What's become of us ????????????

It's mostly a free country....people have the right to spend their hard earned cash on whatever they choose...It's none of my business what any one buys: people deserve to be happy and share their hobbies with others without criticism........there are a lot worse things someone can do with their cash....and.... hand made knives are works of art ! I'm backpeddling as FAST as I CAN !
 
Want Vs need.

I don't need a Sebenza as an EDC, but I have one. I don't need a Damasteel blade, my BG42 is great! But I'm getting one

I don't need custom knives, but I own them.

Just because I can get by with less, does not mean I can't spend more!:D

Its a hobby after all, I however use my knives.;)
 
There are a lot of good points made here, but basically it boils down to this:

A BMW will move you around just the same as a rusted-through '69 Pinto or an '84 Toyota.

A $4.00 blade will open packages just the same as my $400 Strider Tac GB.

Its just a matter of personal preference is all. I don't think I need to elaborate as to the obvious differences that would make one choose a BMW over a Toyota or a Strider over the drug-store knives.

I believe that, for most people, if you have to ask, you won't understand the answer.
 
Originally posted by Fireshaker
No offense, but what a idiotic thing to say. My brother saved his girlfriend's (now his fiance) life with his knife. If it weren't for him stabbing one of the FOUR men beating her, then she would have lapsed into a comma and died.

Oh but we all know knives will never be used for self defence...just like guns will never win a war. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Just like the gun-grabbers say: "What good can a handgun do against an army, anyway?" :rolleyes:
 
Yes...I was MORE than foolish to reminice about the "good ol' days" and imply they had any bearing on todays lovely handmade knives. Just bacause I don't own any I don't have to get sour. I probably lack from time to time an esthetic sensibilitiy : people who appreciate, enjoy, collect, and honor the artisans who make these finely crafted tools and works of art cause the world to be a better place....they bring their pleasure and contentment out with them into a world that can be far too cruel!....and there is the bond of fellowship, admiration, and goodwill that exists here on this forum that is hard to find elsewhere. We share our knowledge, preferences, help steer consumers toward "good" knives and away from "clunkers", make friends, crack a joke or two, and even take an old blowhard like me to task when I shoot my mouth off. I'd rather be with ya' then again' ya !
 
A kinda neat thing I've noticed is that one can STILL purchase whatever traditional knives their lil' heart desires, Old Timers, Schrades, Camillus, the ole Buck 110's, Opinels, etc. for very darn lil' cash. you can get a damn good machete for $6 (I'm mighty impressed with my Cold Steel Panga) and cheap axes and hatchets are still abound.

But, for those who want something just plain different there's seemingly no limit to designs, and materials.

In other words, there's somethin' for everyone with an interest in blades.

a couple comments though....

The knife world would be pretty lame if there wasn't always a cycle of evolution in designs and materials. Hell, we'd still be using flint knapped knives. ("UNK! WHAT BLADE YOU LIKE BEST, OGS' FLINT KNAPPED KNIVES OR GRONKS?!")

Another thing is that it would be pretty damn borin' discussion if knives weren't always changin'.

"Got me a new Buck Stockman last night."

"yup. Them Bucks is sure hard to sharpen. I prefer Carbon Steel mahself"

"Stainless is better"

"is not"

"is too"

"is not"

"is too"

Etc, etc...you get the point.

'bout the only knives most of us are prone to knockin' on would be Chinese clones. Other than that, I'm still a firm believer that there's room for everyone in the hobby.

I mean hell, you can STILL buy flint knapped knives if'n ya' get REAL nostalgic....:D
 
Boy isn't it the truth that I get egocentric from time to time...you hit the nail on the head.....this supposed to be fun and informative after all. It's supposed to be all about the knives...good, bad, old, new, expensive, cheap, handsome, ugly, hand made , production, ...so I'll try and stay on the subject in the future.
 
Some good points have been made here. One I think has been overlooked, though. Some military people carry high priced knives because the equiptment they carry can be a life of death matter to them. For those guys the high cost of a state of the art custom is worth the price.

Now for myself, I would likely grab my CS Recon Scout for a camping trip, and leave my collectible Randall Model 14 in the safe. However, I am not going camping in Afganistan.
 
If an $8000 "NIB" Kia will get you from point A to point B, why are there manufacturers producing more expensive cars?

If a 99 cent hamburger will give you energy and keep you from starving, why do people buy $100 meals???

