How much is too much for a 'user' knife?

Too much is anything above the bare minimum. The bare minimum should be what is exactly necessary to perform the task. Performing the task is why you have a 'user'.

The right price is what you need to spend; what you want to spend is something else.
 
I find I don't use knives hard if they cost much more than $100. My most expensive users are a Benchmade mini Skirmish, and a Ritter Grip. Both cost me about $120.

Some of my other users that cost less, and probably get used harder are:

Spyderco Delica
Kabar Dozier folding hunter
Spyderco Native
Spyderco Pacific Salt
Kabar Mule
Byrd Flight

These were all in the $30 - $50 range, and I have no complaints about any of them.
 
Too much is more than you're willing to spend for the specifications you're looking for in any particular knife...this question isn't any more complex than that...;)

Ray :)
 
The only problem I see with the quote in the OP is that the guy actually believes that his opinion is the definitive authority on how everyone else should spend their money for knives.

This isn't about knives, it's about him not understanding that people with quite a lot of experience might possibly have a conflicting opinion with solid reasoning.
 
Cobalt said:
As for bang for your buck, manufactured knife of 3V is nice if it was HT'd properly....

As for bang for your buck, I would say that Scrapyard knives top the list, modified S7 is one of the toughest steels made and at a cost of typically under $100 and definitely under 200, you are getting the best deal on the market... Of course INFI is a step up in toughness, but it is also a step up in price. although if you get a regular production model, like right now you can get a basic ASH for around $300 and it will spank the knife you are interested in.
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Very interesting stuff--thank you. A couple yrs. ago at Blade Show I talked to Ryan Johnson, who makes tomahawks of 4140 steel. I asked him, why not S7, and his reply was that it did not have the tensile strength he wanted. But he said that he would like to see more combat-type knives in S7, but no one seemed to share that thought. So it's interesting to hear now that somebody is doing just that.

What is it that makes the INFI knife so superior to the 3V ZT0100 in your view? Would it take more than 4500 lbs. of pressure to break? Is it a matter of better resistance to chipping? How would edge holding compare? Is it just an overall combination of things?

This is off topic, but I can go off topic on my own topic, lol. Thanks again for your insight.
 
I alway laugh at the
spending that much on a tool one would be afraid to use it
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line that people use.

Mechanics buy quality tools like Snap-On , Craftsman , MAC , etc... they dont buy those and leave them in a drawer and use a set of swap meet wrenches , so why would a knife be any different ?

If you are buying it to use as a tool , then price shouldn't bother you , buy the best you can afford , or what makes you satisfied.

There is nothing wrong with using a $300-$500 knife , I figure I shelled out the $$$ for it , I will get much more enjoyment out of using it than having it lay in a velvet lined climate controlled drawer ( this does not apply to those that are collectors , this is about something purchased as a user from the beginning ).
 
Keith Montgomery said:
Spend what you are comfortable with, and don't be concerned with what other people think. It's your knife after all.
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+2. It's the same as spending an extra $10,000 on one car over another. They both do the same thing but one of them you like and it makes you happy and the other just does not appeal to you. I bet the person quoted in the original post does not drive the bare minimun car or TV etc.
 
Exacto-mundo, Odds. In fact, you reminded me of something that a friend said to me years ago when shopping for car tires. He said, always spend a little extra if you have to. Otherwise you will buy something that you don't really want. Where is the logic in that?

If I look back at the purchases that I would like to reverse, it is not the top dollar stuff. For example, once in Oregon, where autos are legal, I bought a $30 auto folder mainly because I thought I liked the blade shape, and there was nothing else in the shop that I wanted to buy. That was truly a stupid purchase that I would reverse if I could, and I've never used that knife.
 
I think the difference is that you need a three foot long, one inch drive Snap-on ratchet to match the price of a Sebenza.
 
Never spend more money on a heavy user than what you could comfortably stand to lose through a manhole grating without ruining your day...
 
