mamba-man said:
I'm new here and maybe this has been discussed before, but I'm reading an amazing amount of posts in which guys talk about how they use their expensive knives for cutting packaging and other mundane tasks.
In my world, I find that carrying a folding utility knife (<$10) does all basic cutting chores for me and has cheap, replaceable blades too! These knives have become popular in the last few years.
I know this sounds like blasphemy in this forum, but isn't it just common sense?
I doubt anyone here would call it a sin. In fact, utility knives (including folding ones such as the "Super Knife") are popular here.
But most knife knuts do not want to use the minimum that will get the job done. Yes a Super Knife will cut a box, but so will my car key.
A Super Knife may do it better than a key, but I think a Sebenza will do it better than a Super Knife. The lock is certainly stronger and the edge sure lasts longer.
I see nothing wrong with using expensive knives. If anything, it is the cheaper knives that you should worry about using.
I understand worrying about scratching an expensive knife, or whatever, but when I pay a lot for a knife I do it because I expect (or know) the knife will perform well, be safe, last a long time, and be able to take what I can throw at it. If I pay a lot for a knife, I better get a lot of use out of it. To not use it is a waste. Why worry about scratching something that basically does not even exist (since you don't even make use of it)? Protecting a knife by not using it is like not having it at all- so what are you protecting? Of course, this goes for users. For art knives it is a different story since much of their appeal is looks. But the expensive knives I buy are users that happen to look good, IMO, and still look good when worn in (maybe even better!)
Not that a, for example, Native is going to fall apart on me, but I find more joy in using a Sebenza, and I do think titanium and precise tolerances will last longer than FRN, or titanium with less precise tolerances (talking about the lock and pivot here).
Super Knives are cheap and expendable and will do the job, but I just *want* (not need) something better. I can afford it, too, so I buy it. And then I buy more because I am sick.
Folding box cutters are a smart choice- even though you have to replace the blades and the knife itself doesn't last as long as a "real knife", it is still very frugal over a very long term. But being a knife knut is not an exercise in logic and using any old thing to flay a box open to minimize cost. It is a combination of seeing the need for a tool (logical), and then filling it will passion and desire (human).
A 1986 Civic will get you to work. Hell, all you really need are your legs! But who wouldn't rather drive an Aston? And really, an Aston is "better" (better performance, more reliable, more comfortable [though subjective]), so it isn't as if car cnuts prefer cars that are inferior (though sometimes that can be the case as many "fun" cars are not practical or reliable- but in those cases fun is the whole point).
To add to something said above:
kuro said:
Asking knife nuts why they don't just use a six dollar box cutter is like asking wine snobs why they don't just drink malt liquor.
We use higher quality, prettier, more expensive, exotic, etc. folders for mundane tasks because we gain enjoyment from doing so. It's as simple as that.
They aren't just "higher quality, prettier, more expensive, exotic, etc", but also perform better as cutting tools, even if the increase in performance is not proportional to the increase in price. So it isn't just a matter of fun, it is a matter of safer and better as well.
I have had to use box cutters at certain jobs that prohibit knives. Knife knutism and price aside, something like a Sebenza is a better, more reliable tool than any box cutter I have used (folding or not).
