The Price Threshold

Trout Hound

Trout Hound

Joined
Sep 28, 2014
Messages
693
Howdy Y’all,

So, this is something that’s been mentioned on here many times before, but I thought I’d share a few ramblings on it.

About a year ago, I was super excited to see #66 Calf Ropers appear on the GEC production schedule. This was the first 66 run since I started hanging out here on the porch, and it was the one pattern I’d really had my eye on. It is about as close to my perfect knife as I’ve ever seen. I decided on the Tidioute in Antique Autumn Bone. I was pretty darn sure, once it arrived, that it would quickly replace my trusty Case 6318 as my EDC, and I anxiously awaited mine in the mail.

To be honest, I was disappointed in the secondary blade pulls right off the bat, especially for a working pattern like a stockman, but I decided it wasn’t a deal-breaker.

As time went on, however, I began to notice something I hadn’t anticipated. I was cautious about using it. I don’t make a whole lot of money, and that knife represented a significant chunk of change for me. I would use it to open the mail, or whatever, sure. But, if I knew I was going out to do some real honest hard work, or going fishing on some remote stream, I found myself reaching for the Case.

I finally realized what this knife was to me. Whether I liked it or not, it was a Sunday knife. I still love it, and use it, but I just couldn’t ever see myself cutting bait, or gutting a fish, with that beautiful knife! And, now that I’m working in a warehouse, I would NEVER take that knife to work with me! If I drop the Case on the concrete floor and break the handles, or it falls out of my pocket and gets run over with the forklift, it would be unfortunate, but I would get over it. But, if that happened to my 66, I would be sick! Not only did it cost me more money, but, perhaps more importantly, it can’t be replaced this afternoon at the local hardware store. I might have to wait two years or more until GEC does another run.

So, I have discovered that, If I’m honest with myself, I am only comfortable really using a knife for hard work and dirty jobs if I have less than $75 in it, and if it is reasonably easy to replace if accidentally damaged. Those are the knives that find their way into my pocket on a daily basis, and that I am willing to pull out to deal with anything that comes along.

So, what’s your price threshold for a user?

Have a good one,
TH
 
I have always carried the knife that I admire the most. Much of the time, that has been a CRK large Classic Sebenza, Umnumzaan, custom Brad Southard AVO and presently a Spyderco Slysz Bowie.
I can get away with this, as I am long retired and every day is a Sunday.
 
Trout Hound said:
So, I have discovered that, If I’m honest with myself, I am only comfortable really using a knife for hard work and dirty jobs if I have less than $75 in it, and if it is reasonably easy to replace if accidentally damaged. Those are the knives that find their way into my pocket on a daily basis, and that I am willing to pull out to deal with anything that comes along.
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You are about right on for the upper end of what I will spend on a knife that I won't hesitate to use, however I also often find myself being the only person who has a knife in a group. A part of the question is how much would you spend on a knife that you would lend without a second thought?
 
Bartleby said:
You are about right on for the upper end of what I will spend on a knife that I won't hesitate to use, however I also often find myself being the only person who has a knife in a group. A part of the question is how much would you spend on a knife that you would lend without a second thought?
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Yep! At work, when someone asks for a knife, they get the $30 yellow Sodbuster in my back pocket, or my $0.99 box cutter!
 
I have various thresholds. For regular daily use I don't so much have a price threshold as I have a materials and replaceability threshold. I don't like patina, so I don't tend to carry carbon steel knives unless I am confident I won't be cutting anything wet. And then I also tend to avoid using knives that are hard to replace (like say my GEC Whaler).

That said, I use my 2015 traditional forum knife pretty much daily, and it really isn't replaceable at all. In that case, I just love the knife too much not to use. So I guess I don't really have a hard threshold.

When it comes to price, I try not to buy things I won't be willing to use (Whaler aside). Among my non-traditional knives I have a folder that cost more than $500 that gets regular rough use, and a couple of fixed blades very near that price that get used hard. That said, for the roughest use, if I know I am going to be close to abusive to a folder, I will sometimes opt for one of my less expensive ones.

You know what. I am realizing that all my threshold talk is bunk. I have lots of knives and I like using them. Some I baby more than others (particularly some older irreplaceable knives), but the only real threshold I have is carbon steel. I think I was the wrong person to try to answer this...
 
