"You could buy a gun for that much money!"

[KDucky's brother]

I played tournament paintball for years and years. Local. Regional. National. And World levels really, since all the international teams had to come here if they wanted to really play at a higher level.

Agree, regarding how expensive it is. If your not sponsored, you can forget it. At least at the higher levels. Guns, nitrogen systems, electronic hoppers, PAINT, etc. Back when I played in the NPPL(National Pro Paintball League for the unknowing) circuit, we were an RP Sherer factory team for yrs. We got 35 cases of paint(at the time, they were 2500rd cases). Typically we'd shoot all of it during a 3 day event. Hell, I'd go thru close to a case per game sometimes. Then theres air fair, motel, eats, etc. Entry was $2-3k back then(played till late 90s).

I also worked in the industry for awhile. Helped manage 2 relatively big retail stores, as well as a few fields.

We were the National Survival Game(what it was called back then. you shot oil base paint. 12gm's, tubed paint) national champs in 84. NPPL amateur team of the year in 95. We'd won several tournaments and had to go pro. So we went pro in 96 and was top 4 in all but 1 NPPL event that first year. then I retired. Still played for the most part tho. Until recently.

And..as you guys know, resale on paintball gear is crazy bad. At our stores, we'd often by $1200 markers for $150-200 or something crazy like that. $50 for nice carbon tanked nitro system.

Sorry. Hijack off.

 

[blame it on god]

I played recreational paintball for a few years. And yeah, That is ridiculously expensive. Just a days play could cost $100+. The gear is a whole other story.

Many hobbies cost more than guns. Anyone ever messed around with nitro cars?

But yes, Some of the most expensive things I've seen at gun shows were knives! (production stuff)

 

[KDucky's brother]

haha Not nearly as bad as cars, but I used to roadrace motorcycles in 750cc and open class. Naowadays, for your typical WERA race, $1k per event. Thats minimum. Then theres crashing.. Engine rebuilds.. $1200 leathers.. $600 helmets.. And tires.. lots of tires(typical set is $600. might last 2 weekends if your lucky). One can spend as much as they want to for the bike itself. Hell, I had to rebuild my valvetrain every 5 hours on the superbike. It was fast tho.

Then theres the medical bills ... I'm still recovering from a bike crash back in Oct 012(why I'm not racing mtbs currently). Broke my back, neck, punctured both lungs, lacerated kidney and liver, broken eye socket, knocked out my 4 front teeth(yes I was wear full race gear including full face helmet), broken thumb, all ribs on one side except for 1. Had to wear a halo bolted to my skull for 3 months. Basically bed ridden too. I'll have issues for the rest of my life from this one.

 

[MaxFactor]

KDucky's Bro- Sounds like we've got similar hobbies. Also sounds like you go far back in terms of the paintball world. Pretty cool if you ask me. Glad to hear that you survived that crash though. Must have been pretty damn serious with that laundry list of injuries. Broke my clavicle pretty badly Oct 2012 road cycling, doesn't quite compare to your case (not by a long shot). But I can certainly relate to the medical bill aspect of a dangerous hobby.


I'm really enjoying all the activity in the thread. Seems like a lot of us knife guys have very similar priorities and interests.

 

[kamagong]

Depends on the gun I suppose. I don't mind spending money for a Sebenza. It's still much cheaper than the guns I want, like a Blazer R93, Heym Model 37, LRB M14, Merkel 16-20, Pistol Dynamics Combat Special, or Sako 85.

 

[mjolnir74]

Depends on the gun I suppose. I don't mind spending money for a Sebenza. It's still much cheaper than the guns I want, like a Blazer R93, Heym Model 37, LRB M14, Merkel 16-20, Pistol Dynamics Combat Special, or Sako 85.

Those are some expensive guns. I saw a Merkel .270 single shot at a local store a few years back. I would probably never shoot a deer with it because I'd be admiring the gun.

 

[kamagong]

I already have the guns I need. Time to start getting the ones I want.

