What do you gyus & gals think...

E

Edalb

Joined
Nov 10, 2007
Messages
181
Is it the details that make a knife desirable? Or its price, for example?

With more and more knives out there available nowdays starting to look "alike" in terms of materials, design and most of all value isn't true that a little detail on "x" or "y" knife would get your attention? Perhaps that's just me(?)

Have you got any examples to share?

Best wishes,

Edalb
 
For me, it's all in the small details. Price comes second. I will usually buy a knife and immediately compare it to a Sebenza. That includes customs. If it holds up to that standard, I'll do a little research and pull the trigger.
 
For me its the pocket clip or sheath. The pocket clip has to be tight enough to hold but not to hard to deploy. For fixed blades, I gotta like the sheath.(Even though I often make my own anyway)
 
To me its all details. Cost is just something that you expect to be higher with better quality.
 
For starters, I MUCH appreciate made in the USA (not patriotic, its just because I HAPPEN to live here). I like simplicity. I like good grinds. Materials used are important. If its all fancy looking AND cheap, obviously corners have been cut. I will never buy a knife made in China. I don't like to support large companies. There are plenty of idiots that buy whatever is marketed to them without actual research. Maker reputation is important. Some will say "You get what you pay for," but this is NOT the case. The underlying truth is YOU DO NOT GET WHAT YOU DO NOT PAY FOR. Take Strider for example... WAAAAYY overpriced for what comes in the mail. You've just been suckered into an extended warranty plan that is unparalled. For many, it's worth it. ...but when you consider its (supposedly) intended use...military... a badass warranty is useless if your tool fails in the field... and you spent all your dollars on that ONE unbeatable knife. The opposite end of the high quality spectrum is Victorinox. Their blades are incredible, and IMO, the best value for a quality cutting tool, but not without sacrifice. As "they" say YMMV!

Its tough to say. Different knives for different purposes, and different strokes for different folks. I certainly aint no Rocket Surgeon...and...we all have biases!
 
The great thing about all the different options in the market that seem so similar is that you can choose something that meets very specific requirements. If you want a certain lock and a certain blade shape and grind and material and size with a certain handle material and contour and clip orientation, etc. you can pretty much get it if you look hard enough. It is almost like having a knife custom-made to your requirements. It's how well the details fit my preferences that I look for.
 
If it appeals to my eye, I will look into more info on the knife; maker, blade steel etc. I prefer frame lock knives, and tend to look for those, and for knives from specific makers. I get knives from makers that I like personally. I DO try to support friends.
 
Budget is an issue for me and so is quality in that budget. I look for reliability/security of the lock mechanism, comfort of opening and carry and the deal maker for me is the ergos and the fun factor to play with it.
 
It is a combination of price and what you get for that price. I want as much edge retension as I can get. AUS8 is OK but I want more.

Budget is a major factor for me. Plus there just is a limit for how much money I am willing to spend on an item that may get lost or just used up.

What I am always looking for is a knife that is no more than $60 (but is preferably about $40), comfortable in the hand, has good edge retension, and has a modified drop point that appeals to my eye. Gotta be from someone who does a good heat treat. I have no use for tantos or major recurve blades. These are deal breakers.

Non-deal breaking desires: I greatly prefer lockbacks, though I have ocasionally succumbed to a liner lock or framelock. I like clips set for deep pocket carry. I do not care for assisted open. I would prefer American-made, but will buy a good Chinese blade before a poor US blade. (And I have examples of both, trust me.)

Don't care about the handle material, FRN is good enough.

I do not find that there are that many knives available that meet my primary parameters amd desires. So little items don't usually cause a knife to make it to the want list.

Sure wish I could find an American made lockback drop point with no assissted open, no false back edge, but with pocket clip in 440C for less than $75. I might only buy that one knife that year, but for sure I would buy it. No one seems to make 440C lockbacks in the US anymore. They all seem to have gone to fancy locks or strange blades or foreign steels or PM steels (sorry, I got issues with PM steels. I don't expect anyone to agree with them.)

ack, I should have posted this in whine and cheese.
razzle fratten soapbox oration.
 
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