General observation

Guys let’s set a good example and be welcoming despite this guy coming in with abit of an attitude.

And BlueJay you please try to understand that as this is an internet forum we have had many people coming in just to stir shit up so also please give the members the benefit of the doubt.

—signed an entitled millenial
 
If my post was satirical, there'd have to be an object of that satire. Since no one came here and posted prejudiced, dismissive, classist views of the forum members, logic says I must have been completely serious. But I assure you, no malice was intended towards anyone in that post.

Crow.Named.Mr.Bluejay said:
Want to be a dick? Do it elsewhere.
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Good advice.
 
Lapedog said:
This is not the forum for being confrontational.

There are many members here with very modest incomes.
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Hence the reason I told him to troll elsewhere. Everyone had been pretty awesome up until his two cents.

I never said that was the way that anything was, I asked if that is what I should expect.

A question. Whether or not there is quality in lower cost knives because I read a lot of things before joining that made it seem that if you weren’t paying over $200 you are getting scrap metal.

Sorry for any kind of confusion.
 
Owned doesn't always mean no overhead. It just means the bills come one by one. There is certainly a case of reputation. You can find small knifemakers all over the place who will work at near cost, and low value labor. Its hard to find them, and some suck. Same like tattoo artists, there are a lot out there, some will stay in the business for decades and become the "known names" some for good, some ill. And many will go get "real" jobs and leave it behind, like many other artists, musicians, etc.

Often there is a certain trust level with a tattoo that has to be bought by the artist, at least until they have a very solid reputation. With knives its warranty and customer service. The knives you see in a store are the tattoo equivalent of a franchised shop, or in the high end, the Kat Von D level of reputation, where even non-tattoo people recognize the name. (also some brands have 100 some years of history) Also keep in mind that the time spend for you is the end of the transaction, for the knife maker its the beginning, most are working on spec, so they have to hope a piece sells. Just a different business model. (and a lot more hours per piece in many cases)

A little note on community here. If you want offense you will find it. Many here are far more sarcastic than mean, so if something can be read as sarcastic or mean, it probably is sarcasm. You'll know when its mean, and it won't be out here in the general forum. We are all here to have fun, its been a tense week for many, so that might be part of why some are a little bitey today. You hang and be chill, and it all goes well (that isn't to say you have to agree, but don't take or make it personal) you let stuff get under your skin (pun intended?) and there are member here who will burn you to the ground. Its sort of a test of character (an often dumb one, but hey, its the internet!)
 
Crow.Named.Mr.Bluejay said:
Hence the reason I told him to troll elsewhere. Everyone had been pretty awesome up until his two cents.

I never said that was the way that anything was, I asked if that is what I should expect.

A question. Whether or not there is quality in lower cost knives because I read a lot of things before joining that made it seem that if you weren’t paying over $200 you are getting scrap metal.

Sorry for any kind of confusion.
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Especially if you use google as the search engine you will find threads critiquing virtually every budge knife you can think of for good and bad points. (Ie, google search: Bladeforums steel will cutjack)

There is if anything a huge ammount of love here for knives that offer great value for their cost and often sub $100 or even sub $50 knives become absolute darlings of the community. (For example the cutjack or delica)
 
Crow.Named.Mr.Bluejay said:
A question. Whether or not there is quality in lower cost knives because I read a lot of things before joining that made it seem that if you weren’t paying over $200 you are getting scrap metal.
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You get what you pay for. If you are buying someone's inflated ego, then you can easily get garbage for more than 200$. If you are buying automated production, tried and true designs and methods, then 50$ can get you a long way these days.

Some collect on design, some technical detail, some steel, some metallurgy (how that steel alloy has been treated), some on uses, some on features, and many on some degree of all those. Aesthetics isn't purely subjective, as many find an aesthetic in functionality, but its of course not fully objective because there is no accounting for taste. Also like tattoos, there are a lot of people who paid a lot for something they now have to live with, and so they convince themselves it was a good idea by telling everyone else how good their tattoo is. I'm sure you've met the type.
 
gadgetgeek said:
Owned doesn't always mean no overhead. It just means the bills come one by one. There is certainly a case of reputation. You can find small knifemakers all over the place who will work at near cost, and low value labor. Its hard to find them, and some suck. Same like tattoo artists, there are a lot out there, some will stay in the business for decades and become the "known names" some for good, some ill. And many will go get "real" jobs and leave it behind, like many other artists, musicians, etc.

