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Why are esee knives so expensive?

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m0sfet

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Aug 25, 2013
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They are made of relatively cheap 1095 steel for pig's sake. What am I missing?
 
Because they are amazing quality...

And even if you cut one if half with a saw, you can send it in for a free replacement. What better warranty can you ask for?

You are missing:

The warranty.
The made-in-USA aspect.
The handle material (Micarta or G10).
The overall fit & finish.
The quality of the heat treat.
The design.
 
They're not expensive as far as their many, many rabid fans are concerned. And while I'm not a rabid fan, I don't view them as particularly expensive either. Do you have some price point at which you consider a knife expensive? Maybe yours is different than most...which is fine!
 
Because it is really well done 1095, put into a really well designed knife with an excellent warranty.
 
m0sfet said:
They are made of relatively cheap 1095 steel for pig's sake. What am I missing?
Click to expand...



most steels are dirt cheap, when calculated per knife pound/kg.
Even s30v and other premium steels are cheap.
 
I see, so the good warranty is what people are paying for. Is that the real answer?
 
Yes, try making a comparable knife yourself with the same specs./heat treat/everything.

Then come complain to us about how much it costs!
 
m0sfet said:
I see, so the good warranty is what people are paying for. Is that the real answer?
Click to expand...

Yes, plus this:

The made-in-USA aspect.
The handle material (Micarta or G10).
The overall fit & finish.
The quality of the heat treat.
The design.

The ammount of steel used in a $8,000 custom is probably worth about $50.
 
While I am by no means an expert on that company's business decision making I would hazard a guess that their pricing has something to do with the following:
1. Cost of business. Esee products are to the best of my knowledge made in the USA, not outsourced to cheaper overseas factories. That immediately brings a whole lot of costs into play, from machinery and facilities to wages, leave burdens, insurances and taxes.
2. Their quality is high and their warranty is excellent. This too comes with a dollar value attached.
3. Pricing structure. It is possible that Esee could sell knives at lower price points and compete on price with far inferior products. That would be a bad idea. They don't need to try to compete on price because their product is superior and I daresay their products sell jst fine at the current prices.

Personally I don't really think their products are overpriced by the company at all. From what I have seen they are good value for money.
 
Take a Becker BK16. $80CAN. Replace crappy cheap plasticky slick grivory scales with linen micarta scales like the ESEE. They cost $45CAN. You are now at $125CAN. Spend time, gas, and money to make a special trip to the hardware store to buy longer torx screws to attach those micarta scales to the knife. Becker does not supply longer torx screws with their optional micarta scales. Go figure. So, add $5? You are now at $130 plus time and effort. Replace the pedestrian cordura sheath with a top quality kydex sheath like the ESEE. Aftermarket, of course. Minimum $45CAN, plus, of course, S&H. Say $50CAN? You are now at $180CAN. Then look at the blade coating finish. The ESEE's is high quality and durable. The Becker's is not. The mathematics speak for themselves.
 
If you are looking for a good quality knife for about $40 less, look at the Becker lineup. Their warranty isn't quite as good, but the knives are still pretty awesome.
 
In my estimation, ESEEs are actually a lot less expensive than some bushcraft/camp knife options. As Spyderco touched on, they are well made, and for some (ok, many, as I'm one of them) that warranty is a big deal. Not many companies stand behind their product to that level or to that length.

And speaking of expense, most of the regular ESEE knives cost less than a mid-level folder will.
 
Because it takes a lot of time to turn a piece of steel into a knife. Wait, they're not building each knife from scratch so I don't know why they would be so expensive. Maybe because people will pay it to say they own an ESEE?
 
Blackie Scantling said:
Because it takes a lot of time to turn a piece of steel into a knife. Wait, they're not building each knife from scratch so I don't know why they would be so expensive. Maybe because people will pay it to say they own an ESEE?
Click to expand...

Try to make one yourself. Then you'll see how much work it takes.

The second part of your post is truer with Stiders, Hinderers, and CRKs. ESEEs are simply hard-use knives with a great warranty, quality materials, and made right here in the good ol' USA, too.
 
Blackie Scantling said:
Because it takes a lot of time to turn a piece of steel into a knife. Wait, they're not building each knife from scratch so I don't know why they would be so expensive. Maybe because people will pay it to say they own an ESEE?
Click to expand...

So, where are all the USA made knives with Kydex sheaths and excellent ergonomics which cost so much less?

I haven't seen them.

As for the "pride" of saying you own a particular brand, guess what? When it comes to knives that's a waste, because 99.99% or so of the entire population couldn't care less...you end up impressing no one.
So that cannot really be put forth as the reason pretty much any knife costs what it does.
 
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