What happened?

What I've seen IRON HEAD is it comes and goes, higher priced, lower prices threads and posts, sometime their will be several Mora threads on a page, sometimes several Sebbie threads.

We get some good tips and experience here, which I really like. I say get what you like and can afford and do your research and read about it over and over again! :D
 
Bimmer1 said:
Just let us know how well those cheaper knives hold up (especially liner lock folders) and how well you can keep them sharp or re-sharpen them.

Most of us did start out on the cheaper end but the more higher end knives you buy the more you tend to want. I started with production knives and now I have moved to mostly customs.

Everyone buys, collects, and uses on a different level.
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NONSENSE! or words to that effect, which I'll not use in the general forum.

To get basic cutting done, one need not spend more than $12 for a Mora or $18 for a Byrd or a Ka-Bar Dozier. And they hold up just fine, thank you very much. And sharpen just fine as well. Anything more is just for fun or because you have exotic requirements.

I don't mind those who appreciate and can afford customs. More power to them. Nice things are good to have.

I do mind when they say that only high end production or customs are worth owning. That is poppycock.
 
An opinel is the most you'd ever truly need in a folder as a kinfe, and a Mora in a fixed blade for KNIFE work. Did that stop me from a $500 Strider SMF nope. But a cheaper knife is just as good.
 
hardheart said:
took two replies, you guys are slacking!
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Hey, don't take my quote out of context. I specifically said damascus Sebbie. As for the lag time, I was trying to come up with a way to suggest buying a Sebbie when someone posted before me. Sorry if the delay caused any inconvenience.
 
I think the best thing to teach a knewb is how to keep 'em sharp. You can get a lot of mileage out of just about anything if you take it easy and are not put out by sharpening as frequently as needed.

Having said that, I think it's worth it for a bargain hunting knewb who wants a decent general-purpose knife to step up to a Delica if at all possible. There are so many things right about that knife, I feel it provides a fundamentally more satisfying ownership experience than the typical export of that great melamine-loving nation, though its price is still quite modest.
 
I have never felt the need to carry an expensive knife - even when hunting, but then I don't go into 'man vs wild' scenarios either. (Roughing it means staying in a 3star motel):D

I have the more expensive/rare/unusual knives that stay in my collection case and then I have my users.Except for the Leathermans these are all <US $60 and given that some have been used for over 25 years you might conclude that I am quite satisfied with them. For years, the most expensive knife I carried was a work supplied original LM PST and this was more for its multi-tool capability than a knife.
 
I think only yablanowitz answered the question or musing posted by Iron Head.

We all buy what we like, some can afford, some cannot afford high end knives. However, the original question is (if I may rephrase it):"Have we lost our ability to listen to the question by newbies, and guide them through the maze of knife buying without knee jerk reaction of what we are now? If yes, why that happens?"

I think it's because most of us old timers here have learnt and also in life have grown further to be able to afford better knives, so the early experience might have been lost in distant past. I agree that a quality buy doesn't have to be expensive. If we provide such guidance, the newbies doesn't have to spend 10$ to get 2 CCC, but 20$ to get a Ka Bar Dozier (not that I own one, just an example). Answer such as : " Get a Sebbie" right away without probing on what the intention of the newbie shows a little bit of disrespect.

What T. Erdelyi says sums it up, get the best you can afford, but the newbies question is actually: how to know, where to get, what is the differences among some best buys, etc.

Just my 2 cents.
 
yablanowitz said:
Several points to consider.

1) When I was a newbie, I never asked anyone for advice on what to buy. I learned to make my own decisions and live with them. I still think that is a sound policy.

2) I learned the hard way that you generally don't save money by buying cheap tools for your own use. Buying the best you can afford doesn't work if you can't afford a reasonable quality tool. Sometimes you are better off just saving your money instead of buying something that won't get the job done.

3) Most people don't really need a knife anymore. Sad but true. For those that do, the cheapest piece of flea market junk will probably suffice. It doesn't take S125V, titanium and carbon fiber to open your mail. A few of us actually use our knives hard enough to tell the difference between premium steels, but we are exceptions rather than rules.

