Why Do People Use Cheap Blades?

shecky said:
See, I've been there. That's exactly why I don't get into expensive knives. A $300 knife is certainly nice. But it doesn't get you ten times the nice over a good $30 knife. The basics of knives are very mature technology. Among the oldest known to humanity. And about as simple and primal as can be. The extra money doesn't get you more knife. Usually, it gets you shinier things and a more sought after name. But not much more. Sometimes disappointingly little, once the facts are laid bare.
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I have to agree with shecky a hundred percent.

Just because a person uses a low cost knife is he to be looked down on by knife snobs?

A few years ago the better half and I had the chance to do a Costa Rica rain forest trip. In the 5 days we were hiking in the jungle, all the guides used blades that most on this forum would sneer at in their ingnorance. Cheap 12 inch Tranomtina machetes, and basic saks in a belt pouch. Yet each night, they made camp, did dinner, and many other things with a 10 dollar blade. As far as knife work goes, I'd be willing to bet they would work rings around some of the so called knife experts here who's sole clain to fame is that they are young and have money to burn on the overpriced trendy cutlery in the knife magazines. Our last night in the rain forest, I watched them butcher a pig for the pig roast, using nothing but a 12 inch machete. Did a cleaner job than many hunters with a custom skinner.

Most people use a cheap knife because they don't care, and they don't read the knife magazines, and they don't feel like spending more than 10 bucks on a knife when the Old Hickory butcher knife works just fine for them. They are not lookiing for bragging rights, they just want to cut something.

The fact is that many of the high dollar knives have nothing to do with cutting, but are for feeding ego's and letting some stuck up person have a reason to look down their nose at someone else. Snobbery is ugly, no matter how much you spend. That UPS box won't know if it was opened by a sebanza of a 12 dollar Victorinox pocket pal. But it gets opened.

Each to thier own. Some people need to grow up some.
 
jackknife said:
The fact is that many of the high dollar knives have nothing to do with cutting, but are for feeding ego's and letting some stuck up person have a reason to look down their nose at someone else. Snobbery is ugly, no matter how much you spend. That UPS box won't know if it was opened by a sebanza of a 12 dollar Victorinox pocket pal. But it gets opened.

Each to thier own. Some people need to grow up some.
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I posted in this forum earlier about someone I knew who just bought tons and tons of cheap knives. I didn't make fun of him because I own $400+ knives, and to feed my ego, believe me, I have much larger successes than spending money on a knife. I made fun of him, because his knives were absolute garbage, and the liner on his Shrade clip-hanger knife was about as thick as toilet paper.

I bought my knives because I appreciate high quality items in general. I bought a Chris Reeve knife, because the philosophy of his company coincides with my own personal philosophy--I appreciate and want to support it. I'd trust my life to my Chris Reeve knife, and I never fear that the lock will slip while I'm using the knife. with cheaper knives you may not have that luxury. with a decent blade steel, I don't have to worry about permanently damaging my edge by cutting up those UPS boxes. I don't have to worry about anything, because I know that the knife will outlast me. To me, $400 for a knife that will last a life time is a better value than a $10 knife that could potentially cut my fingers off.

I don't see why knives are any different than any other consumer good. people don't eat McDonalds every single day for every single meal, they strive for something better. does it make you a snob to buy USDA prime (or even choice) beef? it all will satisfy your appetite the same way. you might as well wear used clothes since they'll keep you warm and cover you up just the same. using that kind of logic, you can make the argument that anyone who owns anything that isn't completely mediocre is an ego-hungry snob.
 
They will never understand.... I have friends that carry the cheapo knives and I try to get them to look at a benchmade and spyderco and they see the price and say are you Crazy why would I pay that much for something I wont hardly use and might loose... And I said while at the shooting range with that same person I may be crazy but not as crazy as dropping over 2K on a 1911 that wont run as good as my 600 dollar SIG...
 
