Why People Carry Cheap Knives: A List

The Burgh said:
Maybe another thread: "Why People Carry High Value Knives."

An old, wizened CPA once told me that "Everyone has their own level of poverty."
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Ah, I like that idea...

1. Because they haven't figured out yet that a $500 knife doesn't cut any better than a $15 Mora or Opinel.
 
stargawker said:
Ah, I like that idea...

1. Because they haven't figured out yet that a $500 knife doesn't cut any better than a $15 Mora or Opinel.
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Or because they like knives and it's a cool knife.
Also, sometimes they do cut better, or at least cut for longer.
A knife with the same blade geometry but with steel that is stronger and holds an edge better will cut for longer.
 
Many people simply do not appreciate a good knife, and associate knives as cheap tools found in their home. Save money, feel good, bargains = instant gratification. They will think a 500 dollar knife as crazy, thinking that could buy dozens of cheap ones. To each their own.
 
Till I discovered YouTube and gear reviews/quality cutlery, the op's reasons 2, 6, & 10 were the reasons I ever bought cheap knives, even as a kid.
 
EDCanAdamas said:
#2 They are afraid to break/lose a better knife.
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This. I've lost a lot of stuff over the years. $10-$20 knives can go in the pocket, but $100 knives go in the safe.

I wouldn't carry anything that meets this particular definition of "cheap" though:

*Note: I'll define "cheap knives": They cost roughly $10, are almost always 440A or "Surgical Stainless", they are generally sold in bulk to a middleman who sells them online or at the flea market, they tend to be marketed to the "tactical" crowd (cheap traditionals exist too), and they are of such poor construction that they are dangerous to the user's fingers.
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I don't tolerate junk, and if I spend my money on hardware or gear I expect it to last.
 
Bob W said:
This. I've lost a lot of stuff over the years. $10-$20 knives can go in the pocket, but $100 knives go in the safe.
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My brother lost a Spyderco Poliwog while installing a solar panel somewhere.
Pretty expensive, and discontinued.

He still carries a knife that costs $200 or so...he simply pays a little more attention now to make sure he put it back in his pocket. :D
 
This would be a good reason for me to carry a cheap knife to work. Since i literally drive around and hop in and out of my truck 150-250 times a day. I lost a spyderco chaparral this way. Still bummed about that...never felt like replacing it though. Dragonfly does pretty much the same job.
I carry a dragonfly buried in my pocket without a clip at work and that thing never gets lost. With the chaparral....That darn wire clip was prone to catching on stuff and the cf was relatively slick. Something slipped it right off my vest or pants.
That's a good reason. If you have a really physical job where you're fully body heaving stuff around, strapping, bushes, anything can lift a knife....and some days you're so swamped and playing catch up you won't have time to notice it's gone.
 
You will lose an expensive knife in a day. You can throw an inexpensive knife out of your car window in traffic and it will be on your dresser when you get home.

EDCanAdamas said:
*Note: I'll define "cheap knives": They cost roughly $10, are almost always 440A or "Surgical Stainless", they are generally sold in bulk to a middleman who sells them online or at the flea market, they tend to be marketed to the "tactical" crowd (cheap traditionals exist too), and they are of such poor construction that they are dangerous to the user's fingers.
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There's a sweet spot of around $20-$30 for an OK knife but you can get a reasonably well made knife in decent 8cr13mov for around $10 as well. To me, that should be one of the reasons we hang here and learn. To know how to get reasonable quality in that price range.
 
I can appreciate why it sometimes makes sense to carry a cheap knife. And sometimes I do. But I also have reached the stage in my life where I understand very clearly that most of my years on this planet are behind me. So most of the time my EDC is a Benchmade 810 plain-edge CPM-M4 blade. And my EDC firearm is a HK P7M8 for the same reasons....
 
I think I may need to get a part time job with the tsa or a security agency for events. I need more knives! I have a sickness I carry like three knives on me at all times, I have a hard time picking which one I should carry for the day hence carrying 3 at a time. I have the benefit of living about 30 min from Atlanta so blade show is a yearly thing for me. I am also cursed that my wife birthday is June 6 so I can only attend on Sat. I love KNIVES!
 
People carry cheap knives because they're cheap and usually do the job.

IMO, the vast percentage of those who carry more expensive knives are BladeForum members and readers--extremely small percentage of the population. An even smaller percentage have expensive knives given to them, could care less, and they usually end up in a drawer until the estate sale where a knife knut gets a bargain.

No one else cares, they just want an edge for a while. Most feel there are better things to put their money into, like investments and 401-K's.

It's kind of like your kids--very few people think your expensive knife is as lovely as you do.
 
Rough Riders do what I want along with my SAK, SCHRADES,CASE, French OP, plus I have cutco karbar and Imperial Barlows that I paid 50 cents each for in a pawn shop. I have a 2 Bucks and CRTK etc that I carry on the weekends only. Oh an I forgot my Kershaw' s other than my one nice Case Barlow I never paid more than 30 bucks for a new knife. You can find name brand pocket Knifes cheap on EBay ,estate sales and pawn shops. If I break or lose an Imperial Barlow I shed NO tears.
 
