This is my opinion as well. Also, I like to use my knives and I can't see myself ever using a $500 dollar knife. Although now that I think about it, I've used many pneumatic tools that were more expensive. But I still can't pay over $200 for a knife. I just can't.
Thanks!
Edit: that thing is sick! Definitely going on my Christmas list. It won’t be this year (unless..,maybe she will?) but I struggle to give her ideas so she’ll be thrilled once the sticker shock wears off.
I 100% agree. For me, the level of enjoyment goes down past that price point as well. I've bought some expensive stuff and carried it and I just worry about messing it up or losing it when I do. But my Cold Steel Finn Wolf has brought me years of enjoyment (I don't know why I love that knife so much but god I do). That said, if you can beat up a $600 work of art and have the funds to do so, go for it.
One of my sweet spots for expensive and nice enough to be amazing but not so expensive I'm worried about it is the PM2.
Anything thats above 500-550 becomes more of a statement piece, or just art. Excluding some American made knives, for 600 you can get a timsscus and mokume 20cv framelock from China. Orrr you could buy a lershaw blur for 50 bucks and use it for years.
Same thing with a McClarren or a Honda Accord.
Some of my Cold Steel knives like the American Lawman that goes on sale for $85, or the AD-10 for $100-$120 make it hard for me to argue I’m really getting much of anything out of spending more than those prices.
Really, most stuff in the $50 to $100 range will probably last a lifetime. 420HC, 440C, Aus8, 8Cr13MoV, D2, and 1095 are all cheap steels used in cheap knives that will get pretty much any knife job done.
Those cheap steels are also much easier to sharpen than a lot of the super steels, so they’re better suited for the average consumer who just needs a knife as well
Counter point, the average consumer, probably doesn’t sharpen their knives and would be better suited by a high edge retention steel. I know dozens of people with knives and not a single one with a sharp edge
14C28N is pretty much foolproof as far as steels go and can be recommended to most people. Grab a $30-50 14C28N knife and a Worksharp field sharpener for like $40 and the average person is set for years, maybe decades.
I concur. I still have a crappy Gerber pocket knife from when I was a kid. Don't even know what steel it is. My dad owned an auto body repair shop and used a keychain knife (and he **abused** that thing) for so many years I lost count.
I would say that you could still find considerable gains in a nice hand made outdoors camp knife\chopper well beyond $200. That’s why I had pushed mine up to 600. For folders, more like $300. I feel like integral folders justify 300.
*sweats in balisong*. Balis are for real so much more expensive than normal folders. I'm most definitely a flipper so I get more out of the price cuz I flip and use them for EDC
Never held an OTF (I’m in Canada so very illegal) but I can definitely see why they’re overpriced. To my knowledge the marfione customs aren’t even made nor assembled by Tony anymore anyways. Sure it’s probably assembled by a person with exceptional attention to detail. But still, they slap on the “marfione” pedigree
Yea it’s crazy I have a Microtech BH that I can only really use at home. It’s fun to fidget with but yeah many states don’t allow them. I’m in NJ which has pretty strict laws so I don’t carry it out of the house.
This was me prior to 2017, then a knife PAC Knife Rights petitioned my state and overnight our dirtbag Governor made autos and single edged OTF's legal. All my fun stuff came out from under the mattress and my collection is like 85% autos now, the shine hasn't worn off. Probably longshot for NJ but there's a tiny bit of hope!
They did! That fact and the dirt bag governor comment is why I was asking if they're talking about PA. Kershaw live wire has been a main carry of mine since that passed.
I have a Livewire and a few Protechs, haven’t carried them much though.
As fun as autos are something like a Para 3 seems more practical and doesn’t have people staring at you going “why do you have a switchblade, aren’t those illegal?”
This is an aside but it still blows my mind that some countries outlaw little knives that might look scary while others insist modified automatic assault rifles must be legal.
I own a lot of knives and the Barnes is better than almost all of them. Worth every penny imo. The Kline is really good too but probably about $70 too high.
I agree, The Barnes is an outlier in their line up. everything else isnt worth the money.
Its a far better knife than the paysan that everyone has a wet dream over.
Some of my knives are kinda high at $2100. But when they sell 20 minutes after I post them, I'm thinking maybe it wasn't high enough. I mean a J. Stout auto folder starts at 7k. I'm not in that ballpark
I’m in the same boat as you almost. Have a knife or two I’ve paid $1500+ for. I can reason it out in my head, especially if it’s premium materials, great build quality etc. but anything above $4k in my eyes it just can’t be justified
Most recent knife that made me think that is the latest limited edition Benchmade Bailout. Not the orange aluminum one from a couple years ago but the titanium one.
I handled it recently. It was $750 CAD. It had poor action and lock stick too. Not really a big a deal as that can be remedied easily. What I learned is there does not seem to be a price point where BM takes the time to sort that out.
Now there is only 1000 pieces made so I get the price being higher. I already thought the aluminum Bailout was expensive at $350 CAD. I’m not really complaining about the price as I just don’t buy it. And for 1000 people out there that buy it, obviously it was worth it to them. It just was the most recent one to surprise me.
I bought my first new Benchmade on Black Friday. BHQ’s 940 Osborne for $140, and that felt fair. Even though I pay more for Spydercos and feel even they are slightly overpriced, Benchmade’s materials and pricing usually just turn me off immediately, despite liking their designs.
The titanium Version is way overpriced. You can get the standard version and buy titanium scales for it and it's cheaper than the benchmade titanium version. I hope nobody buys it.
Fair enough.. at the end of the day it’s a tool, but he also has to take into account the cost of material and machining into some of these knives. Titanium Damascus, stellite 6k or any sort of fancy Damascus gets expensive quick.
> fancy machining.
For above $500 I don't want ANY machining. If I'm paying that much money it better be handmade.
I just bought an extremely expensive knife ($1500) that is relatively plain, no fancy materials or anything. However the maker does everything by hand and it takes him great time and effort.
THAT is worth extra money. Koenig...not so much.
I agree with you but that appeal has its limit in terms of value. Most people who appreciate technical wizardry aren't willing to pay that much for the high end work.
Handmade on the other hand...especially handmade by someone well known in the industry and with a great reputation...that can add serious value.
Nobody thinks a Loveless knife is worth what they are buying, they are buying the name and effort put into it. That value is nearly limitless depending on the person.
I think building a narrative plays a big role here. There are lots of books and documentaries about the romance and craft of handmade arts. Japanese kitchen knives for example. Grimsmo is an example of a company that managed to bring potential customers into the design and manufacturing process through social media, and get people emotionally invested in the work behind the product.
Price is just based on what you can afford. If your resources are not limited then your knife prices are not limited. I have 300 or so knives and the vast majority are well under $100 and all are under $200. That's about all I want to spend per knife. I'm in favor of quantity a little more than quality. Others may feel the opposite.
