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I might get killed for this.
- Thread starter thrashin302
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I joined bladeforums with the mindset of I love spyderco knives they are the best knife on earth and I will never ever own another knife from another company ever, Except Emerson and that's because I carried one while on active duty. Fast forward and now I've owned every model emerson except for 2 or 3 and have now discovered Striders. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion and I hope no one bashes you for your opinion as diversity is what makes this community great, but bashing one another over different beliefs is just silly. If you are happy with lower end knives, then so be it at least you carry a knife and use it daily, which is more than I can say about majority of the population now. For a lot of people though owning a CRK, Strider , or Hinderer is about Pride of ownership and quality, they like knowing they have the best knife money can buy. I too said not too long ago as a matter of fact I would never ever ever spend $400.00 on a knife ever, now I have bought 2 in the last 3 weeks 1 was $400.00 the other purchased last night was $475.00, I sold off the knives I never carried to buy these 2 knives and I can say I'm happy with that, My collection is now down to 5 knives with 1 on the way. Life is too short not to have what you want, so as long as my bills are paid. my families fed, and I'm not living outside my means, I believe from now on I will only buy higher end knives, sure a $30 dollar knife might cut the same, but like I said for me at least it's about pride of ownership, having a truly perfect knife in every since of the word is really something you just haft to experience first hand to truly appreciate.
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There seem to be a lot of these threads popping up recently.
Not to point anyone in particular out, but I find the general argument of these types of threads absolutely ridiculous. The argument is as follows: someone questions the existence of quality, suggesting that it is of negligible value, and argues that functionality is the only aspect of an object that is valuable. While at its ground this argument appears somewhat reasonable, when one begins applying it in the practical sense universally, it encounters some serious difficulty.
A natural application of this argument could be extended to clothing. Why does anyone pay for clothing at all? You could purchase burlap sacks of food items (e.g. 40 pound bags of rice) and re-use the burlap sack as clothing. Functionally, wearing burlap sacks provides the same protections and purposes that jeans and a t-shirt could provide, so, according to this argument, it is clear that clothing other than burlap sacks are for people who are willing to pay for some nebulous quality value that can't possibly justify its price.
Another example is food. Why does anyone eat meat or spices? It has been shown that humans do not need to eat meat or spices in order to survive or to get our daily nutritional value. Without a clear functional purpose for eating them, then the people that do eat meat and spices must be paying for some ephemeral quality value that cannot be justified for the prices.
As can be seen by just the two examples above, I would find it intensely hypocritical for the average person to making such arguments. Unless you wear burlap sacks and eat only what you need to survive, I find it hard to understand why you could possibly be trying to argue that quality is of questionable value. In the end, you should be more clear: state that you don't understand why someone could be willing to pay for an increase in quality, when functionality remains approximately the same.
Not to point anyone in particular out, but I find the general argument of these types of threads absolutely ridiculous. The argument is as follows: someone questions the existence of quality, suggesting that it is of negligible value, and argues that functionality is the only aspect of an object that is valuable. While at its ground this argument appears somewhat reasonable, when one begins applying it in the practical sense universally, it encounters some serious difficulty.
A natural application of this argument could be extended to clothing. Why does anyone pay for clothing at all? You could purchase burlap sacks of food items (e.g. 40 pound bags of rice) and re-use the burlap sack as clothing. Functionally, wearing burlap sacks provides the same protections and purposes that jeans and a t-shirt could provide, so, according to this argument, it is clear that clothing other than burlap sacks are for people who are willing to pay for some nebulous quality value that can't possibly justify its price.
Another example is food. Why does anyone eat meat or spices? It has been shown that humans do not need to eat meat or spices in order to survive or to get our daily nutritional value. Without a clear functional purpose for eating them, then the people that do eat meat and spices must be paying for some ephemeral quality value that cannot be justified for the prices.
As can be seen by just the two examples above, I would find it intensely hypocritical for the average person to making such arguments. Unless you wear burlap sacks and eat only what you need to survive, I find it hard to understand why you could possibly be trying to argue that quality is of questionable value. In the end, you should be more clear: state that you don't understand why someone could be willing to pay for an increase in quality, when functionality remains approximately the same.
knife people tend to go over the top with knives because its their hobby and they just love it. same for anyone else with their own hobbies. you don't see people into RC cars(for example) going to toys 'r' us, do you? no, they use nitrus engines with carbon fiber chassis, etc, its insane.
i personally carry some high end knives, but that's only because i like the designs. there are lots of cool designs that are priced lower. kershaws knives are great and theyre priced even lower than most benchmades. i find that the sandvik, the chinese cr steels and 440's(depending on how soft..) to be the best for EDC. their edge doesnt last as long but at least it isnt a pain in the butt to sharpen it when the time comes. now i know what people will say, but ill just keep it at that.
lastly, i have NEVER once believed that a knifes lock would fail on me. i trust that the engineers/creaters to know what they're doing when they design their knives. if you hand is around the handle you should never have anything to worry about, even without a choil. you dont cut with the spine of the blade anyway, right?
