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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Why choose/carry budget knives?
- Thread starter mlanghornes
- Start date
Rip Gut Tactical
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Maybe because the economy is still in a $h1t hole and gas prices are ridiculously high and I have to pay bills and have other priorities before spending hard earned cash on cutting tools.
My cheapies carry better than my more expensive models. If my more expensive folding knives were better suited for EDC, I'd carry them. Personally, the ZT 0560 is probably my favorite folding knife... for me, though, it makes for a terrible edc blade. It's just too big in pocket. I like to be able to get at the other items in my pocket without difficulties stemming from getting past my edc knife...
discomonkey32
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- Mar 1, 2012
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I have a few custom/high ends which I hardly carry. I have a mini grip with custom scales, ti clip, and ti thumb stud which I carry more than my high ends. Then, I also have a lionsteel opera mini (g10) which I carry nearly everyday. I carry the cheapest knife when I don't know what my day will bring. I carry the custom grip when I know I will need a reliable tool. And I carry my high ends to say "hey, my knife is better than yours"...JK. I just see customs like I see my katana, its eye-candy first, and functional second.
Rip Gut Tactical
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anything over the $200 range I would rather buy firearms/ammo.
Up till yesterday my most expensive knife I paid for was $25, than I just spent $100 on a Mule Team 18 (s110v) and another $50 on a damascus skyline preorder. Guess what I doubt the Mule Team knife will knock out my current favorite knives out of my rotation, as for the skyline it might join them as my new favorite one hand folder next to my 2 other favorites a $7 Wenger Patriot and $10 Rough Rider Canoe. At the end of the day I know how to sharpen my knives and I consider it a hobby so the edge retention of higher end steels doesn't matter to me. And in day to day EDC tasks even the steel in the SAK or the 440a in the Rough Rider won't dull so as far as I am concern as long as it's a quality made knife I am good for the most part.
And lets be honest price has no effect on performance of a knife. My lowly Opinel slices up cardboard like it was nothing which is what my knives typically do, the knife is just well designed and suits that task very well. I could spend hundreds of dollars on a custom and it doesn't guarantee me that it will even match that performance. I don't need edge retention of supersteels in day to day tasks, I am not OCD about fit/finish, and I am actually not a fan of a lot of the higher end handle materials some knives use. So I find it hard to drop a lot of money on a knife when a cheap knife will meet all my needs.
Those 2 knives I mentioned earlier the skyline and mule team were 2x and 4x out of my comfort zone in how much I paid. The skyline I just regretted not buying years ago, and I had a feeling I could sell the mule team for roughly the same price if I didn't like it or needed the cash again. And I will own up that the Mule Team was an impulse buy when I saw the "add to cart" option on the website because I know I would have probably never owned a knife with that high end of a blade steel and I wanted to test it out in terms of how wear resistant a knife can be, my sharpening skill, and that blade shape. Realistically there's a 50/50 chance whether I keep that knife or sell it after I test it out because I don't see it becoming an EDC.
And lets be honest price has no effect on performance of a knife. My lowly Opinel slices up cardboard like it was nothing which is what my knives typically do, the knife is just well designed and suits that task very well. I could spend hundreds of dollars on a custom and it doesn't guarantee me that it will even match that performance. I don't need edge retention of supersteels in day to day tasks, I am not OCD about fit/finish, and I am actually not a fan of a lot of the higher end handle materials some knives use. So I find it hard to drop a lot of money on a knife when a cheap knife will meet all my needs.
Those 2 knives I mentioned earlier the skyline and mule team were 2x and 4x out of my comfort zone in how much I paid. The skyline I just regretted not buying years ago, and I had a feeling I could sell the mule team for roughly the same price if I didn't like it or needed the cash again. And I will own up that the Mule Team was an impulse buy when I saw the "add to cart" option on the website because I know I would have probably never owned a knife with that high end of a blade steel and I wanted to test it out in terms of how wear resistant a knife can be, my sharpening skill, and that blade shape. Realistically there's a 50/50 chance whether I keep that knife or sell it after I test it out because I don't see it becoming an EDC.
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Because they are often excellent knives. Don't be under the mistaken belief you must spend big bucks to buy quality. I rarely pay over $20 for a knife and extremely rarely over $30.
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- Joined
- Apr 4, 2007
- Messages
- 8,578
I carry everything from a $30 CRKT to a $700 Begg FG bodega with all sorts of knives in between. For me even if I have a super nice knife, I may find myself in a situation where I wont want to use a very expensive knife and risk damaging it. I also avoid carrying my high end knives if I feel there is a risk of losing it. .
