Your "impulse" threshold versus "ultimate" threshold?

TRfromMT

TRfromMT

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Jan 4, 2016
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I posted this in another thread:

"I've realized that impulsive buys below a certain price threshold are fun to try new knives, and if they don't work out, who cares. Impulsive buys above that price point are a lot more painful because I fret about the loss on a resale. So, if it feels impulsive above (for me, about $150), then I need to do more research before buying."

I have a few knives in the $400 - $800 range, and carry a Shiro (top end of that range) daily. I recently bought a Medford on impulse - what a stupid decision! That one really irritated me because I realized when I bought it that this impulse was going to be as bad as all others combined.

What is your "impulse" threshold? There a good number of threads out there about your upper threshold, but at what point do you start to think more?
 
I'll say under $100. Just bought a Manly Patriot on impulse because I liked the handle color, the price was right (10% off Valentine's Day offer) and it was below the threshold. I do make sure I know enough about the knife before hitting the buy button, but it was definitely an impulse buy and something I didn't really need or even ever thought about buying.

I think this threshold you mention is probably a pretty good measure of your comfort level for knife buying in general. As of lately I'v spent more than $200 for couple of knife purchases, whereas before that was the absolute limit on my spending. Maybe my impulse threshold will go up accordingly;).
 
I used to have a modest impulse threshold but I recently impulse-bought a long lusted-after elmax Shiro Neon Ultralite, which upped my impulse threshold by a wide margin.
I’m presently very seriously reconsidering my impulse buying threshold and the entire concept of impulse buying itself.
 
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I refer to this as my "Neato" meter. The higher the "Neato" factor for me, the more I'm willing to pay for it. Very logical,huh?--KV
 
For me it's about $100, but I don't buy much. Maybe twice a year. I'll go higher if I think I can get my money back out of it if I don't like it or end up using it. If I do make an impulse buy, it usually dries up all buying for at least six months, as I don't make hobby purchases without cash to cover it.
 
I have a Kershaw Link in M390. It was $80. I believe that knife is of better value than any of my others. If I spend more than $80, it has to have something special. I'll look up reviews and comb through specs.
 
For me impulse buying is what ever it takes to hit that free shipping minimum w/o going over by more then roughly what shipping would be so "Free Shipping Minimum" + $10 is my impulse number. Usually it is adding on when I have an inexpensive knife or a knife just under that free shipping minimum that I already plan to buy.
 
Definitely higher than it should be. Impulse is probably <$500 IF it's an unusual knife, or a unique piece. Ultimate requires at least a week of thinking about it per an agreement with my better half! :D
 
I don't impulse buy ever. As a result I miss out on many decent deals. Heck, in the past week I hummed and hawed mulling over several on the exchange and someone bought out from under me. It's all good though.
As for the other I am mulling one over $500 that's so against every rule I have (size, weight, etc etc) but for some reason I want the damn thing. Just trying to talk myself into it.
 
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Good question. Mine would depend on the knife. Still, it is probably very low as I have so many now.
 
In the earlier days of my knife hobby, I tended to have the same mindset as the OP: I would buy inexpensive knives without much thinking/researching. Gradually I have abandoned that habit because in terms of % of financial loss, it could be just as bad as or even worse than impulse purchases of more expensive knives.
 
My impulse threshold in terms of price is the same as any other knife buys. I have seldom really been wrong with my impulses as long as it fits within my preferred size range. Re-sale is not even a consideration with a knife buy. It is money spent and gone. No going back.

The dominant impulse buys I have showed restraint with are with GEC slip joints. I pretty much love most of them. But I know from the moderate pile of unused GEC knives that I own, that it will likely be just another unused knife. I am definitely a creature of habit, and my EDC's reflect that in terms of how long I carry the same knife (frequently years) before being willing to move to something else.
 
My impulse limit is around $150. If I find a good deal on a knife around that price its hard to pass up. I got a 0450 and Southard recently for $140, probably wouldn't have bought them full price.
 
my 'impulse buy' limit is based on what I can sneak past my wife safely (depends on her mood)

that said, I have regretted several impulse buys... end up selling or gifting them (out of sight out of mind)

however I am a sucker for Spyderco/Zero Tolerance limited editions!
 
Pharmagator said:
...that said, I have regretted several impulse buys... end up selling or gifting them (out of sight out of mind)
Click to expand...
The out of sight thing happened to me with an old Colt Woodsman. I was new to collecting and saw this nice one..... the bluing looked too good. Impulse buy. Took it home, and looked carefully at it.... Reblue. I should have inspected it more closely BEFORE I bought it. Don't need a shooter. Only interested in collector pieces. Sold it at a loss at the next show as I simply didn't want to be reminded of my mistakes.

I have purchased many guns on impulse at shows. It was part of why I enjoyed gun shows so much. Yes, I buy on impulse at knife shows.

Early on, like 10 years ago, I have regretted some knife purchases. But you get over it.
 
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