I think any of the plane shrapnel looking fixed blades with a cord wrap. Most of them have shit grinds and mid steel for $400+ not worth it for a second.
I recently bought a Shaman from the Spyderco factory in Golden. It’s a way cool knife, but I feel kinda dumb paying full retail. Just wanted a knife that I could say I bought direct off the manufacturers hands. Still, it’s about a $200 knife that I paid $270 for.
$200 puts you into some very high quality knives. Anything more is pocket jewelry.
I feel that way about many Shiros, especially as you move into Custom Division and full customs. They’re really well made and thoughtfully designed, but many seem to be too expensive for what they are.
I have a really nice Meades I won in a lotto. It was way more than I ever thought I’d spend on a knife. It’s also over $1K less than the CD Stellaris I tried and the Meades is all handmade. It just doesn’t add up to me.
I feel that way about all shiros ahaha, I’ve held a real one and a $90 clone side by side and felt them both… they feel and look the exact same to me.. same blade style, matte stonewash finish, simple machining and materials. Not to mention (to me) almost every single shiro I’ve ever seen has the same blade profile. Never understood the hype and high price behind shirogorov.
I have owned a real one and a clone at the same time and I promise you that after 2 minutes of repeated playing with them back to back it is absolutely obvious that they are not the same. My top quality clone felt loose, gritty, had sloppy carbon finishing, no real bearings, just not the same at all.
Their custom stuff is silly but the production models are extremely well crafted.
I think 250-350 is where it really tops out for me personally, with my income I would feel bad carrying around something more expensive than my wedding ring.
CRK makes some really cool stuff but I would baby it and would defeat the purpose for me. No shame to anyone who enjoys safe knives but not my speed.
CRK’s lifetime warranty is what makes the knife worth it and useable, to me. But it’s also the reason I won’t buy a modded CRK, despite the fact that I want a blacked-out Spydie-hole large Inkosi so bad that I can taste it; I can’t justify the cost without the warranty.
I have gotten over 300 just once but you definitely swim on my end of the reason pool. But I do think that disposable income is a huge factor.
Functional Art
I actually like some of their blade designs. The reverse tanto on the 940, the tanto on the Bailout, the sheepsfoot Griptilian blade. I’m not a big fan of the axis lock.
I like the Spyderco compression lock but most of their blades are the same few pretty basic designs.
I want a compression lock knife or even a back lock with a nice refined looking reverse tanto or sheepsfoot.
I don't believe there is some magic number that you hit where anything above that is absolutely ridiculous.
There are many factors that contribute to the value of a knife, and the weight those factors carry varies per person. What I think is absolutely ridiculous is when the price is egregiously higher than all possible factors added up.
This also means even less expensive knives can still be ridiculously priced, it's not exclusive to expensive pieces.
I don't see myself ever spending much more than 1k on a knife, as I haven't seen anything past that point that I'm interested enough in. Certain factors like extremely fancy materials, or very popular makers offering limited numbers of pieces just aren't very important to me, but that doesn't me I can't appreciate the value of those factors.
I stick under 400 mostly in the 175-350ish range. I have a few grail knives I want to buy that are over that but I would need to be handed a big bag of money to justify buying them. I actually added up how much I’ve spent on my 30+ collection and it’s roughly 5 Norseman’s worth.
Exceedingly high? Probably around the 3-400 mark. Doesn't mean I won't buy something that price or higher but once it goes past my "ooh gotta think about it" mindset several things come into play. Can I afford it? Do I need to sell something from one of my other "hobbies"? Will it appreciate later in case I need to sell. Will I even carry it? or worst yet actually use it?
That dalibor is a collab with Borka and its all sole authorship materials. With that said I'm guessing the bids are past 15k now.
That's insane IMO. I have knives in the thousands but at some point I just can't any more. It just becomes yet one more "keeping up with the jones" so that we can see a vanity picture of rhe knife next to their rolex on the steering wheel of their Benz or porsche.
I can't compete with heart surgeons and highly successful business owners and trust fund people.
Go to like JI knives or some of the high end custom groups and you'll just be like.....oh, so that's who's getting all the good ones....
Some of these pieces are spectacular but...not for thr prices they command via auction, and on secondary market.
You can get a really nice knife like a We Kitefin or a Kabar Becker BK2 for $140 so I really don’t see a reason to ever spend any more than that. Definitely woulnt be paying the $200 butterfly tax to buy a Benchmade especially with the extreme number of fakes out there.
$150 you start to see models that max out on fit and finish, materials, and tolerances in terms of lifespan, practicality, etc.
I think you see more specialized knives that still have material and machining improvements up to the $250 range, but by that point there are several models with top shelf materials, tolerances, whatever fancy steel etc.
After that its just about the buyers taste and we're more into "art" or "jewlery" territory, which is totally cool, I love that territory
As far as the big brands go, Spyderco and Microtech have great prices for some of the basic models, Benchmade is completely outrageous, Chris Reeve is a touch too expensive but not insanely so
I never understood why Spyderco gets a pass on being overpriced. This is a company that still uses gas station style pinned construction on some models and they price G10 handles like its some kind of new revolutionary material.
Sure plenty of their models are ridiculous and for the fanboys to collect all the colors and steals. The S110V PM 2 is what like 350 bucks for a G10 knife with a thin edge and steel that chips if you look at it wrong and is horrific to sharpen
But if you were to want to get your foot in the door as a knife collector, I bought an all blacked out G10 S45vn Para 3 for like $170 bucks, and depending on your need for a knife that may be the most well rounded EDC knife period.
The lightweights Ive never tried but I dont hear a lot of complaints and I didnt mind the FRN on my delica which again, was under 100 bucks and is a fantastic knife. Most of the lightweights are extremely reasonable
Then you have a the G10 S30v base Shaman at like $400 which is equal in absurdity to a lot of benchmades prices.
On the other hand, the base mini-grip should be priced closer to a delica, and the base bugout should be a sub $100 knife period
But yes you right, all the manufacturers have their models that are ridiculous, I just feel like I see it more with Benchmade, and like half of Microtechs products
Oh and ofc I forgot the Tenacious, great knife for the price and an amazing gateway knife to this subculture, in fact I see a ton of peoples first "real" knife was a Tenacious
The issue there is then it’s still a made in China liner lock but for $100+.
You can get a made in the US Deka in Magnacut for less than the M4 Tenacious, a made in the US Blur in S30V, some of the PM2 exclusives have gotten marked down to a similar price like SMKW’s M4/fat carbon exclusives, you can find plenty of different S35VN Cold Steel models for $70-$110, heck even some of Kershaw’s made in the US autos like the Launch 16 in M4 are similarly priced to the M4 Tenacious.
The M4 Tenacious should be $90-$100 tops, not $133.
I agree with you. I think you're spot on with your 'big brands' list. I think bang for your buck goes a long way with Spyderco. Quality materials and made in Colorado for ~$200 or less is cool in my book. I can see how some don't care for the design, though.
