How do you buy a new knife?

A more serious answer to this question is that buying requires a degree of knowledge. The buyer has to be comfortable with both the item and the asking price. Generally, everyone starts off with entry level hardware and big box store knives and slowly learns to value and be comfortable with more premium items.

Specifications, condition, makers, personal experience, etc. all factor in the value proposition, and your comfort level constantly changes with experience.

n2s
 
Usually, I know; way ahead-of-time. What blade, I'm about to purchase. Mostly based on experience with a particular brand. I took a chance on Off Grid, and was pleasantly surprised by their quality, based on watching sundry, video reviews. Being an informed consumer usually, yields the best results. Always buy from an established, reliable vendor.
 
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not2sharp said:
A more serious answer to this question is that buying requires a degree of knowledge. The buyer has to be comfortable with both the item and the asking price. Generally, everyone starts off with entry level hardware and big box store knives and slowly learns to value and be comfortable with more premium items.

Specifications, condition, makers, personal experience, etc. all factor in the value proposition, and your comfort level constantly changes with experience.

n2s
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I think that it just comes down to luck and knowledge helping you lower the chances of regret purchases, but probably never truly eliminating them.
 
Blues said:
I hope my friend Steven65 Steven65 will chime in and provide his usual wisdom.
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Apologies for the late reply Elliot, I'm on the road. FYI Mark is an old friend, we are both from the same hometown........ ;)

Buffalohump said:
Serious question -- how do you buy a new knife these days? There is a such a blizzard of new models and companies I feel overwhelmed.

Beyond budget, my method is to narrow it down in the following way:

Country of origin -- I won't buy Chinese-made knives so that cuts out a lot!
Lock type -- I prefer the Axis/crossbar lock above all so that gets preference. After that, back lock and liner lock/frame lock.
Scale materials -- I avoid metal handled knives these days, preferring G-10 and micarta above all although I do like Carbon Fibre if it's not too pricey.
Blade steel -- I try to look for new blade steels if I don't have it already. Want to try Magnacut next.
Weight -- I tend not to carry heavier knives so now I examine weight quite closely

I like some sites (like Knifecenter for example), which allow you to search according to a lot of criteria.

I'm thinking a spread sheet might be in order! 😆
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Mark far be it from me bud but if you are in Jhb the KGSA show is coming up soon. Go and check it out. Always lekker to buy local bud!

Alternatively drop my mate Martin from Knifeguy a line. He is always bringing in really nice stuff at competitive prices and he such a good guy.:)
 
I go to a gun show or knife show with something in mind and shop around a bit. I pick up and handle that knife and its' variations if any and get a better idea. Then I tell trhe guy I want "that one" and pay him. Maybe we shake hands.

That is one way. Another way is to do the in person shopping and leave without buying. Then I hover on e-Bay till that model comes up in a pre-owned condition I will accept at a price point I like and pull the trigger.
 
VorpelSword said:
I go to a gun show or knife show with something in mind and shop around a bit. I pick up and handle that knife and its' variations if any and get a better idea. Then I tell trhe guy I want "that one" and pay him. Maybe we shake hands.

That is one way. Another way is to do the in person shopping and leave without buying. Then I hover on e-Bay till that model comes up in a pre-owned condition I will accept at a price point I like and pull the trigger.
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This just happened to me today. Ive been waiting on a pvd slim praetorian for awhile, but wanted one at a good price. One popped up on the exchange today and I couldn’t help myself with it’s price.
 
Steven65 said:
Apologies for the late reply Elliot, I'm on the road. FYI Mark is an old friend, we are both from the same hometown........ ;)


Mark far be it from me bud but if you are in Jhb the KGSA show is coming up soon. Go and check it out. Always lekker to buy local bud!

Alternatively drop my mate Martin from Knifeguy a line. He is always bringing in really nice stuff at competitive prices and he such a good guy.:)
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Steve, I went to KGSA last year and met a couple of great local boys, bought a couple from one already (Thinus Bothma) and also got a slippie from Willem Steenkamp recently. But I also like to get new production items from time to time. Also, Martin is great, and I have bought from him but as you know the selection is VAST and I am picky as hell. With prices being what they are, I have to be! To be honest I prefer to buy local when I can as the import duties are brutal nowadays. Also interested in the new Mamba line from Arno Barnard but they charging in dollars. Ja, lekker hey.... :rolleyes:
 
I am far past the point of having any “needs” to fill so I buy what I like, generally from companies or designers I like. I am a “completist” of a couple brands, I will buy almost anything RMJ or CPK put out and I buy a lot of Busses.

When it comes to folders I tend to look for unique designs, especially locking methods, and high quality reputable manufacturers.

I also buy the occasional knife that gets a lot of “buzz” in the knife community to check it out. A recent example is the Microtech MSI. I wanted to see their interpretation of the sliding bar lock and they’ve been getting a lot of attention recently so I found one.

I also (like to think I) have a pretty decent idea of pricing in the niches that interest me so if I see something that is extremely well priced I may buy it even it’s a duplicate or not to my particular taste because I know it’ll be good trade material or I can make a few bucks on it.

There are a few brands I steer clear of because I think the owners are a-holes even though they have some appealing designs or good ideas.
 
I see knife, I buy knife. Jk, there's more to it than that.

Purple knives are king in my book. If it's not purple, and I can't make it purple, I won't buy it. Although I do have a few specific models I'd like to add to my collection someday, color be damned.

I prefer steels that I don't need to sharpen that often. I'm super lazy.

Otherwise I'm still fairly new to the knife world and learning so I'm always own to getting to feel out as many types of knives as I can!
 
I buy a knife if:

I like the design,
I can afford it,
I can use it,
and it is from a reputable maker.

But lately almost all my money goes to living expenses, materials, and processing, with the recent exception of a couple of fitness related purchases.
 
I take a lot of what I learned from my previous collecting stints in other former hobbies and just focus on one or two brands or makers. It helps narrow down all the noise and puts a laser like focus on your available options which also consequently will save you money in the long run.

Now to be less general and focus it to knives:

-I like my knives to be powdered steels at least
-Since I mainly view my knives as a self-defense tool first and edc utility second, the most important thing for me is how robust the locking mechanism is
-This brings it the point that it needs to be tough, but also not too heavy
-Needs to have robust butt of the handle, ideally a glass breaker or piece of metal/composite
-I also need to factor in appropriate knife lengths for regions I'll be going to
-More importantly the ergonomics, how well it sticks to your grip and handleability

All that said, I try not to take myself too seriously, so for **** and giggles I'll make exceptions to the rules for crazy overbuilt stuff like the PMP Alpha Beast.
 
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