Value vs Function for everyday carry.

Nic Ramirez

Nic Ramirez

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Joined
Apr 17, 2003
Messages
1,889
It always seems that I'm toeing the line between value and function.

What I mean is, when choosing a purchase for everyday (moderate to hard ware) I need to set a boundary between what goes in the case and what goes in the pocket.

I LOVE beautiful knives just like you. I also like to use my knives, but, I can't justify using a $1500.00 knife to even open an envelope. What if I scratch it!!!:eek:

My personal cap is a little high for some but I set it at $550.00 for an everyday carry/or camp knife. Anything for this price or lower sees some good chores and my definition of "chores" laxes with time.

I was just curious about what your personal spending cap is when it comes to an everyday "using" knife.
 
My personal spending cap for EDC is about $500.00. That is so far anyway. I carry a lrg. sebenza for edc and I add a Randall on camping trips, but If there were a knife that was a little more expensive and was just begging for it, well I give it a workout.

Jason

(edited for spelling)
 
My users are all under $100, in addition to a victorinox soldier I always have on me I carry a FRN spyderco delica as my EDC, a buck vanguard when hunting, a BK-9 when car camping, and a buck 105 when hiking/backpacking/fishing. I also keep a Ka-bar in my truck at all times. I look forward to the day I can carry a $500 knife as a EDC, but right now this set up will have to do.
 
I could never see myself spending more then $100 US on a knife, simply becuase there's no need, IMO. While $1500 or even $500 knives are wonderful, you can get perfectly functional, durable, all around good knives for less the the aforementioned price limit. Just my $0.02.
 
Boy!! It's impossible for me to say Value and
Function in the same sentence for ANY knife that
cost over $60 bucks:eek: :eek: :eek:

How in the world can anyone justify an EDC that
cost more than $100 is simply beyond me.:rolleyes:
I know that sometime we like to pamper ourselves
but, to me , the "value" in a "designer" knife is
simply a waste of family resources to get......
What?

Oh well....I suppose that's why I drive a 10yr old
car , been married to the same woman for 37 years,
live in a 100+ year old house and sleep like a baby
at night not worring about how I spend the money
I earn. :)
 
How in the world can anyone justify an EDC that costs more than $100 is simply beyond me.
Click to expand...

Umm, maybe it's just that that person truly enjoys carrying a fine knife?

This a question that goes round and round here at BF. Years ago, I would have been appalled by the idea of spending, say, $300 for a knife, whereas I now own a fair amount of knives that exceed that amount. I enjoy owning, and using, a quality product. It's a progressive thing.

Personally, I suppose my cap for EDC spending would be around $500. I haven't spent that much on one knife yet, but there are some fine customs out there for that price, and sooner or later I know I'll take the plunge. ;)
 
Well, my personal max so far has been $400 for an EDC folder, but I admit that I only use it for non damaging tasks and pull out a cheaper ($100)knife when something nasty needs to get done. For EDC straight knife, I use some of my own. It's hard to say what they "cost", but I figure they're worth upwards of $600-$800. (lots of my time in them, but only $100-$150 out of pocket) Funny that I don't mind using the hell out of these, even to the point of breaking them, even though they're worth more. It's just that I've found for my uses, a cheaper knife is nowhere close to good enough. This much strength, and being custom built exactly for *my* uses can't be bought for any less.

I guess my use depends on what the knife was designed for. The $400 dollar folder I mentioned has a real nice finish, anodized titanium handles, etc., so it was partially bought to be "pretty". On the other hand, the Bowies were designed to take hard abuse from the start. Scratches and wear only add character.
 
To each his own. I draw the line at around $100 folder or fixed blade.

My EDC is a Benchmade 550 Griptilian that cost under $70 shipped to my door. Sometimes I carry my Benchmade 806D2 which cost under $120 shipped. I lost my last Griptilian and it bugged me a lot. I think I would have lost a lot of sleep had I lost a Sebenza and it would have been more difficult to replace. I'm fortunate enough that I can almost always find an "extra" $100 in the monthly budget, but not so fortunate that I could find $300. I'd have to save for a few months to replace a Sebenza (on the other hand, maybe I'd be more careful ;) ) On the other hand, I could carry a FRN Endura or Delica ($40-$45), a KaBar Dozier Folding Hunter ($20) or an Opinel ($10).
 