As far as price goes for me the sky is the limit. My main concern when using/carrying a knife is how replacable is it. I was using my Scott Cook Lochsa for a while but due to its rarity, it sits in my knife drawer. With the pearl inlay and gold thumbstud it cost me $750. I took it camping and used it for an ice pick which wasn't the smartest thing I did. Currently my beater is a CRK Sebenza, large left hand classic with serrations. I just got it back from a Tom Krein regrind and holy smokes does it cut. Cost me about $530.;)
 
I use many tools that cost more than $300. Most will not survive longer than a good knife. Just because a cheapie will cut OK doesn't mean a superior tool is extravagant. People drop a grand on a watch that doesn't keep any better time than a Timex. A $50 camera will take pictures just fine, and any golf club will smack a golfball. $100 shoes are gone in a couple of years. Buy, use, and enjoy a good knife without fretting.

My latest flyrod was $600. It weighs 2.5 oz.- how's $4000 per pound for a "fishing pole" as my friends call them? The company sells everything they can make. A $50 rod would do, but not exactly the same. Only if one cannot bear to even contemplate damage or loss through use is it "too much". Regards, ss.
 
If it's OK with you, it' OK. If it's too expensive for you, it's too expensive! Putting real dollar values on things and expecting everyone to agree with you is just stupid.
My 'in-pocket' everyday knife cost me $850, and I love using it and sometimes just looking at it. That's what makes me a knife knut.
Does it cut better than a $10 p.o.s.? Who cares!
Greg
 
I have never had the need to spend more than 100 bucks for a very good user knife. However I would if i had to, I like quality tools.
 
wutitiz said:
How much is too much for a 'user' knife?
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Everything's relative, but there are few things to consider.

What will you actually be using your knife for on a daily basis?

My view is this: be practical and thrifty. There's a long-held view among thrifty people that the most expensive item you can buy is one that is cheaply made and will not stand the test of time. They view a $200 jacket that will last for years with weekly wear as a better investment than a $40 jacket that has to be replaced every other year because the fabric ripped at the zipper.

If a $300 knife is the top end of what would be appropriate for your daily use, and it will hold up for you for five years to come, that ends up being, what? 16 cents a day for a really nice knife that makes you happy. If it holds out ten years, that's 8 cents a day.

I carry a small, common pocket knife each day. For years it was an Old Timer, then a Camillus Boy Scout knife, and similar Scout knives. They work well, feel good, do all I ask of them, and are well made. They're not $300, usually less than $40, but they stay sharp and make me happy. And, they last and last and last... But that's only what suits me, every situation is different.
 
I would really have to think about handing an expensive knife to someone else to use. That thought process made me, well, actually my wife, buy me a Spydie Native in S30V from Wally World (<$40) last spring. Now, if I am carrying one of my cherished 'users', whether an Alaskan Guide Buck 110 in S30V or my most expensive folder ($175), a Buck Custom shop in teardrop Damascus, I can still offer them a decent and sharp knife. Oddly, I loaned my rather large Buck 419 folder (S30V) to a lady at church early Sunday AM to open a bag of Lifesavers. She said it was a lot sharper than her switchblade, which she had left in the van. It was all I had - you can just tell when someone is careful/appreciative of decent knives.

Of course, then there is the Bayley knife Bear Grylls, of 'Man vs Wild' fame, uses - it will run $720-$750+, depending on the exchange rate and s/h/duties. If you watch 'Survivorman', with Les Stroud, where he is a bit more basic/true, you'll see a multi-tool - and, on occasion, a Buck 119 - which will run $36 inc s/t at Wally World. You can get by on less... Of course, if 'more' is your forte - or an indicator of your financial prowess - 'more' power to you. Please don't spend moola you don't have on that famed Sebenza, etc... I am afraid we are facing dire times in the next few years. Pay off your debts... and don't take on more. Good grief, I even sound old...

Stainz
 
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