Is this hobby becoming too expensive?

DavidABQ said:
I am feeling the same way about my firearms; maybe I am just going through a phase?
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Same here. I'm actually looking to downsize some of mine, just because I never shoot them and ammo is getting out of control expensive. Never use my 10mm anymore.
 
Most can be explained by inflation and supply and demand imbalances. That said, there is less each year I am willing to pay up for. While easy enough to explain, not as easy to accept.
And I certainly will never be able to get back some that I sold, due to their crazy secondary prices.
 
JM2 said:
Im a gun and knife user. But I can afford a new knife way easier than a new gun. I mostly like case schrade and buck.
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I can afford new knives and even some new firearms but to be honest I don’t see much reason to. There are some really nice knives out there but I finding fewer and fewer that interest Me and when I consider what I already own it seems like. Wast of money and to be sure knives, especially nice ones are not getting any cheaper. In some cases trying to secure a sprint run Spyderco or a slipjoint from Great Eastern Cutlery is getting to be near impossible, for me at least, unless I want to pay a premium on the secondary market.
I guess I am losing interest?
 
For many countries it was expensive before the recent inflation almost everywhere, especially for countries where buying a knife is not a simple online order, but rather a physical visit to a local store. Some stores charge more to make up for "import difficulties", & some will take advantage of their advantage that you can only buy it from them.

So it can be an expensive hobby.

IMO
 
unwisefool said:
Same here. I'm actually looking to downsize some of mine, just because I never shoot them and ammo is getting out of control expensive. Never use my 10mm anymore.
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Oh, I hear you! I think I could sell off 5 of my firearms and never notice that they are gone. Realistically, I could sell all but maybe 6 or so firearms and never be wanting. I would keep my favorite centerfire handgun, centerfire rifle, rimfire handgun, rimfire rifle, probably one of my vintage military rifles and a shotgun because everyone needs a shotgun. They are too much fun to shoot to not have a shotgun.
 
I'd say it's only as expensive as one chooses to make it.

If buying new knives made of premium materials is how one chooses to enjoy this "hobby", then yeah, it's going to be expensive.

But there are many ways to enjoy this "hobby" without buying expensive knives, or without buying new knives at all.

Enjoy the knives you have. Try less expensive knives (It's a pleasant surprise to find good ones). Refine your sharpening skills. Enjoy looking at and reading about knives online. Just to name a few examples.

I haven't bought a knife over $60 in several years, but I still enjoy knives. In fact, I enjoy knives more now than ever before. I used to go months without even visiting Bladeforums, but then my interest in knives was reinvigorated a few years back, now I visit multiple times every day. I even joined another knife forum to further feed my renewed interest.
 
It's getting more expensive but I have switched my focus over the last couple of years from firearms to knives. When ammo was tough to get, I stopped shooting. I found out that I don't miss it much at all, and instead of buying a $600 pistol, I just would buy a really nice Microtech.

So while the cost has gone up, I feel like I have gotten more value added since the knives I now gravitate toward have a higher fit and finish and don't require the time/expense of driving to a range and feeding it $$$ ammo.

I probably spend less now per year than I did. Instead of buying 4 or 5 $500-$700 guns and 6 or 7 $150 knives, I have just stuck with 4 or 5 $400-600 knives over the year. I'm happier with my purchases because I feel they are "nicer" that what I was buying and I really don't miss shooting much at all, plus I can fiddle around with an OTF while I watch TV a lot safer than I can with a firearm 😉
 
I used to buy expensive knives $600+ and use the hell out of them. I realized that Spydercos are my favorite users and I can get my favorite ones for $200 or less. Nowadays, if a knife costs as much as a firearm, I'll buy the firearm instead.
 
Paratrooper06 said:
There are knives for everyone’s budget… so no, it isn’t “too expensive” unless subjectively one thinks $15 is too much for a knife. Not everyone can afford a Borka, but that doesn’t mean the hobby is too expensive… just means there are more options for people with a willingness to spend serious $$$.

I would argue that the amount of interest in the hobby has lowered prices, not increased them..
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Gotta disagree with you there. I don’t follow all brands, but I follow ZT and most of the lineup went up $40+ in the last year and a half after staying the same price for YEARS before that.
BTW my last knife purchase was an AD-20.5 in aus10a. Great knife and cool lock, but it seems like it’s about $50 overpriced (like everything else the last year and a half.)
 
tony281sc2 said:
Gotta disagree with you there. I don’t follow all brands, but I follow ZT and most of the lineup went up $40+ in the last year and a half after staying the same price for YEARS before that.
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Inflation, overhead and material costs are a thing. A 5-15% percentage increase per knife is not what I’m speaking to. I’m speaking to the trend over decades. A $300 ZT that used to be $260 isn’t “unaffordable” for a guy spending $250+ on their knives. Affordability is a question on entry-level knives, not elite or luxury models.
 
Paratrooper06 said:
A $300 ZT that used to be $260 isn’t “unaffordable” for a guy spending $250+ on their knives. Affordability is a question on entry-level knives, not elite or luxury models.
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True, but it is enough of a jump in price where saving just a little bit more money will get you a Hinderer or something else more “mid-tech”. The 0562 used to be like half the price of an XM-18, now there only $100 apart.
 
Relativity has been expressed before (cars,watches,etc) which may or may not concern you. Yet I can buy 2 Shiros and a couple of spydercos for the cost of one needle..cartridge.. for my turntable. Thankfully not that often.
You live the life within your budget.
 
tony281sc2 said:
True, but it is enough of a jump in price where saving just a little bit more money will get you a Hinderer or something else more “mid-tech”. The 0562 used to be like half the price of an XM-18, now there only $100 apart.
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Sounds more like brand specific pricing, not an inflationary concern.

The 0562 is the better knife anyway, fortunately (ducking as I quickly run out of the room).
 
Rufus1949 said:
Relativity has been expressed before (cars,watches,etc) which may or may not concern you. Yet I can buy 2 Shiros and a couple of spydercos for the cost of one needle..cartridge.. for my turntable. Thankfully not that often.
You live the life within your budget.
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What do you run? Love my Sumiko Blue Point
 
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