overpriced blades

jdm61 said:
So I guess that Mike will just have to settle for selling them to the Evil One Percenters that the President keeps talking about. :D
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You get Extra Gucci in your next package.
Three Sprays instead of Just Two.
Much Respect from Texas.
[youtube]7Q9XAk4Y380[/youtube]
 
sebenza.Held one at a recent knife show and for 400. it didnt do much for me.But my zt at 200. i love
 
I think some are misconstruing "over-priced" and "out of YOUR price range". If I could afford to spend $500-$1000+ per knife I probably would if I liked the design and feel. But no I cannot, so budget I must.

The only knife I've bought that was "over-priced" was my Manix 2. Bought for $89 at a gun show. I brought $100 in my wallet with the intention of buying a knife.

$8 at the door
$3 for a Pepsi(way overpriced while we're on the subject:D)
$89 Manix 2

Over-priced? Maybe. Or maybe priced just right at the time. Who knows.
 
brandonc said:
This is where I see a problem with overpricing. Don't companies know that their discontinued products are fetching such high prices. The AFCK and 42 are benchmade's most popular models, both discontinued, expensive, fantastic knives. The BM 42 was expensive to make but compared to the price used ones are going for I think they would sell out if it was factory made. I think benchmades thought on this is that it would force customers to buy newer, probably worse, however more profitable knives.
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In the interim, it would seem that they're trying to capitalize on what's left of that demand by putting out the 62.

Personally I would like a (blargh) Microtech Tachyon (Going for as high as 600$ these days). Or even better, a Tachyon built by someone reputable like Kershaw. After all, it's Mike Turber's design.
 
singularity35 said:
Ok, so it's all just about collectability and artistic creation. I was kinda looking at it and asking from a performance point of view.
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Two different mindsets. I too look at it from a reliability/performance perspective. I could never justify buying a ridiculously expensive folder for the sake of art, or having someone's name/style on it, etc. Same with a fixed blade. I'm trying to get back to that frontiersman mentality. Ironically, I appreciate really well done paintings. And I'm not going to lie, I do find many of these custom knives gorgeous. In the end though, my mind sees a knife as a tool, and thinks it should perform and look like a tool.

To each their own, same as with cars, guns etc. There are cars like 300ZXs and Supras that would put Ferraris and Lambos to shame, at a fraction of the cost, based on customization and a fine base product to work from. As for guns...is a insanely expensive custom going to kill any better using the same ammunition, or is it apples to oranges?
 
Its all relative duuuuuudes... what might seem expensive to you will seem cheap as chips to Sheik Yerbootie. The only thing that is priceless is TIME.
 
Boker's made in Solingen big buck folders and fb's alike seem over-priced for what you get - especially considering some of the QC issues. Their Solingen-made classic 'Tree Brand' slipjoints, by comparison, are true bargains - and set the bar so high that my first similar Case knives were a big let down. Go figure.

Stainz
 
I have a limit placed on myself that a knife has to be below $100. So any knife $100 or higher is overpriced for me. People that spend $200 to $500 is fine, that is just my personal limit.
 
When I think overpriced, I think about the cost it took to produce (time included) and how much comparable knives of similar steel go for. It's hard to put custom knives in the overpriced category since craftsmanship and yes to some extent art play a role in determining the price. Some people like writing with Bic and some prefer Mont Blank. A better example would be something like SOG knives. You pay $120-$210 for a folder in AUS8 steel that has blade play. An example of "bang for your buck" would be Houge's knives or Zero Tolerance, same price as the SOG but much higher fit and finish and better steel to boot.
I mentioned Hinderer only because he sells his knives for $450-$550 (not overpriced at all) on average but in some cases you see a 100% mark up with private sellers.
 
AlMar. Crazy pricing. I paid $112 for my SERE 2000 back in 2002. A few years later the Mini SERE 2000 came out with a price at 40% more than the full size.

Emerson. Again you find smaller knives pricier than their larger versions. For a company of about 25 people that doesn't pay for advertising, they charge a lot. Their "fit and finish" on some knives also doesn't justify the hefty price. Emerson even say's the fit and finish is not the focus of his knives. $19 to send back a knife for warranty repair? So I have to pay for a problem created at the factory? I don't think so.

Microtech. Way overpriced and a non-existant customer service to boot. This is why the MSAR is failing. Hopefully the knife end will fail soon too. It'll just increase the value of the ones I still have.
 
I have sat and seen custom knives go for 5k to 15k and wanted them myself. I bet Snody has 125+ hours in some of those high end knives he sells.. So who cares if they sell for 2k or 4k? Do the math.. even if he has 50 hours in a knife and sells it for 2k that's only 40 bucks a hour and that's not counting the cost of all the machines, taxes, supplies, power, Obama's cut.. etc..