-Ian
i personally carry some high end knives, but that's only because i like the designs. there are lots of cool designs that are priced lower. kershaws knives are great and theyre priced even lower than most benchmades. i find that the sandvik, the chinese cr steels and 440's(depending on how soft..) to be the best for EDC. their edge doesnt last as long but at least it isnt a pain in the butt to sharpen it when the time comes. now i know what people will say, but ill just keep it at that.
lastly, i have NEVER once believed that a knifes lock would fail on me. i trust that the engineers/creaters to know what they're doing when they design their knives. if you hand is around the handle you should never have anything to worry about, even without a choil. you dont cut with the spine of the blade anyway, right?
-Ian
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One thing is sure without a doubt, if I had a dollar for every post like this I could get another Sebenza!
Any product has a basic function but at some point you arrive at about as much knife as you will ever need to perform the task that it is intended for. It's like anything; will a mechanical watch that costs 10's of thousands of dollars keep better time than an inexpensive quartz watch? will a Mercedes get you to the grocery store any cheaper or safer than a Toyota? Not really but that more expensive item may have some quality or design features that appeal directly to you or it may be that just having something that the masses don't is important to you. If you appreciate things for there craftsmanship or design then in your eyes that may be worth paying for.
My ceiling was $500 but it is starting to become closer to $200 as I start to appreciate the value of some of the knives in that very competitive price point. I am really impressed by certain manufactures like ZT or Spyderco. They produce a 1st class product for what IMO is not a lot of money and because of limited runs, you still have the opportunity to pick up knives that are a little unique and even collectable. For me now that's a win-win-win.
My ceiling was $500 but it is starting to become closer to $200 as I start to appreciate the value of some of the knives in that very competitive price point. I am really impressed by certain manufactures like ZT or Spyderco. They produce a 1st class product for what IMO is not a lot of money and because of limited runs, you still have the opportunity to pick up knives that are a little unique and even collectable. For me now that's a win-win-win.
When your rivaling the aero space in tolerances, it costs money to keep machines that true and up to par. Not to mention cost of tooling ect. For the longest time I thought sebenzas were outlandishly priced for what you get, then the shop tour vids came out and it all made sense. I see no problem paying that much now, simply because I know how incredibly hard it is to hold those tolerances. CRK is the best in what they do, no ifs ands or buts about it! To me a sebenza is a statement showing your passion/knowledge of a true quality tool, sure a pm2 can do everything a seb can, but to me there is a big wow factor when it comes to sebenzas. Just my personal insight.
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I like knives under $175 too. I'd rather have a Spyderco military and a BM 710-3 than a single CRK.
The OP is respectful compared to some other formats I have encountered. I have very little patience for people who insist and obsessively argue that a $3 knife at Harbor Freight is just as good as a Benchmade or Kershaw. It shows intolerance and arrogance to object that someone out there can actually have a different taste and set of priorities.
Unless there is someone holding a gun to your head to buy expensive knives, you really have no case.
Unless there is someone holding a gun to your head to buy expensive knives, you really have no case.
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Keyword you.
I personally get a lot more pride out of owning my spyderco Military than I would out of a sebenza. because it's a whole hell of a lot better designed, for me. The fact that my military also has much better steel and is much more rare aren't even the main factors, the main factor is the design. Ridiculously ergonomic, the angle of the blade drops down below the axis of the handle, and probably the best blade for Edc tasks, IMO.
compared to the sebenza, which has a rectangle for a handle, and a topical drop point blade, which I've never found too helpful.
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Great thread!
Yeah, I love my Sebenza. I always spell out the entire word because Seb just seems so tacky and unworthy of such a fine expensive blade.
What I love most about my Sebenza is how much sweeter apples taste when I use it to cut them into sections.
I have a modest collection of knives, all together maybe $10,000 in value, but they all pale in comparison to to my Sebenza.
I pretty much quit buying sub $400 knives because they just don't do it for me anymore.
So how sweet will an apple taste when I cut it with my $1000 knife? I'm not telling, either find out for yourselves, or keep eating your bitter fruit, makes no difference to me.
