Quantity vs. Quality

How would you spend $100 on knives?

  • Buy one $100 knife

    Votes: 95 94.1%

  • Buy five $20 knives

    Votes: 6 5.9%

  • Buy ten $10 knives

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    101
Tyson A Wright

Tyson A Wright

Gold Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2020
Messages
1,985
I've seen at least a few people on this and other forums talk about not being able to afford medium or high cost knives, but then they regularly talk about all the budget knives they spend on (which could have covered the cost of one better knife).

That's foreign to how I think about things - I'd rather have one thing I really like than five that were cheap. But I'm not really a 'collector', so quantity doesn't mean much to me. I'm just curious with this survey to see how people think about this. Thanks!

-Tyson
 
I think attaching a hard dollar amount to this will throw off your answers significantly. I would rather buy one $100 knife than five $20 knives, but I would much rather buy five $200 knives than one $1000 knife because I wouldn't be comfortable carrying and using the $1000 knife and I would enjoy the variety afforded to me by the five $200 knives, so do I prefer quality or quantity? Both, in reasonable (or unreasonable, maybe honestly) measure.
 
I would buy 1 $100 knife. It opens up the options to a greater degree, you can really start to look at some outstanding quality knives at this price. It will net you a knife that will last for years.
 
Tyson A Wright said:
I've seen at least a few people on this and other forums talk about not being able to afford medium or high cost knives, but then they regularly talk about all the budget knives they spend on (which could have covered the cost of one better knife).

That's foreign to how I think about things - I'd rather have one thing I really like than five that were cheap. But I'm not really a 'collector', so quantity doesn't mean much to me. I'm just curious with this survey to see how people think about this. Thanks!

-Tyson
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I think with us, it is more like: "Would you rather have one $500 knife or ten $50 knives." It's very different from One100 vs Five20.

For my part, I want quality knives, but not boutique knives; and variety is most of the reason I have more than a few knives. If I were going to be sensible, I'd buy just a few <$100 knives (and mostly under $50) and that's it. That's all that's needed.

Put another way, and in my opinion:
  • A $200 knife can be 98% as nice as a $500 knife
  • A $100 knife can be 92% as nice as a $500 knife
  • A $50 knife can be 85% as nice as a $500 knife
...and the things that make the $500 knife are not necessarily valued by everyone. For example exotic wood inlays, or that last little bit of polish here and there.
 
jlauffer said:
Would be interested to see the results if a 2x$50 option was added.
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Almost always would I take two 50$ knives over a single 100$ knife.
the last 10 knives I’ve bought have been all been 250-850$ range.
I love knives. I don’t discriminate. A good knife is a good knife. A good knife for a good price is my knife.
 
I don't mind inexpensive knives, and have a few, but I don't like cheap knives. I'm a quality control specialist by trade, and picky by nature, so my knife purchases are based on logic, tempered by aesthetics, as well as ergonomics. I like a knife that becomes a part of my hand the first time I pick it up. And my primary edc choice is a fixed blade. So $100 for a good one is relatively inexpensive, given that it's going to be a constant companion.
 
bigsurbob said:
I chose 1 $100 knife because 100 $1 knives wasn't an option.
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It's always an option... just buy the whole jug of Jarbenzas off the counter at the gas station.

I'm liking the QTY (1) $100 piece. However, I do have 5 $20 knives and 10 $10 knives laying around pretty much all the time.

I'm really thinking of tossing a $100 bill into a jug every time I have the fancy for a C-Note priced knife. See what I can buy in a year.

But anything over the $500 mark for me is a gun at this point.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
I think attaching a hard dollar amount to this will throw off your answers significantly. I would rather buy one $100 knife than five $20 knives, but I would much rather buy five $200 knives than one $1000 knife because I wouldn't be comfortable carrying and using the $1000 knife and I would enjoy the variety afforded to me by the five $200 knives, so do I prefer quality or quantity? Both, in reasonable (or unreasonable, maybe honestly) measure.
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I agree. If I already have 5 200$ blades than I'd rather 2 $500 knives next, over a 1k$ one.
 
My opinion on cheap knives is that they help a person discover and allow one to handle patterns, sizes, shapes, blade types and handle materials etc. Once that is achieved one good knife (or anything) is obviously better that several cheap ones. perhaps this is off topic, I dunno.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
I think attaching a hard dollar amount to this will throw off your answers significantly. I would rather buy one $100 knife than five $20 knives, but I would much rather buy five $200 knives than one $1000 knife because I wouldn't be comfortable carrying and using the $1000 knife and I would enjoy the variety afforded to me by the five $200 knives, so do I prefer quality or quantity? Both, in reasonable (or unreasonable, maybe honestly) measure.
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I agree with this entirely and I feel like you said it best. The numbers are different for everyone, but I feel like above a certain dollar amount a knife is something to be prized rather than something you want to drag through abrasive material, lose, or have stolen. At the same time you should do yourself a favor as an enthusiast and save up for something nice that you can really appreciate rather than collecting only budget knives.

I've grown a little in my taste, but I still value a good budget knife. I wouldn't hesitate to put a $30 knife through things I wouldn't dare to put a $300 knife through.

I chose one $100 knife.
 
If you had a 2-knife choice of $70 + $30, I'd pick that one. I am thinking about second-hand LNIB Spyderco Delica + Buck 110. I'm not sure what one knife you can get (NIB or LNIB) for $100 that is better than this 2-knife combo.
 
Tyson A Wright said:
I've seen at least a few people on this and other forums talk about not being able to afford medium or high cost knives, but then they regularly talk about all the budget knives they spend on (which could have covered the cost of one better knife).

That's foreign to how I think about things - I'd rather have one thing I really like than five that were cheap. But I'm not really a 'collector', so quantity doesn't mean much to me. I'm just curious with this survey to see how people think about this. Thanks!

-Tyson
Click to expand...
The “buy five $20 knives” choice isn’t a terrible idea if we’re talking Moraknivs and you won’t put them through insane hard use. They’re really good inexpensive knives that can give you years of service if taken good care of. And you’re actually supporting a legit company that doesn’t counterfeit.
 
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