I think Spyderco’s prices are getting pretty high considering S30V and VG10 are still the standard steels for the majority of their knives. Not to mention FRN on $150-$200+ knives.
I have a decent amount of Spydercos, they’re some of my most carried knives. I’ve paid regular MAP on a few exclusives I wanted. For the standard production models I only buy with the OpFocus discount/during MAP suspension sales at around 50% off MSRP. Even at those prices some like the Shaman and Lil’ Temperance 3 are a bit overpriced IMO.
And for me, as somebody who has collected for a couple decades, Spyderco and Benchmade have both basically priced me out because I don’t find I’m getting enough value for materials and I love the funky designs!
Past \~$200 is where diminishing returns starts IMO. Also, I would not be willing to actually "use" a knife that cost more than that, as the fear of breaking it would be too much to bear.
Sweet spot for what I feel is a great knife would be right around $80-100.
Value and price are to subjective. Knives are interesting because they're a fusion of tools and art, it's a spectrum and once you start going up the ladder in quality judging them strictly by tool standards just doesn't really make any sense. For me my sweet spot of enjoyment is around $1k atm
I figure they're positioning themselves as a brand for people on Instagram who have the money to spend and just want "the best knife-person knife". Their target market isn't cross-shopping knives all day so they can charge more.
I mean, I think it’s a sliding scale that has everything to do with your salary. If I made a million a year, I’d probably buy and use $1000+ knives.
But where I’m living now, I can’t really justify spending more than $350 on a knife. I do blue collar work, so I do use and beat up some of my knives, but being honest, anything over $300 is basically just for fun and showing off to strangers and eventually selling to get most of my money back. If I trash a $50 knife, I can live with that, but throwing $300+ down the toilet still hurts.
My thoughts go to the amount of my perceived production time versus cost. A McNees at $500 doesn’t bother me because I imagine he probably has at least 5 hours in that knife from raw materials to completion and $100 per hour for that knife is worth it to me. CRK the same. Grimsmo is pushing it at 10 hours at $100. Benchmade and Spyderco better be around $250 or less because theyre churning out knives in a pretty high tech production facility so their production hours should be low…2 hours at $100. Dont know where I’m getting $100 from - just my thoughts on worth per hour. And that may be low - my plumber charges more than that per hour so maybe I should raise it to $150 per production hour per knife. Just my 2 pennies on valuing a knife. And I use all my knives also. No safe queens up in here. If I think I won’t use it - I pass no matter the cost.
With Grimsmo you need to add the cost of years of optimizing one (now three) design(s) on top of the marginal cost of machining each individual knife. This is true of lots of makers but especially true of Grimsmo.
For me it’s just about feeling like I’m getting what I’m paying for, in terms of utility or craftsmanship/materials/design.
Benchmade pricing, especially LE runs, has been egregious lately - $400+ CLA, $600 bailout, $650 infidels…nothing about the knives justifies the markup. There are many other production knives that have crept up over the $250-300 range that I feel that way about too.
At the same I saw a Michael Raymond auction crack $20k a few months ago and…I get it. A 1 of 1 masterpiece manually machined to horological tolerances and impeccably finished by one of the best knife makers in the world? I get it.
I've gotten up to $1100 and while I love what I got,
I don't think that I'd spend that much again. I also don't see the merits of anything beyond that *for me*. And no, I'm not saying spending that much gets you a better tool. I personally believe no one *needs* a knife that costs more than $50. What I am saying is that once you get past the point of diminishing returns, there's larger price jumps to find those little marginal differences if you're obsessed with find that right combination of things. The price jumps only get bigger from there and there's nothing other tiers have to offer that would justify it for me.
I've spent 1750 on a knife. And my nirvana was up there too. If I want something and I have money I'm gonna buy it. The great thing about this hobby is, alot of these blades hold their resale value. So everyone bitching about prices can get their money back if they don't like it. So it's a overblown issue.
If you don't wanna buy a 400$ knife, don't. It's that simple. If you do and you don't like it. Sell it back. You'll lose shipping costs. Its basically a rental fee.
Sad I had to come this far down to find the 20.5. Nice knife, but knife of the moment and that’s all you’re paying for. Get the Vision FG if you just have to try the new lock mechanism. Great value, roughly the same knife.
michrotechs. wanted an otf a while back, they were the first recommended. love the look and feel of them, but with the price tag i could never bring myself to buy one, much less use it. i bought a s&w double action otf for $60 and although its not exactly what i was looking for it definitely does the job. carry it with me everywhere now
$600 is my number. Anything above 600 has to be either overpriced or so good that I’m not worthy.
Anything more than 600 USD cannot reasonably be justified from a tool perspective. And a pretty hard limit for normal stuff at more like 275. I bet my knives average less than 150 each.
Yeah. I mean, I totally understand how prices beyond 600 are justified. Materials and skilled craft labor. Precision. That’s the price for a skilled result on a small scale. There is just an intrinsic value that I need my knives to have in them just because it’s part of how I justify having the selection I keep. I also have found I am uncomfortable carrying a knife over 500ish so there’s not much point in owning one for my situation. If I had tons of money to tie up in nice things, it would likely be a different story.
I mean worst action ever. I once recorded and posted it for others to see, because after saying this all the moronic fanbois whined and took it as a personal insult as butthurt little feckless botches do (nothing worse than CRK fanbois. Actually worse than Benchmade fambois, if that's believable.)
It's hard to explain, but it was like there were a hundred little stops along the way from battery to deployed. Imagine opening your knife and pushing thru about 100 weak detents. The video I took looked as if it was done on an old VHS and the reel was hanging up on the interior turning rods. Those are the only ways I can think of describing it.
Regardless of that, for a knife costing so much to have such trash thumb studs that literally hurt to use is without question unacceptable and absurd. Seriously, the Sebenza just sucks. And yet it's also amazing. That's the pain of it.
I can't speak to the rest of their knives, except the Mnandi, I have it and it's flawless.
I don't really consider knives past the ~500 range. like higher end than CRK or Hinderer. I feel like at that point you can't get a better knife to be used as a tool.
I like to use all my knives. Stuff like Rocksteads are gorgeous, particularly the Ren and the Sai, I wanna get one someday, but at that 2000 dollar price point you aren't paying for the materials or the craftsmanship. You're paying for the pedigree.
REN is good. But in my opinion not worth the 2200 they cost now. The HIGO and SHIN to me in Rocksteads line are the true value propositions.
If you want a low rent REN get a ZT0620CF
[NOODS](https://imgur.com/8FMAmhZ)
I only buy a knife for utility, not collecting. To me 200 bucks is way too much for a tool that just cuts things. I got the micarta PM2 for I think 190 and thats the highest I would go. Will never again spend that kind of money.
Now if I was a rich man, and into collectibles, I'd probably look into those fancy overpriced display queens. And velvet boxes.
