People pay more attention to brands rather then materials and craftsmanship

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needler420

needler420

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Take for example a benchmade 527SBK that is a sub $100 dollar knife and it's 440c steel. For that price point I expect much better steel.

Do you know how many offerings cold steel has in aus8 for a price range of $25- $60 bucks.

I mean anyone who studies steel knows aus8>440c.

I feel like cold steel product's get bashed for having the stereotype of mall ninja gear when they show craftsmanship and materials, yet certain brands like benchmade sell just on the butterfly logo branding.
 
Very true. Also this is true of knives, headphones, pens, keyboards, TVs, phones, refrigerators, washers, dryers, computers, printers, ovens, cookware.... and on and on and on.
 
You don't make your case at all: there's a lot more to a knife than just the steel or the brand. People choose knives based upon a dozen different aspects of the knife's design, manufacture and the different ways we all measure "value." Blade steel and brand cache are only two.
 
Reported as spam.
This guy isn't contributing at all. Just thriving on the drama and divisiveness he creates.
 
If this is a repeat of last night's thread, infractions will flow.
Stay on topic and this time the OP will not insist that only his opinion is valid.
 
Brands sell best. Anyone who is an audiophile will know that Bose and Beats are overpriced junk yet people still flock to them.
 
Classic example in the marketing world!

Most people in a blind taste test will say that Pepsi tastes better than Coke. However in the real world, most people will choose Coke!

Funny how things work. =). Brand matters!
 
needler420 said:
Take for example a benchmade 527SBK that is a sub $100 dollar knife and it's 440c steel. For that price point I expect much better steel.
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Sure, I'll take one. Thanks!

needler420 said:
Do you know how many offerings cold steel has in aus8 for a price range of $25- $60 bucks.
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No, I do not. How many?

needler420 said:
I mean anyone who studies steel knows aus8>440c.
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Actually 440C is closer to AUS-10. AUS8 is more like 440B.

needler420 said:
I feel like cold steel product's get bashed for having the stereotype of mall ninja gear when they show craftsmanship and materials, yet certain brands like benchmade sell just on the butterfly logo branding.
Click to expand...
Cold Steel certainly does seem to advertise to the mall ninja crowd, while Benchmade tends to market to the first responder crowd.

I guess when you create your branding, you should think about how that will shade your reputation in the market place.



How am I doing for staying on topic, Frank?
 
jc57 said:
Sure, I'll take one. Thanks!


No, I do not. How many?


Actually 440C is closer to AUS-10. AUS8 is more like 440B.


Cold Steel certainly does seem to advertise to the mall ninja crowd, while Benchmade tends to market to the first responder crowd.

I guess when you create your branding, you should think about how that will shade your reputation in the market place.
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^My point.
 
VS_Power said:
Classic example in the marketing world!

Most people in a blind taste test will say that Pepsi tastes better than Coke. However in the real world, most people will choose Coke!

Funny how things work. =). Brand matters!
Click to expand...

Glad I'm not blind. I can definitely tell the difference and prefer Coke.

As for knives, brand can mean quality but it doesn't always come at a high price.
I have a $20 Cold Steel machete that I beat the everloving snot out of (as in 2.5lb hammer baton-ing), and it just keeps going. Yet a $150 Benchmade can have spring failure just by flipping (or they can last forever with endless flipping).

Drop the drama and buy what you like and buy something else if what you like turns out to be s***.
 
I agree with your statement that in general, it is better to buy based on the all factors, not just brands. I like to think that I do not behave this way.

However, in general, brands do provide buyers with some sense of security. If I have a choice between two identical products, at identical prices, I will tend to buy the brand I know, especially if it has a good warranty, if I've had good experiences with them before, etc. So, in some way, the brand itself can provide some value, that some find worth paying for.

I disagree with your statement that "anyone who studies steels know that AUS8 > 440C".

AUS8 is very similar to 440B. Which, if anything, most people would rank as slightly below 440C (although, that really depends on the use). AUS8 should be a bit tougher though, so again, depending on your use, that may be "better". But I don't think most here would agree with a blanket statement like yours, particularly not for two steels that are so similar.

Also, if you want to keep on this topic, I'd suggest not focusing on brands. Once brand names get involved, things get stickier.
 
