What was your first “expensive” knife?

In 1982 I bought one of these Puma Back Packers.
I did't keep it very long at the time since another knife got my attention.

In 2015 I ran in to a brand new one made in 1983.
I bought it as a reminder to where it all started.

Puma_465_b.jpg
 
Last edited:
*Pictures not mine. They were pulled from Google images*- I no longer own any of these.

The first real "expensive" knife I can remember wanting forever and ultimately getting was this: Benchmade Emerson CQC7. From Brigade Quartermasters magazine, $99 I think.


That led to this William Henry T12 Black & Tan: $300 direct from manufacturer.


And that led to this small regular Sebenza: $330 direct from manufacturer.


From there I went on to many full on custom folders from makers such as Peter Marzitelli, Brad Duncan, Greg Lightfoot, Charles Marlowe... among others.
 
Blues said:
I didn't consider the Benchmades and Spydercos too dear in terms of price.

So, I'd say my Large "Regular" Sebenza was my first expensive knife. (I got around that by having my wife buy it for me as a birthday present.)

:cool::thumbsup:
Click to expand...
I don’t now but 15 year old DMG working on a farm at minimum wage thought both the SRK and Native were expensive.
 
J. Doyle said:
*Pictures not mine. They were pulled from Google images*- I no longer own any of these.

The first real "expensive" knife I can remember wanting forever and ultimately getting was this: Benchmade Emerson CQC7. From Brigade Quartermasters magazine, $99 I think.


That led to this William Henry T12 Black & Tan: $300 direct from manufacturer.


And that led to this small regular Sebenza: $330 direct from manufacturer.


From there I went on to many full on custom folders from makers such as Peter Marzitelli, Brad Duncan, Greg Lightfoot, Charles Marlowe... among others.
Click to expand...
Brad Duncan, there's a name I haven't heard in a long time. I used to have a Whiplash with damascus blade and bolsters. I've always liked Lightfoot's designs too. You still have the Regular? I sold mine like a dummy years ago.
 
LimpCroissant said:
Brad Duncan, there's a name I haven't heard in a long time. I used to have a Whiplash with damascus blade and bolsters. I've always liked Lightfoot's designs too. You still have the Regular? I sold mine like a dummy years ago.
Click to expand...
Yeah I had a couple Duncan whiplash folders. I got mine right before things started to go downhill for him for a good while (maybe still??).

The best value by far as far as quality and monetary aftermarket value came from my Charles Marlowe folders.

I had two small regular Sebenzas and 3 large (1 plain and 2 computer generated graphics).

I too, like a dummy, sold them all long ago. Two of my uncles had a couple of my Sebenzas for a long time. One or two might still be hanging around with them. I should ask them.
 
I was in St. Nick's Knives in Athens, pockets full of overtime money. I spent five straight minutes eyeballing every Benchmade in the case, then asked to see the 810 Contego. It was handed to me closed, and as soon as I opened it, I knew it would be mine.
 
J. Doyle said:
Yeah I had a couple Duncan whiplash folders. I got mine right before things started to go downhill for him for a good while (maybe still??).

The best value by far as far as quality and monetary aftermarket value came from my Charles Marlowe folders.

I had two small regular Sebenzas and 3 large (1 plain and 2 computer generated graphics).

I too, like a dummy, sold them all long ago. Two of my uncles had a couple of my Sebenzas for a long time. One or two might still be hanging around with them. I should ask them.
Click to expand...
Hell yea, see if you can get those suckers back! Haha. Yea I don't exactly remember the details of what happened with the Brad Duncan situation, but I know it wasn't very pretty. Unfortunate. Yea, I had never really come across too man of Charles Marlowe designs but I just did a little looking and he's made some very nice folders for sure!
 
Mine was a kershaw shallot. It was my only good folding knife at the time and I was devastated when I lost it somewhere. I ended up with a cheaper knife for the next few years after losing it, a byrd crossbill, as I was afraid to lose another expensive knife like the shallot again.

It wasn't until 4 or 5 years later I upgraded from the crossbill.
 
Busse Basic 9 was the first one I’d consider “expensive”. I caught it on a sale for $100 at a website that’s long gone now.

They had 3 in stock. I started thinking about it after I ordered the 1 that I should probably go back and snag the other 2. They were gone.

Still have it and still use it. Knife isn’t phased by a damn thing. Just keeps on kickin’.

1662852663518.jpeg
 
Zero Tolerance ZT0200.

It was a celebration gift to myself for landing a new temp job making more than I had previously in life. It was a good idea, because I proceeded to out-compete my peers for a permanent role (also supervising the others). It was all the ZT!
 
My first expensive knife was a Gerber Folding Hunter. I bought it in 1984 when I got to my ship. Most of the crew had Buck 110s, but I wanted to get something different. I paid about $75 USD. I still have the knife, but don't carry it. It's too heavy and too sentimental.
 
I just posted about this knife in another thread so I'll just quote myself for the details. Anyway it was a Snody designed Benchmade Hk, picked up in the early 2000's. I carried it as my only knife for some years before diving deeper into the hobby.

Knives&Lint said:
My first nicer knife back in the day, and still my favorite Benchmade of all time. I think these were made before somebody got the memo that Hk was to be more of a budget line (a marketing move that never made sense to me anyway, given their place in the firearms market). Still to this day it is one of the smoothest open and shut AXIS locks I have ever experienced (you can just hold it horizontally and depress the lock without wrist action). I've tried and tried over the years and I've yet to find another Benchmade that lives up to it. Luckily I still have my original one, and a fresh one I picked up along the way ;)
Click to expand...
NRkXrEo.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top