Anybody else give up on high-end carry?

SavageSick

SavageSick

Joined
Mar 24, 2017
Messages
324
When I got into knife collecting, my purchases were determined by the logo, letters and numbers stamped onto the blade. I utterly dismissed plastics, polymers, G10s as inferior handle materials for the sake of fancy/flashy aesthetics, e.g. carbon fiber, MokuTi, exotic woods, mammoth ivory, bone, etc. However, those alleged inferior materials are far more performance driven and practical for actual cutting tasks and daily carry.

Oh yeah, during that phase, anything manufactured outside of North America or Europe was instantly deemed inferior. (Reate/We Knives/CKF/Svord/and many others proved me wrong! :p).

Only after acquiring many expensive knives (my personal definition: >$200.00), I would notice myself deeply hesitate prior to using them. Indeed, with the exception of "art knives", all knives were created for use; but using a fancy knife to cut down a cardboard box feels like driving a supersport car off-road.

The constant anxiety of carrying and using a HEC knife greatly outweighs the satisfaction of actual cutting.

Nowadays, I love carrying sub-$100.00 knives (current favorites : birk75 / delica). The satisfaction of nonchalantly using them without a worry makes me ever-smile.

My apologies if my minimalistic tendencies offend anybody.

TL;DR: Cheaper knives feel better to use!
 
SavageSick said:
When I got into knife collecting, my purchases were determined by the logo, letters and numbers stamped onto the blade. I utterly dismissed plastics, polymers, G10s as inferior handle materials for the sake of fancy/flashy aesthetics, e.g. carbon fiber, MokuTi, exotic woods, mammoth ivory, bone, etc. However, those alleged inferior materials are far more performance driven and practical for actual cutting tasks and daily carry.

Oh yeah, during that phase, anything manufactured outside of North America or Europe was instantly deemed inferior. (Reate/We Knives/CKF/Svord/and many others proved me wrong! :p).

Only after acquiring many expensive knives (my personal definition: >$200.00), I would notice myself deeply hesitate prior to using them. Indeed, with the exception of "art knives", all knives were created for use; but using a fancy knife to cut down a cardboard box feels like driving a supersport car off-road.

The constant anxiety of carrying and using a HEC knife greatly outweighs the satisfaction of actual cutting.

Nowadays, I love carrying sub-$100.00 knives (current favorites : birk75 / delica). The satisfaction of nonchalantly using them without a worry makes me ever-smile.

My apologies if my minimalistic tendencies offend anybody.

TL;DR: Cheaper knives feel better to use!
Click to expand...

I’ll say use the expensive knife too! We probably all have our “new knife let’s baby it period” once you forget about it, that’s when you start to really enjoy it though.

I bought a $356 microtech Dirac delta OTF. It looks beautiful and very well crafted.

I love cutting with it. It is a tool, and I paid for something reliable and nice and it works well too.
 
My most expensive knife is my zt 0470. I use it all the time. It's hard not to carry it honestly. I have many knives over 100 bucks, ZTs, spydercos, my cold steel ad10. I use them all, more than my budget knives because they are great tools and feel great to use.

Sure, I really like my cheap Kershaws and spydercos, but I always seem to find my 470, 562cf, Amalgam, PM2 in my pockets. They feel good and work well.
 
image.jpg I recently did almost the exact same thing. I literally recently sold all my folders just out of boredom with all the keeping up with all new newest and best. Don’t worry it won’t last, but as we speak all I’m down to is this delica, and I figure I’m just gonna use the hell out of it and c just how much it’ll take!
 
Dallas T said:
View attachment 1175751 I recently did almost the exact same thing. I literally recently sold all my folders just out of boredom with all the keeping up with all new newest and best. Don’t worry it won’t last, but as we speak all I’m down to is this delica, and I figure I’m just gonna use the hell out of it and c just how much it’ll take!
Click to expand...
Hah, exactly!

At one point, had >$5k worth of knives... now just down to the bare essentials: delica, endura, birk75, and 0452.

Though, i may succumb to the new Sebenza 31s...
 
I have a few knives in the 100-200 dollar range and at first I was hesitant on using them. I came to the realization that I didnt buy them to resale later down the line and i didnt want to have something i paid good money for to just sit in a drawer so now I make it a point to use every knife I buy and i really enjoy using them.
 
First define "high end?" ... isn't that different to everyone ?

I guess I haven't ever owned anything I wouldn't use ... but I did find the line for me of diminishing returns ... meaning not necessarily only by price but by higher grade steels and materials and part of it being cost and brand etc ...

But Hinderers and CRKs are about my limit in folders ... I have several of both and my Hinderers are probably my most used folders ...

I can't see getting into anything higher priced or really even other brands other than those I have (but there could always be something that catches my eye) ... my knives do everything I need and I enjoy what I have now ... now that includes ZTs and Spydercos etc ... but the top costs are the CRKs and Hinderers range ...

Fixed blades ... I again have kind of found my limit of diminishing returns ... I have a couple customs ... nothing crazy priced but a couple ...

And I have always enjoyed my Beckers and LT Wright and Blind Horse / Battle Horse knives ... with others thrown in ...

But after finding CPKs ... most of my fixed blade needs have been covered ... and I still enjoy many other fixed blades but have to say CPKs have spoiled me as far as performance ... not sure I could find anything to perform better (unless Luke dropped his light saber around here) ... and they may not be inexpensive but they are a great value IMHO for the type of performance I get ...

I guess in that is kind of how my upper end or diminishing returns has always been ... "what gives me good performance at a fair or more than fair cost) ...
 
For me, it is not the price.

I have several Case Sod Buster Jr and love one of them because that sample is perfect in grind, centering, walk, talk, the cover texture, etc.
I did not carry it for a while and instead carry one of other samples due to fear of losing or damaging the favorite.

