New to Knives, New to Blade Forums, wanted to introduce myself

ErocSD

ErocSD

Joined
Jan 21, 2019
Messages
3,277
I recently got into knives, like a year ago. Bought a cheap chinese metal Kershaw at Big 5 on a whim, my fishing knife was pretty banged up. realized I missed the days of having a knife for fishing and every day carry.

Then a calgunner (gun blog) posted a sale on a Kershaw Leek ($27 on amazon) and that was my first american made blade. I was surprised the detail compared to the chinese blades.

Picked a couple Zero tolerances and then recently bought a lambert/reate. Man what a difference in fit and finish. I can see you get what you pay for in upper tiers. Of course there is always a plateau where you start getting less for the money. and that's where I'm at.

What's the next step? A full custom blade or a Chris Reeve's Sebenza, Chavez or Liong mah/Reate?

Are the full Custom Knives really worth the extra cost? These knives often go for over $1k and I feel like that's a lot of money to purchase something without knowing what I'm getting for the money. Is the fit & Finish really that much better on a $2500 handmade custom knife compared to a semi custom midtech Ling Mah or WE, Chris reeves is basically what I'm asking.

I'm sure there is a huge market for custom blades and I'm sure I'm not going to lose money. I'm just trying to rationalize it for myself I guess...... it's better than wasting my money on beer and food that has no value after it's done.

either way, here's a pic of my small collection for now.....Thanks for looking and any input. Sorry the lighting isn't better.

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Anyone know anything about reate/Lambert Augustus? It's a micarta tanto blade crossroads looking blade, I love my Crossroads so much I feel like I would buy it with confidence if I could find it. Can't seem to find it for sale anywhere.
 
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Welcome to tha club! I think you're on the right track. CRK Sebenza is a good base to see what f&f you get for that price. I don't think you get better f&f after the $500+ price point. It's a preference for material & design then.

But what do I know? "I'm just a random jackass." N. Shabazz o_O
 
Thank you for the input guys. I really appreciate the welcome.

I am looking at a few knives I really like but I don't know a whole lot about the manufacturers other than what I can read and see for sale. I really Like Liong Mah but is it worth the premium over a regular Reate? for example I am between the Reate Jack and the Liong mah Warrior 2 V2. Is there a better f&f on the Liong mah or are they pretty much the same since they're made by Reate? I also really like the WE 819. I am doing my research but I feel like the law of diminishing returns will apply. Dogdrawz points out that $500+ is where that starts so that helps me understand my threshold a little more. I really want a Chris Reeves Sebenza but I kind of like the Inkosi too. I feel like I will definitely own a Chris Reeves but it's just a matter of when. Thanks again for all the input everyone.
 
You can't go wrong with either Sebenza or Inkosi, either lends towards personal preference. I'm on my second large Inkosi. Next purchase is a Sebenza, just to have the knowledge & history in hand.

Don't forget even with your choice narrowed to a CRK Sebenza, you'll also have size, blade shape, handle finish & blade being plain or demascus to choose from.

Good luck!
 
Welcome to the Forum
IMO CRK would be a good next choice and give you a nice knife to base any future purchases of customs on. There certainly is diminishing return as you get into the high end of the market and the majority of them never see any use do to the cost. A lot of the price can also be due to secondary market mark up. CRK makes a great knife that you can still use.
Only you can decide if a high end knife is worth it to you-you are in the luxury category.
 
Welcome ErocSD, I'm at about the same point as you are on this journey Lol. From every thing I have absorbed from this board it seems like a Sebenza would be the next most logical choice but then again nothing about this hobby/Pasion is logical :confused:. BTW how do you like that ZT 0450CF? I just picked one up and It's quickly become my favorite flipper.
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Welcome!

Only you can determine what is “worth it” to you.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let me say that Liong Mah is awesome.
 
Welcome.
I find myself hovering at the $300 ish level. I can not use a knife that cost more than that!!
 
Welcome! :D VERY nice start. :cool: Hang around, read a lot, check different forums and you will find a fount of information to assist you. Good luck. :thumbsup:
 
Welcome to the club and forums!

I would suggest to use the knives you have now and find what aspects you like.
I spent a lot of money before realizing what I really value in a knife and regret about it a bit now.

Good luck with your hunts.
 
Welcome. I can't answer the high dollar knife questions. The most I've spent thus far is around 250... Thats high dollar for a pocket knife for me. :rolleyes:
 
The law of diminishing returns does apply to knives over $550, but improvements will be seen in workmanship all the way to $10,000 and beyond. That said, an excellent knife can be had for just $150.

The most expensive knife that I have is a custom $800, Neil Schutte (South African Guild Member) dagger made out of M390. Even though it is just $800, it is far and away the best knife that I have. I have 85 knives at an investment cost of $20,000, but that is nothing. There are people with 500 knives here, and some have knives worth $5,000ea.
 
Listen to Miso. It is very tempting in the beginning to buy every knife that looks cool.

Then again if it wasn’t for buying every knife I thought looked cool I wouldn’t know what I was looking for in a knife.

Also it doesn’t seem to get much better in terms of build quality for a production knife than a CRK, though that is becoming less true as other companies catch up. CRKs are built better than many custom knives imho. The longer a maker has been building a model the more time they have to perfect it vs. A one off custom where those improvements haven’t had a chance to be realized.

Not a knock on custom makers as there are many who build knives of as good or better quality than a CRK but just warning that an expensive custom isn’t necessarily always about flawless build quality.
 
Welcome to the forums ... you have a nice start there ... and there is something for everyone here reguardless of your choices of style or cost ... enjoy !
 
The ZT0450cf is an amazing knife! For the blade weight and size it is a great EDC blade. I usually carry that When I wear shorts, I live in San Diego so it's kind of a important. My larger knives i reserve for jeans. The ZT0462wbw is a great blade too, came Razor sharp and very well balanced for a larger knife.

I love, love my Reate/Lambert! It is the perfect size and weight, I am hoping to pick up an Augustus if I can find one.
 
If you are getting into knives in a big way, and you're "...sure I'm not going to lose money." then....

Good luck with that one!

Please post up in a couple of years and let us know how much money you "haven't lost!"

ErocSD said:
I'm sure there is a huge market for custom blades and I'm sure I'm not going to lose money. I'm just trying to rationalize it for myself I guess...... it's better than wasting my money on beer and food that has no value after it's done.
Click to expand...
 
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Buy the size safe that you think will be big enough to store your intended collection then buy another one for overflow.
 
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