That ONE friend who can't understand...

Heartland_edc

Heartland_edc

Joined
May 4, 2015
Messages
947
I have a lot of good friends who have slowly become appreciative of "more premium" cutlery. This has a different meaning to everyone, but in this case, what I mean is, "better than the gas station folders they were carrying." They were all skeptical of the higher prices at first, but once they finally buckled for a nicer knife, they fell in love after using it.

Some people buy, carry, and use super cheap folders, and thats totally fine if they last. What bothers me is hearing about how often they break or wear down, and need to be replaced. Thats generally when I suggest a nicer tool.

HOWEVER...

I have ONE friend who ABSOLUTELY REFUSES to accept that a more premium knife could possibly perform in a way that corresponds with a higher price. He can definitely afford it, and can definitely use it. He works outside, and uses his Home Depot "check out lane" junker all the time. He keeps it fairly sharp with a rod, and when the liner/frame/pivot fails, he just buys another one. I've known this guy for 15 years, and he's gone through dozens of knives.

Whats the right thing to do here? I could buy him a nicer knife... but I also feel like it should be his choice to upgrade. I could also just leave him to his stubborn ways. Any advice or similar experiences?
 
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The thing to do? Focus on stuff you both enjoy and agree on.
A non car person is never going to understand the need for car with more than 150 hp.
A non gun person thinks owning an M107 is insane.
A non knife person will think you are dumb to pay more than 20$ on a pocket knife.
Etcpp..
 
Give up or just give him a decent stainless knife. ;) You can't control his long term reaction/attitude. :rolleyes: Whinny-Hee-Haw x 2. :D
 
Get him a decent under $100 folder and/or move on to seeking a different hobby to share.
If he is the type of person that generally gravitates toward "budget" options in all consumables, it will unlikely sway his opinion enough to compel to replace or upgrade it when the time comes. However, if he appreciates the correlation between higher price (up to a point of course) and better quality in other products, then he may change his mind.
 
You might consider that he's right, for his situation.

Or mostly right.

Cheap "disposable" knives make sense in rough and tough working conditions were a tool can get crushed by heavy machinery or simply lost in the fray.

But not all cheap "disposable" knives are total crap. You might get a Mora Companion and an Opinel #9 (or 10) Inox and then set upon the task of trying to break the knives. You'll work harden and snap the blade off the Opinel long before you can break the joint. And the crude but effective friction folder/lock ring design grew out of farming use and is nearly impossible to jam and degrade with mud and junk in it. And of course, the cheap Mora can take a ton of abuse.

After you convince yourself that these cheap knives don't suck, give them to your friend and dare him to break them.
 
Let your friend do whatever he wants to do as far as knives go, and don't worry about it.

There are people who appreciate and wear Rolexes; me, I couldn't care less. I'm perfectly happy with a Timex.

Many (most?) people seem to want the latest iPhone; meanwhile, I'm still carrying/using my old flip phone from 2006.

If somebody isn't interested in something or doesn't care at all about it, trying to MAKE them interested usually doesn't have the result you want.

Jim
 
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