Now I seen some "high end" knives on here sell for 500 to 3k and it seems odd to me that people are spending tons of money on these knives and no one even knows how many of these are hitting the streets. If I see a knife I like and its 2k then I would like to know that its a one off or a limited run etc. I do not want to find out later that the maker really made 10000 a year of these knives and hope that the knife doesn't become worthless later when people realize how many are really out on the streets.

I own a wide range of knives from cheap crkt folders to some higher end snodys etc. I don' mind spending money on a blade and my average is still around 150 range. If I spend more than 300 then I want something more hand made rather than something being pumped out on a water jet or cnc. At the end of the day I am still a sucker for a cool design just like most guys and if a brand name falls in my odd zone then I hunt ebay to snake one at the best price possible and hope..
 
Bastid said:
Not sure how any knife that is quickly scarfed up can be call overpriced.

If they sell quickly by definition they are not overpriced.
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My CQC-7V @ $175 was okay for me. And Emerson has NOT advertised in ten yrs. Pretty good, huh?
Sonny
 
"Overpriced" - I have several that other's might consider "alot to pay for just a knife." I've never been one to discusss what I paid for anything & will attempt to avoid the subject when confronted in front of others.
To me, people" in the loop" know what the cost of quality is no matter what is inserted into the question when we remove the word knife.
My spare hard earned $$$ to spend on my hobbies - Of course-that's, after taking care of the family!:D
 
TriviaMonster said:
Its because Snody isn't just selling a sharp piece of steel that folds in half. He's selling personal embellishment and artistic style. Same reason a guy buys a Rolex or a the like. Its cool, its superbly made, and its not a common Walmart knife. Its not that they are $2,600 sharper than a Benchmade Activator, its that its rare, and a work of art. If you like Snody's knives and can afford them, then why not?

On top of that, Snody is a class act.
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agreed. when I started this thread I didn't have custom knives in mind. its hard to put a price on custom knives and say whether or not they are "overpriced" because they really are more personal and works of art.
 
I think that factory knives are overpriced when the price level approaches that of a custom, individually made knife.
I don't begrudge a fine craftsman the wages.
Some knives made in Japan have increased by more than 50% since the changes in the valuation of the Yen. I consider them overpriced.
For example, I picked up a Fallkniven TK4 a couple of years ago for about $98, but it is now closer to $150. That increase is just the result of the overvaluation of the Japanese currency. If I spend $155 for a knife that is made in Japan, I know that much of the sales price is bogus.
I don't consider the lower priced Benchmade knives overpriced, because they have handles in FRN. I consider the FRN a positive factor, since it will take heavy use without showing any wear. I do consider many knives with handles of G10 overpriced... and this is just my personal view. I also don't care especially for metal handles, so I see many titanium handled knives as overpriced - all of this is subjective, of course.
 
ThirdTooth said:
agreed. when I started this thread I didn't have custom knives in mind. its hard to put a price on custom knives and say whether or not they are "overpriced" because they really are more personal and works of art.
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Bingo.

It's all about the who, as in the who you are selling to. I think a $12 poster of Justin Beiber is over priced, by uh, about $12. My little niece on the other hand would pay $50 if she had to. Why? Well, we are different markets. I doubt anyone would call an 8 year old girl mentally ill for liking Justin Beiber, even if it didn't match their own tastes.

Now let's take it one step further. I think knife X is over priced. Let's say knife X is a paua handled damascus slipjoint knife made by a famous custom maker. Let's say knife X is for sell for $2,000. Now I don't like paua, nor do I like slipjoints a whole lot. But, I do like knives. Strange huh? But knife X is a knife so I must like it, right? Wrong. I have personal preferences that go even farther than just liking knives. Now if knife X were a Ti handled, DDR Gunhammer with a Damascus blade and carbon fiber inlays then I would be all over it. But, my late Grandfather would kick me in the testes for paying $2k for an "abomination like that." That doesn't make the custom Gunhammer worth any less. My Grandpa is not Darrel Ralph's market, nor am I the market of the custom slipjoint maker.

This is just the long way of saying, to those who lack understanding, is that we each have our own opinions. Neither is wrong, but it doesn't make someone stupid or mentally ill for paying 20-30 Benjamins for a custom Snody. Mike Snody isn't a cheap Chinese factory pumping out gillions of pastic handled, "surgical grade stainless steel" knives. These are one-off custom knives. In fact, a ghost writer will write you a book for about $10k on the cheaper end. Now, I would rather have a knife than a 5x as expensive book. Both are custom. Doesn't make someone an idiot for wanting to have book about themself, merely vein.

Like I said, it's all about the market. Who are you selling to? If one can figure this out, and Snody obviously has, then one can charge what they want to. Same reason you never see a guy outside of the Republican National Convention selling Norml t-shirts.
 
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