 

[bronyblacksmith]

As far as gun go I only have one for now and that is a type 53 Mosin Magant and the reason for that is it has super cheap ammo but I can still hunt with it, because if i bought a 30-06 the ammo would be so much higher, so when I think of guns I think how much for the gun and how much per bullet. but I think that knives would see much more use than my gun. just my .02

 

[JBoone]

Also, the world of firearms is much more expensive than the world of knives. Quality optics ALONE will cost you as much as the higher end customs. The knife with the tightest tolerances costmy FRACTION of what the 1911 with the tightest tolerances costs. Theyre simply too far out of my price range.

I have two swarovski scopes atop two of my deer rifles. They are the older PH models but were still 1,700 each close to 10 years ago.

My tastes got too expensive on firearms which is what got me started buying knives. However, I have worked my way through spydercos to some Reeves and striders at this point. Am starting to rethink my original argument.

This is an interesting topic to think on. Ultimatly you must buy what you can afford and what makes you happy.

 

[MaxFactor]

I have two swarovski scopes atop two of my deer rifles. They are the older PH models but were still 1,700 each close to 10 years ago.

I always seem to forget about the prices of optics. Might be because I grew up mainly shooting trap and skeet and the occasional pistol.

One of my biggest fears is that I'll get interested in rifles. I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to my hobbies. Although, it is certainly nice to see that almost every firearm manufacturer offers a military discount.

 

[watchknut]

I started with watches, moved to shotguns, then to handguns and now I am on knives. No matter the object of virtue, your tastes adapt at the different levels of connoisseurship, and over time your perspective and value assessment changes.

I see the knife market as being very similar to the 1911 market. The 1911 market ranges from a $1k Colt to a $2.5k Ed Brown to a $5k Wilson Supergrade, with only a few commanding the $5k+ price tag. The knife market is scaled down a bit as $500 gets you a really nice knife and $2k get you a super high end knife that is the equivalent to the $5k Wilson. I have no idea what on earth a $3k+ knife would look like.

At the end of the day, it all depends on the size of your checkbook and your level of connoisseurship.

 

[shqxk]

Ask him back : would you ask anyone who bought an expensive bicycle why he wasn't buy a bike instead?

 

[MaxFactor]

"level of connoisseurship"

I really like that term. I'm definitely going to whip that one out some time in the future. Here's how it might go...

Stunned onlooker: "You spent how much on that knife?!"

Me: "Yes old chap, that is correct. You merely haven't attained the necessary level of connoisseurship... Might I interest you in a Sebenza?"

 

[watchknut]

I really like that term. I'm definitely going to whip that one out some time in the future. Here's how it might go...

Stunned onlooker: "You spent how much on that knife?!"

Me: "Yes old chap, that is correct. You merely haven't attained the necessary level of connoisseurship... Might I interest you in a Sebenza?"

You nailed it! People at the range ask me what model Berretta I shoot, and I have to inform them it is a Perazzi...the same thing happens when I shoot my Ed Brown, people think it is a Kimber. And then there my vintage Rolex...that is a fun one, "you spent that on an old beat up watch"

The thing I have learned is to appreciate all forms for what they are, and realize that the most important part of collecting is gaining and sharing knowledge, the thrill is in the hunt, not the kill. Without conisseurship, your checkbook will only get you so far.

 

[Stiletto Raggio]

I just try to explain that everything costs money: materials, design, manufacturing tolerances, novel features, artistry. This applies to everything, and the price you pay for incremental improvement goes up exponentially as you move up the market. The more complex the item, the more inherent variability there will be in the price. The question is, do you want a tool that will do something, or do you want a tool that will do something very well and provide a visceral thrill to use? This is the sort of thing that can only be logically explained to a point. A Perazzi won't break a clay or kill a pheasant any more decisively than a Remington 870, but it sure will swing better, fit better, look better and feel better doing it.

