Ok, I'll post this, then I'm out. A hard use folder is a knife that you are willing to allow to become worn and damaged as you use it and that you feel will stand up against that wear and tear. It doesn't have to be a $300+ knife. The fact of the matter is that what most knife companies that make "hard use" folders stipulate that what they define as hard use voids their warranty, with few exceptions such as ESEE Knives, but they primarily deal in fixed blades. As such, all of our definitions are varied based on our own value system we place on our knives. Some people buy the $300+ knives just to show them off. Stabman just admitted to that himself. It's the knife equivalent to driving a Lamborghini not for it's speed or quality of manufacturing, but to show that you can afford one. Odds are you'll never race that car in fear of damaging it.Such it true for high dollar, "Hard use" knives like the CRKs, Striders, etc.
But I guess the real point here is, if you have or are considering the purchase of a knife at that price point you should know enough about knives to already have your own ideas and opinions of why you should or should not buy the knife. I don't feel the need to ask questions like this because I know exactly what I want and expect out of a knife at each price point, and I have come to my own conclusion that knives at that price are not what I personally consider to be worthy of the title "hard use", though they may be capable of it their cost does not support the philosophy. I'm not rich. I can't afford to replace a knife of a very high cost should something happen to it. Like the old saying goes, "The best knife in the world is the one that you have when you need it." So the $50 knife that is always with me, that I use every day is more VALUABLE to me than a $500 knife at home in a safe.
