Why do some knives really cost so much?

I think that Spydercos are very reasonably priced for their quality and designs. There aren't many overpriced knives in the market; especially knives that sell as many as Spydercos.
 
You've already been answered a few times, but I'll add to it too.
The G-10 is textured. That cost money.
High fit and finish. A lot of care. That costs money
The clip is polished
The blade is polished and sharpened, probably centered too
The detent holes line up
The lock works
That all costs money.

But, you could get rough blocks of G-10 with a drywall screw holding a peice of metal between them for a lot less.
:D
 
arctyler said:
Lets hope I don't get flamed for this but this is a serious question. Lets take for example the spyderco paramilitary 2, about $120-140 at most retailers. What really makes this knife so expensive? The parts that go into it don't seem to me like they would be anymore than like $30 USD, a few pieces of extremely high quality steel, and then the scales, so what really makes this knife for example cost $120?
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Since when is the Para 2 expensive?
$120 for a knife that if taken proper care of will last your entire life seems like a bargain to me.
 
Basically all that needs to be said has been said, so I'll just chime in with my depressing realization that $120 was "expensive" to me two years ago, and is now in the "cheap" to "affordable" range. My income has not changed, but how I spend it certainly has. In the last two days, I have spent $1100. On two knives.
 
For one thing most the knives that really care about quality are smaller companies, they can't afford the multimillion dollar production equipment or if they can they must offset the cost somehow. Most higher end knives are inspected, sharpened and often assembled by hand in the US, that takes money to pay those people.
 
Knives are that expensive because a.you are a cheap , b.you can't afford them, c.you totally dismissed the labour cost , shipping, running a company , so buy a cheap ass knockoff is close to your Whacked assessment and lock of respect for them or try to start your own company, good luck with that.
 
Lots of fellars out there with more money than brains. Custom makers especially prey on these types of folks
 
First..... To anyone asking such a question I would offer - Go out in your garage and try and make one. Can't say I'll wait but, let me know how that goes.
Second..... Hand work, Design, CNC Machines. Titanium, High quality steel, heat treating process, Made-in-House machined parts, water-jet cutters, staff, etc. etc.
How's the manufacturing going ?

That's why.
 
RubiconSS said:
First..... To anyone asking such a question I would offer - Go out in your garage and try and make one. Can't say I'll wait but, let me know how that goes.
Second..... Hand work, Design, CNC Machines. Titanium, High quality steel, heat treating process, Made-in-House machined parts, water-jet cutters, staff, etc. etc.
How's the manufacturing going ?

That's why.
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Amen.
All it takes is going out and making a few yourself and then it's no mystery why quality knives cost a certain amount.
Then imagine ramping up production scale, paying taxes, advertising, utilities and all the other crap...there's a whole bunch to it.
 
singularity35 said:
I wonder how much an F1 car's raw materials cost?
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2 $ ....if you ask the guy who started this thread .
By the way(to the person who started this thread) you are not being flame , next time don't hope and take some time to think before you ask a little.
 
jac_solar said:
But.. why do people pay so much money for them? The non-titanium Praetorians cost 600$, while the Titanium ones cost 1200$ or so. A reasonable price for them would have been 250-350$ for the non-Ti, 400-500$ for the Ti. These are production models that are being sold at lots of different sites, so, much more inline with Striders and Sebenzas. Their prices make sense; Striders have a long history, and a reasonably well established reputation. Sebenzas have a very well established reputation, and a reputation for being made with extremely high tolerances, and consequently, expensive machinery.
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Some people want the fantasy of pretending to be something they are not.
 
singularity35 said:
I wonder how much an F1 car's raw materials cost?
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Which has what to do with knives? Knives are orders of magnitude less complicated than cars. You can get amazing performance from a $15 Mora or $8 Opinel. There is no need for a Medford knife, for example, to cost $1500. It doesn't offer better performance over $100 knives.
 
Full disclosure, I didnt read all of the responses. That being said, quality of construction, where it is made, fit and finish, warranty, the makers credibility, materials (sometimes), and the heat treat. Heat treat being done properly can make or break the usefulness of a knife. 1095 goes a long way when it is done properly. If you dont believe me, then...fine. I dont care.
 
Fanglekai said:
Which has what to do with knives? Knives are orders of magnitude less complicated than cars. You can get amazing performance from a $15 Mora or $8 Opinel. There is no need for a Medford knife, for example, to cost $1500. It doesn't offer better performance over $100 knives.
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But he didn't ask about a Mora, he asked about a para or "some" knives. Did you notice that I made the analogy about an F1 not a Yugo?
 
RubiconSS said:
First..... To anyone asking such a question I would offer - Go out in your garage and try and make one. Can't say I'll wait but, let me know how that goes.
Second..... Hand work, Design, CNC Machines. Titanium, High quality steel, heat treating process, Made-in-House machined parts, water-jet cutters, staff, etc. etc.
How's the manufacturing going ?

That's why.
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Not to mention that PEOPLE do this as a livelihood. It hits home when you consider the fact that we WANT more jobs and manufacturing back here at home. They can't exactly do this for a living for free. That'll be the day when we see products only cost as much as the sum of their parts. Everything works this way, not just knives.
 
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