Overpriced knives in terms of materials, quality & service

CRKT is this for me. I buy knives in many different price ranges. At the low end I find CRKT to be lacking in regards to materials, higher in price than competitors, and have a questionable history in design flaws/fit-finish issues.

The knives they do make of higher quality are not made or designed by them (high-jinx) and are still overpriced given the brand. If I want an expensive lionsteel I'll buy one of their many offerings, for far less than the CRKT they made for them. Charge me near $100 for an AUS8 folder made in Taiwan and I will take my Utilitac II all day everyday, for $25.
 
ALLHSS said:
That's my point. They're made by the same company, to the same quality (though I consider the sabre grinds and rough finish to probably be cheaper in production), but have a significant mark up compared to similar GEC models. The recent Northwoods #15s, for example.
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I can see that. Misread your post.
 
I completely agree that Northwoods knives are overpriced. Anytime I'm tempted to buy one I can find a GEC built with the same blade steel and same quality for much less. Now that I think about it just about any knife sold by Knives Ship Free is marked way up compared to other Blade Forum dealers.
 
I LOVE Spyderco. So much so that I have purchased from the factory store at the ridiculous prices just to say that I did.

Their new knives from Taichung- Slysz, Rubicon, etc... are so horridly overpriced it almost turns me off from the brand.
 
This is only why I will buy a deal that I can find something 40% or more off on something I've had on the wish list. I've only paid retail for one of my knives and that was my ZT 0630 but that was because I didn't search around and I had been wanting it for several months.
 
I went through a somewhat typical progression from having Case knives as a kid to Benchmade/Spyderco. Then I went to CRK. I researched other higher end knives and decided to get a Hinderer. Received an XM18 opened it, did not like it right away and sent it back for a refund. Only knife I ever sent back or sold so for me I guess that it was overpriced.

Good and civil thread so far.
 
sloth357 has a great point. I've never understood the prices charged by "custom" knife makers compared to production knives unless the knife is truly custom. Custom, to me, means to MY specifications-basically a one off. THAT is worth substantially more because it must be made to certain specifications. My (a little late) point being that if MY particular knife is $450, OK; that does NOT mean the makers nice knife he made is worth $350. Not to me at any rate.
 
to me most of the knives in the smkw.com calalog are overpriced except for a few name brands and all the ones for $10
 
Hairlesstwinkie said:
For me, to constitute as "overpriced" someone has to be able to make the same thing for less.
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If a clone maker built an exact copy including materials and quality for less will the original be overpriced? Also, you still have to factor in a premium for levels of after sale service & warranty.
 
FordFan said:
I went through a somewhat typical progression from having Case knives as a kid to Benchmade/Spyderco. Then I went to CRK. I researched other higher end knives and decided to get a Hinderer. Received an XM18 opened it, did not like it right away and sent it back for a refund. Only knife I ever sent back or sold so for me I guess that it was overpriced.

Good and civil thread so far.
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Funnily enough, I had the opposite happen. Had a sebenza, didn't like it, hardly ever carried it, sold it. Got a hinderer and love it. Different strokes...
 
I consider Benchmade, SOG and Emerson to be generally overpriced for their materials, design, QC and F&F.

To a lesser extent (as the QC and F&F are better) I'll say the same for Spyderco. I still buy Spyderco because I just really like some of their knives.

Some brands like Strider and Medford just make me laugh with their prices.

Just my opinion.
 
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Interesting topic. I think it always boils down to perceived value. Things like good steel and other materials, build quality, fit/finish, ergonomics, and action all play into it. There is a wide variation in price, and when looking at things we deem too pricey for what you get, it's always interesting to think about whether their margins or through the roof, or they just don't know how to build a knife in a cost effective manner. Poor initial build quality can lead to delays in service, so that can also play a factor in the ultimate value for the dollar.

I personally think Shirogorov's flippers, Chris Reeve's Sebenza, TAD Gear's Dauntless, and DPX Gear's folders all represent an excellent value for the dollar. Those all vary widely in price, but there are reasons for it, and of the ones I listed above, I feel like all are excellent in the quality department, but I also think that the more money you spend, the more knife you get (of those listed above).
 
AmosPaul said:
I completely agree that Northwoods knives are overpriced. Anytime I'm tempted to buy one I can find a GEC built with the same blade steel and same quality for much less. Now that I think about it just about any knife sold by Knives Ship Free is marked way up compared to other Blade Forum dealers.
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In general I agree. Sometimes they have good sale prices.
 
stabman said:
"The Knives I Don't Like Are Overpriced!!!"

Thread all summed up. ;)
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There are lots of knives I like that are overpriced, but I'm just not willing to buy them because I don't think they're worth it. Hell, there's some I did buy that I think (and thought at the time were) are overpriced, too...mostly from Spyderco. There are also some Cold Steel knives that I think are overpriced as well.

To me, "overpriced" doesn't mean "too expensive for me". To me, "overpriced" means "being sold at a price point higher than what I think the product is worth". There are some inexpensive knives I consider overpriced, too, like the Cold Steel Pendleton Lite Hunter (as they make similar knives with more blade to them for a few dollars cheaper). They make other knives at higher price points I also consider overpriced, such as the San Mai III Gurkha Kukri (I realize it's a very capable blade and San Mai construction is very costly to produce, but friggin hell, $420 street price when the O-1 version is available for less than half that? Give me a break) and their Frontier Bowie (with those materials, I just can't see how the cost is justified). On the flip side, there are somewhat pricey knives I consider to be an exemplary value, such as the San Mai III Recon Tanto and SRK, or the Spyderco Super Blue sprint runs.

I won't buy a knife that I consider overpriced because I want value for my money, regardless of how much or how little I'm spending.
 
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I think the current prices for Atwood tools and Vox Snails put "overpriced" in a completely new light.
 
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