Often there is a certain trust level with a tattoo that has to be bought by the artist, at least until they have a very solid reputation. With knives its warranty and customer service. The knives you see in a store are the tattoo equivalent of a franchised shop, or in the high end, the Kat Von D level of reputation, where even non-tattoo people recognize the name. (also some brands have 100 some years of history) Also keep in mind that the time spend for you is the end of the transaction, for the knife maker its the beginning, most are working on spec, so they have to hope a piece sells. Just a different business model. (and a lot more hours per piece in many cases)

A little note on community here. If you want offense you will find it. Many here are far more sarcastic than mean, so if something can be read as sarcastic or mean, it probably is sarcasm. You'll know when its mean, and it won't be out here in the general forum. We are all here to have fun, its been a tense week for many, so that might be part of why some are a little bitey today. You hang and be chill, and it all goes well (that isn't to say you have to agree, but don't take or make it personal) you let stuff get under your skin (pun intended?) and there are member here who will burn you to the ground. Its sort of a test of character (an often dumb one, but hey, its the internet!)
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Thank you for that. None of it bothers me in the slightest other than the fact a question was taken as a blanket statement towards the entire community.
I have said it multiple times, and I will say it again, I am learning and I thank everyone that has been informative.

Also, Kat Von D is trash. :p
 
Conceptually if knife design, metallurgy & materials, knife use and all things about knives interest you, hang around some and peruse. This is probably the only community in real life or online where I have goofy, fun and most times, super knowledgable people to go about discussing all things under the sun about things that cut.

Often times, people go through a knife obsessed journey and they shift from category to category of whatever you may want to bucket them into. At the end of the day it's fun, the people on here are almost entirely made up of kind folk willing to share their knowledge and often times their "stuff."

I'm from NYC and I will tell you that outside of a few lifestyle companies, knife ownership is certainly not a hipster thing. Despite there being tv shows on the tube now about knives and knife challenges hipsters are more worried about expensive cheeses to buy and what vintage razor to use to groom their beards. What they put in their pocket to cut things with is certainly not on anyone's mainstream mind and dare I say even a little weird. That's usually not the vibe that hipsters go for.

As fas as the expensive knives, they are worth what someone is willing to pay for them and if you look into the custom knife making process it is akin to old master swordmakers making a samurai sword - it takes lots of time, blood and sweat in many cases - so they should be able to command what they wish for their output.

Some knives cut above their weight or so to speak and some don't. It's a big, big world of knives out there and you can take part in only some or all of it. E.g. we have a forum just for traditional talk, stuff like Case knives if that's all you care to peruse and discourse about, the group is a really nice bunch of folks too. Same with most places in this forum.

Full disclosure: I have an Audi and a Highlander, live in a 6 bedroom historical house built in 1771. I work on Wall St. My wife works in M&A. Since we had to pay our own way to get everything that we have (we weren't born wealthy, we haven't accumulated a ton of assets but are not poor either.)

I've owned many types of watches up to $10K and am currently fixated on cheapo Japanese and Chinese automatic watches. My daily carry is a $25 swiss army knife after going through hundreds of knives including customs. Most of the knives that I have kept cost between $30 and $150. My most expensive knife is a midtech by CRK. And it was very....very...very...fun exploring all those knives and finally settling down to where I am now.

***As fas as knives go you should explore at minimum: Spyderco, Benchmade, Kershaw, ZT, Case, Rough Rider and GEC at a minimum!
 
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Lapedog said:
Especially if you use google as the search engine you will find threads critiquing virtually every budge knife you can think of for good and bad points. (Ie, google search: Bladeforums steel will cutjack)

There is if anything a huge ammount of love here for knives that offer great value for their cost and often sub $100 or even sub $50 knives become absolute darlings of the community. (For example the cutjack or delica)
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Will definitely look into that, thank you!
 
cchu518 said:
Conceptually if knife design, metallurgy & materials, knife use and all things about knives interest you, hang around some and peruse. This is probably the only community in real life or online where I have goofy, fun and most times, super knowledgable people to go about discussing all things under the sun about things that cut.

Often times, people go through a knife obsessed journey and they shift from category to category of whatever you may want to bucket them into. At the end of the day it's fun, the people on here are almost entirely made up of kind folk willing to share their knowledge and often times their "stuff."

I'm from NYC and I will tell you that outside of a few lifestyle companies, knife ownership is certainly not a hipster thing. Despite their tv shows on the tube now about knives and knife challenges hipsters are more worried about expensive cheeses and what vintage razor can they use to groom their beards. What they put in their pocket to cut things with is certainly not on anyone's mainstream mine and dare I say even a little weird. That's usually not the vibe that hipsters go for.

As fas as the expensive knives, they are worth what someone is willing to pay for them and if you look into the custom knife making process it is akin to old master swordsman making a samurai sword it takes lots of time, blood and sweat in many cases so they should be able to command what they wish for their output. Some knives cut above their weight or so to speak and some don't. It's a big, big world of knives out there and you can take part in only some or all of it. E.g. we have a forum just for traditional talk, stuff like Case knives if that's all you care to peruse and discourse about, the group is a really nice bunch of folks too. Same with most places in this forum.
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Thank you for taking the time to type all of that out.

I was too hasty to dive straight in. I have seen that there is a lot to take in, so I am slowing my roll and easing in, haha.

