Are SAKs getting too expensive?

[BerkshireHunter]

This probably gets brought up a lot on here, mods can delete if it’s too far astray.

But I can’t believe some of the prices when I surf around the online retailers. $73 for a plain Farmer, $45 for a plain Cadet, around $30 for a Tinker. I know Victorinox has some weird pricing like the compact being much more than a climber, but things are getting wild, especially the regular alox models.

Part of the problem in my opinion is this “MAP” pricing which practically nobody used 10 years ago now it’s the standard. Let the retailers decide their own markup, they usually have a better handle than the manufacturer.

What are some examples you’ve seen? Are they making a mistake asking for so much?

[Bunk Tuppins]

It pays to shop around and sometimes to just wait for a price drop.  A good idea is to use camelcamelcamel to get an idea of the price structure over time. 

[PitCarver]

I do most of my shopping on the eBay and have noticed climbing prices there in the last few years.  What few other places I check are ridiculous in their price increases.

[MacGyver]

Some stores or retailers are just plain thieves, no other word for it...

There is a store on a mall near me that ALL prices on Vic's are virtually double than anywhere else... Probably the same for some online sites too.

Thankfully i still have some local online shops with decent prices. You just need to shop around in your area

From the example of the models you mentioned above, here is an examples of the prices from one of my local stores:



Thankfully not all stores are "leaches"....

But globally yes, the prices have increased in the last few years for sure...

[nate j]

Like pretty much everyone, I’ve watched with dismay as SAK prices have risen.

I think some of this is simply due to generalized inflation (i.e. if wages, raw material prices, and other input costs are up, there isn’t really another option but to charge more).  As I get into middle age, I also wonder if I’m consciously or unconsciously comparing today’s prices to  nominal prices of 15-20 years ago, without accounting for inflation.

Setting an optimal selling price can be difficult, even for professionals.  And sellers that change prices frequently/automatically (e.g. big river site) are extremely secretive about their pricing algorithms.

I would argue that, even at current prices, SAKs are still some of the best value (defined as ratio of quality to cost) MTs available, so in that sense they are not overpriced.

While I am also not a fan of MAP pricing, there are ways around it if seller and buyer are both willing.  I have at times on various sites seen things like “Click here to see price”, “Add to cart to see price”, etc.  And on the bay of fleas, it is not uncommon to see dealers list items with a “Buy it Now” price of the MAP, but also accept significantly lower offers from buyers via the “Make an Offer” option.

[gustophersmob]

As I wrote a few days/weeks ago in the winter magic cadet thread:

Don't forget that in 2020 alone the US Federal Reserve created $6 Trillion dollars out of thin air (80% of all US dollars have been created in the last 3 years).  This isn't even accounting for what the SNB, ECB, BoE, etc printed.  This, by definition, is inflation, and it is being reflected in prices of everything.  Victorinox is not immune to it.

[BerkshireHunter]

Good points all around

Like pretty much everyone, I’ve watched with dismay as SAK prices have risen.

I think some of this is simply due to generalized inflation (i.e. if wages, raw material prices, and other input costs are up, there isn’t really another option but to charge more).

As I wrote a few days/weeks ago in the winter magic cadet thread:

Don't forget that in 2020 alone the US Federal Reserve created $6 Trillion dollars out of thin air (80% of all US dollars have been created in the last 3 years).  This isn't even accounting for what the SNB, ECB, BoE, etc printed.  This, by definition, is inflation, and it is being reflected in prices of everything.  Victorinox is not immune to it.

I agree there’s been a lot of inflation but some models seem to have gone up 100% in the last 10 years. What bothers me is that Victorinox price increases on some models (soldiers at $77) are in excess of Spyderco and other big names, but the Swiss Army knives haven’t even upgraded steels. If they were using m390 I’d be more accepting but they’ve got Alox hunters with like 440C for $125 

[Bunk Tuppins]

If you look at the graph I posted above you can see that over the past 10 years or so, the Farmer model price has fluctuated by $10 to $15 at any given period.  The overall range has shifted upward with inflation over the years but the amount of play at any given time is roughly the same.  There is a message in this for buyers: it pays to watch the price for a while (of whatever vendor you like) until you see what the range is and if you do that you can pretty consistently buy at $10 to $15 below the top of the range.

One other aspect to this problem: the price of aluminum went up in 2021 and only came down again somewhat in 2023.  So some aluminum price hikes that were baked in are probably contributing to higher alox prices today.  https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/aluminum  (there is a little tab you can click on the graph for 5 years so you can see the 2021 increase).

