The value of a blade

[David Bowen]

We all value our knives and blades along with the utility they provide. But what it comes down to is how much your willing to pay for said knife and knowing quality wise it will hold up. I say all this cause this weekend I am here in tampa with we the family and one of the friends of the family wanted to see my blade. today I was carrying my limited kershaw blur in 154cm and he was amazed by it and wanted to know how much it cost. I told him and he said he re could not ever see paying that kinda money on a blade. I told him it comes down to quality and performance. I truly believe in the saying, you get what you pay for. I told him if you respect your blade and take care of out then you will get several years out of it. I told him there was a big difference between use and abuse. He still could not see the connection. Guess that is what makes some of us normal and some of us knife knuts. Anyways, I try and educate folks about the finer things in life and sometimes feel like I am taking too myself. Anyways rant off....
 

 

[Mr. Whippy]

Knife ownership is a spectrum.

At one end is high quality for high price, but use of a single tool for a long time.  At the other end of the spectrum is low quality, low price and the thought that "I'll replace this when it fails".

People fall all along this spectrum.  Most of us are closer to the high quality end, but the trade off is you have to be willing to maintain your knife.

David, I'm with you, but there are others who are willing to trash a tool and move on to the next.

[David Bowen]

I am a sucker for a fine piece of craftsmanship that will not only perform well but last me for many many years. I don't know if I will ever go so far as to own a sebenza but I do enjoy well crafted stuff. I use it, don't abuse it and love to show other folks. Because I maintain my stuff and it's aways in good condition.

[jekostas]

Well, there are other considerations to value, of course.  There is the idea of collectability - same as MTs and Swiss knives, some blades are released as collectibles, are made in very short runs for whatever reason, and people do collect them.  Spyderco kind of exemplifies this - outside of their basics (Police, Endura, Military, Ladybug, Dragonfly, Delica), just about every knife is only manufactured for 2-3 years and then stopped and replaced by a new model.

On the other side of the equation is the idea of getting maximal quality for the least amount of money - I'm definitely in this camp.  I have a number of knives and MTs that I like, but the ones I like the most are probably the ones I paid the least amount for for the usage I get out of them.  My Leatherman Expanse, for example.  Or some of the SanRenMus that I own.

[Jmora]

there's a sort of conversational ritual that has to go on when you're talking about something you've bought. People marvel at the quality of the product and some dickhead inevitably asks you how much it costs, and are somehow disappointed that it was expensive, people don't really appreciate the fact that quality really costs money, and there's no way around it.

The marketing pyramid is important here: there are three fundamental desirable elements in a product: cheap, quick to produce, good quality. In general you can only have two of these, one has to be left out - you can't have good quality, quickly made at a cheap price. MacDonalds is cheap and fast, but the food quality is bad. A good minestrone soup is cheap to make, a good quality and nutritious, but takes all day to cook. A good knife, with good steel, needs to come from a good company with 100 years of experience crafting these things - balance, fit and finish, practicality, je na sais quoi...the price will need to be expensive. (victorinox is a wierd exception to the rule, high quality, cheap and mass produced - I guess the steel is not so fancy).

A kershaw folder (e.g. nrg) is next on my list, very nice looking knives.

[Freudian Frog]

I believe that theres a certain balance to value, certain things are only worth so much, and more money put into it after a certain point gives you minimal return on quality and is therefore not worth it. Most users and heck, sometimes even collectors probably cross this line a lot with false rationalizations.

Thus, most of my knives are in the sub $40 range.

[sappyg]

the biggest issue i see is that you are in florida. it's an F'd up place that effects people in a strange way. the closer you get to disney world the worse it gets....... every dang hurricane makes matters worse and blows the magic pixy dust all over the stinkin' state. it takes years to recover... maybe never. best advise is to evacuate emediatly. save yourself. seriously...... it's worse than ohio.....
your friend is already infected and you could be next... ever seen the movie body snatchers?.... the horror! leave while you still can.

[David Bowen]

Sappy, don't worry, I will never live here.its too busy for my taste and the crime rate and murders is outta this world.my in laws do live here howeverand I will continue too come here cause of my girls and thierry grandparents.

[Zack]

I think my wife is the only person who knows how much my knives cost, and that would only be the Sebenza.  She didn't understand it for awhile till I let her hold it for a few minutes.  First thing out of her mouth was "Dang, this thing is smooth".  Would she spend that kind of money on a knife? No, but she can at least understand why it costs the price it does.  I don't typically tell people the price of the stuff I carry, because I don't like explaining things to them.  I think my mother in law over heard a trade I was working out, and she heard how much it was worth.  She then began to tell me how many diapers and groceries it would buy.  My family doesn't want for anything really.  They are fed, clothed, bills are all paid on time, so what does it matter to her.  Anyway, I'm ranting...sorry about that.  Everyone has their vices, mine happen to be knives.

[sappyg]

Sappy, don't worry, I will never live here.my in laws do live here however and I will continue too come here cause of my girls and thierry grandparents.

you see.... that's how it happens... slow and sutle like... before you know it you're watching the musical 'oklahoma' and wondering 'how you got here'.... and what happened to the cheese puffs.... 

