Weird trend: starting to prefer cheap(er) knives...

S

soupah

Joined
Dec 1, 2005
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...so about 4 years ago my collection started w/a Ka-bar Dozier folder, and then my addiction took the usual route: more knives and especially more expensive knives, of all types and brands. Add a few Swamp Rats, a couple Rangers, a Strider and some higher-end Spydercos, and then I started eyeing the customs...

That's all over now for me- my pricey higher-end knives have all been sold, save a lonely Camp Tramp. I didn't need the $, and I can actually afford the customs nowadays...it's just that I'm feeling that there's a certain price point where most knives are "good enough" for 99% of what I'll ever ask them to do...and that price point seems to be around $35.

What can you get new at places like amazon, newgraham, ebay, and knifecenter for around $35 in a fixed blade? Turns out that $35 buys many items for my collection that I'm proud to own w/o breaking the bank (items below are not factoring in shipping, and some of my examples are a tad more or less):

  • Queen D2 Hunters
  • Ontario Marine Raider (factory 2nd)
  • Ka-bar Heavy Bowie
  • Browning Signature fixed-blade (what a KNIFE!)
  • Boker Abolito (actually $30)
  • Spyderco Vagabond (also around $30)
  • Mantis MF-1
  • SOG Field Pup
  • Ka-Bar Becker BK-11
  • Blackjack Grunt

...and others. What's interesting to me is that these are all solid, collectible, and usable knives from reputable manufacturers in a variety of blade lengths (3 inches to 10 inches) with pretty good steels: 440c, D2, 1095, AUS8.

My collection is still growing, but only because I can now buy 3 knives like the ones illustrated above for the price of an expensive one. It's truly a great time to be a collector- there are so many excellent companies and the prices are within reach of most casual enthusiasts. Anybody else feel the same way, or have suggestions for knives I missed at that price?
 
I've done that too, only I'm just now starting to lean towards less expensive folders. I never really cared for fixed blades, but do appreciate having a good one around just in case. I have one that is on your list, the SOG Field Pup, excellent knife for the money.

I started out with gerber and such until I got my first SOG Twitch II, and then a 551 Griptilian. Those kicked up my interest in bladeforums and I've slowly bought more and more expensive knives until I hit my peak which was getting my first and only Sebenza 21. Now I've started to look at less expensive folders from Benchmade (I still stick to the good makers :o). I just received a 552 Ritter Grip today and I couldn't be happier. One of the best knives I've ever owned, and worth every penny. I prefer less expensive knives to use as beaters, so it seems that less expensive knives do get used more, whether or not we know it.
 
I do buy the $35ish folders too, but I thought I'd start out w/a fixed blade example since there's a dramatic difference in price, for example, between an excellent big fixed blade such as a Busse FBM or Scrapyard DF, and a "good enough" big fixed blade like an Ontario SP10 or Ka-Bar Kukri.

As for folders, $35 gets you a lot-

Browning Ice Storm
Boker Trance
Benchmade Pika
RAT folder
Pocket Bushman (more like $30)
Junglee Sahara JR.
...and more of course. And like you said, I also prefer to use these sorts as "beater" knives. Why dull the good stuff?
 
Yea I feel ya. I'm looking into getting a Spyderco Tenacious, some byrds, SAKs, and just about all them Beckers (not that they're cheap, but for their price, they are beasts)
 
Same here. I started out with cheaper folders and then my interests took me to more expensive folders. Lately, cheaper knives have caught my eye, especially fixed blades. I would love to pick up a few to try out, but I can't really justify more knives until I get rid of some :o.
 
I haven't really progressed into more expensive knives yet, mostly because I can't afford to. But even if I could, there's only a couple i might buy and they wouldn't be anything that people on this forum would consider expensive.

I'd rather have three $50 knives than one $150 knife.
 
My ring locker Okapi made a good showing of itself on my last camping trip. SAKs are always a good solid choice. And a little $30 delrin/ carbon Boker pen knife keeps finding its way into my pocket. For big blades you can't go wrong with Tramontina or Reflections of Asia bolos. I'm not afraid to use the cheaper knives. I've had pricier blades and found myself babying them. And it's the ones that get used that I grow really fond of.

Frank
 
Been there!

I used to be a knife snob, and had many custom knives. My edc carry knife in the 70's was a custom folder costing hundreds of dollars in 70's money.

I'm not sure what happened, but gradually I started looking at all that stuff, and wondering what it was for. It came to a head in the late 80's when I was boxing up something to ship, and a custom knife by one of the top makers in the bladesmith society got dulled by the packing tape. I did a few tests, and there I was with a old Buck knife that was outcutting alot of my high dollar wonder knives. I ended up boxing up all my collection and shipping them off to A.G. Russell to be sold off. Never looked back.

These days I'm finding a pervese pleasure in using Opinels, Douk-Douks, an old Mercator K55, mora's, and some of the more basic sak's. They get sharp, cut well, and if something happens to them, I don't care. I can get another real easy. Mora's are so cheap, I can have them stashed around in my truck BOB, in my day pack, tool box.

I still like knives, but I don't spend much on them anymore, or have that many around at one time.

Another nice thing about cheap knives, you can give them away without any pain to somebody who may need it more than you.
 
I've had a hard time admitting that my favorite EDC is my Vic Farmer. $25 and it does everything, nothing more, nothing less. Built like a tank and easily replaceable.
 
And then there's me, who is almost getting more knives above the $130 mark than below. It's mostly determined by the models that I like (bigger knives are usually more expensive), and I wish the knives were cheaper, but when it comes down to it I'd rather have one Kershaw ZT MUDD than a Cyclone, Lahar, and Skyline. I think I'll get more enjoyment out of the MUDD.
 
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I have sort of started doing the same thing. I recently got ahold of a Obenauf custom. I realized from this that all knives can cut with proper geometry. I traded it off for a couple of bushcraft knives and have really started trying to trim down my ridiculous amount of knives. My RAT-1 folder is one of my best cutting and easiest to resharpen knives. My Buck Hartsook is my most carried fixed blade.
 
scattershot said:
In your search for a folder, don't overlook the Buck 110. WalMart has 'em for $29.95.
Click to expand...

My Wal-Mart even has them for a few dollars less. I'll pick one up eventually and use it for a work knife or something.

Also, don't forget the Benchmade Monochrome. It's about $32 on New Graham, but the price is the only cheap thing about this knife. It's as solid as a bank vault, and I would dare say that it is the ultimate beater knife. Check out some of the testing vids on youtube to see what I mean.
 
Same thing happened to me. Bought some Bark Rivers (quit buying those for ethical reasons in light of current news about his business practices). Bought some Busses, high end Spydercos, Benchmades, etc...now I buy high end Kershaws (the value is phenomenal), and more economical utility knives.

Mora, SAKs, Rangers, etc...all reasonably priced and will perform with or outperform higher end options.
 
There are pieces both in the high- and low-cost range that are performers and others that are lookers. I just make sure that I don't use my lookers for tasks that might damage them. Performers by their very nature tend to look better and better the more they get tossed around anyway. :D

Pieces with high utility and low cost are like candy. Can't have just one!
 
Don't forget the Browning Ice Storm knives made by Mcusta at cdnninvestments.com.
<$30 buys you an awesome Mcusta-made folder!
(I have two of 'em...)
 
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