Value vs price... a slightly philosophical question.

As a small retailer for over 40 years, I can state that people buy on "perceived value".
The majority of customers in my experience
A. Pick an item with no research at a cost that fits their perceived status.
B. Do minor research and have "decided" regardless of facts presented to them
C. Make their purchase on a perceived perception that follows no rules but what "appeals to them"

Few of my friends are knife enthusiasts, they all like to pour over my "obsession" and none are impressed by, materials, steel, blade geometry, or the things us knife nuts deem important.
The common ground to them seems to be, if it looks good it must be, would it impress , and how much.
I need some new friends
 
Cvrobinson said:
As a small retailer for over 40 years, I can state that people buy on "perceived value".
The majority of customers in my experience
A. Pick an item with no research at a cost that fits their perceived status.
B. Do minor research and have "decided" regardless of facts presented to them
C. Make their purchase on a perceived perception that follows no rules but what "appeals to them"

Few of my friends are knife enthusiasts, they all like to pour over my "obsession" and none are impressed by, materials, steel, blade geometry, or the things us knife nuts deem important.
The common ground to them seems to be, if it looks good it must be, would it impress , and how much.
I need some new friends
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Of course people buy on perceived value especially if we're dealing with generally inexpensive things like knives we always have. I drive a 16 year old Wrangler not because it's the bestest SUV ever I drive it because I like it, it's my mens barbie doll. I carry a Sebenza and ProTech not because they're the bestest knives ever but because I like them and the company will take care of me.
 
evilgreg said:
Someone who buys an expensive thing and feels totally comfortable in the value of their purchase is much less likely to spend hours defending Chris Reeve's honor..... They just use and enjoy whatever product it was, and when they chime in about their experiences they're being helpful, not waging a holy war.
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CRK...I bought my first Sebenza to see what all of the hype was about. I bought the next thirty or so, smalls and large-sized, to enjoy the beauty of various model designs, scale finishes and exotic wood inlays. I bought small Sebbies that were too small for my hand...just to enjoy the box elder burl and macassar ebony wood inlays...for some reason those inlays on a "small" are more attractive to me than on the "large" examples. That is pure artwork in action. I didn't carry these, however, as the plain titanium slabs are always more comfy in my hand.
The Zaan filled my fantasies concerning Zombie warfare....small, slow-moving zombies. I carried it for two yrs; saw no zombies; went back to my large model 21 Sebbie.
Take one apart and clean it and add a dab of CRK pivot lube. If you're not handy, CRK has a video explaining how you can take your own knife apart and reassemble without voiding the warranty. And the sucker ALWAYS come back to a dead-center blade with rock-solid lockup. The lockup on a new CRK comes new with about 80% lockup on the tang, and it doesn't move after that...by design.
The great number of sequential "Manufacturer Awards of the year" at the annual BLADE did not come from hype or a love-fest. Chris just damned-well earned them with his solid engineering practices and manufacturing excellence.
Okay, what is WRONG with CRK knives? I would really love a mid-sized Sebbie. And it is time to upgrade their steel (again) from their pedestrian S35VN to CTS-20CP or equivalent. And I wouldn't cry if I could buy that mid-size knife with a 3/32" spine with a high hollow grind.
But yeah...I've owned many folders up to $750 and CRK is my choice. To each his own.
 
Sonnydaze said:
CRK...I bought my first Sebenza to see what all of the hype was about. I bought the next thirty or so, smalls and large-sized, to enjoy the beauty of various model designs, scale finishes and exotic wood inlays. I bought small Sebbies that were too small for my hand...just to enjoy the box elder burl and macassar ebony wood inlays...for some reason those inlays on a "small" are more attractive to me than on the "large" examples. That is pure artwork in action. I didn't carry these, however, as the plain titanium slabs are always more comfy in my hand.
The Zaan filled my fantasies concerning Zombie warfare....small, slow-moving zombies. I carried it for two yrs; saw no zombies; went back to my large model 21 Sebbie.
Take one apart and clean it and add a dab of CRK pivot lube. If you're not handy, CRK has a video explaining how you can take your own knife apart and reassemble without voiding the warranty. And the sucker ALWAYS come back to a dead-center blade with rock-solid lockup. The lockup on a new CRK comes new with about 80% lockup on the tang, and it doesn't move after that...by design.
The great number of sequential "Manufacturer Awards of the year" at the annual BLADE did not come from hype or a love-fest. Chris just damned-well earned them with his solid engineering practices and manufacturing excellence.
Okay, what is WRONG with CRK knives? I would really love a mid-sized Sebbie. And it is time to upgrade their steel (again) from their pedestrian S35VN to CTS-20CP or equivalent. And I wouldn't cry if I could buy that mid-size knife with a 3/32" spine with a high hollow grind.
But yeah...I've owned many folders up to $750 and CRK is my choice. To each his own.
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I appreciate your paean on the glorious virtues of the holy CRK; I think it really makes my point.

