Whats "mid-priced" and "hi end"...to you?

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waterford

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May 19, 2012
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As I have been perusing this forum and others on the web, I was wondering what manufacturers you all consider mid priced and hi end?
From what I have gathered, it seems makers like Benchmade, Spyderco, ZT would be right there in the mid price range, where Emerson, Chris Reeves, and the custom makers, would
be more hi end.

Also, its seems that Spyderco and ZT are a step above the build quality of Benchmade, generally speaking.

Any thoughts?
 
Spyderco, benchmade, and kershaw/zt are all middle of the road in terms of price. Benchmade's gold class would be right up there with crk and some customs, at least as far as cost goes. Personally, I wouldn't consider production emersons as high end though, they use very average materials (how much more average can you get than black g10 and 154cm...), and below average fit and finish. The only thing high end about Emerson is the price. Custom emersons on the other hand may be a different story but I have not yet handled one so I can't really pass judgment.
 
Like you suggest in the title of the thread, it'll differ for anyone depending on one's collecting preferences, income, and various other factors. Also, some knives that are moderate-to-mid-range on the basis of price can go toe-to-toe with nearly anything out there in terms of materials and quality. For instance, the Spyderco Gayle Bradley has a street price of $140 or less, but the materials are excellent and the F&F is spectacular.

Just on the basis of price, my own stratification of knives would be roughly something like this (street prices for production knives):

<$30
$30-59
$60-99
$100-199
$200-350
>$350

I should emphasize, though, that good knives can be found in all of these price ranges.
 
Mid priced...spyderco,kershaw,ZT ect.....$60-280.
High end...CRK.....$400+
CRK is the end of the road for me...and a good place to stop...
 
I think for me it is sub $75, 75-150, 150-300 and then $300+

It's not really low, mid high etc but more like:

<$75: will buy on impulse

$75-150: will buy after some thinking

$150-300: will do a lot of research and save up for a bit

$300+: special occasion
 
Mid runs from $110; like a Para2 with S30V or BenchMade Griptilian... up to $260 for ZT's.
High-end production is $400; CRK.
Sonny
 
For me:
Low: $15-$70 Byrd, Some Spyderco (Delica, Tenacious, Endura, Salt series,ladybug, etc), Some Benchmade (Griptilian, 530) Most Kershaw, Mora, Victorinox, Cold Steel, Opinel.

Mid- $100-$250 Most Spyderco, Most Benchmade, ZT, some Kershaw, Emerson

High over $300, so that would be CRK, Strider, Hinderer, VECP, customs
 
Medium is around 50 bucks for me, high around 100 (a knife could go either way depending on how I feel about it).
 
michaelm466 said:
For me:
Low: $15-$70 Byrd, Some Spyderco (Delica, Tenacious, Endura, Salt series,ladybug, etc), Some Benchmade (Griptilian, 530) Most Kershaw, Mora, Victorinox, Cold Steel, Opinel.

Mid- $100-$250 Most Spyderco, Most Benchmade, ZT, some Kershaw, Emerson


High over $300, so that would be CRK, Strider, Hinderer, VECP, customs
Click to expand...

What about Microtech :O
 
Hmm kind of a tough one for me to define. I think I often find that there isn't and exact figure that marks the boundaries from one category to the next. Of course as I buy more expensive knives the figures may be swayed a bit more.

But I would say today
Low <$100
Mid $100-$325ish
High $400+

Of course there is a gap and that is kind of the unknown, I think the $300-$400 mark is hard for me to place squarely into mid or high. I would honestly have more like 5 categories and $300-$400 would be mid/high.
 
Depends on the person, what you like, what you're willing to spend, and how much you have to spend.

I hardly ever have money.
Anywhere from Delica price to Griptilian price is middle for me.
My Chokwe, is high end. My ZT 0301 - and it's a blem is quite high end for me.

This is because I don't have the money available like some people. I don't have money to save up for something. When I am able to buy something it's normally because the money all came in at the same time. I don't save it because if I don't get what I have my eye on, something will come up and that money will go.
 
Also depends what kind of knife your into.

Balisongs & OTF for instance $100 bucks or more is just getting your foot in the door.
 
To me based on what I own.

Mid Priced = $100 - $250 (What I EDC and use at work most of the time fits into this range)

Higher End = $400 - $1,000 (My Customs, Busse's, Strider's and CRK fit into this range)
 
mid priced for me is $250 like the fallkniven a2 ill be purchasing in 2 weeks. high prices are those hinderers. i can afford a hinderer but i dont see the point in paying that sort of money unless your a collector. But dont take my word for it cause i just got into knives a couple months ago. I'm still learning about steel. maybe the hinderer is like the best and holds an edge better than vg10. i heard he build them himself so im sure your pretty much paying mostly for labor. someone please school me? anyways, im not a huge folder type of guy. does he make fixed blades as well?
 
I don't have it as well defined as many here, but for me anything under $100 is fair game. After $100, I'm not very interested, because for my needs there are plenty of good knives in my price range.
 
My definition of "high-end" seems to start around $100, stuff like the Yojimbo 2 and Para 2. After that functionality and fit and finish don't increase too much.
 
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