My mental cycle on a newly acquired favorite knife is like follows:
(1) Can't lose it mode. Just play with it at home! (Maybe about a week)
(2) Unhappy without my favorite mode. Start to carry but do not use it! (a couple of weeks)
(3) Scratch-free mode. Use it lightly with care! No cardboard cutting! (weeks to months)
(4) Post honeymoon mode. Why not just use it and have pleasure cutting with it!
By the time I reach #4, I typically have a new knife and start over.

I have minimized maintenance effort with coarse edge sharpening lately, and this seemed to accelerate the above cycle quite a bit.

Just my case.
 
SavageSick said:
When I got into knife collecting,..expensive knives ...I would notice myself deeply hesitate prior to using them....
The constant anxiety of carrying and using a HEC knife greatly outweighs the satisfaction of actual cutting.
TL;DR: Cheaper knives feel better to use!
Click to expand...
lol! its not a unique affliction :)
deep down, its your sub-conscience
mind wresting with the probability
of you having paid way too much
for something which you thought
would make a superior choice.
only to find that it has enslaved
you to caution in fear of loosing
its material value of what you think
it represent... expensive and precious.
but that is only in relation to one's
financial standing and common sense
spending in the first place.
it looks like materilism got the better
of you and a whole lotta folks who
buy into lavishness instead of
cost effectiveness.
getting torn between the
static versus active knife mindset
can be cured by way of getting
in touch with your deepet emotions
and seeing which action gives more joy ..
or increased anxiety :)
 
I tend to baby knives I can’t replace, irrespective of price. I’ll use a plain jane Sebenza (expensive for me), but not a Neutron, even though it costs less than half as much, because they’re so darn hard to replace if I screw it up or lose it.
 
I'm with ya. As far as price range is concerned, I max out around $200 and my cheapest is somewhere between $50-$80 on a regular basis
Current Rotation:

Large folder: Spyderco Military, PM2, Manix, Endura, or CQC7 for hard use/ not too worried about knocking the razor edge off
I either carry one of these alone or couple it with a Spyderco Delica.

I like to use the Delica where I would otherwise use a utility razor
I always have my Spyderco ladybug salt with a fully serrated hawkbill in my tool pouch, work is the only time I really need it (excellent for skinning wire of all sizes and types)
With the lack of a clip I like to keep it in my tool pouch because I hate digging through my pockets for a knife.
The little ladybug probably gets used the most out of all my knives and it's the cheapest.:p It's the one I would immediately replace if lost! :D

My absolute maximum is one of my CRKs for weekend carry and they're all plain/ standard runs (cheapest of each model) none of that fancy inlay or Damascus
I don't hesitate to use them for whatever the weekend brings up, but crawling through attics and crawl spaces, and being on job sites with God knows who is more of a risk for a
lost knife than I would like to expose my CRKs to.
 
GIRLYmann said:
lol! its not a unique affliction :)
deep down, its your sub-conscience
mind wresting with the probability
of you having paid way too much
for something which you thought
would make a superior choice.
only to find that it has enslaved
you to caution in fear of loosing
its material value of what you think
it represent... expensive and precious.
but that is only in relation to one's
financial standing and common sense
spending in the first place.
it looks like materilism got the better
of you and a whole lotta folks who
buy into lavishness instead of
cost effectiveness.
getting torn between the
static versus active knife mindset
can be cured by way of getting
in touch with your deepet emotions
and seeing which action gives more joy ..
or increased anxiety :)
Click to expand...
Be one with the blade :p

This is so true though! Double the price absolutely doesn't mean double the joy or double the performance. :)
Pebbles and diamonds....both amount to a rock but pebbles are more fun and diamonds don't skip as far across the creek ;)
 
Korean Hog said:
Be one with the blade :p

This is so true though! Double the price absolutely doesn't mean double the joy or double the performance. :)
...diamonds don't skip as far across the creek ;)
Click to expand...
we all fall victim to the charms of bling.
in someway or other, it always wins :)
only a small percentage of
the buying market
are sold purely
on function alone.
attractiveness of design is what
which catches the eyes
and imagination first...
which isn't all bad,
otherwise we would
only be discussing
opinels and the best way
to keep 'em sharp :)
 
Can't give up what I haven't started. I have 100+ knives of varying worth in the collection (mostly fixed blades), but I carry a $30 CS folder that does everything I need.

I live in MA but spend a lot of time in RI, which has a 3" limit, so that plays a big role in what I carry.
 
I don’t flip knives. I occasionally give them away, but I haven’t sold one on the secondary market for years. Naturally, that means I don’t care about wear vs market value.

My attitudes are:

1. If I somehow destroy a knife in use, I have plenty more to use.

2. They don’t feel like they’re “personalized” until I’ve used them.

The knife in this picture is the most expensive knife I own right now...

KhRAN99.jpg


It’s a custom Laconico EZC, and though it’s a plain Jane version (which is what I wanted), Ray made it for me. We don’t know each other so well that I could properly describe us as friends, but we have talked a fair bit and connected. As a fan of his designs, and of him as a human being, this knife has a lot of sentimental attachment for me. It is my favorite version of my favorite design.

There’s no way I wouldn’t use it. He put way too much care into designing and building it for me to stick it in a drawer and let that care and effort go to waste.
 
I have no problem using a $200 blade for regular carry if I want to. But I do have some anxiety with $500 folding knives. Not saving them for anything, I just have a hard time using them when quite frankly I am quite comfortable with lesser priced knives. Pretty much stopped buying expensive folding knives; I might go $250 if I really liked something, but I would ponder that decision a good bit.

I do spend more for fixed blades. It is not a routine buy habit, but I do it without a lot of concern.

All this said, my day to day carry is a $20 SAK now.
 
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