I think that materials and design can be totally different things and fairly warrant different prices. Schrade will sell you micarta and 1095 for $50 while esee will sell you 1095 and micarta for $120. Esee got my $120. For me I'm actually more interested in design and functionality than components. while I don't care for crkt personally I think they do a good job of providing interesting designs at affordable costs because they use 8cr13 on everything and focus more on ball bearing pivots and other need things. The knife market is so vast there's a market for everything.

Also I like to scavenger hunt. That's when I establish a certain criteria and then see who does it best. So like, a us made sodbuster with Usa made steel, or beefiest folder period under $50. Or production carbon steel kitchen knife.
 
What is wrong with paying more attention to brand rather than materials and workmanship?

I pay attention to both. Brands first and then materials and workmanship.

With certain brands I am assured specific features and/or services. Let's take Benchmade, for example. I know that they normally have top notch customer service and and most of their products include the famous Axis Lock, which I like. So, that is where I start.

After that, I will take a closer look at fit & finish and the materials used, along with design, ergonomics and price.
 
Actually 440C is closer to AUS-10. AUS8 is more like 440B.
Click to expand...

I totally agree.
I love 440C great stuff.

OP don't include me in your pidgin hole. I buy knives according to whether it suits me and what I expect out of it and how I am going to use it. I look at price only as an after thought and THEN I look at brand.

Some of the pinical brands and high price to go with it do not interest me at all. I could elaborate and make enemies or keep my mouth shut. For a change I will keep my mouth shut.

To talk about Benchmade one of my very best and most surprising purchases was a Benchmade and one of my most disappointing purchases was a very similar benchmade.

I CERTAINLY did not buy either one so that I could call up somebody and say "I bought a Benchmade knife". I bought them because of handle shape, blade steel, blade lock . . .
So . . .
there.

PS: I have seen the phenomenon that you refer to though. An example is in bicycles. I can't tell you how many times a person who knows nothing about bicycles has told me, with great pride and knowing in their bearing . . . "I bought a Peugeot bicycle". Those who really know, know what a POS most every one made is. There were a top of the line or two that were OK but for the most part . . . nah dude, nah.
 
VS_Power said:
Classic example in the marketing world!

Most people in a blind taste test will say that Pepsi tastes better than Coke. However in the real world, most people will choose Coke!

Funny how things work. =). Brand matters!
Click to expand...

Actually, you are the victim of Pepsi's marketing here.

In a short, one sip test, people will generally choose the sweeter of two choices. In this case, it's Pepsi. However, as the amount consumed increases, people prefer the sweeter item less and less.

That's why Coke outsells Pepsi on a massive scale but Pepsi will win a taste contest. If they made people drink a large glass of it, the results would be way different...
 
That's a large assumption you're making OP.
I would probably bet that nearly every man and woman on this forum and other places do their homework before committing to a knife purchase.
As far as the Benchmade vs. Coldsteel example goes, I'm betting that the Benchmade buyers made their choice because they like 440c and they prefer a knife that is more subdued compared to Coldsteels mall ninja gear.
 
Materials and price are only one part of the equation.
Intangible/personal factors such as ergonomics, standards of quality, performance, customer service, and even company ideals could add up to a perceived "value" that convinces a buyer that knife A is worth it over knife B.
Brands are a convenient way to generalize some of these ideals, and to certain buyers this perceived value represented by a brand is worth the $50-$100 (or more!) increase in price over a knife that has superior specs/features on paper.

How important this absolute value (specs/materials to price ratio) is compared to the more intangible aspects of value should be decided by the individual buyer.
 
There is this other little factor with steel, that I think is pretty important & I can access it only via brand, and that is heat treatment. This process makes or breaks steel; so far as I know, companies are not revealing the "recipes " they follow. Even if they did so, I doubt that a layperson, me included, would understand the nuances or even the broad brush strokes of this process.

I am left with brand. Like it or not, I do implicitly trust a given brand to have good processes, such as heat treatment.
 
OP shows no evidence for the claim. Prices are not determined by material inputs. Also, there has been adduced no evidence that people make their choices based on brand instead of something like aesthetics or perceived craftsmanship, nor any evidence that people aren't using the brand as a proxy for craftsmanship. To be credible, one would also have to rule out effects like "buy USA-made", or preferences for other features like locks, handle shapes, or blade profiles.

In short, this is either very shoddy thinking or a troll.
 
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