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- Apr 4, 2013
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I have knives from a large price range, from ~$25 all the way up to a couple hundred dollar spyderco's & Benchmade's. When I wake up in the morning and think about what knives to carry that day the price of the knife has zero influence in my decision. Now if I'm going to do some job I have a high likelihood of loosing a knife then I'll pick a cheaper one, but other than that I choose my knives based on merit and personal preference, not cost.
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2005
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- 2,892
I like well made knives, price is a secondary concern. Some affordable knives are really good, and sometimes have a particular style that appeals to me. What I don't like are cheap copies of more expensive knives, or knives whose only good feature is a low price.
Usually my "budget" knives are traditional designs, like an Opinel or a CV Case. For some reason I like my modern folders to have premium stainless steel blades and other features that makes them more expensive, I've got inexpensive modern folders like the Tenacious or American Lawman but I can't remember the last time I carried them.
I carry whatever I think will fulfil my cutting needs for the day and whatever my mood dictates. I can carry a Douk-Douk today and an expensive custom tomorrow, I enjoy both on different levels.
Reliable budget knives are also great if you travel a lot, sometimes risking loss or theft (especially in some of the countries I travel through). I've had SAKs and Leatherman tools stolen from my luggage, I wasn't happy but it was easy to replace them.
It's a very personal matter. Some folks just love getting a good value knife that they can use everyday, even though they can afford something more sofisticated. My dad is like that. He's well off and owns many nice knives, but he keeps using a SAK or Opinel for most of his activities and keeps the rest NIB. Other people, like a good mate of mine, only enjoy using knives that they designed and had made to order. That's the beauty of the knife hobby, there are plenty of choices for all of us.
Usually my "budget" knives are traditional designs, like an Opinel or a CV Case. For some reason I like my modern folders to have premium stainless steel blades and other features that makes them more expensive, I've got inexpensive modern folders like the Tenacious or American Lawman but I can't remember the last time I carried them.
I carry whatever I think will fulfil my cutting needs for the day and whatever my mood dictates. I can carry a Douk-Douk today and an expensive custom tomorrow, I enjoy both on different levels.
Reliable budget knives are also great if you travel a lot, sometimes risking loss or theft (especially in some of the countries I travel through). I've had SAKs and Leatherman tools stolen from my luggage, I wasn't happy but it was easy to replace them.
It's a very personal matter. Some folks just love getting a good value knife that they can use everyday, even though they can afford something more sofisticated. My dad is like that. He's well off and owns many nice knives, but he keeps using a SAK or Opinel for most of his activities and keeps the rest NIB. Other people, like a good mate of mine, only enjoy using knives that they designed and had made to order. That's the beauty of the knife hobby, there are plenty of choices for all of us.
I will carry anything on most any day. For the fun of it occasionally I'll EDC a Rat 2 every once in a while just because it cuts so well and is very ergonomic. If I'm going to be traveling off to a jobsite for an extended period of time, my carry consists of pretty much strictly Delicas, Enduras, and Griptilians because they're reliable, and it's not a huge deal if one gets lost, left behind, stolen, etc. I also believe in keeping some reliable, relatively inexpensive knives in the truck for days when I could only be carrying a small, expensive, light duty gentleman's folder and I find myself stranded somewhere and need some heavy duty cutting tools.
My knife needs on 99.9% of my days are, at most, minimal to nonexistent. But I like knives, so I carry one when I can. So my choice for knife-of-the-day has little or nothing to do with use. Just preference or mood or whim. And I don't own or carry knives with values much above $250 for the same reason I don't wear a Rolex and prefer my Swiss Army watch: a combination of lack of need and fear of damage or loss. So some days it's a Ka-Bar Dozier Hunter in my pocket or an Enlan, and other days it's a Benchmade 940 or Spyderco Para 2 or ZT 560 (probably my most expensive knife). It just -- for my tastes -- won't be a Sebenza or Strider.
FLymon
Gold Member
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- Aug 23, 2006
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- 4,730
While there is a limit as to what I will (can) spend on a knife, there is no floor.
How I feel about a knife and weather or not I will carry/use it has little to do with price, assuming I can afford it in the first place. I 'collect' pocket knives, but I am not running a museum. If I don't ever carry something I will eventually sell/trade or give it away.
