Quality vs price

J

Jimjoenick

Joined
Jul 20, 2011
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55
Alright, I don't want to start a war, I don't want to upset anyone, and I don't mind sounding stupid.

With that said, I have never purchased a knife over $70. I understand the more you pay for a knife the better the quality, craftsmanship, and materials are. Its a "you get what you paid for" scenario. BUT I think there is a point where you pay too much. A $3,000 seems too much for me, but a $400 Strider I respect the price of. What is the main difference between a $50, $100, and $1000 knife? When you first pick it up, what is the first thing you notice that's better/worse than the others?
 
The point of diminishing returns is reached differently by everyone. Use the example of a Ferrari vs Accord.
They will both get you where you want to go, require maintenance, use fuel, etc. On is a status symbol of sorts, the other is not. A $3K knife will not cut better than a $100 knife. Common sense allows us to draw our own conclusions.
at some point you are paying for the makers creativity, materials, workmanship, etc. and hardly anything else.
/shrugs
 
RevDevil said:
The point of diminishing returns is reached differently by everyone. Use the example of a Ferrari vs Accord.
They will both get you where you want to go, require maintenance, use fuel, etc. On is a status symbol of sorts, the other is not. A $3K knife will not cut better than a $100 knife. Common sense allows us to draw our own conclusions.
at some point you are paying for the makers creativity, materials, workmanship, etc. and hardly anything else.
/shrugs
Click to expand...

Well said. :thumbup:
 
What is the main difference between a $50, $100, and $1000 knife?
Click to expand...

*Tolerances, fit and finish if you want to call it that, improve markedly between $50 and $100. You also may get higher performance blade steel and nicer handle materials.
*At the $1K level you are paying for a custom, some one paying detailed attention to every facet of an individual knife.
 
Back in 1989 I paid about $25 for a Camillus "KaBar" clone. I've used the dickens out of it. I still have it. I still use it. It's one of my favorite knives.
 
Thanks for the answers. I have never bought a copy or a real expensive knife so I can't say one's better or they're the same. I would rather buy a real knife, I think I would appreciate it alot more, but we aren't hear to talk about that, just the difference.
 
Some knives are so fun to look at when they're on your shelf, maybe play with for a minute or two when showing off your collection and some knives are totally cool to take camping or hunting or for clearing black berries.... Kinda like collectors; some have a shelve for their knives but pay some one to clear the black berries out for them and some know it's better to quarter that elk than drag it. The best knife is the one that both of them own!
 
I've mentioned this in another thread: I'm a huge fan of Green River knives. I wouldn't think of using anything else for cleaning fish or field dressing, or butchering, skinning, I even use them to cut potatoes and most other kitchen projects.

They offer some of their knives complete, but generally you buy the blades and make your own handles. It's easy to do, and fun. You can usually find them on average for $12 to $15. Cheap, simple, but far from being junk. And made in USA since about 1834. They can take and hold a scary sharp edge.
 
Right around $200 is a good cut off for mass produced knives of the latest, greatest materials and you really don't need to spend over $100.

Several times on here Mr. Randall of ESEE knives said he would feel just fine with a $6 machete and $20 swiss army knife down in the Amazon, usually it was when people asked if they really needed an ESEE knife which mostly retail over $100.

My favorites all go under the $100 line but I wouldn't mind spending a little over it.
 
I do not think it is all exactly about quality. In RedDevil's example with cars Ferrari is not necessarily a better quality car compared to Accord. It has much bigger fuel consumption, much more expensive maintenance. It is less comfortable, more tricky to drive, not particularly suitable for general roads - the speed bumps are a very big problems for it. And who knows, I will not be surprised if it mean mileage/time between failure turns out bad compared... Thus, is it a better quality - I can not say for sure. Probably not quite.
Yes, it has more power and can be driven at higher speed. But that is a matter of specs, not quality - right?
So from certain point you do not exactly pay for quality - and so do not get any extra quality. You pay for pleasing yourself. And that is what you may or may not get. Did you get enough enjoyment for the money you have paid - that is for you to decide for yourself. For me personally in quite many cases the money I pay for knives over 70 dollars are very well spent.
 