Consider that I never said anything negative about the knives in my post, then re-read your reply and try to step back and take an objective look. Are you just a happy customer, or an impassioned cultist? There is a fine line there somewhere . . .

EDIT: Re-reading this after the fact, I hope you don't take it as an attack--I meant it as a serious question. I value your opinion, you've always seemed pretty reasonable. I don't think anyone just plans to join a cult, but have you gradually drifted into being a member of one without ever meaning to?
 
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Cvrobinson said:
As a small retailer for over 40 years, I can state that people buy on "perceived value".
The majority of customers in my experience
A. Pick an item with no research at a cost that fits their perceived status.
B. Do minor research and have "decided" regardless of facts presented to them
C. Make their purchase on a perceived perception that follows no rules but what "appeals to them"
Click to expand...
I suspect this is really what it boils down to when you choose. You have a certain perceived status of yourself and your choices and purchases reflect that value system. Hobbyists, knife or otherwise, push the value side of things and certainly are better informed on product, but still your perceived status colors your thinking without even realizing it.
 
There is no equation that will guide you to "good value."
There is no objective line beyond which one is paying for hype or status.

If there was an objective way to measure such things, this forum would be really, really boring. ;)
 
After the cost of materials required to build the knife has been exceeded, value is completely up to the buyer. Do I think this is worth X dollars? Sure, I'll buy it. Or maybe, No way! Then I won't.

Brand name also comes into play. Some labels are known for a certain quality or qualities: toughness, a certain steel type, maybe an innovative lock mechanism in the case of a folder...the list goes on and on. Such characteristics can add to the perceived value of the knife. In many cases, they are good things to have. Sometimes, they are total gimmicks and marketing ploys. Every buyer needs to decide for him/herself what they are looking for and what they are willing to spend.
 
On the value thing..... I mostly want something that I can afford (hence fits my perceived status) and has fairly good workmanship built into the product. I choose tools much the same way. Once I got past buying Black & Decker junk and having it wear out in a single week, I buy stuff that I think is pretty good, but not necessarily the best. Everyone with any experience have biases on value and as Stabman said there really is no formula to calculate it as it is totally subjective.

When I look at knives with a possible intention of buying, why do I generally look at stuff that is in the $100 > $200 range (folders) and skip most of the sub $50 stuff entirely? It's my internal bias kicking in that I believe when looking at price that the price reflects the value (form & function) that I seek. When the price hits $300, I may well look at it with interest, but my value system won't allow me to spend the money for it without a lot of information backing it up. The information comes from Blade Forums primarily for me.

To hell with diminishing returns with knives, I buy what I like!!
 
22-rimfire said:
I suspect this is really what it boils down to when you choose. You have a certain perceived status of yourself and your choices and purchases reflect that value system. Hobbyists, knife or otherwise, push the value side of things and certainly are better informed on product, but still your perceived status colors your thinking without even realizing it.
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Take a room full of shrinks to say how I choose, but mostly I chose by my mood at the time and my "perceived" need to fill a "perceived" hole in my collection.
 
stabman said:
If there was an objective way to measure such things, this forum would be really, really boring. ;)
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Nah, even with a perfectly objective system that stack-ranked every knife we'd still argue, don't worry. ;)

Cvrobinson said:
Take a room full of shrinks to say how I choose, but mostly I chose by my mood at the time and my "perceived" need to fill a "perceived" hole in my collection.
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According to my wife I should be seeing a room full of shrinks to talk about how many knives I own, maybe I could ask them about why I buy one over another if they ever show up?
 
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