Shouldn't Knifes Be Cheap?

yobbos1 said:
Shouldn't Knifes Be Cheap?
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Cheap is in the eye of the beholder. If you're making $8.00 / hour digging ditches a $100 knife represents a lot of labor, if you're making $50 / hour sitting behind a keyboard it's not so much.

yobbos1 said:
A knife CAN'T last so why spend large amounts of money on what is really a disposable tool?
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That 1,800 year old Roman multi tool would dispute the claim that they CAN'T last. I have a couple of my grandfathers pocket knives that work great, the blades are worn but have a lot of steel left (even after decades of sharpening) and are very sharp. How long do you expect it to last? One lifetime is probably enough, even though most decent knives - even inexpensive ones - will last longer.

It still costs over $100 to fill the gas tank in my truck, that gas will last about 7 hours, if I'm not towing anything, a $100 knife that might last centuries seems pretty cheap.
 
Haakon said:
Cheap is in the eye of the beholder. If you're making $8.00 / hour digging ditches a $100 knife represents a lot of labor, if you're making $50 / hour sitting behind a keyboard it's not so much.



That 1,800 year old Roman multi tool would dispute the claim that they CAN'T last. I have a couple of my grandfathers pocket knives that work great, the blades are worn but have a lot of steel left (even after decades of sharpening) and are very sharp. How long do you expect it to last? One lifetime is probably enough, even though most decent knives - even inexpensive ones - will last longer.

It still costs over $100 to fill the gas tank in my truck, that gas will last about 7 hours, if I'm not towing anything, a $100 knife that might last centuries seems pretty cheap.
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People buy what they can afford, if they can't then they need to save up.

In the end it's really up to the buyer if they can justify the cost or not.

Personally I look at quality then find away to afford it. :)
 
When you're asked to susbstantiate your claims or explain how those knives "stack up" to much better knives like you claim they do and you don't answer you look like you're full of you know what. This thread is so retarded and it looks like you just might be trolling so I doubt I will dignify it with any more responses.
 
Haakon said:
Cheap is in the eye of the beholder. If you're making $8.00 / hour digging ditches a $100 knife represents a lot of labor, if you're making $50 / hour sitting behind a keyboard it's not so much.
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What if you're making $50/hour sitting behind a keyboard, and thinking it's time to defect to the ditch-digging side? To be fair, I'm thinking more like $11/hour, but that's splitting hairs.

Good thing I have all the knives I need.
 
dangreco said:
It's troll season.
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I'll say. Please don't assume that all northerners share this masturbator's desire to throw shit. Check out his website - you'll get the picture pretty quick.
 
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yobbos1 said:
This is a tool we all love, granted. It is, however, a tool that by definition must be partially destroyed in order to be maintained. You must destroy part of the blade in order to maintain the cutting edge. In light of this fact doesn't it make sense to buy the cheapest/best quality knives you can find? A knife CAN'T last so why spend large amounts of money on what is really a disposable tool?
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That might be true of the BS you buy. Mine will last just fine.
 
I am still trying to figure out WTF "knifes" are. :barf:

We are on a knife forum , everyone should know by now that the plural of knife is KNIVES.

If one can't grasp that simple grade school concept , they will never be able to understand why a quality tool cost more , and why it lasts longer.
 
udtjim said:
You are in trouble if you count on any tool at any price to bet your life on. A man who can't survive with a Mora, probably wouldn't survive with a tool truck full of Busse's.
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can i have the truck full of busse's anyway? :D:thumbup:
 
tsiloics said:
What if you're making $50/hour sitting behind a keyboard, and thinking it's time to defect to the ditch-digging side?
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I know just what you mean. I've had about as many days in a cubicle as I can stand. Although as far as digging ditches go I think I'd rather run a backhoe (very fun) vs using a shovel these days. :)
 
yobbos1 said:
This is a tool we all love, granted. It is, however, a tool that by definition must be partially destroyed in order to be maintained. You must destroy part of the blade in order to maintain the cutting edge. In light of this fact doesn't it make sense to buy the cheapest/best quality knives you can find? A knife CAN'T last so why spend large amounts of money on what is really a disposable tool?
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Which do you think will last longer through routine sharpening, a softly treated low grade stainless blade or a hardened high end stainless such as S90V? They will both be abraded away eventually, but I think that it is a safe bet that the S90V will be around a lot longer.

All things must pass, but using your proposition above, a Monet and my Granddaughters paintings are the same. They are both 'art', so why shouldn't I prefer the cheaper painting to the more expensive? After all, they are both destined to turn to dust eventually. Do you see where I am going with this? I can't help but feel that your premise is based on a flawed syllogism rather than inductive reasoning.