There are a lot of guns that I consider temporary, and a few that I know I will never sell. Aside from those with sentimental significance, the ones I will always keep are those which are of a quality that I don't think I will outgrow. My Beretta over/unders are here to stay, as are a couple of rifles and engraved pistols. But if they are replaceable, they are largely for sale. I can't afford to just endlessly collect the upper strata of firearms, and there are things that I want to be able to do with guns that don't require "the best," just "very good."

Knives are one area where I can afford to get very close to the top of the market, but I don't (yet) feel compelled to do so. My hundred-dollar knives are pretty awesome, and some of the materials I see being used don't really seem like a step up to me. That said, a Sebenza or other midtech is probably somewhere in my future, and maybe someday a full-custom, too. I just haven't gotten there yet.

 

[Redmasta]

I could never spend big bucks on knife, I just don't see the value when compared to a custom 1911 or a nice watch for the same price.

 

[Stiletto Raggio]

Redmasta--I think the point is that you can buy quite a nice knife for less than you can buy a Glock, let alone a custom 1911. A knife that is 95% up the quality scale will cost less than a firearm that is still quite utilitarian, but some people think only in terms of "power," and not in terms of quality.

 

[watchknut]

Redmasta--I think the point is that you can buy quite a nice knife for less than you can buy a Glock, let alone a custom 1911. A knife that is 95% up the quality scale will cost less than a firearm that is still quite utilitarian, but some people think only in terms of "power," and not in terms of quality.

This is an excellent point because knives compared to guns and watches is not a fair comparison. A $200 knife is roughly equal to a $500 pistol, while a $500 knife is akin to a $1,500 pistol and a $1K+ knife is like a $3K+ pistol. The fact of the matter is that most people will never spend more than $20 on a knife, just like many gun owners will spend less than $300-$400 on a gun, and most people do not own either (kitchen knives excluded).

While I appreciate the $2k+ knives, and understand why they command those prices, I will most likely never buy one because the "perceived value" is not there for me, and I would rather put that money in another 1911.

Here is how the decision making process works in my head...I have yet to spend $500+ on a Glock 19 because while I appreciate its form and function, I still think that it is a lot of money for a piece of tupperware, and I am waiting to get the best deal I can on one (i.e. with a ton of mags, night sites and a holster) so I can maximize value. Whereas in a short time collecting knives, I want to move up from a CRK into a more affordable custom knife in the $500 range. I put a lower "value" on the $500 expenditure for the Glock as I do the same $500 expenditure for a custom knife.

I admit, I am really odd when it comes to buying crap, and the ways that rationalize it! It drives my wife nuts, I have no problem spending $1,000's on material objects in a split second, but when it comes to mundane everyday items, I will wrack my brain to decide which is the best "deal"...such as life.

 

[Ken44]

I think people look at it wrong though because they are comparing different levels of guns to knives.

Here's how I see it:

You have your cheaper entry level guns like Hi-Point, Bersa etc that equates to some cheaper entry level knives like Gerber

Then you have your middle of the road, super tough, no frills guns like Beretta, FN, S&W, Springfield etc that equates to middle of the road Spydercos, Kershaws, Benchmades.

Then you have the higher end, pricier pieces like HK and SIG. They equate to the higher end Spydercos, Benchmades and ZT.

Next up are the semi customs like Les Baer, Wilson Combat. They are like the CRKs of the gun world.

After that you are into straight up custom territories on both sides.

Either way, as long as you are comparing like items you can see that the gun will always be more expensive. When you compare anything, you have to keep like levels of quality in mind. You can't compare a $16,000 Hyundai to a $16,000 Kreighoff shotgun. One's a basic no frills utilitarian entry level model and the other is a mid to high end semi hand made model.

At least that's how it works in my head.

I was going to say about the same, but you pretty much nailed it already.

The wood alone on my XP-100 cost more than any knife I have, and more than the three Busses with it in this pic.

 

[skyhorse]

I guess it all boils down to what floats your boat? I've known people that spent double the price of a Sebenza for a collectable postage stamp and be happy as a hog in the sunshine.