Why Do People Use Cheap Blades?

Where I work we get visited weekly by a sales guy. He visits for whatever time he has (and whatever time we have to talk to him). He knows I'm a knife nut and pulled me aside one day to ask about the Cutlery Corner show that airs late at night. He told me that he was really thinking about ordering their huge package where you get the knives for something like a buck apiece on average. I told him my honest opinion. If you feel like you can sell them on your route (knives have nothing to do with what he professionally sells, he was thinking about off-the-record individual sales) then hey, this is America. Do what you want. Earl Tupper built and empire selling Tupperware. Who knows?

But I also pointed out that you're gonna have to see these people week after week. The freakshow that is Cutlery Corner doesn't have to look their customers directly in the eye a month after the sale. You do. Plus you have to sell these people what you're ACTUALLY there to sell them. Never forget that. They're gonna remember the crappy blade you sold them when it comes time to restock the parts cabinet. A much better idea would be for him to go ahead and order the Cutlery Corner package and give the pieces away around Christmas time instead calendars like everybody else gives out. That way he could claim it as an expense and the people he sells product to would appreciate a gift, no matter how cheapish it may be. As far as I know he didn't order the stuff.

On a side note, a local western store recently changed hands (the father-in-law sold it to the kids) and they didn't see any sense in having a bunch of "plastic" knives in their showcase sitting next to all that pretty bone and stag. So they blew out the Ladybugs and Jesters at a screaming deal. I literally walked out of there with a sack full of forest green ladybugs, but I digress... When I got back to my place of employment and showed off my score, one of my co-workers basically said I'd been ripped off. He just couldn't believe I'd paid fifteen bucks apiece for "gas station knives". He'd seen those 1.99 ladybug knockoffs in the c-stores and assumed I had the same thing. I offered to sell him a ladybug AT COST and REFUND him in full if he wasn't completely satisfied after carrying and using it long enough to know if he'd like it. He said a knife that small is worthless anyway so he wasn't interested.

My other co-workers know about Spydercos and wanted to jump all over that deal. :)

I remember reading somewhere on these forums (years ago) that some young couple had a ladybug on the wife's keychain. They called it their "good" knife and used it for all kinds of demanding cutting chores.

You gotta use a good knife to appreciate one, and I suppose you gotta use a cheap knife to appreciate a good one also.
 
In many cases people don't know about all alternatives that exist.
But in most cases people buy and use cheap knives because for them they are more valuable than more expensive knives.

When buying a knife (of something else) person asks and answers a lot of questions in his/her mind. Each answer is scored on a scale that is known sometimes only to individual's subconsciousness.

How comfortable is the handle?
How easy is it to use?
How much I like the way it looks?
How easy will I be able to replace it, if I loose it?
How people friendly is it?
How strong is it?
How sharp is it?
How long will it stay sharp?
How much my wife will like my new purchase?
How much do I want to get this particular knife?

etc......... (There can be hundreds or thousands of those.)

Each product is evaluated and decision being made. One person can favor one factor, another person can favor another.

Here is an example:
Person is getting ready for a two day trip. He thinks he needs a knife for a trip, but he also thinks that there is a 95% chance that he will loose this knife of a trip. He goes to the store. There is a cheap crappy knife for $10, and an expensive quality brand knife for a $100. The answer to a question "How easy will I be able to replace it, if I loose it?" overweights everything else. He buys $10 and finds out that it is more than enough for his tasks and his wife likes it. Cheap knife presents a better value. Is this person cheap or stupid?

Different individuals can favors looks, comfort, materials, or many other factors.
 
Last edited:
Others might ask why people buy cheap cellphones, drive cheap cars, use cheap woodworking or automotive tools, or wear cheap clothing...

People have different priorities in life - for some people, a cheap knife performs all the tasks they need it to, so they have no reason to invest in a decent one. If it makes them happy, I don't see anything wrong with it, myself. Just my $.02
 
Using a knife is a subjective thing. I have some cheapos I bought early on, and I found that most of them needed constant sharpening. Some were a bit loose, but losing the edge was the worst part. Still, most of them cut well enough to be functional.

Fortunately, there are great intermediate knives like Cold Steel, Spyderco, CRKT and others. But I'd never pay $350 for a pocket knife because I'd buy a used .357 instead. Or I'd buy ammunition.

But a folding knife? No way. In a societal meltdown, what use would an expensive little knife have?

Ah, you say, but we don't live in a post-apocalyptic world! Maybe not, but I'll still take my Cold Steel Voyager 4-inch over an expensive titanium-handled folder. So I spend more time wondering why people spend so much for expensive folders.

