How does the Price of a Knife Affect You?

Bob Denman said:
Did you actually break it; or maybe just crack it a little bit?
Because that's not your fault!
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Oh, I slammed headfirst into that price barrier like the Kool-Aid Man, so I have to own my failures.

Well, me and my friend Johnny Walker ;)
 
I find that I m looking more and more at knives in the sub $100 range. Most of my prchases over the last few years have been less than $100. I Idon t buy knives for looks. Mostly for durability, ergos, and fit and finish. Users.
 
I don't necessarily have a hard price point that I will not go past so much as do I like the knife to pay the asking price. Design, country of origin and materials all play into my decision to buy a particular knife or not.
 
depends on the knife. ive paid as much as 700 for a fixed blade, 500 plus for a folder........wouldn't do that regularly though. each knife on its own has a price point i wont go above. some ill pay more, but I dont focus on price points. either I can afford it budget wise or I can't, and that makes my decision real easy.
 
I've gotta be able to use the thing. My most expensive knife is a CRK Seb 31 but I immediately but my own edge on it and it will be used to cut, never sold, and scratched and scuffed. I am not an art collector though I dont judge those that treat knives that way it just isnt for me. If I dont feel comfortable using the knife as a knife I wont buy it.
 
I have limits for what I'm getting and using the knife for.

Bushcraft etc... is becoming very trendy so prices will match that in part.

Materials, fnf, bespoke, handmade, mass produced etc...

I have a nice selection of hand made Japanese knives including made to order. I can't justify the money some makers and companies now charge for an "outdoor" knife when I can speak to a world class Japanese Smith who will make me a knife of my choice for the same price or a little more.

I use this as my "yardstick" accordingly when purchasing a good knife.

Money isn't really a problem as I have some expensive knives but I will not pay for something if in my personal opinion it does not warrant the asking price.
 
I do not have a hard price point other than if I can afford it at the time then I might buy it. I find the hobby like others I have has ebbs and flows, with interest and costs. I would say the majority of the folding knives i own are between $150 and $ 500, with good number of them over $500. When I first started buying folders, spending over $100 seemed like a lot, then i bought my first Microtech and that was followed by my first and only CRK for a number of years. That CRK regular seemed like it would be my limit, but then years later I got back into collecting and like all of my other hobbies my dollar limits would rise over time. What one decides is the right price to value is a very personal choice, some you will lose money on and others may grow in dollar value. You can do the same thing with every hobby or collection one could have, I would never spend any money on baseball cards, comics or ceramic statues, but I have on wine, Japanese kitchen knives and guitars. To each his or her own, if I just bought a knife to cut some stuff any of my SAKs would do
 
000Robert said:
It makes me happy when I can afford to buy it. But if I really want something I can usually find a way to get it. My limit would be somewhere around $800.
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A few knives that I still want to complete my collection exceed that limit, which is why I don't own them yet.

They're "available" and I can afford them but they just aren't priced "right."
 
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Stelth said:
In 2007 I spent $300 on one knife. I haven't spent that much on a single knife since. At that price point I can't treat it like a regular knife...it's too expensive to risk damaging or losing. Somewhere a little north of $100 bucks is the max I'd spend without too much worry.
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This. I’ve never spent that much on a knife, although I’ve wanted to, but I feel the same way. I know if the knife costs anything over $100-150 I won’t use it because it’s “too nice”. I buy knives to use, I buy knives to last, and I buy knives and models that I like and are easily replaced and acquired, should something happen to it. That’s the reason I’ve bought multiple duplicates of the ESEE, Becker, and Buck knives that I own. I like them, I will always carry one, so why not have a few spares just in case?
 
My price barrier has gone quickly up as I’ve tried out and realized the differences between these different price tiers of knife. About $325 seems to be about my happy range, where I can buy it, love it, try it, and still probably sell it for what I paid and move on without too much trouble.

I maintain a relatively tiny knife collection compared to many, because I’m moving pieces and buying new ones often. So far I’ve gotten to try easily over a dozen brands without having to keep the several dozen knives.

$325 is my happy medium, but I’m not below going higher.

I paid $675 for a Hinderer Emmett and XM-18. $400 for a CRK Inkosi. $450 for a Brian Tighe Custom Breaker. Those knives have all since moved on from my collection, definitely losing me a bit of money in the process!

It just annoys me to have that much money kinda sitting around in a static object.

The next prize will be a Shiro Quantum, and if I don’t carry that sucker, it’s going!
 
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