Of Knives and Prices

[Loki]

I'be been buying knives now for some 5-6 years. Production, benchmade (like Randalls), and customs. The boom in knife availablity and variety is wonderful. However, with this boom has come an increase in prices that makes me think of prior year's dot.com stock prices. I know that makers can charge what the market will bear and that as long as we think we're getting our monies worth what's the big deal. But when you start looking at production knives with MRSP's of $300+ and custom knives selling in the thousands where is the market future for knife buyers? Heck Randall knives seem to have become a commodity item on EBay. I believe in free markets but is there a bubble in knife prices?

 

[alecw]

I dunno. I paid $160 for a SOG Trident, $160 for Linder Yukon, and $90 for a Gerber utility Bowie and feel like I got some damn good deals. You want cheap? Look at the shyte they purvey on HSN!

 

[Loki]

I'm not talking about buying "cheap." I've spent many dollars on knives I wanted and felt good about doing so - so far about $450 for my most expensive knife. I worry that as prices escalate there may be a "bust" in the market and many knifemakers put out of business and many knife buyers left holding overpriced toys they thought would hold some value. Maybe many custom knives are really works of art vs. tools and are priced as such.

 

[The Tourist]

Good cutting tools have been around for hundreds of years and people are always willing to pay for quality. The best advice comes from baseball player Reggie Jackson, who collects vintage automobiles. He has been quoted as saying, "Collect what you like." If you buy to speculate on future prices, buy what you can afford to lose. If you love the hobby, and people here do, I think any investment is a good one for the pleasure it brings.

 

[ThinkOfTheChildren]

I think quality knives have become more affordable, but it sounds like your point is that expensive knives are becoming more common. The higher priced knives don't dominate the market, however, so I don't see much of a danger in a "burst." If the demand suddenly drops for the higher priced items, custom makers or production companies like MictroTech might be in trouble, but I think companies like CRKT, Spyderco, etc would thrive. If you look at companies like Spyderco, who offer products over a broad price range, it's their "entry level" models that sell the best (Delica).

 

[Loki]

Yes, I agree that quallity knives are becoming much more common and affordable. I feel production companies like Spyderco and Benchmade provide real values. But take a look at some of the knives offered on several of the custom retailers. I have to wonder about the market for knives priced in the thousands. Is this speculation, art, investments, or just big boy toys at big prices?

 

[wolfmann601]

2002 is the year that I promised to not buy one production knife, but instead focus on having four or five custom Fixed Blades made just for me. I have picked the four Makers and three have been commissioned. The fourth is simply a matter of when. But as I cannot just sit idly by as they are being made, I find myself still buying all the new models made by the Better Production knife Companies.
Does this insanity ever end????.....Wolf

 

[Jim Richardson]

Hopefully it will never end.

One ray of sunshine among all these clouds is that the exchange rate between US and either Canadian or Australian dollars is very nice right now, almost 2 to 1. This means that the great makers in Canada and Australia, folks like Ron Leuschen at Little Hen Knives, David Brodziak and Peter Marker Down Under, have knives a very affordable prices.

 

[Mongo]

Wolfmann, in a previous reply you mentioned commisioning 4 makers. Out of curiosity, can you share who you went with and what you got coming? I am currently waiting on two right now... the camillus/fisk bowie, and a dozier straight personal just ordered today. I too have decided to buy only a few knives, but going custom instead of production. (the only exception being the kershaw chive that I am getting for my wife, and maybe a leatherman wave for me) If you don't feel like divulging yet, that's cool.

Regards, Mongo

 

[matthew rapaport]

I have found that in the short to medium term, knives are a lousy investment over-all. Sure there are always a few pieces and makers whose knives have appreciated rapidly over the last few years, but these are darned few, and even those appreciated prices are theoretical in the sense that you can not always find a buyer (if you own one of these) at anywhere near the price the knife is supposedly worth.

So I agree with most others here that you should buy what you can afford and what gives you enjoyment either from use or from looking at them as with art. I also agree that while we have seen a great deal of expansion in the high-end part of the knife arena like $500 "users", and "art" costing 10 times that much, that's because there are more people with money to burn (at least in the U.S.), and when that stops being the case, that market will deflate. At the same time, the "quality/dollar" in the lower-end (like $25-$100) has risen considerably as well thanks to modern materials and production methods, so both sides of the market are being well served at the moment.

Wolfman, the insanity ends when you gain some control over yourself and realize you already have more than you need and decide to focus your collection somewhat. Don't get me wrong. If you are one of those people who has $50,000+ / year of disposable income, and wants to have a very broad knife collection costing tens of thousands of dollars, by all means go right ahead!