I've seen some S&W folders that were made to sell for $85 that ended up being sold for $5 apiece through Smoky Mountain Knife Works, and they're built well, are tight and perform flawlessly. But because they have the S&W brand on them, people just assume they're all junk. I also bought a bunch of CRKT S-2s (4-inch ATS-34 blades with titanium grips) for $25 apiece, including shipping), so it's easy to find good deals if you're patient and look around. So there's no reason to overdo it either way.
 
Well, you have to consider, the majority of cutting tasks the world over, throughout history, is and has been done with blades that most of us would call less then optimum.

Blades of undefined steel, never get to shaving sharp, much less atom slicing sharp...knives with wood handles, uneven grinds, blades that rust, chip, break.

Now certainly their are exceptions, but its just that, exceptions. And definetly, people shouldn't use really cheap knives when one can get decent fixed/folders that could last a lifetime with proper care for under 100 that would hande anything, but people do.


We are the minority, but most of us stop buying knives purely for use and for other reasons quickly. I spend money on knives I don't need, some people spend far far less on a knife or two and that's all they need.
 
tnt-user said:
I'm talking quality not price. Why do people use the knives that clearly wobble when "locked". mystery blade steel, dull as a rock. get what i'm saying? Why do they choose the $5-$20 knife.
...
Why do you think people use blade that are simple horrible?
Click to expand...

Bear Claw Chris Lappe said:
For the same reasons some folks drive economy cars and some drive a Lexus.

Some do it cause that's what they can afford, others because they are happy and can get by with cheaper stuff.
Click to expand...

powernoodle said:
I don't think its a matter of "they don't understand". Grownups can choose what they want. To me it seems that some folks just like using a blade as scraper, prybar, etc., with some cutting thrown in for good measure. And for them, a "low end" blade is just fine and dandy. Who am I to say that they are wrong?
Click to expand...

Best answers.

Mine:
Why do people use inexpensive knives? Because that's as much knife as they feel the need to have. It gets the job done for them. Heck, I'm happy anytime I see anyone carry ANY type of pocket knife.

Nobody put me in charge judging them by the standard of what works for me. they didn't put you in charge, either.
 
A tool should be worthy of the hand that holds it, and this is truest with knives. For when the lock on a cheap folder fails and the blade flies shut and takes off a finger, the emergency room bill will far exceed the price of a well made knife whose lock would have held.
 
it is probably that they either
1) dont care
2) or think they have a good knife
3) they are on a budget and think a $2 swap meet knife will do the job

when my friends ask how much my knife is and i tell them they usually cringe. but people have their interests. some people will pay a lot of money for stamps, video games, etc. now for them that is great but i would never spend money on it.
 
powernoodle said:
I don't think its a matter of "they don't understand". Grownups can choose what they want. To me it seems that some folks just like using a blade as scraper, prybar, etc., with some cutting thrown in for good measure. And for them, a "low end" blade is just fine and dandy. Who am I to say that they are wrong?

:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Great answer. Spot on.

RED highlight added by me as the most important part of the post. I don't believe everyone that doesn't agree with my philosophy and buying habits are idiots. I also don't waste my time wondering why others aren't like me.

Robert
 
As a friend of mine often says, "The joy of low price is quickly forgotten amist the bitter dissappointment of low quality."

Or, as my sainted father used to say, "Buy quality and you'll only cry once."

I've found the truth of these two adages many times. Often, I have been lulled in by a low price, gloated to myself about how much I'd saved, and then, some time later, found myself cursing at this cheap piece of <explicative deleted> as I angerly threw what was left of it into the trash and got my wallet and keys to go back to the store and buy the good one, the one I should have bought in the first place.

Very often, this takes the form of, "I'm only going to use this <insert object name here> once, so I'll just get the cheap one. It'll be good enough." First, it doesn't do a good job and I end up spending more time and am still dissappointed at the results. Then, it's just inevitable that I'll need to do the exact same job again later, and again, and again. Sometimes, I find that owning the very best tool to do an unpleasant job is the magic charm that protects you from having to do that job.

I have found, though, overall, that quality things, while often more expensive to initially acquire, end up having the lowest overall cost of ownership; they end up being the best bargain overall.

Some of this insanity results from our culture which increasingly judges a person's value by how many things he owns, not by their quality. So, to get a lot of things fast, we buy cheap stuff. Our goal is to get as many things for our dollars as possible. This is why we often turn to cheap, imported goods.
 
