The average person doesn't know what a quality knife is. They also don't know anything about steel and don't care to learn. They typically see knives as disposable and will not invest heavily in them. These are the buyers who make up most knife sales. Knife companies realize this and make their products accordingly. The buyer ends up with a usable knife, but something that is far from ideal.
But isn't it that way in just about all aspects of our lives? If something is important to us, we will learn about it and invest (time, money, research), then get more involved, and purchase well out of our actual needs.
As a professional tradesman, I work on folk's houses using tools that astonish them when they find out what they cost. My circular saw: $179 on sale. Theirs, $49 all day long. My miter saw, $450. Their miter saw, $90. Same price difference with their routers, sanders, nail guns, compressors, etc. They have a bit of pride in ownership, but they have other priorities, either by choice or necessity. Those tools do exactly what is needed and perform the tasks for which they were designed.
I don't get why people can't
easily accept without judgement that some folks don't want to spend a fortune on knives. I have given knives that were promptly lost or broken, or just left at home because dropping one in the pocket on the way out in the morning just isn't a priority.
Those guys aren't our inferiors. And to be sure, they don't understand why I would pay $100 - $200 for a work knife when they seem them at the discount stores for under $20. They literally have no idea that there are folks that gladly pay $400 for a fidgety gadget (with a blade on it) to play with while watching TV or talking on the phone. They can't imagine someone buying several versions of the same model because one has peacock Ti, another burnished bronze, another has a less seen color of G10, and on and on. To them, a knife has basic utility value and they have no idea what it is to baby/collect a knife.
I think the knife companies might known more about the global knife market than the folks here (don't worry, NOMEX pants on) as they are tasked with successfully running companies worth many millions of dollars day in and day out. If they make a few less expensive knives, starter knives, or are using a marketing strategy that they didn't get approved on BF before implementation, so be it. I would bet they will still be here many years down the road.
Robert