Knife cost rant!!!!!

Nope, I've never had a cost conversation with anyone on my knives.

If asked, I'd probably reply "Well, I got it awhile ago and don't know what they cost now or if it's even being made."

I don't define 'awhile ago' - - but the above statement is true of many things I have purchased.

BTW - I've been on the other side of the conversation. A few years back I asked an in-law about the cost of a mountain bike like he had. Thought I might want to get one. It was something like $2k-3k. (I don't recall exactly.) I knew better not to blurt out "Holy Sh*t !" but I sure thought that. I also don't judge such things without having any first hand experience with an item. Yes, there are overpriced products. But performance, durability, and workmanship is often expensive. And as long as I'm not paying for it, who cares what someone else spends ?
 
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leghog said:
I don't dress sharp. Never have. At this stage in my life, I never will. I dress practically and just don't see any reason to change that. I'm about to head off to work in a pair of Dicky canvas carpenter pants, a fishing shirt, a pair of lightweight hiking boots and a baseball cap, and I have an office job. I wear the same clothes to work, to church, and out and about town.
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I think that is symptomatic of getting older, more experienced, and set in your ways. As a kid, my brothers and I used to pick at our Dad about his clothes. Now, I pretty much do the same thing (but in my own way). Downsizing a knife or gun accumulation is another symptom. You simply don't need them any more and the only person you're trying to please is yourself (and spouse of course).

You feel you've done it and there is nothing left to really prove and you don't do things to bring attention onto yourself. I pretty much live in Carhartt pocket tea shirts and khaki pants these days (every day). Stuff is always clean and neat. I'm happy. Family members know precisely what to buy me for a present and know I'll use them. It's the little things that become important.

But most of us like to splurge every now and then (if we can) and buying a knife is a fairly easy way of doing that.

panoz77 said:
Well $130 is a lot for a folder for most average people. Why does that surprise you? There are plenty of quality folders under $50 out there. $130 is a used gun purchase for some people. I truly ask the same question for knives over $200.
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I ask myself all the time "why I need a knife that costs over $150?" The answer is, I don't. Anything over about $100 is a splurge and mostly just a "want".

SCWillson said:
Gee, my tactical flashlight only cost $70. Now I feel like a cheapskate...
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Flashlights are one place I draw the line in terms of cost and utility. I do have quite a few flashlights scattered around, but I have yet to spend $70 on one. I suspect the $70 (or more) ones are a little better perhaps. But I don't really need them. That said, I use flashlights every day for work and around the house just like a edc knife. But if I truly wanted one, I'd get it just like most knives that might catch my eye.

I sometimes look back at where I came from and I know that spending $70 on a flashlight is beyond anything that I would have considered 20 or 30 years ago. My first 22 rifle cost about $50 new. A $70 flashlight.....
 
I've had plenty of conversations like that, normally I just reply "quite a bit." The futility of it all is their lack of perspective. I've had similar discussions about rifle scopes.
Most people can appreciate a quality knife but most have only experienced using that $15 potmetal walmart knife. Then to boot, you're trying to extol the virtue of a $200 knife to someone who'll use it maybe once or twice a year.
My father is notoriously cheap with knives, but can tell the difference between a good knife and a crap knife. He'll never buy a nice knife of his own and will use any excuse to use mine.
 
I can't recall ever having had this discussion, but if I did, the only one I expect would work would be a shrug and an explanation that knives are your thing, and that most people have a thing upon which they'll spend more money than is actually necessary. I won't buy expensive coffee drinks. People who do will spend as much in a year on coffee as I do on knives. People tend to get it when you put it in those terms. Plus, when you know a lot about something, you tend to be pickier about small improvements or degradations in quality. A car is a car to me, sometimes I can't even tell if a rental is a four- or six-cylinder engine. But there are thousands or millions of people who can tell me very fine differences between vehicles because it's an interest of theirs.

The one thing I really hate is the gun and knife people who answer this question with some sort of stupid strawman like "HOW MUCH IS YOUR LIFE WORTH!?!?!?" as though hundreds of millions of people in the U.S. don't manage to go through their lives every day without any gun or knife at all and somehow stay alive.
 
Slipperyjesus said:
One of the best comparisons that I have heard! I'm going to borrow that next time I have this discussion


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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Maybe cost wise. Both my Kia's have been more reliable than my buddy's GLA, and the seats are more comfortable. So maybe Kia-Mercedes twelve years ago.

Money and justification don't bother me. What bothers me is when prices go up more than what is reasonable, based on inflation etc. MAP too.

It seriously annoys me to see the Spyderco Gayle Bradley 1 sell on BHQ for $185. $50 more than I paid three years ago. It was really a good deal back then. Now, not so much.