If a $350 per month appartment will provide you with shelter, why do people own $5 million dollar houses???

If a $2.00 chair will hold your a$$ up off the ground, why do people by $10,000 sofa's???

...My point is that allthough the original purpose of a knife was to be a simple tool eons ago, a car to get you from A to B, a house to provide shelter, and food as sustinance, the image, need for, use of, and cultural meaning of these things are all vastly diferent now in this consumer culture from the original intended use...The others may be quite obvious, so why should knives be any different? While YES, people may "use" the others more than knife collectors who keep pieces "NIB," there are also many people in the world who collect cars, antique furniture, and bottles of whine worth 10's of thousands of dollars, but the originally intended use of them will never be taken advantage of...does that really make it wrong???...that's why it's called a hobby...
 
...but the flip side of the coin is that anything less fit-and-finish-wise than my small Sebenza ain't getting pocket time.

When you're really, really into something, like I (we) are with knives, why not carry the best that you can afford?

Just my humble philosophy. :)

Professor.
 
Your right...who am I to say? .........why do I have to evaluate knives on the basis of price ?......I'm ingnoring the hours of skill, labor, training, exprience, care, and personality that go into the making of a great blade. I SHOULD be able to evaluate and value finely crafted hand made knifes for the intangables too, as well as the physical beauty, and not just the cost. I'm guilty of being very short sighted and lacking an appreciation for everything that a handmade custom knife represents.
 
Damn Gramps, would ya' knock off the back pedalin'? Ya' brought up a worthwhile topic of debate and a few points worth considering, (albeit in a unique sorta way)

I can't speak for no one but myself, but ya' ain' done nuthin' ta' piss in my breakfast cereal.

On a bit of a sub topic though...I'm not sure whether or not it's merely my own changing perceptions or not here, so I could be wrong, but...

It seems like I'm seein' more an' more of a trend with folks switchin' from "tactical" to more traditional in thier knife tastes. It also seems like there's more folks becoming interested in thinner bladed, efficient cutting fixed blades over the nuke proof prybars that have been popular for so long.
 
Well you know ...people buy knives for different reasons....and I forgot about that... not to mention that those people who make custom knives have a lot of skill and put themselves into their work...I wouldn't want to dishonor their labor and craftsmanship by implying that price has much to do with ownership. You know, just because I'm an old fart I don't have to think like one ...as my wife reminds me ! I need to clear that up because I mostly respect and get a kick out all who post here.
So that leads somewhere into your point.....what's the blade going to be used for...what niche is its creation intended to fill. A slicer, a slasher, a plunger, a chopper, a "looker", a collectable, a user ...and any or all of the above. I read reviews on this forum of very expensive ( and very handsome ) heavy duty choppers that stop me in my tracks... and I'm thinkin'" boy I'd never need anything like that !" I can't even get my hand around the handle... my knukle joints are so stiff some days.....But some people love these..... craftsman spend hours designing, heat treating, and grinding their blades to cut like a buzz saw. Me, I would rather have a 3-4" Dozier utility that combines beauty with practicality. But whose definition of practical should get used ?.....and why just use "practical" as the criteria for ownership. I like small handy slicers and pocket cutters because that's mostly what I use my knives for. However that shouldn't preclude me from admiring tools I would never use. Don't fool yourself there are plenty of people on this forum who go in for those expensive, beautiful, hefty all terrain jobs.....and I really enjoy reading their reviews of them and the pictures of them that they post.
Just look on the Exchange Forum......monster blades are being passed back and forth like 12 year olds trade baseball cards. ( Do 12 year olds still even buy baseball trading cards....shows you how dated I am ! ).
 
Originally posted by Professor
...but the flip side of the coin is that anything less fit-and-finish-wise than my small Sebenza ain't getting pocket time.
Just my humble philosophy. :)

Professor.
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Like a Benchmade 705 Forum Knife! :D I got to play with Pete's small Sebenza and I don't see the attraction. Yes, it is a very well made product with excellent customer service, but I think it is a $200 knife and not a $300 knife. This is just my opinion and besides I'm very happy with my Benchmade 705. You are in part to blame for my attraction to the little 705 Professor. :D
 
There is plenty of room for all types of knives in our little obsession in fact in my pocket right this minute is a $200 knife and a $15 knife. I couldn't make up my mind this morning.:) If it puts a smile on your face that's all that matters.
 