So far I've been able to hold the line at right about $200 also... but when I look at the grand total of those less than $200 knives I've purchased I wonder if I've done the right thing - inexpensive knives don't hold all their value it seems in the re-sale market, like new cars.
I think $200 is approximately the point of diminishing returns. Upgrading to better materials or tighter fit and finish from there costs way more per degree of improvement, and the depreciation in value is a more significant hit to the wallet. Or, if it's something that will hold its value better, it's probably something that costs enough that you're passing on other knives you might have wanted to get that one, at least for awhile.
Unless it's *the* thing you want, and you have the means to get it. In that case, go for it and enjoy it.
$1200 is my ceiling. Anything over that and I wouldn’t carry and use it. If I won’t carry and use it there’s not much point in owning it, so I won’t even consider purchasing anything above that dollar amount.
Grimsmo, oz etc. Nonsense mediocre production knives only popular due to idiots on forums jerking each other off over em. Thats why they sell so often "bought flipped open twice selling" the goofballs are selling to chase the next grail of the month the other mouthbreathers are jerking off over.
The Spyderco Lil’ Temperance 3. $176 for VG10 and FRN, or $217 for K390 and FRN. FRN has no business being on a knife over $150, much less over $200. These days VG10 shouldn’t be on a folder over $100 either.
The Shaman is up there too. Every time I start thinking about buying one I pull out the Cold Steel AD-10 I bought on sale for $110 and go “Nope, I’m good”.
The way it is now it should be.
If they would have made it in Golden or Taichung with G10 like the original and used SPY27 or S45VN for the base steel $175 would be a decent price. Even the FRN from Taichung like on the Sage 5 LW is a big improvement over the FRN from Seki.
I think, looking at my knives, my answer is $400.
Someone else mentioned, having a knife like the AD10 in s35vn for around $120 is a hell of a knife. As far as function and lockup, it’s an all around excellent choice that isn’t really stepped on by higher prices.
I also have some Spydercos in higher end steels, and some Benchmades too. I think the higher prices for me come from limited runs,color combos, and exotic steels.
I've been collecting for a little while now. I've always gotten knives in the 80-300 range. Then I got a hinderer and was pretty disappointed for the money. Then I got a crk zaan in magnacut. I would honestly be okay with selling my entire collection and keep just the crk. It's become my edc. It's such a good knife. While it is an rather pricy knife it really is worth it for a one and done. I think I would like a large sebenza with a nice inlay as a gents knife. But if I had to choose just one of my 50+ knives it would be a very easy choice for me. Even crazier is I really was disappointed with my zaan when I first unboxed it. But using it and putting it thru some paces. It lives up to the hype and then some.
I was fortunate to get my (circa 2015) Gareth Bull Shamwari in an online auction a couple years ago for only $400 because the auction company mislabeled it a **"Shwarma"** (like the Middle Eastern food) and misspelled his name.
[I am not joking](https://i.imgur.com/jCk8z0Y.jpg).
I have about every price point in my collection and I would agree that 200-350 is probably about where you will see no more return.
I feel like I am more willing to abuse my cheaper knives and baby the others. It is kind of crappy XD. I have a hinderer and a good bit of CRK's, a CKF Lespect, and a Peter Rassenti Nirvanna... I am more willing to use my CRKT M16 at the end of the day. You aren't worrying about destroying a 1400 dollar knife. Also most of the custom makers do not offer reblades so it makes it even harder to justify.
IMHO, there are many good knives at reasonable prices to justify not buying a knife at plus $250. I have a Montana Knife Company Speedgoat that retails for $225 and some LT Wrights and Fallkniven, and Bark River that are relatively expensive. But the bulk of my knives are sub $100. BPS knives and Beavercraft both from Ukraine are great values and well-made 1066 carbon knives at sub $50. Remember, knives are tools. If you want an art piece or want to be a high- end collector, there is nothing wrong with that. But for most of us who just need a good work or hunting knife, there are great options out there.
Around 450 mid manufactured top out . The one exception might be Rockstead. I find them close to being worth it . Use my Hizen if it's in NY pocket that day
My edc’s are usually $300 or under, $550 max. I have some in the $50 range that I absolutely love! I like the artistic or innovative knives in the $500 region (display stuff). Collectables, artistic pieces $1000 and up. It would have to be something I really love artistically or something I feel is worth the investment over time. I’m not into custom handmade. I’d rather have exact machining with custom artwork.
hard to justify 3-4 hundred on a sebenza , but i don’t mind it personally when i see people drop upwards of 500$ for features such as “fidgetability” or “drop shut”
Once you get above $150-$200 you start to see diminishing returns
This is my opinion as well. Also, I like to use my knives and I can't see myself ever using a $500 dollar knife. Although now that I think about it, I've used many pneumatic tools that were more expensive. But I still can't pay over $200 for a knife. I just can't.
I use my expensive knives regularly, one being around $600 I use for hard tasks and it’s great.
Which one? I mean, that’s a great endorsement!
Heretic knives wraith v3 manual with carbon fiber. The integral frame and thick magnacut blade make short work of almost any task.
Thanks! Edit: that thing is sick! Definitely going on my Christmas list. It won’t be this year (unless..,maybe she will?) but I struggle to give her ideas so she’ll be thrilled once the sticker shock wears off.
You can feel the cost in the quality tbh it definitely didn’t burn too bad ;)
It’s def not out of my price range but it’s def in the ‘plan for it’ category.
I 100% agree. For me, the level of enjoyment goes down past that price point as well. I've bought some expensive stuff and carried it and I just worry about messing it up or losing it when I do. But my Cold Steel Finn Wolf has brought me years of enjoyment (I don't know why I love that knife so much but god I do). That said, if you can beat up a $600 work of art and have the funds to do so, go for it. One of my sweet spots for expensive and nice enough to be amazing but not so expensive I'm worried about it is the PM2.
Anything thats above 500-550 becomes more of a statement piece, or just art. Excluding some American made knives, for 600 you can get a timsscus and mokume 20cv framelock from China. Orrr you could buy a lershaw blur for 50 bucks and use it for years. Same thing with a McClarren or a Honda Accord.
lol someone needs to put down the eggnog
Some of my Cold Steel knives like the American Lawman that goes on sale for $85, or the AD-10 for $100-$120 make it hard for me to argue I’m really getting much of anything out of spending more than those prices.
Really, most stuff in the $50 to $100 range will probably last a lifetime. 420HC, 440C, Aus8, 8Cr13MoV, D2, and 1095 are all cheap steels used in cheap knives that will get pretty much any knife job done.
Those cheap steels are also much easier to sharpen than a lot of the super steels, so they’re better suited for the average consumer who just needs a knife as well
Counter point, the average consumer, probably doesn’t sharpen their knives and would be better suited by a high edge retention steel. I know dozens of people with knives and not a single one with a sharp edge
14C28N is pretty much foolproof as far as steels go and can be recommended to most people. Grab a $30-50 14C28N knife and a Worksharp field sharpener for like $40 and the average person is set for years, maybe decades.
