How do you justify spending hundreds of $ on a traditional?

How do you justify spending hundreds of $ on a traditional?
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I don't. Never could. I don't spend "hundreds" on any knife.

The average cost of the traditional knives I buy is ~$75. And for that I get multiple blades of D2 steel, each with a unique shape which optimizes that blade for a certain type of cutting chore.

Why would I want a single blade with a shape optimized for cutting zombies when I can get multiple blades optimized for real world chores? For half the price of a zombie killer!
 
like I'd spend hundreds on any knife:cool:...well if I had the cash I think we all know the answer to that that one.
My most expensive knife is a GEC with mammoth ivory scales-if I'm honest its not a super spectacular looking knife in terms of comparative price difference to my "run o the mill" knives.But its got sides that were once attached to a fri**in Mammoth. That's the beauty in the eye of the beholder bit.
As for trad vs modern-
-real burger vs big mac
-V8 Mustang vs Electric hybrid
-snowflakes vs styrofoam beads

actually I tell a lie-most expensive is one I paid to make on a course with my son .I discount that one because the value of that knife doesn't lie within the knife itself but from the experience of making it.
Interesting thread
cheers.
 
How do people justify spending any large amount of cash on anything? They like what's being offered and they have the disposable income or don't mind saving. I'm currently saving to get several things that most people would think I was a nut for wanting but owning them would please me. Isn't that enough justification for just about anything?
 
You can justify every act and it can be ultimately meaningless.

But...if the knife really pleases me, if it's something I've had my eye on for some time and provided I can find the money without causing problems then bingo!

The Ohta I recently got was for me expensive (for others cheap for others beyond their horizon etc) I had to wait about 3 months for it and he gave me updates and a choice of stag slabs. The knife is beautiful AND functional, but I don't feel the need for any more customs, it has completely satisfied my desire. Bad news for custom makers! Yet then there ARE those production cheapies too.....:D I keep wanting them, crazy and can't be justified, or rather, it can:thumbup: Just think about cars: we need them yes but they ALL cost a lot both to buy and run and fairly soon they end up a rusting useless pile, that's insanity really. Money gone in rust! At least knives offer better longevity and less running costs.....
 
Modoc ED said:
The title of this thread with a bold highlight; "How do you justify spending hundreds of $ on a traditional?"

SNIP

There's really no justification to it. When it gets down to the money, well, most knife guys just let penny-wise common sense fly out of the window with their common sense.

I guess what it really comes down to is - "if ya gotta ask"
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That's really it to me. If you gotta ask...

One of my oldest friends flew for the airlines and had an old mechanical Breitling watch that cost $5000 years and years ago. It kept OK time, not great and required annual maintenance and cleaning at something like $250 a year. He loved that watch and did all he could to keep it 100%. Between the shop cleaning and timings, he wore a really nice $80 Casio that kept perfect time as it was synced with a satellite, backlit so he could see the numbers in a dark cabin, was completely storm/waterproof, kept up with three time zones and he didn't have to take it off when going through the metal detectors. He really liked that Casio, but he loved that fussy Breitling.

Regardless of the item I think a lot of us have a weakness somewhere that gives in to the "I want that" and has nothing to do with >needing<. No way to justify a $500 knife when a $100 knife might be a reasonable approximation of the same tool. Ahhhh... but the $500 knife just could be one that you covet and cherish for decades. Just the pleasure of simply owning it can bring one joy. I can see reasoning behind buying something like that, but don't think you can justify it.

Robert
 
I don't have to justify a purchase. As long as my bills are paid I am free to do what I choose with the remainder. I like the peanut pattern and as long as they continue making variations I'll continue to buy what I want. I have had one peanut made with scale material not readily available so that is a one of a kind knife. if someone comes out with a unique scale material I'll most likely snag another one up.
 
All that matters when you buy anything... Think "what is it worth to me?".

Paul
 
knarfeng said:
I don't. Never could. I don't spend "hundreds" on any knife.

The average cost of the traditional knives I buy is ~$75. And for that I get multiple blades of D2 steel, each with a unique shape which optimizes that blade for a certain type of cutting chore.

Why would I want a single blade with a shape optimized for cutting zombies when I can get multiple blades optimized for real world chores? For half the price of a zombie killer!
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I tend to like a lot of the single blade traditionals basically because a lot of those smaller blades, especially the pen blade are too hard to open. We're in the same ballpark as far as spending goes though. :D
 
I DON"T have to justify it, to myself or anyone else. I work hard for my money and spend it the way I see fit.
 
rma100 said:
I DON"T have to justify it, to myself or anyone else. I work hard for my money and spend it the way I see fit.
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Um, not really....we all have to personally justify our purchases to ourselves....we have to deem the item worth more to us than having that money to spend on other things. You have to weigh the attributes of the item and your desire to see if it justifies the expenditure for you. I don't think anyone is going out and tossing money around on things they don't think are worth the price just because.

You certainly don't have to justify it to anyone else, but I think every purchase we make has been justified in our minds otherwise we'd never buy it.
 
Any experienced knife maker will tell you that slip joint knives are the hardest to make (properly) - the only reason you see such high price tags on 'tactical' knives is because of hype.

