sometimes people assume that a knife is high quality if it has a high price tag.
I think that can sometimes be a little misleading. Sometimes you can compare a knife made by a 'rock star' to one made by a 'sleeper' and find no difference in quality, (materials, fit and finish, after sales service, etc), yet the price is vastly different, so that guideline is a little screwy and bleeds into the 'investment' consideration.
For example, I've seen Loveless knives for sale in the $20K range, and to my eye, the quality of some of these knives is inferior to similar designs made by others who sell their stuff for $18K less. In that case, quality isn't the driving force behind the valuation of the knife- collectibility is.
Another example; it's hard for me to imagine a better quality folder than one made by John W. Smith, (I own two knives made by him) yet his utility oriented knives go for half the price, (from purveyors) of those made by several 'hot' makers- all things being equal with regards to materials. There are lots of guys out there with a loyal following, who produce enough knives to fill the demand, that aren't as well known, either because they didn't gain fame by breaking new ground or because they might not market themselves as diligently as those 'hot' dudes, who make exceptionally high quality knives. Like John.
I'm a kind of guy who likes a good value, and that means really high quality, but at a price that reflects the value of the materials made to use the thing, plus a percentage more to cover their labor. I don't care to buy a thing because it is 'in demand', but that only reflects my preference.
There is lots of turnover that happens with 'hot' maker's work, and that brings opportunities to make a little money. But that's not my scene- I like to buy a knife and always with the state of mind that if I'm making the initial investment, I'm going to keep it forever. I like to think that the knife will hold most of its value but the real likelihood is that I'll never know.
It's really good to get a sense of the value of materials and for that, going to knife maker's supply websites is a good place to get the information required to determine what it costs to build the knife. Alpha Knife Supply is one of my favourites to both buy materials, and research the value of them.
Now, keep in mind, I am no expert and I'm still quite new to this scene, so take my words as simply my opinion about what I see going down, not as the ultimate 'truth' on the subject. If there is such a thing.
Now, my question is, what motivated you to ask this question? I'm just curious- have you got a specific scenario motivating you, or what?