How I feel about a knife and weather or not I will carry/use it has little to do with price, assuming I can afford it in the first place. I 'collect' pocket knives, but I am not running a museum. If I don't ever carry something I will eventually sell/trade or give it away.
Because they work.
Because we the people on this knife site are very obsessed by our hobby of knives, we tend to be very blinded by the simple fact that, we don't need a 300 dollar knife to get things cut. Nor do we need a 100 dollar knife. In fact, a great deal of the rest of the world seems to get by very nicely with knives that most here would turn their noses up at. Knives like Douk-Douk's, Opinel's, Mercators, old rusty Schrade Old Timer jacks, and bargain basement level SAK's like Victorinox recruits. Somehow people from all walks of life go to work, come home and fix dinner with 3.99 kitchen knives from a big box store.
I went through my high end knives era. Once upon a time I though my little collection of Randall knives were the cat's meow. Going hunting? I was sure to have my Randall bird and trout knife on my hip. Did a great job on everything up to and including white tail. Going backpacking? My Randall 14 was up to anything I though I'd encounter in my wildest Walter Mitty day dreams.
But as time went on, and I lived long enough to gain some real world experience, I got to see the other side. Friends and co-workers who did not share my obsession about knives, seemed to get that opening day buck field dressed, or that stringer of fish cleaned, or even that piece of rope cut, with very common low budget knives. It's like being a watch nut, or car not, or any other obsessed snob. The car guy things he needs a 50K hot rod to just go to the store or beach, while the non car guy is happy his Toyota runs so well and he goes anywhere he wants. The watch guy thinks he needs thousands of dollars of Rolex on his wrist while the non watch guy is happy with his Timex Expedition.
I've long since lost my appreciation of the high end stuff, and the money from the Randall's when I sold them off let me and the better half do a month long camping trip around the county to all the big National Parks. memories that will last a lifetime, of waking up and finding a herd of elk grazing by our tent.
Now for the past 20 years I've used just the budget cutlery. Somehow I'be been camping, fishing, traveling, and gardening, with budget cutlery and they work just fine. Come on, do you really think that piece of twine you cut, or the box you opened cows the difference between a budget blade or a high end one. When you get right down to it, any decent well sharpened blade will cut. You don't really need an expensive knife. It's a want, because of our obsession as knife nuts that we spend what we do on knives. But keep in mind, we, the afflicted knife nuts, make up probably less than 1% of the general populace. The rest of the world doesn't care or even take notice what is stamped on the blade of whatever they use to make dinner with. Heck, most of the rest of the world does not even carry a knife at all. Just like the vast bulk of stuff signed these days are signed with a Bic or Papermate and not a expensive collector pen.
It's okay to like the high end stuff. Just fine. But don't get your nose too high in the air, because you're just exercising a want vs need. To the rest of the world, we the knife nuts are the weird ones. There's probably more real work being done with an Opinel or a SAK than any other three brands of high end one hand folders with a price tag higher than the regular working man makes in a week in some countries.
And then, there's the wonderful liberating feeling of carrying a knife that you can lean on, use like a better, and if it breaks, you can buy another at the next big box store, or get online for less than the price of a couple of beers at your local pub.
A little snobbery is not bad, and it's good to take pride in what you have. But never loose sight of the real world.
Because we the people on this knife site are very obsessed by our hobby of knives, we tend to be very blinded by the simple fact that, we don't need a 300 dollar knife to get things cut. Nor do we need a 100 dollar knife. In fact, a great deal of the rest of the world seems to get by very nicely with knives that most here would turn their noses up at. Knives like Douk-Douk's, Opinel's, Mercators, old rusty Schrade Old Timer jacks, and bargain basement level SAK's like Victorinox recruits. Somehow people from all walks of life go to work, come home and fix dinner with 3.99 kitchen knives from a big box store.
I went through my high end knives era. Once upon a time I though my little collection of Randall knives were the cat's meow. Going hunting? I was sure to have my Randall bird and trout knife on my hip. Did a great job on everything up to and including white tail. Going backpacking? My Randall 14 was up to anything I though I'd encounter in my wildest Walter Mitty day dreams.