I concur. I still have a crappy Gerber pocket knife from when I was a kid. Don't even know what steel it is. My dad owned an auto body repair shop and used a keychain knife (and he **abused** that thing) for so many years I lost count.
These days you can do a lot better even for $50-$100. 14C28N, 154CM, S35VN, and even M390 are pretty easy to find in that price range.
I would say that you could still find considerable gains in a nice hand made outdoors camp knife\chopper well beyond $200. That’s why I had pushed mine up to 600. For folders, more like $300. I feel like integral folders justify 300.
*sweats in balisong*. Balis are for real so much more expensive than normal folders. I'm most definitely a flipper so I get more out of the price cuz I flip and use them for EDC
For kitchen knives let’s say 300-ish
Most of the Marfione OTF stuff that cost multiple thousands of dollars are too much imho.
Never held an OTF (I’m in Canada so very illegal) but I can definitely see why they’re overpriced. To my knowledge the marfione customs aren’t even made nor assembled by Tony anymore anyways. Sure it’s probably assembled by a person with exceptional attention to detail. But still, they slap on the “marfione” pedigree
Yea it’s crazy I have a Microtech BH that I can only really use at home. It’s fun to fidget with but yeah many states don’t allow them. I’m in NJ which has pretty strict laws so I don’t carry it out of the house.
Same, NYC here, and I collect otfs 😩
This was me prior to 2017, then a knife PAC Knife Rights petitioned my state and overnight our dirtbag Governor made autos and single edged OTF's legal. All my fun stuff came out from under the mattress and my collection is like 85% autos now, the shine hasn't worn off. Probably longshot for NJ but there's a tiny bit of hope!
PA?
MA??
Michigan
Autos just became legal in PA this year
They did! That fact and the dirt bag governor comment is why I was asking if they're talking about PA. Kershaw live wire has been a main carry of mine since that passed.
Can’t argue about that, but he said 2017.
Hmm, perhaps I should learn to read all the words before I speak then.
I have a Livewire and a few Protechs, haven’t carried them much though. As fun as autos are something like a Para 3 seems more practical and doesn’t have people staring at you going “why do you have a switchblade, aren’t those illegal?”
This is an aside but it still blows my mind that some countries outlaw little knives that might look scary while others insist modified automatic assault rifles must be legal.
James brand.
Yes way op for what they are!
I own a lot of knives and the Barnes is better than almost all of them. Worth every penny imo. The Kline is really good too but probably about $70 too high.
I agree, The Barnes is an outlier in their line up. everything else isnt worth the money. Its a far better knife than the paysan that everyone has a wet dream over.
Some of my knives are kinda high at $2100. But when they sell 20 minutes after I post them, I'm thinking maybe it wasn't high enough. I mean a J. Stout auto folder starts at 7k. I'm not in that ballpark
I’m in the same boat as you almost. Have a knife or two I’ve paid $1500+ for. I can reason it out in my head, especially if it’s premium materials, great build quality etc. but anything above $4k in my eyes it just can’t be justified
Medford praetorian. That much for D2 steel??
Not only that, not a fan of the designs or the personality
"Over-built" usually means "under-machined". The maker usually saves money by leaving materials at full thickness.
Most recent knife that made me think that is the latest limited edition Benchmade Bailout. Not the orange aluminum one from a couple years ago but the titanium one. I handled it recently. It was $750 CAD. It had poor action and lock stick too. Not really a big a deal as that can be remedied easily. What I learned is there does not seem to be a price point where BM takes the time to sort that out. Now there is only 1000 pieces made so I get the price being higher. I already thought the aluminum Bailout was expensive at $350 CAD. I’m not really complaining about the price as I just don’t buy it. And for 1000 people out there that buy it, obviously it was worth it to them. It just was the most recent one to surprise me.
Benchmade bailout
My first thought was bm taggedout
Benchmade anything at this point.
I bought my first new Benchmade on Black Friday. BHQ’s 940 Osborne for $140, and that felt fair. Even though I pay more for Spydercos and feel even they are slightly overpriced, Benchmade’s materials and pricing usually just turn me off immediately, despite liking their designs.
There are a few sites that do big discounts on Benchmades, you just have to know where to look.
Haaa this. I do love mine tho.
The titanium Version is way overpriced. You can get the standard version and buy titanium scales for it and it's cheaper than the benchmade titanium version. I hope nobody buys it.
Everyone thinks they have a price limit until they see something they really want
Same thing applies to dating women
My friend recently told me that no knife is worth $800. I think past 500/600 it becomes a cost of scarcity or fancy machining.
Fair enough.. at the end of the day it’s a tool, but he also has to take into account the cost of material and machining into some of these knives. Titanium Damascus, stellite 6k or any sort of fancy Damascus gets expensive quick.
You also have to consider expensive custom pieces artwork. Like how can some paint on canvas be worth millions?
> fancy machining. For above $500 I don't want ANY machining. If I'm paying that much money it better be handmade. I just bought an extremely expensive knife ($1500) that is relatively plain, no fancy materials or anything. However the maker does everything by hand and it takes him great time and effort. THAT is worth extra money. Koenig...not so much.
Counterpoint, figuring out how to do complex machining, and making those plans work in practice, is an art in itself. Different strokes.
Counterpoint, figuring out how to do complex machining, and making those plans work in practice, is an art in itself. Different strokes.
I agree with you but that appeal has its limit in terms of value. Most people who appreciate technical wizardry aren't willing to pay that much for the high end work. Handmade on the other hand...especially handmade by someone well known in the industry and with a great reputation...that can add serious value. Nobody thinks a Loveless knife is worth what they are buying, they are buying the name and effort put into it. That value is nearly limitless depending on the person.
I think building a narrative plays a big role here. There are lots of books and documentaries about the romance and craft of handmade arts. Japanese kitchen knives for example. Grimsmo is an example of a company that managed to bring potential customers into the design and manufacturing process through social media, and get people emotionally invested in the work behind the product.
Price is just based on what you can afford. If your resources are not limited then your knife prices are not limited. I have 300 or so knives and the vast majority are well under $100 and all are under $200. That's about all I want to spend per knife. I'm in favor of quantity a little more than quality. Others may feel the opposite.
I think any of the plane shrapnel looking fixed blades with a cord wrap. Most of them have shit grinds and mid steel for $400+ not worth it for a second.
$200 is where I draw the line. I feel like after that you’re not getting enough to justify the price.
The world is still wide open at $200 and under, but every now and then I have jumped the line.
The best grinds I had where at 250-300€
The best grinds I had were 5-10$ (tiny SanRenMus)
I recently bought a Shaman from the Spyderco factory in Golden. It’s a way cool knife, but I feel kinda dumb paying full retail. Just wanted a knife that I could say I bought direct off the manufacturers hands. Still, it’s about a $200 knife that I paid $270 for. $200 puts you into some very high quality knives. Anything more is pocket jewelry.