I don't know how Spyderco can make money on many of their offerings in the ~$200 range, when other other knives give you so much more.

If I'm gonna sell out 200 simoleons, it for damn sure won't be on a VG-10 Firefly.
 
I own a CRK inkosi so I get a lot of funny looks from friends so I explain it like this you all have your hobbies and you spend a ton of money on it and I don't judge you for it but you understand that some stuff is better than others it's the same way with my knives, this knife is way better that the Walmart knives.

Or if its my girlfriend I say how many purses do you own or how many shoes do you have, how much have you spent on purses and shoes, you don't need 50 pairs of shoes but you want it and you want nice stuff, it's the same with me I don't need 50 knives but I want 50 knives and I want nice knives.
 
Way better is probably an understatement (Walmart knife vs CRK). But I agree that we all spend money on our hobbies and sometimes the amounts are staggering to people who do not share the interest. I try to make as many of my "hobbies" actually business uses. Of course, the IRS would probably frown on expensing the cost of 50 knives in one year. But I certainly can expense my power tools as I use them frequently and they are a must have kind of thing.
 
To me, when factoring in the costs of my other hobbies, shelling out $150-$350 doesn't bother me too much, or at least it didn't when I had a job. Now that I'm recovering from major disease, I'll be going to work in another four months or so.

Considering I have two newer cars, about $15k wrapped up in guns, $1100 in cologne, probably $25k in clothes, $800+ in shoes, and about $7500 in jewelry, that makes $1900 in knives look rather paltry. Despite all of that being from only ten knives.

Also remember, MOST homeowners/condo/renters insurance covers replacement of contents without depreciation, subject to the deductible.
 
K.O.D. said:
To me, when factoring in the costs of my other hobbies, shelling out $150-$350 doesn't bother me too much, or at least it didn't when I had a job. Now that I'm recovering from major disease, I'll be going to work in another four months or so.

Considering I have two newer cars, about $15k wrapped up in guns, $1100 in cologne, probably $25k in clothes, $800+ in shoes, and about $7500 in jewelry, that makes $1900 in knives look rather paltry. Despite all of that being from only ten knives.

Also remember, MOST homeowners/condo/renters insurance covers replacement of contents without depreciation, subject to the deductible.
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There are often caps on insuring firearms unless they are specifically declared (at least that is the case with my insurance). But that is neither here nor there, I just don't think about how much money or value I have tied up in my hobbies.
 
I don't waste my time showing anybody my knives-and I don't concern myself with their opinions,because I dont spend 20k on a boat that never gets used,or I dont go to the casinos every other week ,I also don't have a 27k camper that gets hauled to the mtns three times a year pulled by a 6ok truck-sorry guys had a little rant of my own.
 
I too think knife inflation is noticable. Theres quite a few factors that go into this. One would be regular inflation. Everything has gone up in price and has been even more noticable the last 10 years. Another would be knife makers seeing what people are willing to pay for a blade and pricing them accordingly. But i think the biggest factor is that people's tastes are evolving. Everyone wants the latest super steel. Everyone wants incredible fit and finish. Everyone wants a big fat cnc milled titanium frame and the latest features like ceramic bearings. Maybe some carbon fiber to go with that. All that once custom only goodness is seeping into the production knives because of demand And it is reflected in the prices. That isnt the g10 liner lock of yesteryear
 
I hopped on the Ti framelock bandwagon briefly. But I realized that most of them made better hammers or paperweights than cutting implements.

Two of the three I still have are actually good at cutting. Those would be the thin, flat grind Spyderco Domino and Kizer Ki 4423 with its high hollow grind.
 
Why would you spend that much on a knife when you can buy a gun?
You spent that much on a piece of metal and plastic?
It's stupid to spend that much on a knife.

Or you get a variety of suprised responses such as shocked looks or words like "geeze", "your kidding" from folks when you reveal the amount you spent on your knife. It is annoying, but not surprising.
I can't justify paying high prices for a quality knife, I don't even use my knives that much, it is just something I enjoy. Since I don't use my knives much, I could easily get by with a cheapo 5 dollar gas station knife, but it's not what I like. The same could be said for the person that pays 50'000 dollars for a pickup truck but never hauls anything.
 
madcap_magician said:
....The one thing I really hate is the gun and knife people who answer this question with some sort of stupid strawman like "HOW MUCH IS YOUR LIFE WORTH!?!?!?" as though hundreds of millions of people in the U.S. don't manage to go through their lives every day without any gun or knife at all and somehow stay alive.
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I think this is an important statement because you read this kind of thing all the time in the forums. But with a regular carry knife, life can be a lot more convenient. Self defense with a knife for most of us is a fantasy. The fantasy sells knives and that's good I guess.
 
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