I have sharpened and used knives that cost as much as $460, handfulls in the $250-$350 range. All the way up from $20. I tend not to keep knives that cost me more than $120 or so, though. I don't womanize, but I guess I kinda knife-ize. I love a knife for a little while, but if I've spent that much money on it, after a little bit I get to thinking, I'd rather have that money back and keep my savings cushy. The exceptions have been custom fixed blades that I have commissioned, but those don't eclipse $175 with a sheath.
 
I can understand your points and know many people are the same ...

I guess I'm not sure if there is a monetary thresold that I won't cross to use a knife ... but I do have some knives that get used with more care ...

isn't because they cost too much ... it's more that the knife means something to me or a few I just found I really like and enjoy them so I try to be more careful using them ...

and then I might turned around and grab a knife that cost 3 or 4 times more and use it to chop and process wood for small fires or cut things that will badly dull and possibly chip or roll the edge some ....

so I do the same action ... just for slightly different reasons I guess
 
For me the cost of a knife usually has little effect on whether or not I will use it like anything else, rather it depends on what I want the knife for. I buy some knives to keep minty because that's how I enjoy having that knife the most, rather than use it a little and scratch it up then not enjoy it as much. I have way too many knives to use, so I don't want to use every knife I buy. Plus, that's just too much dang sharpening.

I have a 66 in ebony I got fairly recently that I have been carrying almost every day since, I use it just like it was an old timer. The only thing I'm picky about is not heavily damaging the edge or the blade tips, which I am fairly picky about on most any knife.

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Now this knife was less than half the price of a gec 66 and is fancier with the same build quality. However because it looks so nice it is only a weekend/off
work posh carry knife. The only reason I decided to sharpen and carry it is because I have a minty duplicate in my collection.

IMG_0018.JPG
 
abbydaddy said:
I think I was the wrong person to try to answer this...
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Not at all, it is likely that we have different levels of comfort. There are a lot of hidden variables, for example: age, occupation, income level. spouse's input on expenditures etc. That is part of what makes the conversation about this subject interesting, there can be no wrong answers in something so subjective.
 
I don't know if any of my knives actually see "hard use". I'll use any knife I have on me to cut zip ties, which is probably the hardest medium I'll encounter in day-to-day life. I do have knives that I use for more questionable mediums. I've used my SAK Alox Rancher for sheetrock work as well as under the hood of my car. When I insulated my attic, I used my Case Sodbuster to cut my batts to length. In those situations, I would be a bit more hesitant to use my sentimental or expensive folders. So, I guess if it really came down to answering your question: based off of what I just wrote, I would have to say, what, $40?

Fixed blades are a little different. Now, I won't use a 1/16" N690 or AEB-L pairing knife to baton firewood, but I never hesitate to grab and use one of my fixed blades, whether it's a $50 Grohmann or a $300 OK/T Warthog.
 
I have no issue using a $200 Benchmade or Spyderco for anything that comes up, but I do have issue with using a $100 GEC. I am also more likely to have a Case Tribal Lock in my pocket then my Snakeskin Viper from day to day.

My reasons are stainless steel and being able to replace the knife if it was damaged. I can have a new 940 tomorrow via express post but any one of my six GEC 78s is pretty much irreplaceable. I don't want to pay inflated secondary market prices.

Now here is where a GEC 71 Bullnose also suits the bill. If it gets chewed up I think it just adds character as it truly is more of a working mans knife. It is much less expensive than a Northwoods and tend to come around on the production schedule more often.

I may have to order another Bull Nose while they are still out there at the retailers.

,,,Mike in Canada
 
I don't usually carry knives that are pristine and in the tube/box, regardless of cost. However, if they are less than mint, then game on. For example, here's one I am carrying quite a bit lately, including today.

Lloyd4 resize.jpg


If it was mint, probably wouldn't be carrying it, but I bought it secondhand, so it had use and a few minor issues. It has been a JOY to carry. All that being said, it cost me a little north of $200. Like I said though, if it was a mint $100 GEC, or $50 Case Peanut, it would most likely be sitting in a drawer.
 
To me it's more about replaceability than it is about cost. My toughest use knives are my most expensive knives, primarily for hunting/skinning duties, but none of them are irreplaceable. I carry $200 folders and $20 folders, but some of the less expensive ones are much older and more rare, and I would not take them into a situation where they could be lost or damaged. I always try to match the tool to the demands of the job they will be doing, so the chance of damage is low, plus I'm just one of those guys who are "easy" on things. Because of all this, I feel just as comfortable carrying a high dollar custom as I do an inexpensive import, as long as it is suited for the tasks likely to be encountered.
 
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