I have a $15 dollar Kershaw Crown that has excellent fit and finish. Opens and closes smoothly with a perfectly centered blade and no blade play at all. IMO the only thing that makes it a low priced knife is that it's made overseas, and it uses cheaper steel.


I think Rev said it best- you're paying for a makers design, creativity, materials, etc. And the worth is strictly in the eyes of the beholder.
 
There is also a big difference between a mass produced knife (BM, Spyderco, etc) vs individual knifemaker price. The knifemaker who spends a few hours hand sanding his or her blade probably isn't going to charge you the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. They also pay more for materials since they usually aren't buying in bulk (at least compared to the big knife Co's). You will pay a premium for titanium liners, good blade steel, etc. And like any good artist, as their name grows, so do their prices (usually).

My personal maximum price point is $100 although the majority of the knives I carry are about half that. I personally get along just fine with a $45 Delica that I bought off the forum here or a $30 Boker Trance. Granted, I'm strictly a basic EDC carry person. If I was in the military or a LEO and my life might depend on what I carry, I would reconsider my criteria.
 
Gazz, most of the knifemakers that work for large production companies actually make a far better living than minimum wage. I've heard they make on the order of $35-$60 per hour. Just sayin'. ;)
 
Random question, but how much does a frame lock cost, if i wanted someone on here to build it for me, like if i drew something up?
 
Jimjoenick said:
Alright, I don't want to start a war, I don't want to upset anyone, and I don't mind sounding stupid.

With that said, I have never purchased a knife over $70. I understand the more you pay for a knife the better the quality, craftsmanship, and materials are. Its a "you get what you paid for" scenario. BUT I think there is a point where you pay too much. A $3,000 seems too much for me, but a $400 Strider I respect the price of. What is the main difference between a $50, $100, and $1000 knife? When you first pick it up, what is the first thing you notice that's better/worse than the others?
Click to expand...

Once knives get over a certian price range the differences may or may not be noticed by the naked eye, but they are there..

It really depends on what people can or will spend and that will be different depending on the person.

For a lot of people we could sit a $30 Buck 110 and a $400 Chris Reeve Umnumzaan on the table and they would be scratching their heads trying to figure out why one costs so much more than the other.
 
RevDevil said:
Gazz, most of the knifemakers that work for large production companies actually make a far better living than minimum wage. I've heard they make on the order of $35-$60 per hour. Just sayin'. ;)
Click to expand...

Heh I know. My point was that the custom knifemaker can be very expensive because he ISN'T charging $7.25 an hour during that time he/she is sanding that blade. Sorry for any confusion.
 
I've had 200 dollar customs (small fixed blades here) and have sold them all in favor of a factory knife worth about 60 bucks. It performs the same, has a better sheath, and can be replaced in an instant. I don't miss any of my customs.

Edit: Oh, and I feel it's just as "nice."
 
knarfeng said:
*Tolerances, fit and finish if you want to call it that, improve markedly between $50 and $100. You also may get higher performance blade steel and nicer handle materials.
*At the $1K level you are paying for a custom, some one paying detailed attention to every facet of an individual knife.
Click to expand...

singularity35 said:
The point of diminishing returns is reached differently by everyone. Use the example of a Ferrari vs Accord.
They will both get you where you want to go, require maintenance, use fuel, etc. On is a status symbol of sorts, the other is not. A $3K knife will not cut better than a $100 knife. Common sense allows us to draw our own conclusions.
at some point you are paying for the makers creativity, materials, workmanship, etc. and hardly anything else
Click to expand...
+1
Also with an expensive knife you get a warranty. To take the example of that 400$ Strider: You break it? send it and it comes new
 
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Value is solely decided-upon by the owner/user. Many of us are willing to pay (a lot) more for the sake of how it looks, is fitted and what materials are used. As individuals, we all have differing levels of attraction towards knives, we also have greatly different economic situations.

Realistically, I could probably get-by for 90%+ of all my knife needs (kitchen, shop, outdoors) with my $9 Mora #1. Everything else is enjoyment.
 
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