Anybody else give up on high-end carry?

:) Mostly , I manage to have fun with knives under $100 . They fit better into my budgetary comfort zone and I feel free to use and abuse as necessary , guilt free .

My more costly , I have trouble using roughly or modding or anything much but fondling . So I just stopped even looking at more expensive blades , except maybe for some "special need" ...e.g. swords . :rolleyes::p
 
I never started. Unless you have mastered the art of turning faeces into money you risk a lot when you carry a high end knife on the street or your job. I already got two knives that walked away where I work. Imagine carrying a $450 sebenza and suddenly realizing you dropped it or got stolen. 450 dollars gone just like that. Idk about you but I don't have that kind of money to waste.
 
Anybody else give up on high-end carry?

I would love to have the chance to find out how I would deal with such a burden.
Some how I think I could bear up under it all. It would probably be stressful (NOT) some how I think that calmly using thousand to three thousand dollar hand made knives might actually be one of my "Super Power"s.

Any body want to sponsor me ? ? ? ? ! ! ! !
I'll make you proud ! ! ! !
You and me Boss ! ;)

As it is I'm stuck down here on the low end of the totem pole with my low priced not even middle of the price range CRK 21.
I'm finding a way to muddle through though.
You are right low priced cutlery is pretty sweet.
:p Sorry to be such a butt . . . I just thought a reality check might be in order.
 
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.

Yes but how does it cut ? ? ?
Is it any good ? Hows the geometry ?
I'm kidding big time.
Impressive HARVEST of wire ties you have there ! ! ! ! !
 
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 :)
That has to be the most accurate summation regarding my state of mind. Nobody could've said it better.

Ty for the psychoanalysis - how much do I owe ya? :p
 
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.
Aside from aesthetics, I swear Spyderco has the best user/beater knives.

Since it seems that your day-to-day life requires a knife, do you care for after-market components/mods on your Spydies?
 
Good question OP. I have. I now carry a griptilian or buck 055. Sold off all my customs, crk's, strider, etc. Really loved them all, but just wanted to simplify things. That and I realized I actually don't like framelocks.
 
I never started. Unless you have mastered the art of turning faeces into money you risk a lot when you carry a high end knife on the street or your job. I already got two knives that walked away where I work. Imagine carrying a $450 sebenza and suddenly realizing you dropped it or got stolen. 450 dollars gone just like that. Idk about you but I don't have that kind of money to waste.

I find that if I carry a more expensive knife or pen, I pay more attention to its whereabouts. The attention increases with the price. The expensive stuff doesn’t walk away (in my experience) because I am watching it more closely.
 
Impressive HARVEST of wire ties
. . . although
this is a photo I took the other day. I wasn't sure where I was going to post it but it recorded one of my ongoing experiences with knives and cutting wire ties.

I had just brought home a new pair of gloves and needed to cut a smallish wire tie to separate them.
Of course I first pulled my brand new "Super Knife" the CRK 21 (I'm thinking of calling it "Ben" . . . what do you think ?).
Ben balked. I might have been able to cut the tie if I got western with it but I like an easy effortless cut . . it's safer for the operator and prevents damaging the knife.

Next I pulled my highly modded FrankenDelica HAP-40. It is the stock edge geometry which is actually pretty thin and shallow angle (no need to reprofile this thing to please me; it does a great job, fantastic in fact.
. . . he balked as well. Again I didn't want to mess up my prize and hard fought for HAP-40 edge.

With complete confidence I unearthed from my collection my now little used, highly, drastically, insanely reprofiled SAK Bantam. The thing must be like 7° per side and polished. THE WIRE TIE VAPORIZER.
As usual I took a poke at the wire tie and he said as he passed effortlessly through the tie : "Wire tie ? ? ?
what wire tie ? ? ? Can I go lay down in the drawer again ? ? ? I was just having a nice dream of battling Vikings to save my village !

So there might be something to this cheep knife thing and EDCing a SAK only.
I'm kind of addicted to Titanium, ebony and super duper alloys . . . at the least high hardness blades.
. . . high hardness blades that chip cutting wire ties my subconscious tosses up into view recalling my wire tie cutting follies with ZDP.

. . . . no . . . no . . . I still like "fancy" "expensive" knives . . . for most chores anyway.
IMG_5877.jpg
 
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The expensive stuff doesn’t walk away (in my experience) because I am watching it more closely.
If you're like me everybody knows if they grab my good knife then the back up cheepy knife is going to be sticking out of the back of their hand. Which often offends.

Hahaha just this week I put up a sign on my work station that says : Taking tools from this bench can result in a spear in the back.
I'm thinking of putting an actual spear up on the bench.
What dahyathink ?
 
Aside from aesthetics, I swear Spyderco has the best user/beater knives.

Since it seems that your day-to-day life requires a knife, do you care for after-market components/mods on your Spydies?
Nope! I've always just carried them like they come from the factory. Even lanyards seem to get in the way. I may get some aftermarket clips for my Endura and Manix though because I snagged the clips and they snapped off.
One I snagged on the corner of a doorway and the other on a metal strap.
 
Since I have never had a truly high-end knife, there’s nothing to give up. That said, I have a few that cost more than $100 that get carried very little. The three I carry every day were less than sixty bucks for all three.
 
Nope, regardless of the cost I bought my knives to use...so I do. My collection ranges from $50 to about $700 right now, and using them just doesn't bother me. I'm sure there is a price at which I would, but mine is just much higher than yours. It's probably because I'm a pretentious person by nature, so I like wearing pricier clothing brands too...are they better?...not by a much if any...but that doesn't stop me from buying and wearing them...
 
Ty for the psychoanalysis - how much do I owe ya? :p
Beware of what comes later;
with the passing of time
and much mellowness,
post addiction will mark one
with a deep sense of guilt
for each time one see's
the folly of times past...
don't continue to live with stuff that
tends to bring about such feelings.
make amends and make up
for it with more down to earth
material possessions.
and always promise to yourself
to be completely honest and realistic
when judging material worth... ;-)
know what its true worth means to you.
discard the short term longing,
this past time is a life long pursuit :)
you'll feel redemption once
you learn to share with others
who have little or none.
have faith to do the right thing
as humans, we can't go on forever
in life being stuck in reverse gear :)
 
High end folders have never appealed to me, so I guess I gave those up before I started. I can’t say the same about custom fixed blades however! I have yet to find a way to inoculate against that sickness.

Knives are made to be used, and your view of a knife will definitely form or even transform with use. I am very fond of my Spyderco folders as well as traditional slipjoints for daily carry and use.
 
for years i carried buck folder(s), sub $50 stuff
and a couple kershaws.

one day I got a kizer vanguard - retail was around $100, but i didnt quite pay that. used it like any other.
then had an opportunity at a Spyderco Domino, which I still carry everyday. i guess thats starting to get into a higher end range, but I have no issues using this knife.
one day, when it is time, I will get a sebenza - and I won't hesitate to use it. I believe that is what knives are for

i dont have a need to have many knives or a rotation of EDC - more of a one and done thing for me
 
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