Part of this is an illusion. You get an unrealistic representation of what's selling in the knife world here because this is a site for aficionados and fanatics, so it appears that these fancy models are all anyone wants, but I know many avid hunters who are not knife nuts and are satisfied to skin their deer with Bucks or Master Hunters, and have never heard of Dozier, Simonich, or any of these others, and wouldn't dream of spending so much when what they have now works "just fine".

How about those guys who still carry Stockmen around. I never would. The steel is crap and they don't lock, but to those guys, they're fine.

I don't think Bladeforums represents the real world. People here aren't satisfied with "just fine". They want the best, and can afford it, seemingly.
 
Gramps: I too grew up with those inexpensive, effective tools you talk about, and have loved knives as long as I can remember. I remember as a kid when some of my hard-earned money (from picking cotton at $2.00 per 100 pounds) always went to buy a cheap Japanese fixed blade which I invarably destroyed either by heavy use or by throwing. I am 57 years old, grew up in a rural/farming community and have done all of those things you mentioned.

Now I am a retired electrical engineer whose 21 year old daughter lies in a nursing home with brain damage from a hit and run driver who was never caught. I spend all of my retirement days with her to provide mental stimulation and to perform physical therapy in an effort to help her recover as fully as possible. I have not been in my beloved outdoors in nearly a year since she was hit.

In the last year I have bought nine of those expensive Busses you refer to. My wife is fully supportive of my knife interest and recognizes it for what it is - a recreation, a therapy, and a substitute for my past outdoor activities. Each knife is bought with a specific purpose and anticipated use in mind. It is in effect a promise to myself of what I will do in the future if circumstances permit.

I am fully aware of what they cost. I check the forums each morning and afternoon to see what is available, and fully intend to buy more.
To me at this time and for this purpose they are worth every penny, and I have no guilt and no regrets about acquiring them.
 
Hey Mike....there arn't any words to say how sorry I am to learn of your family's tragedy. Maybe there is something greater a man can get from the kind of daily devotion that a father shows to a very ill daughter than the rest of us can ever hope to get by being in the great outdoors. Expensive knives are not really the issue here are they....its really all about what a man needs to do and is called by GOD to do, one day at time. To me , your a real hero......and I've been narrow minded before ...and I'll be narrow minded again ..sooner than later...but I do wish you and your family all the best . It sure makes sense to me that you would keep buying yourself those knives....those promises...one day ....one knife...at a time ! All the best Mike.
 
Gramps the logic of it is simple for me..

I am 39..I make six figures a year..and I have disposable income..thus I like to buy expensive knives..Its not because I do not think that less expensive knives are any less the tool that they are for the working man..for when I stood behind a shovel 20 some years ago..I carried a $30 Gerber LST in my pocket...and used it everyday..Today I have a sebenza..but the use is the same..its no big deal for me..and I am like mike..its recreation..a few months ago..I decided to clean out a few shelves on the safe and sold around $8000 worth of knives on this forum..with that money I bought plane tickets to Hilton head for my entire family for vacation, A fishing boat to spend time with my kid fishing on my pond. A tandem to ride with my wife. and a few more knives..but the sebenza still is in my pocket..to each his own..

with regards to self defense I have always thought it was irresponsible of the knife industry to give macho names like "the terminator" or Close Quarter Combat..to name the knife..the closest I came to combat with a knife was wrestling a peice of electronic equipment out of some bubble wrap...
 
Ren..I'm not a rich man ,but I have luckily never wanted for much in my life time. I usually get what I need and often what I want. When I was MUCH younger my dad's Parkinson's got bad and I quit school to come home and run the family business we owned. I worked hard all summer, the business flourished, and I decided to pay myself a small salary, take a bit of the profits, and buy an inexpensive car so I did't have to walk every where off duty. I found a beauty, good milage , a little sporty...and well, I fell in love with it. I paid cash.....shockingly little even for that time. Long story short, my dad found out, blew his stack, gave me a lecture about money and the difference between "need" and "want"....and told me to sell the car back in no uncertain terms because we lived in a rural town and I could walk where ever I needed to go! I think ever since that day, before I make a big purchase his lecture still echoes in my subconscience. It's this character flaw that sometimes prevents me from getting beyond the question " do I really need this? ", or "will I really uses this? " I loved my dad.....but the best I could do was try not to pass that philosophy on to my chidren. But unfortuately I often can't see beyond my own limitations. It's a generational thing....being too practical !
 
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