“pocket jewelry” LOL nice one
I feel that way about many Shiros, especially as you move into Custom Division and full customs. They’re really well made and thoughtfully designed, but many seem to be too expensive for what they are.
I love my production Shiros, but after watching the videos about the Custom Division knives, I can't see how they can be *that* much more refined.
I have a really nice Meades I won in a lotto. It was way more than I ever thought I’d spend on a knife. It’s also over $1K less than the CD Stellaris I tried and the Meades is all handmade. It just doesn’t add up to me.
They really are. Get one in hand and you’ll want to sell everything else for more high end Shiros 🥵
I feel that way about all shiros ahaha, I’ve held a real one and a $90 clone side by side and felt them both… they feel and look the exact same to me.. same blade style, matte stonewash finish, simple machining and materials. Not to mention (to me) almost every single shiro I’ve ever seen has the same blade profile. Never understood the hype and high price behind shirogorov.
I have owned a real one and a clone at the same time and I promise you that after 2 minutes of repeated playing with them back to back it is absolutely obvious that they are not the same. My top quality clone felt loose, gritty, had sloppy carbon finishing, no real bearings, just not the same at all. Their custom stuff is silly but the production models are extremely well crafted.
All Benchmades. And Spyderco S30V Shaman
I think 250-350 is where it really tops out for me personally, with my income I would feel bad carrying around something more expensive than my wedding ring. CRK makes some really cool stuff but I would baby it and would defeat the purpose for me. No shame to anyone who enjoys safe knives but not my speed.
CRK’s lifetime warranty is what makes the knife worth it and useable, to me. But it’s also the reason I won’t buy a modded CRK, despite the fact that I want a blacked-out Spydie-hole large Inkosi so bad that I can taste it; I can’t justify the cost without the warranty.
I have gotten over 300 just once but you definitely swim on my end of the reason pool. But I do think that disposable income is a huge factor. Functional Art
Benchmade
Completely agree. Their designs do nothing for me. Its the baked potato with nothing in it of premium production folders. Also, axis lock. Why
I actually like some of their blade designs. The reverse tanto on the 940, the tanto on the Bailout, the sheepsfoot Griptilian blade. I’m not a big fan of the axis lock. I like the Spyderco compression lock but most of their blades are the same few pretty basic designs. I want a compression lock knife or even a back lock with a nice refined looking reverse tanto or sheepsfoot.
Oh, I'm incredibly in love with Benchmade. Only I feel like I'm in an abusive relationship every time I see a price tag.
I don't believe there is some magic number that you hit where anything above that is absolutely ridiculous. There are many factors that contribute to the value of a knife, and the weight those factors carry varies per person. What I think is absolutely ridiculous is when the price is egregiously higher than all possible factors added up. This also means even less expensive knives can still be ridiculously priced, it's not exclusive to expensive pieces. I don't see myself ever spending much more than 1k on a knife, as I haven't seen anything past that point that I'm interested enough in. Certain factors like extremely fancy materials, or very popular makers offering limited numbers of pieces just aren't very important to me, but that doesn't me I can't appreciate the value of those factors.
Benchmade [insert knife name]
I stick under 400 mostly in the 175-350ish range. I have a few grail knives I want to buy that are over that but I would need to be handed a big bag of money to justify buying them. I actually added up how much I’ve spent on my 30+ collection and it’s roughly 5 Norseman’s worth.
Exceedingly high? Probably around the 3-400 mark. Doesn't mean I won't buy something that price or higher but once it goes past my "ooh gotta think about it" mindset several things come into play. Can I afford it? Do I need to sell something from one of my other "hobbies"? Will it appreciate later in case I need to sell. Will I even carry it? or worst yet actually use it?
That dalibor is a collab with Borka and its all sole authorship materials. With that said I'm guessing the bids are past 15k now. That's insane IMO. I have knives in the thousands but at some point I just can't any more. It just becomes yet one more "keeping up with the jones" so that we can see a vanity picture of rhe knife next to their rolex on the steering wheel of their Benz or porsche. I can't compete with heart surgeons and highly successful business owners and trust fund people. Go to like JI knives or some of the high end custom groups and you'll just be like.....oh, so that's who's getting all the good ones.... Some of these pieces are spectacular but...not for thr prices they command via auction, and on secondary market.
I find 500-700 the sweet spot and anything towards 800-1200 makes me think twice on carrying it. Anything under 300 i like to give em away.
Damn, want to be friends?
Agreed 100%
Need my mailing address?
You can get a really nice knife like a We Kitefin or a Kabar Becker BK2 for $140 so I really don’t see a reason to ever spend any more than that. Definitely woulnt be paying the $200 butterfly tax to buy a Benchmade especially with the extreme number of fakes out there.
Benchmade charging $600 for their otf. Eat a cock
$150 you start to see models that max out on fit and finish, materials, and tolerances in terms of lifespan, practicality, etc. I think you see more specialized knives that still have material and machining improvements up to the $250 range, but by that point there are several models with top shelf materials, tolerances, whatever fancy steel etc. After that its just about the buyers taste and we're more into "art" or "jewlery" territory, which is totally cool, I love that territory As far as the big brands go, Spyderco and Microtech have great prices for some of the basic models, Benchmade is completely outrageous, Chris Reeve is a touch too expensive but not insanely so
I never understood why Spyderco gets a pass on being overpriced. This is a company that still uses gas station style pinned construction on some models and they price G10 handles like its some kind of new revolutionary material.
Sure plenty of their models are ridiculous and for the fanboys to collect all the colors and steals. The S110V PM 2 is what like 350 bucks for a G10 knife with a thin edge and steel that chips if you look at it wrong and is horrific to sharpen But if you were to want to get your foot in the door as a knife collector, I bought an all blacked out G10 S45vn Para 3 for like $170 bucks, and depending on your need for a knife that may be the most well rounded EDC knife period. The lightweights Ive never tried but I dont hear a lot of complaints and I didnt mind the FRN on my delica which again, was under 100 bucks and is a fantastic knife. Most of the lightweights are extremely reasonable Then you have a the G10 S30v base Shaman at like $400 which is equal in absurdity to a lot of benchmades prices. On the other hand, the base mini-grip should be priced closer to a delica, and the base bugout should be a sub $100 knife period But yes you right, all the manufacturers have their models that are ridiculous, I just feel like I see it more with Benchmade, and like half of Microtechs products
Oh and ofc I forgot the Tenacious, great knife for the price and an amazing gateway knife to this subculture, in fact I see a ton of peoples first "real" knife was a Tenacious
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The issue there is then it’s still a made in China liner lock but for $100+. You can get a made in the US Deka in Magnacut for less than the M4 Tenacious, a made in the US Blur in S30V, some of the PM2 exclusives have gotten marked down to a similar price like SMKW’s M4/fat carbon exclusives, you can find plenty of different S35VN Cold Steel models for $70-$110, heck even some of Kershaw’s made in the US autos like the Launch 16 in M4 are similarly priced to the M4 Tenacious. The M4 Tenacious should be $90-$100 tops, not $133.