The word cheap is throwing me off. I use a SAK (valued at $20) for most things in camping and my personal life because it does a great job, is easy to sharpen, and doesn't cost much if I loose it. I also own a Sebenza and several other knives worth over $200 that I use for bush craft, preparing food and hunting.

I don't consider SAK's cheap but they are less expensive than most of my other knives. The bottom line is I appreciate a good quality knife that is able to perform its intended functions.
 
People buy cheap inexpensive knives because they don't know that there are quality inexpensive knives available in their price range. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a nice knife--you just have to know what to look for and where to look for them. Most folks aren't into it enough to do that.
 
A knife is used to cut stuff. Cheap crappy knives can do this wll enough for most people. My mom carried a cheap piece of crap for years and it did everything she needed it to do. She cut open fruit, bread, etc. Would it have been worth it for her to buy a 100 buck folder? Probably would have made a difference.

I like a good quality blade, because I love knives. Most people don't, so i wouldnt expect them to fork out a lot for them. You dont need a strong lock for cutting string, or your nails. 95% of people get buy without a pocket knife, so I think people that use any knife have an edge out there--excuse the pun:P
 
goodeyesniper said:
Then again, I'd bring my Opinel to work if I wasn't almost always in gloves. Not a glove friendly knife, that one. And I guess that's a "cheap" knife. However that's the old school kind of cheap, made to just work. New, taiwanese cheap is made to look a certain way, no matter how poorly it might work.
Click to expand...

Yep, there is definitely more than one version of 'cheap'!

I've bought a few cheap blades recently and I really like them:
Opinel #4
Opinel #6
Opinel #8 (Stainless blade, Walnut handle)
Opinel #9
Mora Carbon Craftsman
Mora Stainless Clipper
Ontario Rat-1 (One handed locking folder for $26)

So why do people buy and use junk? Because they are not aware of the brilliant options that I have listed above! All that I listed are cheap, none are junk!

BTW: for a gloves friendly knife that doesn't cost much - it is hard to beat a Mora (if you can get away with a fixed blade).
 
atleast the reason I do it is becasue I can't afford anything better.
even if I could afford it I woudn't buy a knife much over the £150 mark, because I can't see the point, when I can get a knife which will do pretty much the same job, and last me as long, for a lower price.

don't get me wrong, I have seen very expensive knives that have made me go "wow" and equaly expensive knives that are the sharp pointy equivilant of a very well made tank. but I just don't think that I personally would ever be able to justify the expense, considering the purpose I buy knives for (I.e. mid level use, too rough for very pretty knives, but nowhere near rough enough to justify, say, a busse)
 
Gollnick said:
As a friend of mine often says, "The joy of low price is quickly forgotten amist the bitter dissappointment of low quality."

Or, as my sainted father used to say, "Buy quality and you'll only cry once."

I've found the truth of these two adages many times. Often, I have been lulled in by a low price, gloated to myself about how much I'd saved, and then, some time later, found myself cursing at this cheap piece of <explicative deleted> as I angerly threw what was left of it into the trash and got my wallet and keys to go back to the store and buy the good one, the one I should have bought in the first place.

Very often, this takes the form of, "I'm only going to use this <insert object name here> once, so I'll just get the cheap one. It'll be good enough." First, it doesn't do a good job and I end up spending more time and am still dissappointed at the results. Then, it's just inevitable that I'll need to do the exact same job again later, and again, and again. Sometimes, I find that owning the very best tool to do an unpleasant job is the magic charm that protects you from having to do that job.

I have found, though, overall, that quality things, while often more expensive to initially acquire, end up having the lowest overall cost of ownership; they end up being the best bargain overall.

Some of this insanity results from our culture which increasingly judges a person's value by how many things he owns, not by their quality. So, to get a lot of things fast, we buy cheap stuff. Our goal is to get as many things for our dollars as possible. This is why we often turn to cheap, imported goods.
Click to expand...


That was spot on. :thumbup:
 
Yep, for light and occasional use, a cheap knockoff will work fine for most. Most folks don't care about the blade style, or the blade steel, or the maker, or the lock, or the grind. They just want the cutting job done.

Heck, most of the cutting I do would be well-served by a $3 knock-off. But I wouldn't appreciate the tool doing the work. I can appreciate my Spydercos, SAKs and Sebenza, and that's where the "value" of such knives makes it worth in, IMHO.
 
Forget about steel--even iron is better than bronze, and look how long ancient cultures used that for knives! ;)

Our knives may work better, but cheap knives cut too. :p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top