Is this hobby becoming too expensive?

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

If inflation keeps rising and a recession takes full hold, a good part of our society will be spending way less money on non essential items. If it goes this way, and it does seem we are headed that way, most folks will be tightening their purse strings. The knife companies, along with almost all companies, will see the opposite of what they saw during the pandemic shutdowns. I mean, there were "free" checks being handed out and most folks were, for the most part, staying at home. They had money to spend, so buying "stuff" became a bigger pastime than usual.
Again, this economy' inflation is going to likely cause a big reversal of that. The pinch will not only slow the buying public' purchasing of non essential goods, it will mean that the makers of these goods will find themselves not being able to sell nearly as much product as before. These companies will have to do all sorts of things, like maybe lay off workers. They will likely cut back on their offerings. They may find ways to lower prices to entice people to buy their "stuff". And, in some cases, they may even go out of business.
Yeah, knives have been getting pricey for quite some time, way before these pandemic times, but a reversal of things is in the air... And that will be because of the conditions of this economy.

 

[Chronovore]

Things didn’t cost next to nothing back in the day, in comparison to income. I’d like to see my favorite knives selling for 25 or 30 bucks again, but when I was earning $2.35 an hour, that was a lot of money.

Somewhere I read a historic comparison of one day’s skilled labor wage to a nice suit of clothing, a quality handgun, and a new car. Sure prices have risen, but not as much in relative terms as a first glance at the numbers would suggest. What has changed dramatically is the availability and method of procurement.

Parker

I would like to see that comparison because then apparently inflation is all in our heads... I highly doubt wage increases are keeping up with rising costs for the average working stiff. Although, there is also the factor of having kids and buying property etc as you grow older. All of which reduces your disposable income considerably.

Inflation is not in our heads and it isn't just due to the pandemic, supply chain issues, or the Ukraine. Those are factors but they are largely a distraction from the main cause. Inflation is largely driven by the printing of new money. It has been trending in one direction for a very long time.

Whether or not incomes keep up depends on the income. A famous economist had this to say about it roughly a hundred years ago:

"By a continuing process of inflation, governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens. By this method they not only confiscate, but they confiscate arbitrarily; and, while the process impoverishes many, it actually enriches some." --John Maynard Keynes

 

[dirc]

many knives have definitely jumped into the 'too high' price range
just look at knifecenter, or bladehq 'new arrivals' sections -> you'll notice the range there is $400-$1500 now

that is simply too much, I won't touch any of those...
my 'sebenza' is a spyderco gb2, I am perfectly happy with it, hard use even, and it was under $200

part of the problem, imho, is makers see these $1000+ knives selling and simply inflate prices to match that high range... so every sale is a big score

check out 'borka' blades on knifecenter, the average is between $2k and $10k now...

as for the overall inflation of everything, theres a few good docs about 'money' from 2008 & 2011 ... fiat bs

 

[Danke42]

 

[chevyrulez1]

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.

This is really got me back into knives a few years ago. I have so many guns, and buying guns, optics, magazines, accessories, ammo, reloading components, etc. started getting too expensive and honestly hard to keep up with. Like you I quit going to the range because the ammo was too hard to get and expensive to replace. I really miss the good old days when you could get 500 rounds of Lake City 5.56 for $89, and spam cans of 7.62x54r for $30.
I haven’t gotten rid of anything, but stopped buying those types of things and instead I decided I could buy knives cheaper, and it was more practical because they are something I use every single day.
I really miss shooting but there is only one local range (outdoor) and when the weather gets nice it gets so crowded it is really a hassle

Back to the OP, some knives really are getting expensive as it seems everyone is trying to one up each other with the premium materials and such, but for some people that is what they are really looking for and so the market is giving people what they want. You can go buy a Buck 110 elite automatic for $249, but I got my 50th anniversary Buck 110 in good old 420HC for $25 from Bass Pro a few years ago and it will cut whatever I need. (Gotta admit the auto 110 is mucho cool though! )

 

[Chefget]

It was too expensive 20 years ago and now those knives are Rolex money.

Hahaha, have you seen the current price of a Rolex

 

[badmatt]

Hahaha, have you seen the current price of a Rolex

MSRP or the real price...

 

[Buffalohump]

Was watching a video of the Jackwolf Knives owner discussing his wares the other day and it kind of crystallised for me how things have changed. He was saying people nowadays want a knife like their Granddad owned by with modern materials like titanium, micarta and high-end steels. I was just thinking, yeah but our Granddads would've thought we were stone crazy for spending $275 on a pocket knife. They probably would've had us committed or at the very least given us a smack upside the head for even suggesting such a thing.

I think somewhere along the way knives stopped becoming things you cut your lunch up with and started becoming pocket jewelry. All that said, I would still very much like a Jackwolf knife!

 

[Fred Sanford]

For the past 15 years I have bought 5-10 Spyderco or Benchmade knives per year. For the past 2 years I have bought 2 knives total.

I am now to a point where I am just keeping what I have and not buying anything new. The prices are too high for me.

Once the average Spyderco / Benchmade got over $150 things really slowed down for me. Now the same knives I used to buy for $120 are $180+. No thanks.

Spending $100 to buy a good quality knife, was the sweet spot. Spending $200 for a good quality knife is not a sweet spot, it looks like you're insane.

Now, any knife money I have goes to Victorinox.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

(and listen to Kirk in his emphasised voice on the word limit, his famous pause...)

G2