Why People Carry Cheap Knives: A List

Why people carry cheap knives...

Maybe they have discovered that Douk Douk, Black Cat, Opinels, and other "cheap" knives are actually all anyone really needs.

I envy them.
 
dogstar said:
They don't need a more expensive knife because the cheap knife gets the job done.
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QFT. Look at how many people (even construction personnel!) get by with just a $3 penknife or boxcutter.

I work in IT Support, so I keep one of my S&Ws, Enlans or SanRenMus in it at all time for opening boxes and cutting zipties. And when I used my knife in my clients' premises the comment that is almost guaranteed to follow is usually something along the lines of "That looks really expensive and illegal. Can't you just use a boxcutter?"

Well, I suppose a $10 Enlan is skyhigh expensive compared to $3, no-brand boxcutter.
 
I carry an Opinel, a "cheap" knife, relatively regularly in favor of much more expensive and feature-rich knives. It cuts as well or better than any knife I own at any price point, the handle is comfortable, it's light, and it's certainly not dangerous to use. The blade steel is 12C27, not a high end steel, but it works well and takes a great edge with little effort. Lasts long enough for EDC, I just touch it up in the morning before I leave.

One hand opener? Not really. High end materials? Nope. High tech design? Nope. Cutting performance? 10/10. Ergonomics? 10/10. The last two win me over.
 
Here in the Netherlands, knives from brands like Spyderco, Benchmade etc. Are extremely expensive, like double the number you guys pay in dollars, but than in euro's. And you can't find them on sale or something.

Like, a normal Delica in the netherlands costs € 125,- ( about $ 135,- )
A paramilitary 2 costs here about € 189,- ( about $ 210 )

So, people call me crazy to carry such an expensive knife, but seriously don't know the difference, because they never tried something better, caused by the high prices..
 
If I'm going to an event and I'm unsure if there will be security, then I will bring a cheap knife.

The last time I was hit with the wand, I told the security guard & state trooper to keep my knife. It was a cheap 8cr13 bladed Leatherman knife. The cop looked at me like I was crazy for just giving up a knife, and the security guard told me I had to get rid of it. I handed it to her and said "You get rid of it, it's your job" and walked through the gates. The trooper laughed and told us to have a good time.

That's about the only reason I carry a cheap knife every now and then.
 
The real ugly truth of the matter is, that it doesn't matter jhow much a knife costs. If it cuts what needs to be cut, then it's a good one. The other part of the truth is, most of the rest of the world doesn't care. It's only the fan boys, the obsessed fanatics that care. JUst like pens, the pen nut don't think twice about carrying a very expensive pen while most of the rest of the world gets by fine signing whatever needs to be signed, with a disposable Bic stick pen costing less than a buck. Heck, you can get a pack of ten at Walmart for .99 cents and they write just fine. Go to any construction site and see how many workers are using anything more than a cheap utility knife. Husky, Stanley, and cheap no names rule when it gets to the dirty work. In third world countries knives like Opinel, Douk-Douk Mercator, Okapi, and no names rule.

As knife snobs and the obsessed fan's it's easy to get a slanted view that has nothing to do with reality. But then we're about a fraction of 1% of the knife using world. I seriously doubt that most of the rest of the world in southeast Asia, the African contentment, the mid-east, south American the Philippines, have ever heard of the knife brands that are worshiped on this forum. They just rely on whatever the local trading post or market has to offer.
 
xr650r said:
All of my friends are afraid of loosing an expensive knife, they like mine but won't take the leap to higher end knives as of yet. This frustrates me because I don't know anyone else that has "nicer" knives to talk to about them! That's why BF is a nice place to be!
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+1 on this. Even I have a hard time carrying my higher end knives. They are relegated to safe queen duty and only get carried occasionally. I need to break myself of that habit. Because it gets expensive quick. I need to just carry my blades and not worry
 
jackknife said:
The real ugly truth of the matter is, that it doesn't matter jhow much a knife costs. If it cuts what needs to be cut, then it's a good one. The other part of the truth is, most of the rest of the world doesn't care. It's only the fan boys, the obsessed fanatics that care. JUst like pens, the pen nut don't think twice about carrying a very expensive pen while most of the rest of the world gets by fine signing whatever needs to be signed, with a disposable Bic stick pen costing less than a buck. Heck, you can get a pack of ten at Walmart for .99 cents and they write just fine. Go to any construction site and see how many workers are using anything more than a cheap utility knife. Husky, Stanley, and cheap no names rule when it gets to the dirty work. In third world countries knives like Opinel, Douk-Douk Mercator, Okapi, and no names rule.

As knife snobs and the obsessed fan's it's easy to get a slanted view that has nothing to do with reality. But then we're about a fraction of 1% of the knife using world. I seriously doubt that most of the rest of the world in southeast Asia, the African contentment, the mid-east, south American the Philippines, have ever heard of the knife brands that are worshiped on this forum. They just rely on whatever the local trading post or market has to offer.
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^^This!^^

I usually carry an expensive knife lately (CRK), but also always have an SAK or two on me. And I'm one of those people who buy the cheap packs of Papermate pens at Target or wherever. Pen collectors might be horrified by that and wonder why anyone wouldn't carry a $100 to $500 pen. But I get my writing done just fine with them. People have done, and continue to do, hard daily work with the cheapest of knives. Knives that knife nuts would call a POS. But they know how to use it and get the job done.

In the days before Spyderco, CRK, etc., I got by just fine with inexpensive Buck, Schrade, Camillus, SAKs, and even cheaply/poorly-made Colonial boys' knives that did all I needed them to do.

Any knife, high or low-end, can get the job done if you have work to do and know how to use it properly.

