Your "impulse" threshold versus "ultimate" threshold?

It depends how much scotch I’ve had while browsing Bladeforums at night...

 

For me it me it depends on the knife. A good user will be under 80 dollars and a good fixed blade will be under 150. It all really depends on the situation. Rarely though for a good folder do I exceed 50 dollars.

 

Rarely do my folders NOT exceed $50 (see below). Fixed blades vary.

Added: Many of my SAKs do not exceed $50, nor do the Rough Ryder slip joints that I like. Many of the Case Peanuts run in the $40-$50 range. Few of my modern knives cost less than $50.

 

I buy what the voices tell me too.
So far they have been keeping their fat yaps shut on anything over about $150.
I've been buying less lately, but the price I'm willing to pay is creeping up.
Shelling out $300 or more for a single knife no longer seems like an absurd possibility.

 

The impulse bug is about 125.00, and definitely if it is under 100.00 and the quality is there. More bang for the buck. Manly knives have been a good discovery. I now have one of each except for the one handed Peak, I like the Wasp in Sandvik and I have two Comrades, in D2 and CPM 154.

Lastly, a good bang for your buck is Landi knives and the new Buck Slim pro series.

 

I planned on buying zero knives this week. Then I decided I was going to sell a couple and pocket the cash. Then I figured I would just buy a knife that was equal to the amount sold (or mentally sold I should say). So I bought a Shiro that was definitely more than what I sold. And then the Norseman I regrettably sold a few months ago came back into my life literally 12 hours later. So I guess I kind of impulse bought a Shiro and a Norseman within 12 hours and definitely had not planned on it... I don’t know what my limits are apparently.

 

I managed to ruin my attempts to liquidate parts of my collection to get some stuff on my watch fixed. Saw the extra cash in my bank and immediately caved on one of the swear point XM-18s from DLT. My watch is still not repaired, but the XM-18 is perfect and has replaced the emptiness I felt after selling my Slysz Bowie. So go figure.

 

Anything under $100 requires no serious thought; if I like/want it, I'll buy it.

Between $100-300, I've got to think about it; decide if it's something I really need and if it's the best price I can get for the knife.
Between $300-400, I've still got to think about it BUT also decide if the knife is something I absolutely MUST have or not.
Over $400, it's no sale; that's my absolute upper limit.

BTW, these limits are for the TOTAL cost for the knife (including PayPal fees, sales tax & shipping if any). Reselling isn't a major concern of my regardless of the price.

 

I have narrow tastes/collecting criteria. So I try to color inside those lines. I see things that I know are nice, and I would like, and would be fun. BUT, they fall outside of what I know really works for me and they impede progress towards my real goals, so I move along. It takes some of the fun randomness out of collecting. But, staying focused let me get two knives this week I never really thought I would get a shot at.

I have been eyeing the Laconico EZE and the Reate Lambert quite a bit. So you could say those are my window shopper impulse buys. So realistically, I would impulse buy in the 300-400 range pretty easily.

 

Impulse has played a factor in nearly every knife I have purchased.

Some days I’ve been ready to pay $450 for a knife I can’t find; another day I might find the same knife at $425 and not feel dropping the cash. It has as much to do with my mood as anything else. I kick myself for missing some great deals along the way.

 

I rarely go above $150 on a knife so I'm thankful I have *somewhat inexpensive* taste. I realized long ago I will never own a Sebenza, Shiro, mid custom, custom, etc. I'm ok with that. My ZT 350, Manix 2, BM Barrage, Rat 1 in D2, Boker Caracal, among others will serve me just fine.

 

I'm way to uptight to impulse buy knives.

 

I don't think I've ever bought a knife that cost over a hundred dollars except for the Benchmade Casbah. That was an impulse that I regret. Most have been in the range of forty to sixty bucks. All my knives do what I need them to do. I'm not a steel whore or handle bitch. Generic works for me. Some years ago I got on an auto knife kick. Don't ask me why, at a gunshow a guy had a bunch of Chinese knock off auto for cheap. I bought a couple of them. They sit in a drawer and don't get used. Cheap cheap. My last knife purchase was a Boker congress for carving. I like fixed blade knives but I'm cheap on them and have gotten a couple of what I consider nice, and good for the use I have for them. I'm not a collector per se, just a user, but I have more knives than I'll use probably. Knives are just neat things.

 

I'll impulse buy around 200 bucks no problem if I really like it. I think my ultimate limit is 450 though. There isn't really anything above that price I'd like. Shiro's are nice, but not for the price they command here.

 

I think a good point, and maybe not really meant for the original impulse question, but what about the opposite direction, how hard is it to let go of a knife either selling or trading? This comes into play when one considers buying a new knife. I want to thin the herd, but I wonder deep down do I really want to let them go? I finally sold one, and I wondered if I should use the funds to get a new one? There are some threads that go deep into whether to buy or sell. Is the impulse to buy easier to deal with knowing one can sell a few non-users?

 

Over $300 on a "nice" knife makes me think a bit harder...

 

Funds are funds regardless of the source. Using money from a knife sale to justify the purchase of another knife is just mental gymnastics. I seldom make any serious mistakes with impulse buys. I have a particular size and look that appeals to me. So, selling is no easier. I just have not moved to the point of selling knives.

Impulse versus ultimate limits? That is actually a pretty good question and worthy of consideration. I have not set any limits and frankly almost every knife I buy is primarily an impulse purchase. That said, when you bump the price above $300, I seriously challenge and question my impulses. Generally speaking except with fixed blades, I seldom go over $200 with a knife purchase. I try to limit my fixed blade purchases as I seldom even use one, but I love them.

A lot of us are beginning to question our knife acquisition needs and wants and trying to reduce the numbers a bit. I think it's just part of the aging process of the hobby. Same thing happened with me with Colt firearms..... everything was interesting at first and then I started limiting the purchases to things that fit into my collection with very few exceptions. I still purchased other firearms. But as time went by, the numbers reduced to a trickle.

 

Impulse is an old friend of mine. It has brought me a collection of what-was-I-thinking knives. A limit? Over $100 will make me think about it until the urge passes. That wasn't always the case.

 

I seldom sell anything that I buy. There are a couple of reasons for this: 1) if I bought it, I liked it and I seldom change my mind about it and 2) it's usually not worth the effort to me to sell it, because I really don't need the $ that I could get for it and I'd rather keep it than sell it.

This applies to everything I've ever bought/own -- guns, LPs/CDs, stereo equipment, artwork, knives . . . whatever. If I buy it, I usually just keep it.

That said, after quickly acquiring over 250 knives in just a few months, there are a few knives (less than 10% of them) that I am thinking about selling. However, #2 above is still preventing me from doing anything about it. I don't need the $. I don't want to be bothered. And, I'd rather keep them than sell them.