I keep a $10 wal-mart cheapie for business trips. If it gets ripped off out of my luggage, no sweat. I carry nicer blades the rest of the time.
 
midnight flyer said:
One man's ceiling is another man's floor.

An analogy:

Why do watch guys buy a Bulgari, Patek Phillipe, IWC, etc., when a Casio keeps better time and requires no maintenance? The don't like plastic bands, plastic faces, plastic buttons, and plastic crystals. They can afford the expenditure and the maintenance, and like the fact that not everyone has the same watch they do. Those watches are masterpieces of technology that can and are handed down through the generations, kind of like a great knife.

Why do Casio guys buy Casio? They are cheap, functional and work fine. Not a heritage watch (I am sure some here feel their Casio watches are just that, so no offense) but a solid piece of equipment that gets the job done. And if something happens to it during work or play, small loss.

There are a lot of other interests for other people like photography, coin collecting, skiing, and literally millions of others ( including money issues!! ) that take priority over the knife in their pocket.

Robert
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But Casio watches actually work well unike the cheapo piece of crap knife that won't get very sharp and when half ass sharp loses the edge right away.
 
Well I have been carrying NAVY brand knives for a couple months now and outside of the price there is nothing cheap about them. 3 are compression locks and one is a liner lock. I wouldn't use a knife that I did not consider safe to begin with and these little knives are about as strong of a locking folder as one could ask for. I keep saying it but the build quality is stellar and well done.

As for why folks use cheap knives it could be a myriad of reasons but I myself will use inexpensive knives but they work 100% of the time. keepem sharp
 
A cheap knife that's well made is as good as any high dollar knife when cutting something is needed. A $20 Byrd will perform almost as well as a $200 Production knife of your choosing.

The question is more between a poorly made knife and a well made knife. Doesn't matter what the price is. If a well made knife also has a cheap price, then you get the best of both worlds.

The extra price for a nicer handle material, better ergonomics, exotic blade steel, superb workmanship, where it's made, and the brand name, all these are extras we are willing to pay for. For me, these details make a difference, because I can appreciate them. I doubt 90% of folks that own a pocket knife would even notice these differences.

Unless a knife is unsafe, won't take a good edge, or doesn't fit your hands, then use it and keep it sharp.
 
I was at a small gun show yesterday (finally found a KelTec PF9 w/ pocket clip for a really good price) and every single knife that was there could probably be bought off the internet for less than 7 bucks. There was not one decent brand name there, mainly frost and cheaper. I think people just see that it has a handle and a blade and it might look "cool" and that is good enough for them. I doubt they know nicer knives even exist.

There was a 'knifemaker' there and I use that term very loosely. From what I could tell they were all kit knives. He had fixed blades and folders and I think he bought the blades and then put handles on them. The fit and finish was terrible. There were scratches on the blade from him working the handle and there were actually pieces missing from the liner material and G10 where it looked like he dropped it. Every single knife had some major flaw and I had to leave before I said something mean because it was comical.

It was like the flea market came to the gun show.
 
Shecky said:
See, I've been there. That's exactly why I don't get into expensive knives. A $300 knife is certainly nice. But it doesn't get you ten times the nice over a good $30 knife. The basics of knives are very mature technology. Among the oldest known to humanity. And about as simple and primal as can be. The extra money doesn't get you more knife. Usually, it gets you shinier things and a more sought after name. But not much more. Sometimes disappointingly little, once the facts are laid bare.
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That pretty much summed it up. A few months ago I bought a really cheap Sanrenmu knife (15 dollar), and it ASTOUNED me that is was better than half of my 'high-end' knives. I just love it. It's still sharp, used it for 2 months as EDC, mild cutting tasks.
 