[WhichDawg]

I like quality but I could care less about ascetics and how it looks. I want my blade to function under a wide variety of conditions and that usually costs, because a cheapie/fast made blade "won't cut it!"

I think with today's high standards of living, most think they can just go out to "wally-world" and get another, and in many cases that is true, but I like to be prepared and think; "what if?" like if I didn't have a store to go to, or at a given moment my life depended on my blade.

Many of the blades I buy I could put my life on them and they do a wide variety of tasks;

(Conan the Barbarian) "You can't trust man or woman or beast but this you can trust, steel you can trust!" Crom!

[jekostas]

A good knife, with good steel, needs to come from a good company with 100 years of experience crafting these things - balance, fit and finish, practicality, je na sais quoi...the price will need to be expensive. (victorinox is a wierd exception to the rule, high quality, cheap and mass produced - I guess the steel is not so fancy).

A kershaw folder (e.g. nrg) is next on my list, very nice looking knives.

10 years ago, I would've agreed with this statement wholeheartedly, but with the rise of manufacturing capabilities I think China is starting to show that the "rule" doesn't always hold true.  Kershaw, Spyderco, Boker, Kabar, Buck and a number of other companies have some incredibly good Chinese-produced blades in their lineups that can be had for a song. 8Cr13MoV steel isn't as good as say... 154CM, but most users (and independent testing) put it on the same level as AUS-8A, and some formulations (particularly the 9Cr14MoV that Benchmade was using) are considered to surpass it.  10 years ago, AUS-8A was considered a high end steel, and it's still more than enough for the demands of most users.

There've been more and more discussions on Chinese-produced pieces over the last few years, even on this board - people are genuinely impressed with, for example, the Rough Rider series of slipjoints.  I've been monstrously impressed with SanRenMu knives (if I hadn't been clear on that point already), and every person I know that's in to knives has been impressed as well - especially when I tell them how much it cost.

Where Chinese manufacturers fall down, of course, is design - which is why there's still a big problem with knockoffs and counterfeits coming from that country.  It's also why I think there really aren't many (if any) good independent MT manufacturers in China that produce quality pieces on the level of Chinese knife manufacturers like SanRenMu, Bee/Enlan or Navy.  When they start to understand the rigors of design (and they will, considering how much business is going there), well, it should be interesting, to say the least.

[ducktapehero]

There's nothing wrong with wanting a good ***insert favorite thing here***. Some people like nice cars, nice guns, nice knives, nice beer, etc etc. And some people are happy with just the cheapest stuff. I fall into the group who wants the best value. I have a Spyderco Navigator with VG-10 steel but honestly other than the "bragging rights" I see no difference between this steel and the cheaper steel that is on my Byrd Meadowlark. I'm sure if I tested it some sort it'd show its worth but I'm a house spouse.

99.9% of the time I use my multi-tools to open food packages or do little "honey-do's" around the house. Even the cheapest crap from Pakistan would probably be good enough for me for most things but I refuse to carry that. But I also don't feel the need to spend more for "better" steel. But that said, if you like it then great. I may question the "value" of it but I can certainly understand the pride in owning it.

[jim guy]

for the last week Ive been using a 400 dollar plus microtech. I use it like I would any knife I carry regardless of the price. I dont abuse any knife I carry, thats what I use my multis for. If I told any of the guys at work what that knife was worth they would probably slap me!

[Styerman]

I used to EDC very expensive folders , some production , some custom . They are nice , but not essential . They make good EDC's but with limited functionality ( ever tried turning a philips screw with a Sebbie ) . They are most deffinatley subject to the law of diminishing returns , fun to play with ; but I don't miss them .

Chris

[ducktapehero]

I would like to add that I still do LOVE my little Spydie. It is a great little pocketknife and I carry it often.

[Gareth]

I believe that theres a certain balance to value, certain things are only worth so much, and more money put into it after a certain point gives you minimal return on quality and is therefore not worth it. Most users and heck, sometimes even collectors probably cross this line a lot with false rationalizations.

Thus, most of my knives are in the sub $40 range.

For once ( ) I agree with the Frog man.  There is a certain point when more money stops equalling better value.  IMO the basic requirement of any knife is that it cuts, after that I also want it to keep an edge, then it should be be comfortable to use, also nice if it looks good etc etc, the list goes on and on and starts becoming a case of personal preference.  Most, if not all, of these requirements can be met in a knife from the $40-$50 range. 

Now I'm not for a second saying that a Sebenza is no better than a Spyderco Tenacious, but is it really eight times better?  I'm not convinced.

Nor am I saying that every $50 knife is good, far from it sadly, but they are out there and they really do equal "value" to my way of thinking.

[specgrade]

 There are those who think knives are for spreading condiments and cutting steak and those who are always the person who speaks up when someone asks "Anybody got a knife?".

 I have been buying Boker and Case pocket knives recently and find that $40-$55 is the price range where I know I can get a very well made knife. Stockman and Trapper knives are my weakness. I haven't had the chance to hold a $100+ knife in my hand to really appreciate the difference, I would never question or knock anyone who chooses to buy one either! If I had the cash...who knows? I also have been around knives long enough to pass up the poorly made ones. If I get them as gifts, They might end up in a garage sale