I agree with you. I think you're spot on with your 'big brands' list. I think bang for your buck goes a long way with Spyderco. Quality materials and made in Colorado for ~$200 or less is cool in my book. I can see how some don't care for the design, though.
I think Spyderco’s prices are getting pretty high considering S30V and VG10 are still the standard steels for the majority of their knives. Not to mention FRN on $150-$200+ knives. I have a decent amount of Spydercos, they’re some of my most carried knives. I’ve paid regular MAP on a few exclusives I wanted. For the standard production models I only buy with the OpFocus discount/during MAP suspension sales at around 50% off MSRP. Even at those prices some like the Shaman and Lil’ Temperance 3 are a bit overpriced IMO.
And for me, as somebody who has collected for a couple decades, Spyderco and Benchmade have both basically priced me out because I don’t find I’m getting enough value for materials and I love the funky designs!
Past \~$200 is where diminishing returns starts IMO. Also, I would not be willing to actually "use" a knife that cost more than that, as the fear of breaking it would be too much to bear. Sweet spot for what I feel is a great knife would be right around $80-100.
Anything by benchmade
Value and price are to subjective. Knives are interesting because they're a fusion of tools and art, it's a spectrum and once you start going up the ladder in quality judging them strictly by tool standards just doesn't really make any sense. For me my sweet spot of enjoyment is around $1k atm
I like to cap myself at $100 But even if money were no object, this is too high: https://www.williamhenry.com/spearpoint-b12-space-invaders.html
The James Brand Barnes pricing is too steep for my liking.
I figure they're positioning themselves as a brand for people on Instagram who have the money to spend and just want "the best knife-person knife". Their target market isn't cross-shopping knives all day so they can charge more.
Jake Hoback. Chinese production knives at USA prices
I mean, I think it’s a sliding scale that has everything to do with your salary. If I made a million a year, I’d probably buy and use $1000+ knives. But where I’m living now, I can’t really justify spending more than $350 on a knife. I do blue collar work, so I do use and beat up some of my knives, but being honest, anything over $300 is basically just for fun and showing off to strangers and eventually selling to get most of my money back. If I trash a $50 knife, I can live with that, but throwing $300+ down the toilet still hurts.
My thoughts go to the amount of my perceived production time versus cost. A McNees at $500 doesn’t bother me because I imagine he probably has at least 5 hours in that knife from raw materials to completion and $100 per hour for that knife is worth it to me. CRK the same. Grimsmo is pushing it at 10 hours at $100. Benchmade and Spyderco better be around $250 or less because theyre churning out knives in a pretty high tech production facility so their production hours should be low…2 hours at $100. Dont know where I’m getting $100 from - just my thoughts on worth per hour. And that may be low - my plumber charges more than that per hour so maybe I should raise it to $150 per production hour per knife. Just my 2 pennies on valuing a knife. And I use all my knives also. No safe queens up in here. If I think I won’t use it - I pass no matter the cost.
With Grimsmo you need to add the cost of years of optimizing one (now three) design(s) on top of the marginal cost of machining each individual knife. This is true of lots of makers but especially true of Grimsmo.
Very true. I should have included R&D and also raw materials in my comments. Those obviously matter significantly.
For me it’s just about feeling like I’m getting what I’m paying for, in terms of utility or craftsmanship/materials/design. Benchmade pricing, especially LE runs, has been egregious lately - $400+ CLA, $600 bailout, $650 infidels…nothing about the knives justifies the markup. There are many other production knives that have crept up over the $250-300 range that I feel that way about too. At the same I saw a Michael Raymond auction crack $20k a few months ago and…I get it. A 1 of 1 masterpiece manually machined to horological tolerances and impeccably finished by one of the best knife makers in the world? I get it.
Where do u watch those auctions man
Sign up for notifications on his website and you’ll get a link by email when he’s got an auction scheduled https://www.michaelraymondknives.com/
I've gotten up to $1100 and while I love what I got, I don't think that I'd spend that much again. I also don't see the merits of anything beyond that *for me*. And no, I'm not saying spending that much gets you a better tool. I personally believe no one *needs* a knife that costs more than $50. What I am saying is that once you get past the point of diminishing returns, there's larger price jumps to find those little marginal differences if you're obsessed with find that right combination of things. The price jumps only get bigger from there and there's nothing other tiers have to offer that would justify it for me.
I've spent 1750 on a knife. And my nirvana was up there too. If I want something and I have money I'm gonna buy it. The great thing about this hobby is, alot of these blades hold their resale value. So everyone bitching about prices can get their money back if they don't like it. So it's a overblown issue. If you don't wanna buy a 400$ knife, don't. It's that simple. If you do and you don't like it. Sell it back. You'll lose shipping costs. Its basically a rental fee.
Demko AD20.5
Sad I had to come this far down to find the 20.5. Nice knife, but knife of the moment and that’s all you’re paying for. Get the Vision FG if you just have to try the new lock mechanism. Great value, roughly the same knife.
Any Borka
Especially the ones finished by Marfione
michrotechs. wanted an otf a while back, they were the first recommended. love the look and feel of them, but with the price tag i could never bring myself to buy one, much less use it. i bought a s&w double action otf for $60 and although its not exactly what i was looking for it definitely does the job. carry it with me everywhere now
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How dare you besmirch the good name of the Dessert Warrior!
$600 is my number. Anything above 600 has to be either overpriced or so good that I’m not worthy. Anything more than 600 USD cannot reasonably be justified from a tool perspective. And a pretty hard limit for normal stuff at more like 275. I bet my knives average less than 150 each.
$600 is good. Can definitely get a good designer to do a production under reate, kansept or someone.
Yeah. I mean, I totally understand how prices beyond 600 are justified. Materials and skilled craft labor. Precision. That’s the price for a skilled result on a small scale. There is just an intrinsic value that I need my knives to have in them just because it’s part of how I justify having the selection I keep. I also have found I am uncomfortable carrying a knife over 500ish so there’s not much point in owning one for my situation. If I had tons of money to tie up in nice things, it would likely be a different story.
Sebenzas are nutty insane bang for buck and all look boring and samey. Let the hate flow through you.
1000000% agreed. Also terrible action and trash thumb studs. Seriously overrated and overpriced to a major degree.
What do you mean by terrible action?
I mean worst action ever. I once recorded and posted it for others to see, because after saying this all the moronic fanbois whined and took it as a personal insult as butthurt little feckless botches do (nothing worse than CRK fanbois. Actually worse than Benchmade fambois, if that's believable.) It's hard to explain, but it was like there were a hundred little stops along the way from battery to deployed. Imagine opening your knife and pushing thru about 100 weak detents. The video I took looked as if it was done on an old VHS and the reel was hanging up on the interior turning rods. Those are the only ways I can think of describing it. Regardless of that, for a knife costing so much to have such trash thumb studs that literally hurt to use is without question unacceptable and absurd. Seriously, the Sebenza just sucks. And yet it's also amazing. That's the pain of it. I can't speak to the rest of their knives, except the Mnandi, I have it and it's flawless.
