of those has a story behind it! To me, that's what collecting knives is all about and the reason why I don't really sell any of my knives. They are all keepers to me, even down to the most inexpensive flea market knife that I bought with allowance money 40 some years ago! Today, I buy what I like or what looks interesting to me...I just purchased a $500 SHF and then ordered a budget $85 Chaves and I'm equally excited about both.

The short version of my long winded ramblings is...just buy what you like and you'll always be happy with your collection! Enjoy!!

 

[Monofletch]

On the flip side, and not as a generality, some of the less expensive knives I've purchased of late have proven to be every bit as good as my mid-tech knives in the $400 to $600 range.

Quality can be obtained at several price points. I've had expensive stinkers, and inexpensive gems.

I also own several high end, high dollar knives, (by my standard), which by my lights are worth every penny.

There is a great point!

 

[mveach]

There was a time when I couldn't imagine spending more than $50 on a knife. Now, they range from $66 >$400.

 

[Ironbut]

A knife is really nothing more than a tool for cutting stuff, and my $16 Opinel #07 does that very well. The only reason I can think of as to why I have all these other knives, is....... well........I just wanted them.

 

[DangerZone98]

A knife is really nothing more than a tool for cutting stuff, and my $16 Opinel #07 does that very well. The only reason I can think of as to why I have all these other knives, is....... well........I just wanted them.

When you embrace the madness, that is when the hobby finally makes sense.

 

[Ironbut]

When you embrace the madness, that is when the hobby finally makes sense.

For thirty years, I carried the same Uncle Henry stockman every single day. I added Buck 110 in 1975 for hunting & camping, and I had a Cammilus pilot's survival knife, that I brought back from Vietnam in 1968. They covered all my work, hobby, & outdoor needs, and it just never occurred to me that I needed another knife. I still have all three of those. And a couple more.

 

[madcap_magician]

My first good knife was $60. Granted, now the same one is $150.

Now the one I carry is $800, and I have not blinked at carrying $1,000+ knives or purchasing $3,000 knives.

Help.

 

[SwissHeritageCo]

Especially over the last decade, the budget market has really exploded with quality options in the $40-120 range. More companies are using 14C28N, Nitro-V, and 154CM at competitive prices. Both 9Cr18Mov and 10Cr15CoMov are solid with a good heat treatment, such as on the Civivi and Sencut knives. Kizer and Kubey have been especially impressive lately. (Below is my Kubey Hyde in Ultem.) Most run on ceramic bearings now and some of the Kizers are even using multi-row bearings.

There are occasional gems under $40. Petrified Fish has some bangers in D2 at the $30 level. Compromises can become more obvious under $40 and most stuff under $20 is junk. Especially with the way inflation has gone, this end of the curve of diminishing returns just offers so much improvement for so little more. The difference betwen $20 and $40 knives can be a veritable chasm and $60 opens the quality floodgates. I think I got that Kubey Hyde in 14C28N for around $60.

Higher end stuff is cool but there, the curve of diminishing returns goes the other way. Just conisdering steel, the decent budget steels mentioned above are all pretty good and while super steels might hold their edges longer, it's never by enough that it really matters with a large rotation or occasional sharpening. (All are way better than 8Cr13Mov and lesser steels.) That would matter more if I actually carried the same knife every day but still, you really need a lot of hard use or to be cutting up lots of dirty cardboard to be seriously disappointed by 154CM or even Nitro-V.

Given the increases I mentioned, build quality might not start getting appreciably better until you're spending like $300. For instance, the North Arm Skaha II is easily my best liner lock but at $300, I have lots of sub-$100 knives that get close on action, lock-up, and/or ergonomics. I've had $500+ frame locks and where they really only tend to excel versus a lot of the $200 stuff I have in the heat treatment on the steel. (Again, that can matter depending on your use.) Honestly, most of the $200ish frame locks I have from WE, Kizer, and Kubey actually have better action than the $500+ stuff I've had.

Of course, the overhead in losing or damaging stuff is another factor. (Edited to add, if you want some really nice for your money, get a custom fixed blade on the exchange here. Your money will go a lot longer than with higher-end production folders.)

Nice write up. Still blown away by that petrified fish d2 you sent in.

 

[Quiet]

Some companies are even copying the buck 110 these days

Uhhhh..."these" days? LOL

There were a ton of different knives on the market back in the day that were (politely) "heavily inspired by" the Buck 110. It's not a new phenomenon.

 

[whp]

I have an "accumulation", rather than a "collection", of knives You could call me a "power EDC'er", always looking for something better than what I'm carrying, or curious about how some feature or steel would work for me.

It's been my experience over the decades that bad things sometimes happen to knives. I have lost a few here and there due to various reasons. So there's only so much money I'm willing to place at risk by spending it on a knife that's going into my pocket...and they all end up in my pocket, at least for a spell.

My interest in a knife starts to vaporize if it costs more than $150 at today's prices (used to be lower back when you could get a US-made Benchmade Griptilian for $55 and a Spyderco Native IV for $50.). I have made a couple of exceptions, but only a couple.

I have some well made inexpensive knives (Mora, Opinel, etc.); but I have no cheap knives. I tend to avoid knives made in China, though I have made some exceptions.

Welcome to the madness.

I agree with this.

My first brand preference was Benchmade when my work knife was a 60.00 Griptilian. I would occasionally splurge to a 100.00 BM. But when the prices rose for BM, I switched to Spyderco. Endura became my main work/carry edc. Rarely I d spend up to 120.00 on a Spyderco model. After MAP was instituted, I discovered the great relative value of Cold Steel, and the Recon1 and Lawman became my carry knives.

Now, despite my huge accumulation of knives, I m still buying an occasional budget knife. Civivi and Kizer lately. Infrequently a Spyderco in a special steel if it goes on the infrequent sale for less than 150.00.

Due to rising prices, the size of my accumulation, and my increasing age, I m not buying as many knives. And with retirement, the slow down in work and money make me realize I don t need more knives. If I see a knife of interest for less than 100.00 I might consider it for a Christmas gift suggestion to my wife. (She thinks rightly so that I don t need another knife!!)

 

[Drop bear]

I think having the right knife is better than the best quality knife.

 

[Wasty]

I accumulated enough knives to last me my lifetime, So I don't need anymore knives.
I will still get some new ones that tickle my fancy, but I have so many other hobbies to waste my money on, it's embarrassing

High, Middle or Low end doesn't bother me, because there are such amazing knives out there (at any price point) that a bit of research will set you up for a lifetime...

Let me give some examples for some great BFB (Bang for Buck) knives:

Kabar's Becker line of knives: They are ergonomically amazing, can be easily sharpened to shaving levels and look fantastic.
Varusteleka's "quite recent" line of Jääkäripuukkos and Skramas: No frills, not the most beautiful, but tough as nails, and with a wonderful attitude and great steel.
Kailash blades: High Quality handmade Khukuris, that you don't overpay for and if properly taken care of, they will outlast you.
"Thanks" knives made by our very own Crag: A truly great and well thought out handle in palmstone quality with a wonderfully sharp blade.

There are quite a few others that can be found here.

I have never been tempted to spend my money on knives that come with a great name or a hefty price tag, but naturally ymmv

Cheers