That ONE friend who can't understand...

Don't worry about your friend. If he ever wants to change his habits, he will know who to come to for advice.

I have friends that think of me that way when it comes to rifles, shotguns and handguns. We agree to disagree on knives and guns.

They have high dollar rifles with bazillion power scopes capable of taking out Bambi at 700 yards.:eek: They have more rifle and handgun calibers on hand than Carter had pills.

For hunting, I have a 30+ year old Marlin 30-30 and a 30+ year old Ruger Ranch Rifle in .223, both with the same iron sights they were born with.:D I did make a concession and get a little scope for one my 22LR rifles.

Sometimes they ride me about hunting with Methuselah's rifles but you know what? They work just fine for me. I'm not hunting elk across a high mountain valley or stalking Bighorn Sheep in the Rockies. I'm shooting whitetails about the size of a large German Shepard at a max of 50 yards. Or I'm shooting coyotes at 75 to 100 yards, max. Or skunks, squirrels, raccoons and rattlesnakes at 20 yards or less. I don't need a $1000 rifle with a $500 scope. Nor do I want or need 25 different calibers of ammunition. I only need ammo in 4 calibers each for rifles and/or pistols and only 2 for shotguns.

The old cliche still stands - Different strokes for different folks.
 
Slightly off topic, but who else likes when you see a stranger and you each realize you are both knife guys from the clips on your pockets? You, my friend, are getting a solid nod from me!
 
I've given lots of knives to a friend over the span of a friendship lasting almost 40 years. He has lost all of them except the last two. They were never very important to him. Most of the time he would just use them as screwdrivers. Even when he had a multi-tool nearby! Why would anybody treat a knife like that? It has always caused me to end up in orbit.

Over the last few months he has started showing more concern for his knives.
I even recently watched him get a little stressed when he thought his beloved Victorinox SAK was missing. Why the difference? Lifestyle changes. He's living/working out of his car and has become more dependant upon the few things he has available. Recently I suggested that he carry a SAK instead of his tanto CRKT and he looked at me as if I'd lost my mind. Two weeks go by and he tells me, "I get it now" speaking about which knife to carry with his new job and lifestyle.

Chances are your friend will not change his attitude until his needs and lifestyle change in such a way that he truly can understand. Maybe not even then. In the meantime, are you going stress over what type of knife he ruins?
 
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Wowbagger said:
Life's too short to own junky tools. I just don't understand how people can be satisfied with tools that hurt you to use, bend / break in use, don't stay sharp long and . . . if nothing else . . . just has that toy / junk vibe.
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Who says that all cheap knives are junk. Buy a Mora Companion. Try to break it and report back. Ditto with an Opinel #10.

90% of this "hobby" is the fetishization of bling of various kinds and with it, the necessary feedback of strangers that our particular bling fetish is justified.
 
we are all passionate about different things, often b/c we have come to appreciate those things through experience.
give him that experience, if you can accept that fact that it still might not take. go mid range, a RAT (maybe not D2), or nice kershaw, or one of the budget spydies.
and if it doesnt set in for him, leave it be
 
pinnah said:
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.
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Nearly impossible to jam until the guy's sweaty hand causes the wood to swell, or he gets it wet and then the knife won't close. LOL

"Impossible to jam". Flat out incorrect.
 
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pinnah said:
Who says that all cheap knives are junk. Buy a Mora Companion. Try to break it and report back. Ditto with an Opinel #10.

90% of this "hobby" is the fetishization of bling of various kinds and with it, the necessary feedback of strangers that our particular bling fetish is justified.
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I did get a couple Mora's because of the chat here. They mostly sit unused. But, Hey, I own a couple Mora's (including the Companion). Don't own an Opinel although I have picked them up and was thinking seriously of buying for the same reason as the Mora. I know that I will just be wasting more money if I buy one. Did that ever stop me?

I also agree that 90% of the knife hobby is essentially fetishization. The forum gives us enough back to continue. We use them, but do we really need that $400 CRK folder or five fixed blades that all are for essentially the same use?
 
22-rimfire said:
I did get a couple Mora's because of the chat here. They mostly sit unused. But, Hey, I own a couple Mora's (including the Companion). Don't own an Opinel although I have picked them up and was thinking seriously of buying for the same reason as the Mora. I know that I will just be wasting more money if I buy one. Did that ever stop me?