Life is too short. On the flip side just cuz it's expensive shouldn't preclude you from carrying it!
 
davek14 said:
You will lose an expensive knife in a day. You can throw an inexpensive knife out of your car window in traffic and it will be on your dresser when you get home.



There's a sweet spot of around $20-$30 for an OK knife but you can get a reasonably well made knife in decent 8cr13mov for around $10 as well. To me, that should be one of the reasons we hang here and learn. To know how to get reasonable quality in that price range.
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The longer I hang out here the happier I am with something other than a Benchmade in my pocket, even as the forums encourage me to try specific models I would have avoided.

I used to dislike the look of a thumbhole.

Turns out, the mini Onslaught and Bone Collectors are two of my favorite Benchmade knives, and the thumbhole is so smooth and user-friendly that I started a Spyderco habit in December.
 
I think that a lot of people misunderstood the point of this thread, the question was not why people carry inexpensive high value knives like opinals, victorinox, ganzo, etc... those knives are exellent. The point of this thread was to ask why people carry the knives you can get at budk and flea markets. The cheap pos knives that we all bought before we got into good knives. It is not meant to attack inexpensive knives.
 
I think it's because there's some cross pollination in the OP's thread about what qualifies E. G. $10 and 440a. 440a is not inherently bad steel with a good heat treat. It's highly rust resistant for example. And you can get a surprisingly lot of knife for $10.
 
There's a kind of experience only collectors and knife knuts have when you can hold in your hand a crap knife and a good knife at the same time and compare. If you've never had a knife fail on you and all you've bought are cheap knives, why get anything else? And I say, "cheap" being someone who has a decent collection and only one or two in the $100 range, mostly being less expensive Kershaw and CRKT knives. But I started collecting traditionals, and when you have a "new" Remington with huge gaps between the back springs and the blade isn't flush when open and compare it to a GEC where the fit and finish are perfect, NOW you're aware of what the difference can be. Similarly, if you get a Boker Magnum with a paper thin linerlock that doesn't fully deploy and the edge looks like it was honed with a chainsaw and the handles are 1/8" from the bolster and compare it to a Kershaw Launch or about any CRKT or Kershaw (USA, Chinese or whatever) you can tell the difference. But only someone who has held both is going to know what to look for, if it even matters to them.

I just cut paper and fruit, but I wanted a defensive weapon just in case, so I carry my Otanoshi or Hissatsu (or Launch or whatever). I've never even considered a Benchmade or CRK because these do what I need them to do. I'd LIKE to get a Protech Godfather 921 because I've heard about the specs and they look great, but I don't NEED one and spending over $100 on something I have 60 - 70 of already is a luxury. Next week I may carry a Fossil or Nirk Tighe or Shallot or Cryo 2 or whatever. Variety is the spice of life. They aren't $10 Chinese knives, but they aren't $500 Chris Reeve knives either and they're fine for me.

On the subject of knives being stolen, I've had one or two stolen in my life. One was a utility jackknife with a Bulldog truck logo on it from my grandfather who's gone now. A co-worker had a Spyderco stolen at a concert. Expensive knife. After much tempting on my part, he ended up getting a Wartech knock-off of a Cryo 2 for $5. I got the real thing for $25 or so and we compared and, honestly, with as much use as he and I would put them through, one was as good as the other, though mine would probably hold an edge better. He thought he HAD to have a Spyderco and the Wartech was just "for now", but he's happy with it and isn't even looking now. He wanted an assisted flipper framelock with metal handles and a solid lockup and that's what he has. Most people don't even know THAT MUCH about what they want.

If I held and compared a $500 knife to one of my $40 knives, maybe I'd notice a difference. So it's very important I DON'T!
 
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rschuch said:
If I held and compared a $500 knife to one of my $40 knives, maybe I'd notice a difference. So it's very important I DON'T!
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For sure! :D

I thought my $40 knife was fine a bunch of years back, and it was okay.
The pivot screw loosened a little too often, and it had some vertical play (lock-back), but it worked.

Then I held a Benchmade Resistor, and my eyes opened. :)
No blade pay, better ergonomics, and when I got to using it (after I bought it, naturally ;)), better steel that held an edge for longer.
But even by holding it and looking at it, I could see and feel why it cost $200, and the knife I'd been using cost $40.

Let's put it this way; if the $500 knife doesn't immediately jump out at you with reasons why it's better than the $40 knife, don't buy it! :thumbup:
 
If the op focus was primarily based on "cheaply (meaning poorly) made" as opposed to just cheaply priced,
-Ie. gas station surgical steel vs. Böker Magnum for example.

The only explanation that makes any sense is ignorance; lack of knowledge and understanding.
 
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