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The $100 threshhold

A bunch of us was having a conversation in a different discussion that brought up several questions about the state of the Knife collecting hobby. Below are some of those questions to ponder and consider.

Do you have a limit to how much you are willing to spend on a knife, such as a $100 threshold? If so, why? At what point is a knife too expensive to use as an everyday carry knife?

Do you feel some of the knives you own are too pretty/costly to use?

Do you feel that some knives probably cost more because of how they look as opposed to their ability to get the job done?

Do you think some of the new super steels over-priced hype? How good does the steel in the knife really need to be?

Do you think some knife makers, including well established companies are now making knives to collect and not actually use? Has the overall quality of their knives slipped because the company is really making knives to cut a sheet a paper and spend the rest of their life in a collector box or tin?

At what point do you feel like you’re not getting the return on your investment? Are you willing to pay more for a USA made knife of lesser quality or same quality compared to an imported knife; if so, how much more?

How does all of this affect the knife collecting hobby in general and your overall approach to building your collection?

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Permalink Reply by Howard P Reynolds on March 3, 2014 at 14:52

Hahahahahaha. Everybody has their quirks and preferences. It is great to read what other folks think about the price of knives and what they are willing to pay, or won't pay, for a knife they want.

Tobias, about your anxiety about $100. knives, and buying more less expensive knives about which you have less anxiety and money left over for dinner, I have sort-of the reverse problem. My hunting/shooting buddies have told me more than once that I could have had this or that one gun if I hadn't bought the many Case Canoes in my collection. Even though the average unit price is "only" $60.-$70., pretty soon it adds up to real money.

For me, $300. seems to be my ceiling for a fixed blade, these days. I start to figit and sweat as the price gets near $300. I won't pull that trigger on a $300. "pretty" knife, but will for a good, hard-use fixed blade. Of course, I can't buy knives like this as if they are penny candy, so maybe once a year I can get enough cash together for one of these.

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Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on March 3, 2014 at 15:13

Howard, this brings about the other part of the formula. The will power to save up versus the urge to buy. Sometimes the money is just buring a hole in your pocket! Other times by the time you've saved up $$$ for a knife you wanted, you look a the cash and then look at the knife and you think, Nah! The urge to splurge has past and the knife isn't worth all the sacrifice you went through just to buy it. There are very few knives I truly need to buy. As a matter of fact, at this point in my collecting, there are no knives I need to buy. I've got my cutting needs needs covered for a few generations. Now if I needed to buy a $500 knife to do my job, I'd flinch and gag and complain about the price and then buy it. But the chance of that happening are slim and none. And as for steel, I'm still very much an old school kind of fella that his happy with 1095 type steels as well as the 440A, 440C, and ATS34. Call me old fashioned.

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Permalink Reply by Howard P Reynolds on March 3, 2014 at 15:31

All too true, Tobias; except for steel. I like the new stuff. However, I am unable, so far, to pry my wallet open for a BG-42 (Ex: Case Slimlock).

Tobias Gibson said:

Howard, this brings about the other part of the formula. The will power to save up versus the urge to buy. Sometimes the money is just buring a hole in your pocket! Other times by the time you've saved up $$$ for a knife you wanted, you look a the cash and then look at the knife and you think, Nah! The urge to splurge has past and the knife isn't worth all the sacrifice you went through just to buy it. There are very few knives I truly need to buy. As a matter of fact, at this point in my collecting, there are no knives I need to buy. I've got my cutting needs needs covered for a few generations. Now if I needed to buy a $500 knife to do my job, I'd flinch and gag and complain about the price and then buy it. But the chance of that happening are slim and none. And as for steel, I'm still very much an old school kind of fella that his happy with 1095 type steels as well as the 440A, 440C, and ATS34. Call me old fashioned.

