What is the most you would impulsively drop on a knife..?

North Shore

North Shore

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Jun 28, 2016
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If you were poking around at an antique shop or some kind of collectibles shop or yard sale etc, what would be your limit of what to spend on a per knife basis not knowing maybe quite what it is or the full shape it's in or without having any familiarity with the maker just on impulse? What is your no brainer price, up to, and anything in between? Does it depend on whether its a fixed blade or folder? There definitely is a lot of enjoyment in getting a knife home and researching it and cleaning it up. I plan on getting out a lot this summer for this kind of stuff.
 
I always have $100 to drop on something that catches me eye, not saying that I do it often or will spend it on anything but if it interests me enough I think it's reasonable. Lord knows I've blown $100 more than once with nothing to show for it.


Sent via telegraph by the same fingers I use to sip whiskey
 
This is a great example of "it depends". If I know the maker and its in good condition I suppose I would go to about $100 for a nice vintage knife. If it needs lots of cleaning and I don't recognize the maker then probably around $20 would be my max- but possibly much less!
I have spent anywhere from $1 to $50ish on flea market or garage sale finds so far, and hopefully will be coming across some gems this summer in my travels!
 
Other than almost 30$ for a sodbuster Jr, all of my impulse new knife purchases have been 20$ or less. I go for a good value knife above all and tend to keep prices around here anyways, but on a real just because it's there impulse buy I don't think I'd want to break 50$ before tax.
 
If I'm at a yard sale or something similar i don't understand how i wouldn't know the full condition of the knife. It would physically be in my hands to fool around with. I might not know the maker but I have an idea as to what quality is in my opinion. Not gonna lie either. I'm the kinda guy that'll be somewhere and use my phone on the spot to do a quick bit of research on the item. Impulse buys are something i do but if it's pure impulse I'm probably not worried about the price. Not to say I'm gonna spend $5000 on a yard sale knife but if I feel whatever it is has value to me I'll probably pick it up.
 
If I know what I'm buying, I'll spend about $100. But if there are doubts and only what the seller says, I would probably limit spending to around $50 on old slip joints. Most of my impulse buys are at shows. I purchased a TA Davison folder at my last show and that was totally impulse and a lot more than $100. I however love the knife and my choice even after stewing on it after I purchased it.

I don't know enough about old Case knives to really judge value. So, the lines of Case knives at shows sort of become a blur for me with my keying on barlows in particular. Always wanted to get another barlow similar to my very first Case barlow from years ago when I was a kid. Why? Nostalgia I guess.... certainly not need.

Blade is coming up and I very much hope to attend. I always spend money and most are impulse buys to semi-impulse buys. This year I want to pick up a LionSTEEL fixed blade and look forward to handling them at their booth. So, that isn't impulse, but I purchased a small Opera last year and that was totally impulse. I honestly enjoy impulse buying. I hoping to handle their new Barlow there as well. But they may be all gone by early June.
 
I've been into knives long enough that I rarely make impulse purchases anymore. I know what I like. However, if I was to stumble onto a knife that grabbed me, that checked off a bunch of boxes...say a Bagwell bowie, a Ken Erickson slipjoint, or a Vince Evans dirk...I think I'd be willing to drop $500 then and there. Gotta seize the opportunity when it presents itself. Of course the likelihood of lucking into knives of that quality at that price is close to nil, so this whole thing is pretty much a thought experiment. I'd be willing to spend more, but that would require a bit more deliberation.
 
I guess it depends on what happens to cross my path. Seconding VashHash, I'll look it up quickly to determine if its worth their asking price. So long as the price is somewhat in line with its value and I want it, then I wouldn't hesitate on a few hundred bucks. But thanks to my "want it" list being rather short I'm able to keep on budget.
 
One time, and only one time, I bought a Randall I didn't know I was in the market for - now that was an impulse buy. I still own it and am glad that I have it, but I've not bought another. OH
 
I am finding that there seems to be no limit to the amount that I will spend on a knife! I control this by not having any credit cards and having a sensible wife. :D
 
Bought this one from talented maker Jeff Murison at the OKCA show on impulse; fine knife with fileworked 4 1/4" blade laminated of 1085 core and "wagon wheel iron" with a NS shim between, hammered copper bolster, and camel bone handle. Jeff gave me a price I couldn't resist! One of a kind and even the 'flaws' are appealing. :)

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Thanks John! It should age nicely and begs to be used... soon.:cool:
 
Totally dependent on my finances and what I have in my pocket, including what I had to trade with and cash. I'm not an impulse buyer, I've learned one thing in watchin' my mom and her bf horse trade for 40 years. Everything comes around again and if someone bought one, there's always someone to sell one. You may just have to wait.

That said , I went to the ECCKS back in the late 80s and had no idea how much I'd spend and because it was my first big show everything was an impulse buy. I dropped $600+ that day and walked out with 2 customs and a funny little knife with a clip and a hole in a hump on the back of the blade. I went to get a new kinda ceramic v sharpener and he was sellin' this odd lookin' knife.

His name was Al Kessler, no it was Al Glesser, no Sal Glesser, I'm sure of it. I wonder what ever happened to his ugly little knife and his company named after a bug? ;) :)

I've dropped $30 the most at a flea market, generally a $5-$10 impulse buy is a lot for me at a fleamarket, yard sales are even less. That's the nice thing when buying older traditionals, you can find beautiful knives in that price range if you're thorough and know your old knives, patience helps too.

A gun show I go in knowing what I want to spend and I have a routine for shows, I'll walk the show floor once scanning looking for piles of older knives and if I see something I'll keep an eye on it to see if it's garnering interest. If there are people around it lookin' at it I may have to hasten my routine and make an offer or show an interest and get a better look. Then I take a more thorough stroll around and talk to some of the guys I know and make my decisions on what to buy. Still it's never an impulse because that's how you get burned or end up with buyers remorse.
 
3fifty7 said:
I always have $100 to drop on something that catches me eye, not saying that I do it often or will spend it on anything but if it interests me enough I think it's reasonable. Lord knows I've blown $100 more than once with nothing to show for it.


Sent via telegraph by the same fingers I use to sip whiskey
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Same for me. $100 tucked in my wallet for just these type of scenarios. And luckily, with cell phones being what they are today one can quickly do some research before buying most of the time.
 
I am no longer actively adding any knives to what I already have, but in my accumulation days, under $40 was impulse buy territory. Currently, $0.
 
The same as my limit for spendimg on Any knife purchase About $50, if I have it on me... but that'd be rare.

I have some $300 to $500 customs from years gome by, and have no regrets... but I honestly can't say Any knife is worth more than about $50 to me, impulse, planned or otherwise..
 
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