John T Wylie Jr said:
I am still trying to figure out WTF "knifes" are. :barf:

We are on a knife forum , everyone should know by now that the plural of knife is KNIVES.

If one can't grasp that simple grade school concept , they will never be able to understand why a quality tool cost more , and why it lasts longer.
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John, you now owe me a new keyboard and a fresh cup of coffee! :D
 
A.P.F. said:
Which do you think will last longer through routine sharpening, a softly treated low grade stainless blade or a hardened high end stainless such as S90V? They will both be abraded away eventually, but I think that it is a safe bet that the S90V will be around a lot longer.
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I disagree with the OP that buying expensive knives makes no sense because they wont last.
I also disagree with the idea that you have to spend a lot of money and buy a high end stainless for a knife to last well. Yes a low grade stainless will lack performance and wear due to sharpening quicker - but how long it lasts will depend on many things including how much it is used and how often it gets sharpened - even a cheap kitchen knife can last for decades of occasional use!

My dearest knife cost about US$70 and I can't see why it wouldn't be capable of lasting many decades even if it is worked hard and sharpened regularly - it is a BK9 made with 1095 CroVan. My cheaper knives should also last well - my RAT-1 is only made of AUS-8 but there is plenty of steel on the blade, I am sure it could be sharpened many hundreds of times with not much reduction in the size of the blade. My Mora knives wont be worn down to toothpick size within months, even if sharpened daily and the triflex carbon one will hold an edge pretty well - I doubt knives costing over 10x the price would out perform it by much. An Opinel is made with a fairly modest blade size compared to many, but it would last for many years of regular use or decades of occasional use.

I have a Leatherman Wave and a Victorinox Cybertool - both are approaching a decade of every day carry and none of the blades are noticeably smaller that when they were new. I think both tools are capable of lasting many decades and outliving me. Neither use a particularly flash steel in their blades.

There are lots of quality knives available at a huge range of prices from Mora and Opinel to Sebenzas and Busses. If someone wants to spend hundreds on a high priced knives they can look at the pros and cons - there are plenty of reasons not to spend so much. The OPs point about knives never lasting because sharpening wears them away is not one of the reasons - it is just daft!
 
One of the reasons I like knives is because they are durable. Some people think nothing of spending $50 on a dinner. To me, that dinner is soon forgotten while a $50 knife lasts for a long time.
I also like collecting different knives simply for the sake of variety. Even if I think a knife is a little more expensive than it should be, I may still buy it.
I do agree with your assertion that the Spyderco Tenacious is a real bargain knife. I suppose part of the reason why is the favorable exchange rate with China. Over time I would expect the Dollar to weaken against the Chinese Yuan so maybe it's a good time to take advantage of bargains like the Tenacious, other Chinese and perhaps Taiwanese-made knives like the the awesome Spyderco Sage and Gayle Bradley.
 
yobbos1 said:
This is a tool we all love, granted. It is, however, a tool that by definition must be partially destroyed in order to be maintained. You must destroy part of the blade in order to maintain the cutting edge. In light of this fact doesn't it make sense to buy the cheapest/best quality knives you can find? A knife CAN'T last so why spend large amounts of money on what is really a disposable tool?
Don't think I don't understand how provocative this statement will be, it is the reason I find the question interesting.
Just to fire things up a bit, I bought 4 knives for a grand total of $100 that I believe will stack up against any Sdriter or Bescenza on the market. they are; Spydie Tenacious, Rat 1 folder, Buck Sandman, Blackhawk Crucible II. I do own 5 custom knives so don't get your undies in a bunch if you think I'm knocking your buying habits. I'm looking for intelligent philosophical discussion of the limited lifespan of edged tools. Fire away and let's get a good debate going. Just realized the title of this thread has the word "knifes" in it. OOOooops!
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For a pure user, it makes economic sense to get the most "bang for the buck". But as I'm sure you know, not everyone buys a knife just to use. ;)

As for knives being disposable, there are certainly a few types out there that fit into this category (razor blades, box cutters, hobby knives, etc). However, I'm fairly certain that a well designed knife, made from quality materials, and that is well cared for, will last more than a lifetime.
 
The most expensive knife I own is a Spyderco Sage I $79.99. This I considered an extravagance, a one in a lifetime expenditure. There's no rational justification for spending that much, but that has never stopped me before.

Capitalism is based on people buying stuff they WANT, not need. A Cadilac Escalade? Why not go for a Toyota Corolla, they're both transportation appliances, getting you from point a to point B.

If we took away all the unecessary crap in peoples homes that, it would fill up a hole as big as the meteor crater in Arizona.

A lot of knives would be in that pile, but so would millions of tons of other crappola.
 
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