I also agree that 90% of the knife hobby is essentially fetishization. The forum gives us enough back to continue. We use them, but do we really need that $400 CRK folder or five fixed blades that all are for essentially the same use?
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A new g-5 can cost as much as a used 737. Doesn’t stop people with means from buying them. Don’t forget about yachts—people spend fortunes on them. By comparison our hobby is like collecting seashells off the beach.
 
Yonose said:
A new g-5 can cost as much as a used 737. Doesn’t stop people with means from buying them. Don’t forget about yachts—people spend fortunes on them. By comparison our hobby is like collecting seashells off the beach.
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No denying that. But the thread is about why the OP can't understand why a friend won't consider a more expensive and likely better knife. We get what we want. Tis a fact.
 
Quiet said:
Nearly impossible to jam until the guy's sweaty hand causes the wood to swell, or he gets it wet and then the knife won't close. LOL

"Impossible to jam". Flat out incorrect.
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Every folding knife has mechanical properties that need to be understood and maintained by the user. Ignorance on the part of the user or unwillingness to do the basic maintenance will render any folding knife unusable or unsafe.

The standard way to prepare an Opinel for use in a wet or humid environment is to treat the joint. Melting in wood wax like Johnson's wax with a heat gun is a particularly effective approach and takes about 2 minutes of work.

Like many folders, the joint of an Opinel needs to be adjusted to prevent seizing. A large blade screwdriver can be used to open up the joint to loosen a stiff Opinel.

People use (minimally maintained) Opinels in marine and wet environments all the time but again, it does require a minimum amount of knowledge about the knife and the willingness to maintain it. The same is true about any knife... it's just the techniques are different.
 
Heartland_edc said:
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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Nothing
Keep pushing your point of view and saying his knives are crap and he won't be your friend for long.
 
Lapedog said:
Stab him.

Then present him with the knife.

But in all seriousness just forget it. I know you are trying to do a nice thing but sometimes you just can’t make people see things. Even if you get the nicer knife in his hand he will just mistreat it and you will cringe when he pulls it out and it has rust from him not maintaining it.

I have given a friend a good inexpensive knife and am already sick of explaining to him why he should wipe the blade off atleast once. Some people are just very careless. The same kind of people who don’t notice they are leaving crumbs. The same person who takes food out of your fridge and leaves the lid off the tupperware.

Just be sure its not one of those friends you are trying to convince.
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I was going to suggest almost the same thing.

Knife fight.

Upon being stabbed, twist sharply, snap his cheap blade.

He will not be able to do the same.

Win.

Or find some common ground and enjoy each others company, if you're feeling like a lame-o.
 
pinnah said:
Every folding knife has mechanical properties that need to be understood and maintained by the user. Ignorance on the part of the user or unwillingness to do the basic maintenance will render any folding knife unusable or unsafe.

The standard way to prepare an Opinel for use in a wet or humid environment is to treat the joint. Melting in wood wax like Johnson's wax with a heat gun is a particularly effective approach and takes about 2 minutes of work.

Like many folders, the joint of an Opinel needs to be adjusted to prevent seizing. A large blade screwdriver can be used to open up the joint to loosen a stiff Opinel.

People use (minimally maintained) Opinels in marine and wet environments all the time but again, it does require a minimum amount of knowledge about the knife and the willingness to maintain it. The same is true about any knife... it's just the techniques are different.
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Basic maintenance? You mean, taking the knife apart and soaking the handle is some whatever it is people use to stabilize the wood? LOL Nah, I'll just use a knife that's better made and doesn't swell up on its user in humid environments (which is where I live), and given that I have so many excellent knives that cut just as well, I'd rather use them anyway.
 
Basically it come down to this...your friend is not a knife guy. He is a guy who uses a knife for a tool. Period.
In my line of work (construction), i am carrying/inappropriately using a utility blade, and a tanto CRKT amicus. They do the job, and are still in working order (although i do take care of my knives.)
Would i love to use my Sebbies or Shiros at work? YES!!! But why would I? My CRKT does the job and takes the abuse. So far i have been in construction over 12 years, and ive gone through a CRKT Drifter, and a BM Pardue.
But i am a knife guy, also. :) so i have the pretty ones and the higher quality ones for around the bush and in my pocket on my days off. Have dressy ones too!! Im definitely crazy!!
Let him use his cheaper knives, and find something you both like. Stress makes life shorter!!
Just my 2 cents. :)
 
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