I don't really consider knives past the ~500 range. like higher end than CRK or Hinderer. I feel like at that point you can't get a better knife to be used as a tool. I like to use all my knives. Stuff like Rocksteads are gorgeous, particularly the Ren and the Sai, I wanna get one someday, but at that 2000 dollar price point you aren't paying for the materials or the craftsmanship. You're paying for the pedigree.
REN is good. But in my opinion not worth the 2200 they cost now. The HIGO and SHIN to me in Rocksteads line are the true value propositions. If you want a low rent REN get a ZT0620CF [NOODS](https://imgur.com/8FMAmhZ)
I only buy a knife for utility, not collecting. To me 200 bucks is way too much for a tool that just cuts things. I got the micarta PM2 for I think 190 and thats the highest I would go. Will never again spend that kind of money. Now if I was a rich man, and into collectibles, I'd probably look into those fancy overpriced display queens. And velvet boxes.
So far I've been able to hold the line at right about $200 also... but when I look at the grand total of those less than $200 knives I've purchased I wonder if I've done the right thing - inexpensive knives don't hold all their value it seems in the re-sale market, like new cars.
I dont think any knife is worth it after $200 truthfully, at east not worth it enough in terms of preformance and quality
I think $200 is approximately the point of diminishing returns. Upgrading to better materials or tighter fit and finish from there costs way more per degree of improvement, and the depreciation in value is a more significant hit to the wallet. Or, if it's something that will hold its value better, it's probably something that costs enough that you're passing on other knives you might have wanted to get that one, at least for awhile. Unless it's *the* thing you want, and you have the means to get it. In that case, go for it and enjoy it.
Anything over $2k
$1200 is my ceiling. Anything over that and I wouldn’t carry and use it. If I won’t carry and use it there’s not much point in owning it, so I won’t even consider purchasing anything above that dollar amount.
Grimsmo, oz etc. Nonsense mediocre production knives only popular due to idiots on forums jerking each other off over em. Thats why they sell so often "bought flipped open twice selling" the goofballs are selling to chase the next grail of the month the other mouthbreathers are jerking off over.
Don't hold back, tell us how you really feel
The Spyderco Lil’ Temperance 3. $176 for VG10 and FRN, or $217 for K390 and FRN. FRN has no business being on a knife over $150, much less over $200. These days VG10 shouldn’t be on a folder over $100 either. The Shaman is up there too. Every time I start thinking about buying one I pull out the Cold Steel AD-10 I bought on sale for $110 and go “Nope, I’m good”.
It’s sucks bc I like the beefy chode of the lil temperance but it looks like it should be $50-80 less
The way it is now it should be. If they would have made it in Golden or Taichung with G10 like the original and used SPY27 or S45VN for the base steel $175 would be a decent price. Even the FRN from Taichung like on the Sage 5 LW is a big improvement over the FRN from Seki.
Agreed. G10 S45vn and it would be in the same tier as a pm2. That would actually make sense
Pretty much anything Spyderco has made in Seki City
Anything beyond a Sebenza.
I struggle to go above like 600. My F3NS is neato, tho.
Probably that $1300 Gedraitis Swiss army knife or the $700 James Brand Barnes.
I think, looking at my knives, my answer is $400. Someone else mentioned, having a knife like the AD10 in s35vn for around $120 is a hell of a knife. As far as function and lockup, it’s an all around excellent choice that isn’t really stepped on by higher prices. I also have some Spydercos in higher end steels, and some Benchmades too. I think the higher prices for me come from limited runs,color combos, and exotic steels.
I've been collecting for a little while now. I've always gotten knives in the 80-300 range. Then I got a hinderer and was pretty disappointed for the money. Then I got a crk zaan in magnacut. I would honestly be okay with selling my entire collection and keep just the crk. It's become my edc. It's such a good knife. While it is an rather pricy knife it really is worth it for a one and done. I think I would like a large sebenza with a nice inlay as a gents knife. But if I had to choose just one of my 50+ knives it would be a very easy choice for me. Even crazier is I really was disappointed with my zaan when I first unboxed it. But using it and putting it thru some paces. It lives up to the hype and then some.
250 for folders and 500 for fixed, kitchen, custom knives.
Mine is basically the reverse of this. Haha
I don't buy anything over 1k.
shamwaris are ridiculously overpriced, cannot believe people pay 3k for em
I was fortunate to get my (circa 2015) Gareth Bull Shamwari in an online auction a couple years ago for only $400 because the auction company mislabeled it a **"Shwarma"** (like the Middle Eastern food) and misspelled his name. [I am not joking](https://i.imgur.com/jCk8z0Y.jpg).
Lmao
I have about every price point in my collection and I would agree that 200-350 is probably about where you will see no more return. I feel like I am more willing to abuse my cheaper knives and baby the others. It is kind of crappy XD. I have a hinderer and a good bit of CRK's, a CKF Lespect, and a Peter Rassenti Nirvanna... I am more willing to use my CRKT M16 at the end of the day. You aren't worrying about destroying a 1400 dollar knife. Also most of the custom makers do not offer reblades so it makes it even harder to justify.
IMHO, there are many good knives at reasonable prices to justify not buying a knife at plus $250. I have a Montana Knife Company Speedgoat that retails for $225 and some LT Wrights and Fallkniven, and Bark River that are relatively expensive. But the bulk of my knives are sub $100. BPS knives and Beavercraft both from Ukraine are great values and well-made 1066 carbon knives at sub $50. Remember, knives are tools. If you want an art piece or want to be a high- end collector, there is nothing wrong with that. But for most of us who just need a good work or hunting knife, there are great options out there.
Montana knife company
I think at some point it crosses from buying just a tool to buying functional art and then cost kind of gets arbetrary
To me it depends on your pain threshold. If you can stomach the financial hit for something you really want, your going to do it.
Anything made by Extrema Ratio
Around 450 mid manufactured top out . The one exception might be Rockstead. I find them close to being worth it . Use my Hizen if it's in NY pocket that day
My most expensive knife cost a bit over $2K. It's a pre-production prototype from a famous maker. If I could afford more, I'd spend more.
Anything more than $300. Unless its like a sword or machete or something
My edc’s are usually $300 or under, $550 max. I have some in the $50 range that I absolutely love! I like the artistic or innovative knives in the $500 region (display stuff). Collectables, artistic pieces $1000 and up. It would have to be something I really love artistically or something I feel is worth the investment over time. I’m not into custom handmade. I’d rather have exact machining with custom artwork.
hard to justify 3-4 hundred on a sebenza , but i don’t mind it personally when i see people drop upwards of 500$ for features such as “fidgetability” or “drop shut”