expensive gun / cheap knife - I don't get it!!!

Yo Mama

Yo Mama

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I've noticed a few people in my life lately that will adamantly display a nice gun, something like 5-7
00 dollars, but then flip out with a knife above 100 dollars. I don't get it. What gets me is not that they don't want to get an expensive knife, but instead then they try to turn it around to "do you know what you can do with that money?!?!" No admission that the gun they will hopefully never need to use for defense is ten times more expensive than their pocket knife that will be used countless times over it's life. But to poo poo those that buy both a quality gun and knife I just don't understand.
 
Well, personal values n all that...

But it does admittedly crack me up when someone posts a pic of some badass limited edition Sig .45 with custom grips and holster, and a friggin Kershaw Emerson

(Not a BAD knife, just you'd kind of expect to see a Hinderer or a Sebenza there, y'know?)
 
I was in a gun shop last week and I was talking with the proprietor about him getting his hands on a Spyderco Tusk for me. He had some other models and prices jotted down as we were talking a guy walks past takes notice and asks "Are those Knife Prices?"

My reply was rather quick and I think caught him off guard, since he just raised his eyebrows a bit, nodded in agreement and walked away.
All I said was, "Yes, and I use my knives everyday, how often do you use your firearm for its intended purpose?"

I guess it's like higher end cars, some folks want luxury that they "use" whenever they drive the car. But some folks want a Ferrari, Koenigsegg, Lotus, or other super/hyper car, and they will never use the car to its full potential or intended purpose.

Who am I to say which is right? I can only justify my spending and when talking to others, see if they are open to my point of view.
 
Iunderstand your point ... and I have some more expensive firearms and some simplier less exspensive firearms ... just as my knives range in price ... but I owe several of both firearms and knives. But would never count on a cheap gun as a self defense gun ... or even as a hunting rifle where you may get one shot to put meat in your freezer.

Alot of people can't afford or don't own several of either ... and if its a firearm for self defense ... that is NO place to cut corners or try to buy cheap ... they need to be reliable everytime ...

And many $100.00 or less knives will perform the same tasks a $1000.00 knife will ... yes you may have to sharpen more often or take care of it more if its a high carbon ...but very rarely if ever would you put your life or your family's lives in hands of the knife you have.

So I guess I can completely see spending 10 times more for a firearm then a knife. If the knife is dull or isn't able to chop through a cinder block ... (you probably have better tools for that anyway) ... you have time to sharpen it or better yet maintain it as sharp ... if your firearm goes "click" when you need it ... or doesn't feed the next round ... or jams ... t may be disasterous.
 
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Rat Finkenstein said:
Just because they buy something expensive doesn't mean they know anything.
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I would argue that it is at least a 50/50 split or more, in favor of those tat are buying out of their league to "look the part".

That is opposed to those buying out of an informed decision that weighed all of the pros and cons, while taking class competitors in account.

We see both sides of the coin here, though most of us tend to be a bit more enthusiastic about knives. We talk more about them, resulting in the majority here being in the informed grouping.

That being said, I will still buy a knife that only catches my eye and doesn't tick other boxes (not often, but I would), though I will still look for info on said knife.
 
Perhaps it's a matter of scale.

Regular knife owners will drop $30 at Cabelas or Big 5 for a Kershaw or CRKT, but look at us funny because we are routinely willing to spend 4 times that amount to get a knife in the $120 range.

These folk may have no problem plunking down $500 for a Ruger American rifle or a Glock, but raise their eyebrow at the guy willing to go 4 times that to get a $2000 Sako rifle or Dan Wesson 1911.

For me, I never understand the person who questions my spending $1000 a year on knives, but thinks nothing of blowing $2500 a year on TV and internet service. At the end of the year, at least I still have some cool stuff on my bar.

No accounting for people's choices I suppose.
 
I like Kershaw Emersons.