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Robert Burris on March 3, 2014 at 15:32

I think the urge to buy knives over $100 is less now days because I have several in that price range and because I own them, to get more and more of them has gotten less and less. I am drawn more to knives that fit in one pattern of my collection or other. The ones with higher price tags are collected much slower. Only if that one particular knife that I want in my collection, may not be available for a long time to come, will I jump on it damn the cost. A $15 knife may hold just as much collection desirability as one for a $100.

Examples of this is say a $15 Richards Cut. Co. Novelty knife, that really excites me. I buy.

Example #2; A WWI Red Cross Hobo is for sale for $125...I buy.

I hope this explanation is interesting if nothing else.

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Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on March 3, 2014 at 15:42

Howard and Robert... Both of you are right on the money! (uh no pun intended) The desire will often drive the willingness to spend. The urge to spend is often only controlled by the funds available. No doubt I still think of a one dollar bill as "real money" where as other people see the five dollar bill as the "new single."

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Permalink Reply by Howard P Reynolds on March 3, 2014 at 15:47

Bingo, Tobias! Good points.

Tobias Gibson said:

Howard and Robert... Both of you are right on the money! (uh no pun intended) The desire will often drive the willingness to spend. The urge to spend is often only controlled by the funds available. No doubt I still think of a one dollar bill as "real money" where as other people see the five dollar bill as the "new single."

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Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on March 3, 2014 at 17:22

Been thinking on what I'll be looking for at the Dalton show, this weekend.
A hundred dollar knife from the show is gonna cost me well over $300.00, factoring in the travel, room and admission.
I'm hoping to find something within a decent price range, but the ability to attend and visit with some iKC members, will make the show worthwhile.

Bringing home a new Seahorse or possibly one of the new GE Vipers, priceless.

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Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on March 3, 2014 at 17:25

Being on a fixed income, Toby, I'm with you, a buck is still "real" money.

Tobias Gibson said:

Howard and Robert... Both of you are right on the money! (uh no pun intended) The desire will often drive the willingness to spend. The urge to spend is often only controlled by the funds available. No doubt I still think of a one dollar bill as "real money" where as other people see the five dollar bill as the "new single."

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Robert Burris on March 4, 2014 at 17:50

Enjoy yourself at the Dalton Show, JJ. Like we say down here in south Louisiana, "Pass Yo self a Bon Ton".

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Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on March 4, 2014 at 19:07

Can't wait till Saturday gets here, Robert.

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Permalink Reply by Frank R on March 6, 2014 at 21:58

Do you have a limit to how much you are willing to spend on a knife, such as a $100 threshold? If so, why? At what point is a knife too expensive to use as an everyday carry knife?
Do you feel some of the knives you own are too pretty/costly to use?
Do you feel that some knives probably cost more because of how they look as opposed to their ability to get the job done?
Do you think some of the new super steels over-priced hype? How good does the steel in the knife really need to be?
Are you willing to pay more for a USA made knife of lesser quality or same quality compared to an imported knife; if so, how much more?

I don't have a hard limit. But I do tend to lose interest once the price hits $100. Stuff happens to knives. They get lost. They get used. They've even been known to get damaged. So there is a limit as to how much money I am willing to tote around in my pocket in the form of a knife.
No. Mostly because I keep item 1 in mind when I buy knives. I won't buy a knife I won't put in my pocket and use.
This is undoubtedly true with traditional knives. Above a certain price point, you are paying for fit and finish plus fancy covers.
Whether you need a fancy steel depends on your activities. I know fellas who have a need to use blades with extreme edge retention. For them, they need it. The average user? not so much. I'm an average user and for me fancy PM alloy is a fun-to-have, not a gotta have.
I am willing to pay more for a USA-made knife. There are USA-made knives to be had for a reasonable cost. On the other hand, I will buy a foreign made knife if it has features I cannot find in a USA made knife. For instance, I often carry a Chinese-made Boker Sub-com. I have not found a US-made knife of similar design. Price was not the reason I chose it. The design was.