Has anyone else wondered why knives are so expensive when basically they're just a piece of steel with a handle stuck on . Fair enough for most custom handmade knives but how can a factory made knife be half the price or more of a precision made hand gun with at least 30 moving parts. I know supporters will go on about heat treat etc but it still doesn't seem quiet right. By the way I own about $15,000 worth of knives.
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Is it only me
- Thread starter Thrustus
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timberweasel
Platinum Member
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- Jan 5, 2011
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If you own $15k worth of knives, you ought to know that there's more going on with knife-making than just sticking a handle on a sharp chunk of metal. It's a bit of math, along with metallurgy infused science and physics, all mixed together with artistry. Tooling up machinery that can produce some tight tolerances can be expensive and has to be monitored with a close eye to ensure the quality of the final product...
Just my two-cents...
Just my two-cents...
Cost of materials, machining equipment, staffing expenses such as: payroll, medical insurance, workers comp, also building lease and related costs, needing to make a profit on top of that so they can stay in business, taxes related to running a business, tough in California, just ask Buck knives, they moved out of state. I'm probably forgetting something.
And for that matter...why would you spend $15,000 dollars on what you think are "basically they're just a piece of steel with a handle stuck on"?
I'm confused. Do you have money to throw away? Do you want an explanation for why you spend money on overpriced items?
It reminds me of the old Dangerfield joke...
"I go to my doctor and I say 'It hurts when I do this.' He tells me 'Don't do that.'"
I'm confused. Do you have money to throw away? Do you want an explanation for why you spend money on overpriced items?
It reminds me of the old Dangerfield joke...
"I go to my doctor and I say 'It hurts when I do this.' He tells me 'Don't do that.'"
Tsujigiri
Gold Member
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- May 25, 2009
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Knives aren't half the price of a handgun. More like 1/10. Like the Spyderco Delica 4 and Glock 17 are equivalents in their respective fields; both are purely functional polymer devices with low weight and great performance. D4 is about $60, the 17 is about $600. For the higher end, the Wilson Combat Supergrade and CRK Sebenza are near the top. Sebenza is about $400, the Supergrade is about $4000. Makes knives seem like a pretty good deal.
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- Aug 9, 2011
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Is this $15,000 of buyers remorse?
Because the materials of the knife are more expensive than the materials making up some of the lower end guns. Take the glock for example, isn't it just plastic? So, some moving plastic and regular metal parts vs a bar of heat treated supersteel and titanium. Which should be more expensive?
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it's like asking why a Harley and a Toyota camry are the same price. there are a lot more knife companies than there are gun companies, so each gun company has a larger section of the total market. by doing higher volume sales, profit margins can be lower. also the materials used in gun making are cheaper to buy and easier to work with.
here is another example: look at a swiss army knife, it's a lot more complicated (more moving parts) than the average folder. why do you think they only cost $30-$50? answer: high production volume and easier to work with materials. there are plenty of good quality $10-$40 knives, just like there are good quality $400-$500 guns. once you start kicking up the level of materials and fit/finish, materials/labor cost increases, your target audience gets smaller and price sharply increases.
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