Society is completely sold on the idea of a 500$ handgun. They see the value because the handgun is firing off bullets causing high pressure in the weapon. It creates a dramatic bang and it iust seems obvious to someone that something like that costs money. People don't want to go too cheap lest the gun explodes in their hand.

As for knives the layperson cannot see the value. To them there are two types of steel, stainless and not stainless. They don't see where the value is intuitively.
 
Priorities... I've got custom built guns in the multiple $K range, and knives don't typically go above 300 bucks. Most are purchased pre-owned. My Zaan is going to hit 550 after cerakote. That'll be the most I've spent on a knife to date.

I want to get an XM-18 but having a really hard time justifying it. Same for Damascus blade inlayed CRK's. I've got the $ to burn and I'd love to have one, but that's a lot of $ for something that will see minimal use, if any, as I'm not a collector.
 
Some people have different priorities.

Plenty of people here will buy a $500 knife and then buy tools at Harbor Freight.

We all save money on our lower priority goods so that we have more money to spend on the stuff we really care about.
 
I agree there are probably more people that buy expensive firearms that never train or even carry them ... maybe take it and shoot it a few times a year.

But for the rest of us that count on it daily or for work ... it makes a huge difference when you step up to a quailty higher dollar gun ...

Yes there is a big performance step in higher end steels and knives ... and I own many $300.00 to $550.00 knives ...but none of them can do anything more then a $100.00 Esee or a sub $100.00 Becker ... and most tasks a $15.00 Mora would perfom.

It is just a matter of uses and personal choices and perspective.

But then I assume somewhere on one of the many gun forums online right now theres a thread "Why would anyone spend $2500.00 for a custom knife and then spend $300.00 on a self defense gun to bet your life on?"
 
I have both...Hobbies are expensive as H&ll! With guns you also need accessories, usually, and of course ammo. And with knives, all you really need is some sharpening tools, which can be cheap or expensive, but tat is really all you need for a knife.
 
Its pretty universal with most things. I show my friends my $800 craigslist canoe and the say wha!?!? You know you can get a new canoe at academy for $300 right? And then they show off the $2,500 mountain bike they recently bought. It really boils down to what your passionate about and how knowledgeable you are about your interests i guess
 
My EDC carry gun is a Dan Wesson. My favorite EDC carry knife is a Kershaw Shallot Composite with ZDP-189 edge. Cost me $80 new. Not because I am uninformed, or cheap, but simply because those are exactly the tools I wanted for those particular roles. I have knives for SD, but they don't qualify as EDC blades that will spend most of their working lives opening boxes, or cutting my steaks. Also, the DW is 2-tone stainless, the Shallot is 2-tone stainless, they match very well.

If you want to risk losing or damaging your Sebenza, that's on you. But just because I carry relatively inexpensive knife, don't think that I chose it simply because it was cheap.
 
19-3ben said:
Some people have different priorities.

Plenty of people here will buy a $500 knife and then buy tools at Harbor Freight.

We all save money on our lower priority goods so that we have more money to spend on the stuff we really care about.
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Exactly why every 6 months or so I take all the money I save from filling my wife's Audi with Regular instead of Super and spend it on a knife! ;)
I'm no "gear head" but the car runs just fine to this day. Obviously I won't cheap out on the oil though.
 
I guess it"s just the old "we are all different and like different things and have diffetent priorities"

But I try and hopefully I accomplish giving everyone the benefit that whatever they see fit to buy or spend their money or time on ... or whatever they are passionate about ... it is just that ... theirs.

And so thankful that we are all different ... it would be crazy boring and we'd all be carrying a simple either fixed blade or simple folding knife made out of who knows what ... and still never get to get excited to see, save for, and finally buy that beautiful shiney new knife ... you know the one we buy and we just can't stop handling.
 
To some people a knife is just a knife, and they only care whether or not it'll cut stuff and look cool.

they may want the most expensive gun they can afford because they think you have to spend a lot to be guaranteed one that goes Bang every time you pull the trigger. What they don't think about is that if they want the most reliable they should forgot Auto's and get a revolver.
 
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