What Production Knives Do You Consider To Be Over Priced?

Not exactly what this thread is aimed at, I know, but far and away the most overpriced knives I've owned and used are the Henckels Four-Star and Wusthof Classic knives in my kitchen. Swiss army steel, resin handles and a factory "edge" that mainly seemed intended not to get damaged while en route to Williams-Sonoma to be sold at a ridiculous markup. Like a lot of people, I got most of mine as wedding presents, and never really liked them that much . . . but then a few years later when I got and started using my first basic Tojiro--nothing special--I felt retroactively guilty about having helped con my friends and relations into spending all that cash on little more than marketing.

Ever since, I've always been "that guy," the annoying knife nerd who goes out of his way to give different kitchen knives from the ones people ask for--but pretty much universally have managed to make converts of even the most non-knife people I've done it with, once they try both for a while and notice the difference.
 
Emerson's. I would guess that unless they diversify, they will be out of business in the near future. Or just keep raising prices. The fan boys will keep them going for a while.
 
Honestly I have moved on from Benchmade, Spyderco, ZT and a lot of the decent quality offering at the 100-250 price range though there are still a few I wouldn't mind having but for me I'm slowly leaning my collection to Emersons, Striders and CRK with the few exceptions.

I do agree Emerson's are overpriced for what you get. I'm completely okay with the quality and steel but if they would lower the prices by say 20% or so I think that's a decent price. I usually don't buy them unless they're second hand.

Striders I also say are overpriced for their offerings especially in S30V. Again another company that I will only buy second hand.

Hinderer Makes up for the lower prices from a few years ago with all the "accessories" they make and jack up for whatever reason are just outrageous.

There are plenty of other companies out there that are over priced.
 
Jarbenzas.

Anything tactical or overbuilt. I have no need for a titanium brick that doesn't cut well. Maybe I'm just getting old...

Sent via carrier pigeon
 
I think that's why with prices the way they are you really need to pick and choose wisely;ive seen countless "victims" on the exchange who are selling a knife they just got and its too big,too small whatever and are instantly selling it on there for a loss of up to 100.00 or more;thats a lot of money to lose on a bad decision.
 
goldie said:
I think that's why with prices the way they are you really need to pick and choose wisely;ive seen countless "victims" on the exchange who are selling a knife they just got and its too big,too small whatever and are instantly selling it on there for a loss of up to 100.00 or more;thats a lot of money to lose on a bad decision.
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I've seen a lot of this stuff also goldie.
A couple of members and I will send each other knives we're interested in to check out before we buy. This has saved a few of us a lot of cash!
Joe
 
goldie said:
I think that's why with prices the way they are you really need to pick and choose wisely;ive seen countless "victims" on the exchange who are selling a knife they just got and its too big,too small whatever and are instantly selling it on there for a loss of up to 100.00 or more;thats a lot of money to lose on a bad decision.
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I suppose you can limit your downside this way by picking knives that retain their value well at the time (e.g. Shiros, CRKs, Rocksteads, etc.) but this is totally a thing that happens all the time.

palonej said:
I've seen a lot of this stuff also goldie.
A couple of members and I will send each other knives we're interested in to check out before we buy. This has saved a few of us a lot of cash!
Joe
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Sounds like a good idea, because sometimes even a great knife can just be a total miss if it doesn't click for you. I've had purchases that were definitely great knives, just not for me (e.g. CRK Sebenza, ZT 0777, Shirogorov 95 and Hati). With specialized luxury goods it's hard to get your hands on these items unless you happen to live near a very specialized sort of store. Worse, with the secondary market being the only option on so many small-run knives, you sometimes have to pull the trigger to even have a chance to find out if it's your sort of thing or not. Having some folks you trusted who you could swap and try things with would be a big improvement, if you can swing it.
 
I will chime in on this one. I agree with another member who posted about Benchmades decline in quality. I wouldn't necessarily say their knives are junk, but they need to start buckling down on QC. Not everyone enjoys having to teak and adjust a knife they just dropped 100 plus dollars on to get it right. Nor should they have to ship it to the factory for repair the week they bought it. Benchmade says that slight blade play is within spec.
I own a 40 dollar Browning black label liner lock that came from Lowes and it has no blade play whatsoever.
If China can produce a cheap liner lock that locks up properly, surely Benchmade can do the same with the axis lock. I know they can, because I have owned several that locked up like a bank vault. But lately, they consistently let as many if not more knives leave the factory that have one or more qc issues, whether it be poor grinds, uncentered blades, or blade play. If Benchmade don't get their qc back where it should be, knife enthusiasts have plenty of other options to choose from.
 
All I know is that I look at an AL MAR and say "SWEET"! Then I see the price tag and I put it back down.
 
Medford. Crusader forge, hinderer (not as bad as they used to be but still) microtech, mad dog, randall and reate.
 
Hinderer, Strider, CR, and Busse.
I've owned most of them and can tell you, very overpriced.
I like the Hinderer and Reeves, but they're overpriced.
I've owned Busse's long before he was popular and can say they are not worth what people are paying.
 