My friends who are in construction and automobile repair destroy any knife they use within 6 months to a year. One or two of them have a nice 'Sunday go to meeting' knife, usually a Buck or a Case. They would love to carry knives as nice as some of the ones I carry but none of them can justify the price considering the inevitable outcome. They would rather get a $10 - $15 flea market knife that looks cool but can be used as they need to use it.
 
mmarkh said:
But Casio watches actually work well unike the cheapo piece of crap knife that won't get very sharp and when half ass sharp loses the edge right away.
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To clarify:

Cheap may or may not be crap. My Queen D2 Soddie was $23. Now that my friend is cheap. But still, I have no problems carrying that knife and actually love it. The D2 is fantastic and out performs some of my more expensive knives. It is not only a great knife, but very inexpensive.

My RAT1 folder was $26 when I bought it. $26!! That was cheap for any good knife, but so far, so good.... it is great. It has been in the job with me for about 3 months and is as good as when I bought it, although pretty scratched up. When I finish mauling this one on the job site, I will simply buy another, and certainly its cheap price is a factor.

I put Casio in those categories with my Queen and Ontario knives. Cheap to buy, but a good working value.

Now if you equate JUNK or TRASH with cheap or inexpensive, that's a different story. I don't know why people buy junk.

But then again, they don't understand why I had to have a JYD II, a Tyrade or a RAT 7 in D2. Or a Shallot in 110V. Or a $75 Queen Barlow. With shipping, those 5 knives alone cost +/- $500. Not having a lot of extra scratch, I understand that is a luxury to me, and understand that those knives are out of the reach (or priority) of a lot of guys I know. So they buy cheap knives like the RAT1, Buck 110 (another STEAL) or Queen soddie and beat them to death.

Back to where I was. One man's ceiling is another man's floor.

Since I don't rely on the knives of others, ( I usually have one in the pocket and one clipped to it ) I don't care what they carry or buy.

But I have to say that I do indeed respect someone that follows a budget and only buys what they can afford.

Robert
 
My Boss carries a $25 Schrade but has no problem plopping down $400 on a good Musky rod and reel. Priorities and perception.
 
cziv said:
For anyone who can read and disliked my remark, I respectfully disagree with shecky's opinion on $30 knives.

Freedom of speech and free exchange of opinions?
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Exchanging opinions is what I'm here for, to learn and share. But we can do that civilly without telling someone else their opinion is "baloney." :)
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
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There was a 'knifemaker' there and I use that term very loosely. From what I could tell they were all kit knives. He had fixed blades and folders and I think he bought the blades and then put handles on them. The fit and finish was terrible. There were scratches on the blade from him working the handle and there were actually pieces missing from the liner material and G10 where it looked like he dropped it. Every single knife had some major flaw and I had to leave before I said something mean because it was comical.

It was like the flea market came to the gun show.
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Reminds me of the Mountain Man Rendezvous. Yeah, people in the early 1800s really made knives (or knife-shaped objects) by riveting leather slabs on lawnmower blades. :rolleyes:

:D
 
But we can do that civilly without telling someone else their opinion is "baloney."
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I said it "With all due espect." "That means I can say anything I want. It's in the Geneva Convention, look it up".....Ricky Bobby

Baloney is a pretty benign term and I think his opinion was just that. Read the first few pages of theis thread for many others who agree with my opinions on buying higher quality knives.
 
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Inexpensive knives have their place. Doesn't make much sense to use a highly polished collectible to cut drywall.
 
After many years of using knives and other tools, I have found that the best value usually lies in the middle of the road priced stuff. Not the most expensive because to often you are paying to much for the brand name, Not the cheapest, because in the end you are just making more work for yourself and will have to replace it often. Nothing brings this home faster than getting into a awkward position and trying to drill a hole with a el cheapo drill bit.

Example in knives, Many years ago I got a Buck 110 for Xmas, I used it for all my hunting, camping and wood crafting for 20 years. I have a Buck Pathfinder for close to 30 years, It is still going strong. Cheap but pretty darn good quality.
 
lots of mighty fine knives out there for < $50. mora, opinel, buck.... some LOTS less. and whats wrong with a " pre-owned " knife ?
 
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