What is "affordable"?

NotSoSharpBob

NotSoSharpBob

Joined
Mar 26, 2009
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255
Today I finally decided to step up to Strider SNG folder and in doing my research I came across this on their site:

"The company was founded and is currently operated by former military personnel. The initial goal was to provide a field service knife constructed with the finest components available, yet affordable to the average enlisted man and within his maintenance abilities. "

Now no flaming needed, I never question the worth or quality of a Strider knife I just wonder if I'm the only one that thinks it's a bit of a stretch to call them affordable? Most the enlisted men and women I know are not on a $400 knife budget.

I'll be getting one soon but am I just cheap?
 
Law enforcement and military get a nice discount. I hear they are affordable for them.
 
ericb445 said:
Law enforcement and military get a nice discount. I hear they are affordable for them.
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when i asked about the law enforcement discount, it was 10%, iirc.

basically i would save sales tax.

i think rick hinderer offers a 25 or 30% discount.
 
MORIMOTOM said:
when i asked about the law enforcement discount, it was 10%, iirc.

basically i would save sales tax.

i think rick hinderer offers a 25 or 30% discount.
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It's 10% too for active duty military and first responders :p
FWIW, I got my SnG from a member on the exchange for a decent price, around 20% less expensive than what the stores charged. Plus, the knife was literally new. The lock up was awesome, and it had zero use at all. He just had no use for it anymore and was moving into another direction with hobbies (firearms). My advice to look at the Exchange. So many great deals and knives out there, it's worth a look.
 
ericb445 said:
Hum
I could have swore it was better then that.
-Eric
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i'm sure any discount is appreciated, but it is not nearly as substantial as one could easily be led to believe.

for the record, i've never bought a strider with the discount they offer.

i was, however, able to get one with a better discount from a local distributor. but its long gone, and the distributor no longer carries strider products.
 
NotSoSharpBob said:
Today I finally decided to step up to Strider SNG folder and in doing my research I came across this on their site:

"The company was founded and is currently operated by former military personnel. The initial goal was to provide a field service knife constructed with the finest components available, yet affordable to the average enlisted man and within his maintenance abilities. "

Now no flaming needed, I never question the worth or quality of a Strider knife I just wonder if I'm the only one that thinks it's a bit of a stretch to call them affordable? Most the enlisted men and women I know are not on a $400 knife budget.

I'll be getting one soon but am I just cheap?
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400 on a knife is never being cheap.

its a stretch to call that affordable to anyone other then a knife nut, and even then, many think thats too much for any one knife.
 
MORIMOTOM said:
where do you live again?
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Sorry brother, I got your 6 though...:foot:
It is a 10% discount according to Rob Orlando - My buddy (Firefighter/EMT) picked up a XM18 about a month or 2 ago...

jakeyjake4528 said:
400 on a knife is never being cheap.

its a stretch to call that affordable to anyone other then a knife nut, and even then, many think thats too much for any one knife.
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That all depends on your income. There are guys around here that can drop multiple bills on a really nice piece and not even bat an eye. If you wheel and deal you can have a top shelf folder or fixed blade, just have to go about it in a certain way. Unfortunately, I am NOT one of those guys... My wallet screams in pain everytime a really nice production folder comes out :(
 
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My "affordable" keeps going up.....use to be $30 max, then $50.....then as long as it was under $100 it was a pretty good deal.....now I have several around $150.
I'd like to say paying over $200 for a knife is insane....but I have a feeling I will be there soon.
$400 is crazy talk though....at least for another year. :)
 
An "affordable" knife =
Ontario RAT-1
Spyderco Endura or Delica
pretty much any "good" knife that costs $60 or less.

$400 for a knife? That could be totally worth it but "affordable" isn't the right description, "expensive" would be much closer. Exactly what sort of knives are they comparing theirs to which make them consider theirs "affordable" in comparison?
 
Hitzy said:
My "affordable" keeps going up.....use to be $30 max, then $50.....then as long as it was under $100 it was a pretty good deal.....now I have several around $150.
I'd like to say paying over $200 for a knife is insane....but I have a feeling I will be there soon.
$400 is crazy talk though....at least for another year. :)
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quit while youre ahead!

when youre alright with spending 400 or more, all of a sudden a massive array of knives start looking good to you..
 
RevDevil said:
Sorry brother, I got your 6 though...:foot:
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i know you do, in your own special way.




It is a 10% discount according to Rob Orlando - My buddy (Firefighter/EMT) picked up a XM18 about a month or 2 ago...
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thought it was better than that. oh well, still a nice gesture. and i think he puts first responders and military "ahead" of the rest of the production.
 
"Affordable" means to me that it costs a day's pay or less. So for someone who earns $100,000 / year, a $400 knife would certainly be in the "affordable" range.

Do enlisted personnel get, in addition to discounts, some sort of equipment allowance that would help offset the price of a $400 knife?
 
Thanks for everyone's input. Maybe I'm not as far out of touch with "affordable" than I thought. It just seemed odd anyone would cater to LEO and Military with a $400 knife being affordable. Especially in these days of paying sports stars millions and our first responders and military pittance in comparsion.

I'm old and shutting up now

Bob
 
For me, affordable is a knife that costs not more than 10% of my monthly net income.
That being said, I find myself buying some non-affordable knives recently :D
 
Anything is "affordable" if you had rather have it than the money it will take you to procure it. Thus, affordable is a different amount to different people. There is no moral "good" or "bad" in this equation, just the freedom of individuals to make decisions that they personally believe to be in their own best interest.

A $400 knife is very affordable, to me. A $400 watch is beyond ridiculous, to me. YMMV.
 
A $400 knife is very affordable, to me. A $400 watch is beyond ridiculous, to me.
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"affordable" to me, is whatever I can buy right now or in the very near future.

Using MikeH's quote for comparison, I don't think I have any $400 knives (I generally top-out at ~$300) but I do have a very nice automatic watch collection...
 
Affordable to me is anything you can buy without putting it on a credit card. So if you have $400 sitting in your bank and no bills coming due, then $400 is fine. If you're skipping meals and going into debt to buy your knife, then it's no longer affordable for you.

Strider gave me 20% off if I remember right when I bought a folder a few years back, that was a nice chunk of change. Hinderer also gave a discount and I bought direct from him, which saved some money as well.
 
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