The Myth of the Overpriced Knife

mtangent said:
Sometimes the value is in the high price. Conspicuous consumption, letting the world know you have that money to throw around, typical of luxury items.
It doesn't have to be about the inherent value of the item.
I suspect Hinderers fell into this category, & have now fallen out.
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I don't have any money to throw around, but I like good quality items.
I bought two XM-18's in the mid 700-dollar range, but sold them again within two weeks. I didn't like them AT ALL, but there are lots of folks that do. Now, I'm amazed that they go so cheaply...
 
All I see is overpricing for marketing reasons.
I have hard time to figure out how can a production or midtech knife can be sold above $300...
Yet I own more of these knives than I should haha
 
Funny how most people will buy a car at $10,000-40,000 and 3 to 5 years later its worth half that, or some next to nothing.
Sure some knives are overpriced for the materials and build thats gone into them. They sell at what people are willing to pay. Wonder how many knives don't sell??
Second hand or hyped prices are like anything else, some you win some you don't.

The rest is what disposable income you have to put towards the things you like. I drive a rubbish car and keep it going but have some sexy boys toys, like my knives. The knives part are relatively cost effective for the outlay because they give me enjoyment. I prefer some quality boys toys than drive a better, flashier, car. If I had more disposable income, I'd have more of both.
There are plenty of other things that everyone has to pay for that isn't worth it... the government for one which at half the price would be a rip off. Its all relative.

The "knife" world has been on a bit of a wave in the last ten years. I'm not sure where its going to go from here. Pretty flooded market with some manufacturers demanding some pretty stiff ticket prices. Are new members entering the collectors market in any numbers?? Something will have to give soon. Is some of the trend being reflected in second hand prices?? I don't know as I don't trade enough.
 
mtangent said:
$400 knives should sell for less on the xchange, which is what is happening, I think. So it now sounds like the right price.
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Yeah, well...I'd make my own knife before I'd pay 400 bucks for a phucking pocket knife. Clearly YMMV.
 
my ozark trails/mtechs/winchesters have kept me cutting for many a moon. and cheaply too. can't see how it could get much better than that. takes an edge that'd scare even the toughest of ya and keeps it for cut after cut. just need to get a little pull through sharpener and you'll be set! id be willing to stack them up against anything. quality is quality no matter the price. and that aint no lie! cheers!
 
ichor said:
Yeah, well...I'd make my own knife before I'd pay 400 bucks for a phucking pocket knife. Clearly YMMV.
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To those who say that... I say DO IT :D

I probably have a cumulative $15k tied up in everything needed to make knives that have sold up to $1000.
 
The balisong knife market is all over inflated.

For anyone curious. I made a thread in balisong butterfly knife section talking about why the market is so expensive for them.
 
Don Joe said:
my ozark trails/mtechs/winchesters have kept me cutting for many a moon. and cheaply too. can't see how it could get much better than that. takes an edge that'd scare even the toughest of ya and keeps it for cut after cut. just need to get a little pull through sharpener and you'll be set! id be willing to stack them up against anything. quality is quality no matter the price. and that aint no lie! cheers!
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I think you need to do some experimenting with more expensive knives to see what most everyone here like. The pull through sharpeners aren't a very good choice other than perhaps for a really cheap kitchen knife. I know you mean well and I hope you enjoy your reading up on knives here. In some ways, you sound like my older brother who wouldn't spend $50 or $100 on a knife if his life depended on it. And he can certainly afford it too.

But if I interpret between the lines, I suspect you feel that knives that cost as much as $50 or so are mostly over priced and hyped.
 
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Charlie Mike said:
$25k at Blade Show is for one Todd Redford folder.
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In Todd's defense, that is what his auction knives go for. IIRC I'm pretty sure his Gathering auction from 2 years ago went for close to $30k. So depending on the knife even $25 G's may not be enough... [emoji33]
 
People saying that knives are overpriced are probably eating a 50 cent hamburger that they paid 10 bucks for[emoji847]


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Charlie Mike said:
To those who say that... I say DO IT :D

I probably have a cumulative $15k tied up in everything needed to make knives that have sold up to $1000.
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That's Very nice, but I don't have that equipment, an don't need it cause there are lotsa quality knives available for MUCH lees than 400 bucks. .
 
ichor said:
Yeah, well...I'd make my own knife before I'd pay 400 bucks for a phucking pocket knife. Clearly YMMV.
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I've made my own knives...and my own sword.

I still enjoy my $400 (and more expensive, as well as less expensive) pocketknives, and will undoubtedly buy more.

One Laguiole I'm looking at as a possible "congratulations to me present" when I get my Masters will be about $500 when the customizations I want are done.

Life is for enjoying; buy what you want.
I want knives. :)
 
everyone owes it to themselves to have at least a $100 knife to use every day. I think people don't understand because they've only used knives from china.
 
22-rimfire said:
Stabman, how long before you get your MS/MA?
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Probably 2 semesters from now, so I guess late spring.
Any longer than that and the cost will become too annoying.
I just hope the local economy has some decent jobs by then...that would be nice. :)
 
stabman said:
Probably 2 semesters from now, so I guess late spring.
Any longer than that and the cost will become too annoying.
I just hope the local economy has some decent jobs by then...that would be nice. :)
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Nice!
I keep adding up all the costs I'll be incurring for education over these coming years and it can be pretty scary :( lol




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Otto Carpenter said:
"You paid how much for that knife?!"

Those who lack appreciation for knives certainly don't get it. Many people who do appreciate knives (as tools) might think you're nuts for spending anything north of two-hundred bucks for one.
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This is pretty much were I'm at. But I don't think that someone is nuts to pay wads of cash for a knife. It's their business and I really couldn't care less what they pay, it's none of my business and basically redundant/uninteresting to me. I believe that many folk that use cutting tools for the outdoors still have a baseline appreciation for the tools aesthetics/qualities, but they have a function over form bias to a certain point.
 
Otto Carpenter said:
"You paid how much for that knife?!"

Those who lack appreciation for knives certainly don't get it. Many people who do appreciate knives (as tools) might think you're nuts for spending anything north of two-hundred bucks for one. But consider; if the knife maker priced their product "too high," the knife maker wouldn't still be making knives. That's the beauty of a free market system. And correct me if I'm wrong, but outside of a few big names, knife makers aren't getting rich plying their trade.

My personal take is, it has nothing to do with price and everything to do with subjective value. Many people will spend enormous sums of money on jewelry, entertainment, cars and weddings and nobody even blinks - or if they do, they mostly keep it to themselves.
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Yeah, I have a friend who swears his $20 Smith and Wesson is just as good as my Spydercos and Benchmades. He always says I spent too much just to get a name lol. He doesn't understand blade steels and quality knives because he is such a cheap a** that he wouldn't spend the money on them anyways. He is the same way with his guns too...he builds his guns the cheapest he can because he thinks the cheap stuff is just as good as the premium name brand stuff.
 
ichor said:
Yeah, well...I'd make my own knife before I'd pay 400 bucks for a phucking pocket knife. Clearly YMMV.
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I've never paid $400 for a knife.
I do jump on a second hand bargain though. You can often get as new knives for nearly half new price.
Since that is my MO, I was never going to buy a Hinderer. Still haven't. But the future may swing my way, one never knows.
 
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