If you really have a need to chop that many cinder blocks, I would suggest buying a cold chisel and a small sledge hammer. As for overpriced, the most expensive model in the Randall Model 12 line, the Smithsonian, has a catalog price of $650, yet you paid $950? For $950, you could get two choppers made from CPM3V from a custom maker and maybe even have some money left over. I am a longtime Randall fan, but I also realize that they use "cheap" steel and old productions methods (by their on admission) and their pricing is driving primarily by their collectibility. They may be more unused Randalls in existence than any other knife brand.
Not the fault of Randall...
Cinder blocks are the thing Busse testers do: I could not care less about that nonsense myself, I am just amused that a thin-edged Model 14 ended up doing better with 440B than Busse INFI did in their very own "Busse-style" testing medium... Ah but he "Sasquatch" was thin edged as well, which was objected to... So INFI is good when it is chisel thick I guess...
I've seen at least one test where CPM3V tested way poorer than 440C, particularly on manila rope... And that was with identical purpose-built test mules for the test,
not different knives from different makers... For me, Randall's 440B proved superior in comparison to everything I have tried while chopping wood, and better than most 440 in other knives... Rust resistance on CPM3V is also low if I am not mistaken... I have tried RJ Martin's S30V against Randall's 440B, equal edge angles, and S30V came out a close second... Not hugely impressed...
As to the catalog price of the Model 12, why are you even considering that? Catalogue price for Randalls is a four- five year wait... If you can find a 14 grind Model 12 available NOW for $650, please
do show the link, I am intensely curious... Only 14 grinds mind you: I have no interest in their ugly curved clips...
As far as custom makers making better stuff than Randall, I'm sure they do exist, but very few of them are a known value... If they are a known value, the price will be higher than $450, and waiting time can be significant... In addition, how many custom makers can
forge stainless? How many will consistently offer a given edge thickness of 0.020"? How many do hollow grinds? How many, for $450, will have leather sheaths that are even in the same league of simplicity and elegance?
I look and look for 9"-10" blades, and most custom knives I see offer flat-ground blades, traditional ornery handles devoid of checkering or finger grooves, ornery guards and decorated sheaths that are polar opposites to the simplicity I enjoy... Prices are not exactly low when ordering from dealers...
I can scroll for hours Arizona Custom Knives, or Nordic Knives, for 10" plus blades, and not see a single custom knife that combines thin-edged hollow grinds, chopping ability and a sharp straight-clipped point: Many intended to be choppers look a lot like Busse... I also don't like full tangs, as they are not balanced right and waste weight. Just not my thing...
Finally, and really the number one reason I am not interested in Customs: How many custom makers have a stock of finished knives ready to ship right now? Not many... Randall dealers do offer this. You pay a high price because they waited for you: A perfectly fair trade by me...
Gaston