But as time went on, and I lived long enough to gain some real world experience, I got to see the other side. Friends and co-workers who did not share my obsession about knives, seemed to get that opening day buck field dressed, or that stringer of fish cleaned, or even that piece of rope cut, with very common low budget knives. It's like being a watch nut, or car not, or any other obsessed snob. The car guy things he needs a 50K hot rod to just go to the store or beach, while the non car guy is happy his Toyota runs so well and he goes anywhere he wants. The watch guy thinks he needs thousands of dollars of Rolex on his wrist while the non watch guy is happy with his Timex Expedition.
I've long since lost my appreciation of the high end stuff, and the money from the Randall's when I sold them off let me and the better half do a month long camping trip around the county to all the big National Parks. memories that will last a lifetime, of waking up and finding a herd of elk grazing by our tent.
Now for the past 20 years I've used just the budget cutlery. Somehow I'be been camping, fishing, traveling, and gardening, with budget cutlery and they work just fine. Come on, do you really think that piece of twine you cut, or the box you opened cows the difference between a budget blade or a high end one. When you get right down to it, any decent well sharpened blade will cut. You don't really need an expensive knife. It's a want, because of our obsession as knife nuts that we spend what we do on knives. But keep in mind, we, the afflicted knife nuts, make up probably less than 1% of the general populace. The rest of the world doesn't care or even take notice what is stamped on the blade of whatever they use to make dinner with. Heck, most of the rest of the world does not even carry a knife at all. Just like the vast bulk of stuff signed these days are signed with a Bic or Papermate and not a expensive collector pen.
It's okay to like the high end stuff. Just fine. But don't get your nose too high in the air, because you're just exercising a want vs need. To the rest of the world, we the knife nuts are the weird ones. There's probably more real work being done with an Opinel or a SAK than any other three brands of high end one hand folders with a price tag higher than the regular working man makes in a week in some countries.
And then, there's the wonderful liberating feeling of carrying a knife that you can lean on, use like a better, and if it breaks, you can buy another at the next big box store, or get online for less than the price of a couple of beers at your local pub.
A little snobbery is not bad, and it's good to take pride in what you have. But never loose sight of the real world.
paulhilborn
Gold Member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2006
- Messages
- 14,455
I did the whole "Trade up" thing and was obsessed to to enter the "High End" knife market. I'm one that appreciates quality. Once there I enjoyed the knives I had but eventually sold all of my "High End" knives. Then my knife interests took another avenue, for me a simpler one.
I've always appreciated a knife that took a sharp edge. My favorite steel is 1095 and it's ability to be brought back to sharp has always intrigued me. I find that so many of the "Budget" or "Basic" knives available are carbon type steels, (many not all). So that's where my interest are these days---Basic, Bargain and Sharp.
Me wanting to portray an impressive image would never be very impressive---really you should see me
Paul
I've always appreciated a knife that took a sharp edge. My favorite steel is 1095 and it's ability to be brought back to sharp has always intrigued me. I find that so many of the "Budget" or "Basic" knives available are carbon type steels, (many not all). So that's where my interest are these days---Basic, Bargain and Sharp.
Me wanting to portray an impressive image would never be very impressive---really you should see me
Paul
So far, I don't own anything that many people here would deem expensive; the most I've paid for a knife so far is $117. However, I have just as much appreciation for my $20 folders as I do the more costly ones, especially the ones that are quality pieces for the money, like the Chinese Kershaws and Spydercos. I enjoy carrying them just as much as the Benchmades I have. It just boils down to variety, I suppose.
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2013
- Messages
- 2,574
I like to carry good tools, but I won't spend so much money on a knife tat I can't replace it.
If I have been only looking for "basic" knives duties I will have kept to SAK and opinel.
They are very good quality at an affordable cost.
It happens that I started to use knifes for some tasks those were not well adapted... I missed more robust stell and locking systems, one hand opening solutions, etc....
For this reason I started to look at american semi-tactical knives.
But again as I am not the "collection-kind-of-guy" I have decided to go for the best quality at prices that were fine for me.
I am interested in sprint runs, more for what they can offer me than for a colleciton purpose.
I will be sad to have a tool and not to use it....
If I have been only looking for "basic" knives duties I will have kept to SAK and opinel.
They are very good quality at an affordable cost.
It happens that I started to use knifes for some tasks those were not well adapted... I missed more robust stell and locking systems, one hand opening solutions, etc....
For this reason I started to look at american semi-tactical knives.
But again as I am not the "collection-kind-of-guy" I have decided to go for the best quality at prices that were fine for me.
I am interested in sprint runs, more for what they can offer me than for a colleciton purpose.
I will be sad to have a tool and not to use it....