OK maybe it's the highland scot heritage in me but I am cheap when it comes to knives. My EDC is a Spyderco Endura. My only other "more expensive" folders are a S&W SWAT and CRKT M-16. My wilderness blade is a Ka-Bar. My machete is a $3 16 inch Tramontina that I bought out of a bin at the central market downtown. I dig stuff out of the ground with my machete and resharpen it with a file.

I bought my Ka-bar 20 years ago thinking "Hey, when it breaks I'll buy a new one." It's still good as ever after a lifetime of hard use. IMO anything that cost over $100 is art not tool. Mac
 
I think that $550 would buy most of the knives I have, which is quite a few...

My EDC limit is about $50...I carry for utility and you are not gaining utility as you rise above that price point...
 
The older I get the more "practical" I become - read cheap.

My pocket EDC's are a BM Griptilian and a Victorinox "Farmer" with a white Photon II attached, for a combined cost of about a hundred bucks.

Im still agonizing spending $70.00 on the BM, even though I love it so and I used a gift certificate to mostly buy it with. :(
 
I'm pretty familiar with SAK's and I've never heard of the "farmer".

What's on that one? Anyone have a pic?
 
Here it is in the current format.
Hope this helps.

TACMAN,
I also carry a Farmer with a white photon II in addition to my large Sebenza. As much as I hate to admit it, I find that I use my Farmer more than my sebenza. It really is a great knife, and the quality to cost ratio on the farmer cannot be beat.

Jason
 
JUNKYARD to the rescue! Thanks for posting the pic for me, doing that is a bit over my current computer skills :o .

Yea, the Farmer really is a big winner in my book. Smokey Mountain Knife Works is now selling this model for about $18.00, just a few months before they were pretty much unavailable in the states.

Well I better shut up or I'll keep going on about Vict's and they're unbelievable quality to cost.

Have a great weekend everyone,
 
I guess it's a matter of priorities. Not counting MSRP, I don't have any knives that cost over $100. And when I do buy knives or anything else, I shop around as hard as I can, wait as long as necessary, and then spring for a bargain. In guns I've splurged a little more, but nothing drastic, the missus' opinion not withstanding. On the other hand, literaly, I have several expensive watches, several more that cost several hundred each, and a dozen or so that cost less than $150. But not a single safe queen. If I had a Sebbie, I'd use it on the chicken yard in the same way as a spydie. Because of my watch fetish, I can certainly understand someone wanting nice knives. Just this morning, my wife said she needed a new bathing suit. I know for a fact she has at least five that fit her this instant, and ten more in case she goes 5 pounds either way. But, being an idiot, I stated she had plenty already. I spent the rest of the morning digesting that can of worms, and she is probably still trying on suits. You'ld think I'd learn.
 
This is an interesting question. I'd say my cap is around $100. At one point, I carried a custom Pat Crawford folder that I paid $220 for. Now I carry either a Spyderco folder (Jess Horn design with stainless handle), or a small Barry Dawson fixed blade neck knife (5" overall) that dangles from my belt. I've got his niece, Lynn Dawson, working on a custom neck knife that will become my EDC. I chose to go with her instead of her uncle because I already have a few of Barry's knives in my collection, but either one will give you a good knife at a decent price.
 
I'm a "man" and therefore refuse to put a cap on a needed knife -- but my wife has a cap, or I should say she requires "equality". So far, I carry a CRK Sebenza for my outdoor activities and a small BM AFCK for work.
 
I'm a "man", but I'm also a CPA and a "man with a plan" for my kids educations, retirement, etc. Sometimes $300 toys can slow you down. Still, it's a matter of perspective. I could apply the same logic to my $60 or $70 Griptilian. Objectively, there's probably not that much the Griptilian will do that a $20 KaBar Dozier Folding Hunter could not do . . .
 
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