I believe that people who post here asking for advice on what knife to buy are past what I would call newbies. They have realized that all knives are not created equal, they need (or at least want) a better knife than they can buy in a gas station, and they have discovered that there is a truely bewildering variety of knives available to choose from. I believe they wouldn't be asking unless they have a clue that may one day grow into a full-blown appreciation for knives in all their glory. If I can save someone like that a few of my learning experiences (what I have spent on cheap knives over the years would cover several top-name customs) I will certainly advise them accordingly.
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I agree...it seems that most people who ask for advice are those who already have a certain knife they want to buy in mind but they want to see what other people have to say about it or see if others have any better recommendations. I am relatively new to these forums but I when I was younger I used to buy cheapo swap-meet knives because they looked cool and I could afford it. Now looking back, I wish someone had given me advice on what knves were decent performers for their price. That way, I wouldn't be stuck with so much terrible steel. Those knives aren't worthless though...there's sentimental value attached as they were my first knives ;).
 
When someone asks 'what's the best knife' people often shout out their own favorite with no attention to the requirements the original poster mentioned, like maximum price or size.

Even discusssions of highend knives generally come around to acknowledge that past a certain point you add a little more quality for a lot more money. Below this there really is a fairly large range of knives that are good bang-for-the-buck even if the name or the steel or the fanclub is somewhat lacking.

I won't say this or that inexpensive knife can do everything any expensive knife can, but the middle range sure has do-it-all, survive-it-all knives that are within most people's budget. These are the knives we should be recommending as starters, and many people can end up staying with them.
 
i drop 3 figures on a knife prolly once amonth, yet i still have an odd fascination with the CRKT M16 tanto with zytel handles. the way it flicks open just keeps me occupied for hours while watching football. the liner lock and AUTOLAWKS is pretty cool.....
 
bradpierson26

I have some fairly nice models..but find either the Spyderco Tenacious or Centofante in my hand, more so than the expensive models. It don't figure
z0tdntknw.gif
 
knarfeng said:
NONSENSE! or words to that effect, which I'll not use in the general forum.

To get basic cutting done, one need not spend more than $12 for a Mora or $18 for a Byrd or a Ka-Bar Dozier. And they hold up just fine, thank you very much. And sharpen just fine as well. Anything more is just for fun or because you have exotic requirements.

I don't mind those who appreciate and can afford customs. More power to them. Nice things are good to have.

I do mind when they say that only high end production or customs are worth owning. That is poppycock.
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The Browning Ice Storms I have sport VG-10 blades that are much nicer than the $35 I spent on them would suggest. The laminated Mora blades I own rock the house as well.
 
One word, Opinion.

On a forum where advise is sought, people infectiously spread their 'meme's', or opinions as they are commonly reffered to.
 
Its been said before. Buy the best you can afford, if there isn't anything you like then keep saving till you can buy what you want.

I like CRKT, buck SAK etc and recommended crkt to some personal friends that wanted a quality knife but not that expensive for their first knife. they like it. I am glad.
 
I tend to suggest knives near the top of what the person asking is willing to spend.
Unless I think a cheaper knife would fit their needs better(it happens:)).
What IS annoying is people suggesting a Sebenza/Strider/custom knife when the OP asks for a good $50 knife.
 
I hear ya. My most expensive knife is $80. Most under $50. I will admit an Ontario heavy duty 12" machete, a laminated Mora #1 and a SAK Farmer could meet all my needs and be had for under a total of $50. I also love my CS Bushman and Case Sodbuster. It is fun to collect and try new knives. I tend towards traditional slip joints with my purchases. And, while I can appreciate the high dollar slip joints, the extreme prices on many tacticool knives escape me. I have the funds to buy about any knife I want, but contrary to the "buy the best you can afford" approach, I doubt I'll ever spend more than $150 on a knife. I will pay for utility first and aesthetics second. My knives may not be able to chop concrete block and may need a stropping after a day in the garden but those are sacrifices I am willing to make.

For some it may be their thing to be the expensive customs. I'm fine with that it's just not for me.

tjg
 
My collection runs the gamut from $10. on up to maybe $120. My lower-end knives seem to serve just as well as my higher-end knives do, although high-end is much higher to some folks here, and that's okay.

- in 1982, I got a SchradeUSA LB7 in a trade;
- in 1985, I traded it for a Case Folding Hunter;
- in 1992, I found a SAK Huntsman;
- in 1996, I bought another SchradeUSA 70T;
- all kept sharp on a simple Arkansas stone.

(I started getting into knives as a serious hobby in 2004.) So, over a period of twenty-two years' time, a total of four simple, inexpensive, commonly available knives did everything I needed when it came to cutting chores. I love higher end knives, art knives, new designs, and cool knife "stuff" that's out there, but in the end, if I could only have those four & the stone I started with, I'd survive.

thx - cpr
 
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