Jim
 
I have a cheap Laguiole knockoff, nothing inscribed on the blade at all, soft Subcontinent-made damascus, with corkscrew. I couldn't be bothered to pay full price for the real deal as I had two other customs I'd budgeted for. I will buy a proper Laguiole eventually, though. I call it my Craptastic Damascus. It's a fun cutter and opens a bottle of wine just fine. It will never be a favorite knife. Maybe I'll post it in a giveaway.

Zieg
 
I think most of the best replies to this question have
already been made, but I do have one to add: pocket
space/weight. To carry higher-end and more purpose
built knives means you need multiple knives.
We all know most people here carry a nice high-end
knife, but not without a cheapo and a sak/multi to go
with it to prevent abuse. It gets expensive and heavy.

Most people know they will eventually lose, forfeit or
abuse thier knife(even knifenuts) so the majority
just get a cheap disposable knife. Most of them,
and us too, can easily get by with a Rough Rider,
Openel or Sak all day every day. We just over-think
the thing or enjoy nicer knives cause it's our
interest.

I'd take a nice Benchmade or ESEE over a pair of
Nike sneakers any day. Others really like thier
sboes. To each his own.

Cheap or not, if it cuts well and gets the job done,
it's a good knife. It is nice to just carry a cheapy
some days and not have to worry about it.

A good day to you all fellow knifenuts.
 
fetzer85 said:
It's pretty simple - they aren't obsessed like we are.
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That pretty much sums it up.

I'm sure there are others asking why anyone would drink a sub-100 dollar bottle of wine. Or wear an off the rack suit. Or carry a cheap ball point pen.

Or ask why you heathen insist on brewing your tea for so long that it tastes like crap. What's wrong with you people?!? Gah! You're KILLING it! :D

If they want to carry a knife, they are just interested in spending the money and effort on something that will cut stuff. And even a "cheap" knife will.
 
Another reason to buy cheap cutlery is inability to sharpen. Many people want to cut stuff, but haven't a clue how to bring back an edge. When it gets too dull they buy another one.
 
As someone who recently made the leap to higher end knives, all of these reasons apply. I used to buy a new $20-30 knife every year, or a few times a year. I didn't have any sharpeners so if I did not lose or break the knife, it would get replaced when it got dull. I never worried about them and would use them as pry bars, screw drivers, whatever I could think of. I stopped carrying a knife daily for a few years but recently got back to it. I bought a CRKT Squid to replace my CRKT Drifter, which I carried for a couple years and had replaced a couple times with other drifters. The squid didn't really do it for me, mainly because of the stiff action. I then bought a Kershaw Cryo and really liked it. No real complaints with it but I didn't really like taking it to work as I am an IT guy in a corporate atmosphere. Although I don't have many uses for a knife at work, I like having one just in case.

I was then promoted and started looking for a little gift for myself. Since my love of knives had been renewed and I was carrying them daily again, I thought it was worth stepping up my game. To me, the thought was both utility (better action, durability, etc) and aesthetic. Yes, the cheap knives get the job done for me but so does driving a Kia or Hyundai. It does what you need. However, being someone who uses a knife a lot, I thought it was worth spending more money on something that I would ENJOY using more than the cheap knives. On top of that, a classier knife says something more about you to those around you. I wanted something that did not intimidate people or give them the idea that I just carry a knife to cut sh*t and it was unnecessary or I was dangerous.

I went with a Doug Ritter mini griptilian and got custom carbon fiber scales. I thought that a more expensive knife would make people more comfortable and it is true! Using the custom ritter grip gives off a much different impression than using a cryo, especially to strangers and in a corporate environment.

When people can see that you've invested time/money/care into something, they rarely have the thought that you just bought something to cut sh*t. They see you have a real interest in knives and a respect for them.

Likewise, if someone driving an old beat up car can get the same places that someone driving a nice BMW can but when you see someone in a very customized M3, you know he didnt just buy it because he has the money, he invested time and effort into making it the way he wanted and knows more because of it. At first glance, you'd say the guy in the BMW knows more about cars and possibly is a better driver. I'm not saying it's always the truth as many people do just spend money because they have it. Either way, people will always judge you from afar without knowing more.

That said, I now prefer nicer knives because they feel better, work better and attract less negative attention.

It's dangerous though because immediately after buying the ritter, I decided I didn't want to risk beating it up and thought I'd buy a better "workhorse" knife as well. I chose the PM2 and am now very happy. However, I spent about $350 on these two knives combined and apart from how they feel, how they look and the pride I have when carrying/using them, I don't see much of a difference in function from the $30 Cryo I was using before. Rather than grabbing the same knife every time I leave, I now choose between my Ritter, PM2 and Cryo. Do I regret spending money I didn't have to? No, I enjoy having my nice knives now. I also bought a sharpmaker and have been able to sharpen my old cheap knives. They cut like a dream now but still do not have the look and feel of my nice knives. I grab them when I truly do plan to abuse my knife and don't want have a need or desire to have a nicer blade on me.

I also always carry a Leatherman Squirt and frankly, that can accomplish all of my EDCs needs but again, those of us on here are not the type of people who choose or carry knives strictly out of need. Yes, the squirt works for my daily tasks that I KNOW I will need it for by carrying a knife is also about being prepared in the event that something unexpected happens and you need a knife that can handle it.
 
Maybe.... ALMOST any knife. When I was even poorer than I am now, I have had some el cheapo knives literally fall apart on me, and I wasn't doing a torture test or even cutting dry wall... they were really deserving of the POS label!

James Y said:
Any knife, high or low-end, can get the job done if you have work to do and know how to use it properly.
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