Again, great thread!
Yeah, I love my Sebenza. I always spell out the entire word because Seb just seems so tacky and unworthy of such a fine expensive blade.
What I love most about my Sebenza is how much sweeter apples taste when I use it to cut them into sections.
I have a modest collection of knives, all together maybe $10,000 in value, but they all pale in comparison to to my Sebenza.
I pretty much quit buying sub $400 knives because they just don't do it for me anymore.
So how sweet will an apple taste when I cut it with my $1000 knife? I'm not telling, either find out for yourselves, or keep eating your bitter fruit, makes no difference to me.
Again, great thread!
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I really don't understand the issue in this thread. What is the attitude being expressed by the OP, that expensive knives (as HE defines expensive) are not really knives? Or that they aren't made to be used? Or that they aren't worth their price because there are cheaper knives that will also work?
I don't know, but it seems like a very simple matter to me- Personal need, personal taste, and personal finances determine what knife a person buys. I know it does for me.
I own a $300 Bradley Alias. I also own a $25 buck 110. The 110 will cut anything the Bradley will cut. But I WANTED a one-hand opening titanium framelock with a pocket-clip, and I could afford it, and I really liked the design of the Bradley, so I bought it. And that $300 framelock was my work folder and got used all day long at work for several years. It's just that simple.
So agin I ask, what's the issue here?
There are many knives that I cannot afford, but I'm glad they are out there because they give me something to desire, and who knows, maybe one day I will be able to afford them.
As far as expensive knives not being "users", that depends on the individual. Often, whether or not an expensive knife gets used depends on the owners willingness to risk damaging or losing it. And that is often determined by their personal level of wealth and their ability to replace an expensive knife. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if there are wealthy guys who are outdoorsmen (hunters, fishermen, campers, etc) who carry AND USE very expensive knives, even high-priced customs. It would also not surprise me to know that there are wealthy men who own ranches and who like to get their hands dirty working on their ranches and that they carry and use expensive knives.
And as far as the idea of expensive knives receiving more pride of ownership, that certainly doesn't apply to me. I own another $300 folder made with titanium, micarta, s30v steel, and a bronze-phosferrous bushing, AND I HATE IT! On the other hand, I absolutely LOVE my cheap $25 Buck 110.
Variety is the spice of life. And I'm sure glad the knife market isn't limited to what I can afford or what I need.
I don't know, but it seems like a very simple matter to me- Personal need, personal taste, and personal finances determine what knife a person buys. I know it does for me.
I own a $300 Bradley Alias. I also own a $25 buck 110. The 110 will cut anything the Bradley will cut. But I WANTED a one-hand opening titanium framelock with a pocket-clip, and I could afford it, and I really liked the design of the Bradley, so I bought it. And that $300 framelock was my work folder and got used all day long at work for several years. It's just that simple.
So agin I ask, what's the issue here?
There are many knives that I cannot afford, but I'm glad they are out there because they give me something to desire, and who knows, maybe one day I will be able to afford them.
As far as expensive knives not being "users", that depends on the individual. Often, whether or not an expensive knife gets used depends on the owners willingness to risk damaging or losing it. And that is often determined by their personal level of wealth and their ability to replace an expensive knife. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if there are wealthy guys who are outdoorsmen (hunters, fishermen, campers, etc) who carry AND USE very expensive knives, even high-priced customs. It would also not surprise me to know that there are wealthy men who own ranches and who like to get their hands dirty working on their ranches and that they carry and use expensive knives.
And as far as the idea of expensive knives receiving more pride of ownership, that certainly doesn't apply to me. I own another $300 folder made with titanium, micarta, s30v steel, and a bronze-phosferrous bushing, AND I HATE IT! On the other hand, I absolutely LOVE my cheap $25 Buck 110.
Variety is the spice of life. And I'm sure glad the knife market isn't limited to what I can afford or what I need.
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WOW! Not to de-rail the conversation, but I have never seen this and it blows me away! I work in a metal shop making aerospace parts and this is nuts! These videos have changed my mind big time. As soon as I watched this I began plotting on getting my mitts on a small sebenza. Thanks for posting Moxy!
HALO V
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+1
To OP: You can't get a diamonded grip for $100, and by the way, for $100, you could get almost 2 grips...
i could see paying good money for a production knife if it was produced totally by human hands. as soon as cnc comes into play the price should be reduced by 2/3. never again will i purchase a BM after discovering they wont send replacement parts to their customers. so now ill just carry a $17 chinese knock-off. when you buy a chris reeves knife you are paying for HIS machines, i want to only pay for MY knife.
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