I am more interested in the smithing craft. I just happen to own those mentioned.
Honestly not a big fan of folding knives overall. :p
 
Ahh in that case... we have a whole section of master smith, you can read their threads if you want to learn how to make knives.

And too many awesome fixed blade knife makers and companies to mention. There's a whole section about learning the craft and how to make gorgeous handles. The latest fun around fixed blades at least in my opinion revolve around CPM-20V, a powdered metallurgy steel and gorgeous burlap micarta handles like the material made by Shadetree. But at the end of the day, my favorite fixed blades often have that old school steel like 1095 that are inexpensive. For me the knife journey kinda took me all over the place and I prefer easy to maintain steels over steels that have super "qualities" due to their makeup like extended cutting or toughness. Sometimes more isn't always better when all you are doing is cutting a limb off a tree in your backyard or going car camping. I'm personally too old and out of shape to be doing any Bear Grylls crap.
 
Hi Crow.
I'm in Atlanta, too. So if there's a knife you're interested in and I have it, we may work out you trying before you buy.

One strategy I've used is to try specific designer's designs for lower budget brands first. Fer instance, I carried a Kershaw Scallion (Ken Onion's work) for years. My Zero Tolerance 0350 is like the Scallion's (very) big brother. I liked the look of the Kershaw Injection. Bought one at the end of the season for very little money, Liked it, decided I agreed with Todd Rexford's design. Saved up some money and bought a Zero Tolerance 0808. The two ZT's see a lot of pocket time, so they are arguably money well spent.

When I wanted to try a Spyderco, a lot didn't appeal to me aesthetically, regardless of what others recommended. I found a brick and mortar store in Cobb county that had a bunch. After holding a few in my hand, the Sage 2 in titanium was a must buy. (I am a sucker for Ti.)

I had a hankering for a canoe knife, a traditional pattern. Visited the Traditional sub-forum, asked, and was steered to Rough Rider. The knife was stupid cheap, and surprisingly nice. Another good purchase.

BTW, I'm no trust fund baby. Money counts. And, I have a few other potentially expensive hobbies. The trick is determining your budget, and figuring out where on the curve of diminishing returns you want to live. There's some great stuff out there at almost any price. (And keep an eye on the exchange)
 
marcinek said:
No, tattoos are "hipster."

Advice: drop the language, the insults, the judgement, and the attitude. It is not welcome. We are a friendly group.

Please enjoy the site.
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Tattoos became hipster because of ridiculous television shows....

There has been no judgement, insults, or attitude via my end other than the response to the one person that was snappy at me.

If all of the comments have been read, the way that they were intended, it would be clear that a question was taken As a generalization.

For the 3rd or 4th time. Sorry for any confusion or any improper wording that may have come off brashly.
 
cchu518 said:
Ahh in that case... we have a whole section of master smith, you can read their threads if you want to learn how to make knives.

And too many awesome fixed blade knife makers and companies to mention. There's a whole section about learning the craft and how to make gorgeous handles. The latest fun around fixed blades at least in my opinion revolve around CPM-20V, a powdered metallurgy steel and gorgeous burlap micarta handles like the material made by Shadetree. But at the end of the day, my favorite fixed blades often have that old school steel like 1095 that are inexpensive. For me the knife journey kinda took me all over the place and I prefer easy to maintain steels over steels that have super "qualities" due to their makeup like extended cutting or toughness. Sometimes more isn't always better when all you are doing is cutting a limb off a tree in your backyard or going car camping. I'm personally too old and out of shape to be doing any Bear Grylls crap.
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Bear Grylls crap like going for a nature walk then sleeping in a hotel and eating catered sandwitches?

(Damnit I told you to cut the F***ING crusts off!)
 
What does this thread have to do with the exchange M marcinek though I think your more so trying to stress don't come into someone else house with negativity and start spewing it. I will admit C Crow.Named.Mr.Bluejay first posted mentioning yuppie's and hipsters etc. did come off poorly I honestly didn't take it offensively myself for one I know I am not such a person and I know this place isn't full of such people. I think we can all stand to drop and leave any attitudes we have shown him any assumptions he may or may not have had are far from true and that we are generally welcoming people. He can get from this place what he likes and learn more, as I and others have, about the finer points of what values you have in a knife. I will add for OP since you mentioned you inherited a collection of Case and Buck knives you may want to check out "The Porch" the traditional section of the forum but watch the language there swear words are not permitted in that subforum.
 
It cracks me up when people act snobby about knives. How did our ancestors survive with crude carbon steels and a lack of precisely controlled heat treatments for hundreds of years? How could they have made it when all they had to use was a stone knife and stone tipped spear to kill and butcher an animal?

More expensive knives are very nice and can spoil a person, but are hardly necessary. For less than $50 total you can get a Victorinox SAK and a Morakniv Companion that will accomplish just about anything you need done and hold up just fine.
 
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