Blade steel is fairly inexpensive even "super steels" - so to say that a knife commands $100's more because it uses m390 over 440c is just evidence of the hype.

I carry only one knife nowadays - A handmade slip joint by Ken Erickson that he sells for ~$475 new, i picked it up "used" for about $275 - is it so superbly made every time i pick up a production slip joint the Erickson becomes that much more "worth it"
 
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I have been watching the "high end" tacticool resale market on the exchange and all i'm seeing are fairly substantial losses on the secondary market.
As for super steel, 1095 is 100 years old and still a super steel. IMO :D

Best regards

Robin
 
Pipeman said:
I have been watching the "high end" tacticool resale market on the exchange and all i'm seeing are fairly substantial losses on the secondary market.
As for super steel, 1095 is 100 years old and still a super steel. IMO :D

Best regards

Robin
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I think it depends on the timeframe you look with though. I look and see knives I bought for $400-600 going for $1000-3000. I think I paid $600 for my Scott Cook Lochsa, I had a couple JL Williams that were all under $500, and a Hinderer I think I got for $350. And the Tom Mayos where all in the $500-800 range. These are all now selling for way way way more than I paid. Oh how I wish I still had them, I could have made so much money. The tactical market is still pretty hot from what I can see, at least with the popular makers. But, I think those prices are less justified for what you get than the traditional market, especialy with these hot makers where the prices are now astronomical compared to what they were a decade ago.
 
For some folks that don't need to justify their purchases to anyone, some sure seem defensive about the way they spend their money.

If you weren't justifying it to someone, even yourself, it doesn't seem like you would be the least bit defensive.

Just an observation...

Robert
 
Is anybody going to post a side by side picture of a production and custom, and try to show some of the differences?
Is "Im a collector" a good enough justification?, or even, "Im making an investment and it will go up in value"
Have you ever added up how many dollars your individual production knives add up to?
Do some people make more money than others, and so can afford to buy more expensive toys?
Do some questions not have answers?
For those who understand, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not understand, no explanation will be sufficient...
How do people justify buying Ferraris, when a Fiat will get you to the grocery store just as well?
How do you justify buying another knife, when you already have one?
 
You need justification? ;)

I want the best I can get to carry. I buy cheap tools etc, but spend a lot on knives. The most expensive knives I've bought have been Case Bose collaborations and an Oeser Zulu. I've been holding off on getting any GECs because I'd like to get another custom. I've gotten biased and prefer custom bushcraft blades for my fixed blades, and prefer higher end slipjoints to carry.
 
knarfeng said:
Why would I want a single blade with a shape optimized for cutting zombies when I can get multiple blades optimized for real world chores? For half the price of a zombie killer!
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Exactly. The blade shapes even on a sak have proven to be a lot more useful than any tactical knife I've had. I have 4 different edges on a two layer sak that all come in handy for different things. On top of that I've noticed a few other things in my day to day:

Handle ergos. Traditionals seem to be the few knives out there that consistently round over the sharp edges. I think it's a testament to how often people use their tacticals that it isn't demanded of manufacturers to round off sharp edges on things like G10.;)

Pocket clips I've ditched even on my tacticals. I've had too many knives lifted out of my pockets by random things I've bumped into so this isn't even something I look for anymore.

One hand operation just isn't as important as people make it out to be IMO. IME ease in one hand CLOSING is a much nicer feature and slippies are a lot easier to close than some tacticals. The PM2 was extremely awkward for me to close.

There's probably a few other things that just aren't coming to mind at the moment.

I've never spent 100's on a traditional but I can't see how it's any more justifiable to spend that on a tactical. Nothing wrong with being into the latest and greatest materials out there but if that's all you're into you're missing part of the equation. If you ditch the "survival" scenario and the "deanimating tangos" scenarios and focus on what you really need a knife for in your day to day, a traditional will probably fill the bill better than a tactical. At least that was my experience and believe me as a knife knut it bugs me that my favorite knife is a no frills, inexpensive SAK. The only reason to spend 100's on an EDC for me now is to get a fancy version of the SAK I already have. :D
 
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For me, it's more about knowing my Point of Indifference


bernard_levine said:
People who ask me about knives up for bid on eBay sometimes ask, 'What is it worth?' or 'What should it sell for?'

These questions have no meaning.

Value estimates are for insurance companies, yard sales, and tax assessors.

If you are bidding at an auction, there are two possibilities.

1. You are buying for resale. In that case you need to know YOUR market, YOUR customers.

2. You are buying for yourself. In that case you have to (horror of horrors) know yourself.

If you are bidding for yourself at an auction, the ONLY
number that matters is your own 'point of indifference.'

This means the tipping point between
where you would rather have the item
and you would rather have the money.

This is hard because it means being honest with yourself, which no one likes to do.

Your point of indifference has NOTHING to do with anyone else.
Nothing to do with the opening bid, the reserve price, or anyone else's bid.
Nothing to do with past sales, book prices, or inherent value (which is $1 regardless).
Only you can assign it.

You will know you are there when you lose an auction,
and your regret at losing is exactly balanced out by your
happiness at not spending the money.

If you ever say "I should have bid more," then you are not using your point of indifference.

Point of Indifference was one of the very few useful things I learned studying economics.

BRL...
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