[Helvetica Bold]

I generally feel you get a lot of ‘thing’ for your money with a SAK. They always feel a quality item. I’ve seen prices going up most noticeably on Amazon as that’s where I look lost for new models but you can still get them for much leas than the Vic site there. There are retailers here (FX especially) that have deadline on where you can get models as ludicrously good prices so I keep an eye on them too. I feel like they keep in line with inflation in fact I’m sure I paid £50 for a champ 30 years ago so that would make it a bargain now….especially when I’ve seen them for around £60 on Amazon recently. 

[BerkshireHunter]

I Guess there’s a few deals on Amazon & Walmart but other places and other models (Alox) are up there.

[stuntzombie]

Nah. They're still pretty affordable, and they're probably a better value than just about everything else out there.

[pfrsantos]

Q: Are SAKs getting too expensive?

A: Nope, you just keep getting paid less money.

 

[Explorer]

i'd still pay what they are asking for Alox because it's going to outlast me most likely 

$40-$50 for a farmer is totally worth it IMO because it's a total workhorse and the quality is unparalleled.

cellidor on the other hand has gotten pretty expensive for what it is- I don't think I'd buy a new one anymore for the prices they are asking.

The hollow plastic scales feel really cheap to me and I've had a few pop off before even putting them through their paces. They also do not survive drops on hard surfaces like concrete very well.

i'm really becoming quite the Alox fanboy though so it could just be that.
 

[MacGyver]

Q: Are SAKs getting too expensive?

A: Nope, you just keep getting paid less money.

 

 

Ain't that the truth bro..., ain't that the sad truth....  Especially in our country...

[Etherealicer]

It is also the poor performance of the Euro and the USD

[dks]

I never thought of Victorinox being cheap, more like affordable.

They also have no direct competition, after absorbing/dissolving Wenger and are the market leader, so they can charge what they think we will pay, and we usually do.
Many multitool knife models that are made in Italy are even more expensive, for their toolset (with better steel).

The only knife that has remained at around the same price (taking into account inflation), and I could be wrong, seems to be the Buck 110.

[Rich S]

Everyone should be given one at birth - it's a necessity of life !

[marlowe221]

I think SAKs are still a great value for money, even at (some of) the current prices. Still, you do see some prices these days that are real head scratchers from time to time. 

Prices on Amazon, in particular, seem to fluctuate quite a bit for some reason.

That said.... these are hard times. And we can't look at SAK prices in a vacuum. Prices on the necessities of life have all gone up. A lot. And that's just the round of inflation we've seen over the past few months. If we zoom out and look at the last 30 - 40 years, we've seen the prices of things like housing, health care, and a college education explode at rates that are many times higher than the rate of general inflation over the same period.

Meanwhile, wages for most of the population have remained relatively flat (while worker productivity and corporate profits have vastly increased).

So, I think we have to consider SAK prices against this backdrop we all have in the back of our minds. When we see prices jumping up on a SAK, I think how we feel  about it is affected by the increased prices of everything else, even if it's just subconsciously.

We aren't seeing the price increases in isolation - we are seeing the price increases in a world where our grocery bills have recently almost doubled but our paychecks haven't.

[SurgeUk]

I think SAKs are still a great value for money, even at (some of) the current prices. Still, you do see some prices these days that are real head scratchers from time to time. 

Prices on Amazon, in particular, seem to fluctuate quite a bit for some reason.

That said.... these are hard times. And we can't look at SAK prices in a vacuum. Prices on the necessities of life have all gone up. A lot. And that's just the round of inflation we've seen over the past few months. If we zoom out and look at the last 30 - 40 years, we've seen the prices of things like housing, health care, and a college education explode at rates that are many times higher than the rate of general inflation over the same period.

Meanwhile, wages for most of the population have remained relatively flat (while worker productivity and corporate profits have vastly increased).

So, I think we have to consider SAK prices against this backdrop we all have in the back of our minds. When we see prices jumping up on a SAK, I think how we feel  about it is affected by the increased prices of everything else, even if it's just subconsciously.

We aren't seeing the price increases in isolation - we are seeing the price increases in a world where our grocery bills have recently almost doubled but our paychecks haven't.

  (not happy about it) but 

I still think a SAK represents good value for what it delivers and is more than the sum of its parts (YVMV) 

I really like my ALOX stuff* and don't mind paying "a bit" of a premium for it (mostly)

When compared to others I think they are reasonable and at least offer some interesting colours (L.E Stuff)

* More ALOX on awl models please 

[Aligator]

In my country a lot. And yes, I really like Victorinox knives but at Victorinox prices. At the price of more expensive knives I prefer these