Quality vs price

[grand594]

my two cents are that this is a great and enlightening topic for the forum. I currently have a Spyderco Tenacious that has been riding in my pocket for the last few weeks. I love it. it'll hold an edge for my cutting needs, and when it a sharper edge, the 8Cr13MoV takes it with very little effort or skill. Another reason my I love it, the thing cost like $25! I have a few fancy Benchmade knives (890, 940) that I'll carry to more formal occasions.

MY bottom line is that you will get what you pay for, but which knife would you rather lose? The irreplaceable high dollar custom blade, or the expansive highly available one...

just my two cents...

 

[Ankerson]

I am sure there are differences. The question is whether there are significant differences with regards to PERFORMANCE. Is a $1500 knife going to lock up better than a $150 dollar knife? Is it going to cut better? Is it going to have less blade-play? Is it going to open significantly better? Or if it's a fixed blade, suppose you spend $1500 on a camping knife. Is it going to cut better and last longer than a BK2 or an ESEE? I have my doubts.

My point is that once you get up to that strata of knife cost, there's probably a lot more that goes into ergonomics and aesthetics and other factors than actual ability to get the job done. And for many people, they're not going to want to risk dinging up their $1500 blade, and they'll never use the knife at all. So at what point does it become a collector's item, rather than an actual usable and used tool?

Sure it's very possible no doubt in my mind at all.

 

[crimsonfalcon07]

MY bottom line is that you will get what you pay for, but which knife would you rather lose? The irreplaceable high dollar custom blade, or the expansive highly available one...

I'd rather not lose either one... Funny thing is, I never lose the knife that goes in my pocket all the time. I lose the ones that don't go with me on a regular basis. That means that the knife that's probably the safest is the one that I carry everywhere.

 

[Thalestin]

I find at around the 150 mark, the extra cost isnt justified for most peopl. That being said, I carry a sebenza over my other blades. I think most people would be more than satisfied with a knife in the 150ish range. That being said, there are great knives in the 50 dollar range--great workers but not quite as pleasant in presentation imo.

As far as shear performance, it depends what your knife is used for. For shear cutting tasks a 20 dollar more will out cut many knives.

Knives are a lot like watches. You can get a 40 dollar watch and it tells the time as well or better than watches that cost 10k plus. However, there is something special about a finely made watch. It represents something more than just a "watch". Some people get this, and others don't. If you do, you may buy something that costs considerably more than the cheaper versions. If not, you will likely scoff at such creations as a waste of money etc etc.