Brules1 said:
Hinderer, Strider, CR, and Busse.
I've owned Busse's long before he was popular and can say they are not worth what people are paying.
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i dont own a Busse, but... i assume it is what it is, because of the heat treatment and or materials, like INFI, and possibly because of how many are produced in comparison to big names like spyderco as a mass production giant. again, i dont own one.
 
Tim Broyer said:
Didn't expect to see Reate in this discussion. Can you elaborate please?
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well this is just my opinion but I think reate as well as rike have sorta overstepped with their pricing. Both companies started out making really great knives and they continue to make great knives. But the prices have nearly doubled for what you get when compared to when they were first released. I was buying these brands when they were only available on Chinese wholesale sites. For instance when Reate first came out you could get a Horizon A which had M390, a titanium frame that had and integrated backspacer to one side of the handle which wasted a lot of titanium and a very intricate pattern to the 3d milled handle as well as anodized titanium hardware for $250. Now the closest thing they make to that with the same materials is over $400. To me once they started collaborating with custom makers they were no longer a brand that was trying to offer value to the consumer but now are just another high end knife company. Don't get me wrong I love their work but I would buy a WE any day over a Reate just because you get more value with WE. Rike is another one. Their 1503 started as a $99 knife on the Chinese selling sites. And at that point it had much more intricate handle milling. Now its been dumbed down with flat slab titanium but with a $300 price tag. Again all of these brands make a great folder. And anyone who is new to them will look at the prices and feel they are getting a good deal. But as a person who has seen the prices double they no longer seem to represent the value they once did. Especially the collaborations as they seem to tack on an extra $100 to each model designed by a custom maker even if its a simple design with lesser materials than their in house designs.
 
Mo2 said:
i dont own a Busse, but... i assume it is what it is, because of the heat treatment and or materials, like INFI, and possibly because of how many are produced in comparison to big names like spyderco as a mass production giant. again, i dont own one.
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Busse claims he has a proprietary steel (Infi) which I do not believe. It may have a proprietary heattreat, but I doubt someone makes up a special steel just for him. I feel Infi is just a marketing gimmick & that's why his knives have the cult following & are so expensive.
 
The horizon c district 9 and hills were around 200.00 then the D model doubled that price., the d9 plus went up 65.00.the wave was also around 400.00 then the epoch which is 425.00 the cheapest future model is 480.00 look at these increases every time a new model is offered. As said above rike is doing it too, they have models now that are 500.00 now.at least stedemon came out with a line of economical models for around 65.00 and have models for 100+ then up from there..rike and reate are definitely no longer worth their price ;these huge increases are going to sink them if they don't go back the other way...
 
Brules1 said:
Busse claims he has a proprietary steel (Infi) which I do not believe. It may have a proprietary heattreat, but I doubt someone makes up a special steel just for him. I feel Infi is just a marketing gimmick & that's why his knives have the cult following & are so expensive.
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LOL Oh, this is adorable.
 
PURPLEDC said:
well this is just my opinion but I think reate as well as rike have sorta overstepped with their pricing. Both companies started out making really great knives and they continue to make great knives. But the prices have nearly doubled for what you get when compared to when they were first released. I was buying these brands when they were only available on Chinese wholesale sites. For instance when Reate first came out you could get a Horizon A which had M390, a titanium frame that had and integrated backspacer to one side of the handle which wasted a lot of titanium and a very intricate pattern to the 3d milled handle as well as anodized titanium hardware for $250. Now the closest thing they make to that with the same materials is over $400. To me once they started collaborating with custom makers they were no longer a brand that was trying to offer value to the consumer but now are just another high end knife company. Don't get me wrong I love their work but I would buy a WE any day over a Reate just because you get more value with WE. Rike is another one. Their 1503 started as a $99 knife on the Chinese selling sites. And at that point it had much more intricate handle milling. Now its been dumbed down with flat slab titanium but with a $300 price tag. Again all of these brands make a great folder. And anyone who is new to them will look at the prices and feel they are getting a good deal. But as a person who has seen the prices double they no longer seem to represent the value they once did. Especially the collaborations as they seem to tack on an extra $100 to each model designed by a custom maker even if its a simple design with lesser materials than their in house designs.
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goldie said:
The horizon c district 9 and hills were around 200.00 then the D model doubled that price., the d9 plus went up 65.00.the wave was also around 400.00 then the epoch which is 425.00 the cheapest future model is 480.00 look at these increases every time a new model is offered. As said above rike is doing it too, they have models now that are 500.00 now.at least stedemon came out with a line of economical models for around 65.00 and have models for 100+ then up from there..rike and reate are definitely no longer worth their price ;these huge increases are going to sink them if they don't go back the other way...
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I agree. Comparing Horizon D CF ($400) with ZT 0804cf ($280) and District 9 plus ($270) with ZT 0801Ti ($200), you'll find it is hard to justify the Reate prices, especially when you take into consideration warranty service (or largely lack of by Reate). This is also why I have only one Reate but multiple ZTs.
 
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