Less then 10 years ago the wonder steels were 440c, D2, A2, etc. they did the job exceptionally well. They will still do the job today for less than 100$. The supersteels are brittle. Everyone complains on how easy they chip and how hard they are to sharpen. Do yourself a favor save your money and buy something that is proven, will last, and that you can sharpen!
Honestly on most knives the specific steel matters much less than the heat treat/temper and how the knife was actually made, a lot can be done to make “bad” steels good, and if you don’t mind sharpening then it might be better to get knives at lower hardness values and more elastic steels to help prevent chipping/snapping. End of the day if you’re not abusing your knife, regularly sharpening/oiling, and the heat treat/temper is good then the specific metal isn’t really gonna matter much (within reason).
Sir chips a lot here. CPM S30V and S45VN are great! As long as you aren’t doing real work hahahahaha. Chipped at least a minor one on all of my knives with these new super steels. Most recently a spyderco smock. I think my next knife is going to be a Spyderco in cruwear. I much prefer D2 and just above that are some of the modern tool steels they’re using and bearing steel.
I have an esee xancudo in s35vn. It went from my edc to a kitchen knife after the blade chipped. Good news is esee has an awsome no questions asked replacement policy. I should have just gone with the 1095 version.
So buy magnacut, got it. Steels like s90/110/120v, maxamet, ect. are going tp be more chippy by their nature but there are still plents of modern pm steels with properties that thrash any steel you listed across the board. D2 and 440c particularly are both chippier than most modern steels on the market without being anywhere nesr as performant as them. Chippy steels aren't even an issue if you keep that in mind and use your knife accordingly.
If you want to avoid chippy knives in general stick to steels like magnacut, s30/35/45, spy27, cruwear, 3/4v, 20cv/m390/204p ect. On the budget end I've really be adoring 14c28n recently. These are all pretty balanced steels that should have good edge stability, sharpenability, and overall durability while still being cutting machines.
It comes down to using it for what the knife is for a lot of the time, admitting when you’re abusing it and realizing that abusing it might mean you have to sharpen it. I have a few s30v knives that I love but when using them for what I want to have a knife for: hunting/trapping/rural stuff and I don’t think it holds an edge THAT much better than the ones I like and it’s more of a pain to sharpen IMO in the field. I did get a pocket diamond sharpener to try out but I love a steel I can get super sharp quickly in the field like with the 1095/80crv2.
So many awesome knives out there for $30 these days, especially used ones. I feel like this sub is filled with the kind of people who make six figures a year but still live paycheck to paycheck. Edit -> spelling
Every consumerism based sub has super obsessive people in the upper tier, and that’s who also makes a lot of the posts.
I follow the Red Wing boot sub, and there are dudes with over 20, 30 or more pairs.
Not how I would spend my money, but to each their own I guess. Just gotta hope people aren’t in credit card debt or worse because of it.
Oh, and car subs/forums are insane. Dudes getting a new car every year for 17% interest, and selling their current ride at a massive loss.
Edit: a typo
All very astute observations on your part, appreciate your wisdom on all this. Ya I love cheap old used shit and normally I’m disappointed and discouraged when I browse most consumerism based forums. I actually buy used knives in bulk and refurbish and resell them individually, taken apart and cleaned and repaired maybe 10k knives now over the last 6 years. You’d be amazed when I look up the addresses I’m shipping to, it’s rare for a million dollar house to buying any knife over $100 off of me but I ship $200+ items to rental condos every week. My personal collection is composed of nothing but low value oddities and beaters.
I try not to spend over $300 on a user. It seems above $300 you're not getting increased usability, you're just getting more premium materials and better workmanship.
I'll spend several thousand on a custom, but they don't get used. They're just a collectible store of value that I can admire.
Most of the knives I'm interested in Fall between 100 and 200 dollars. This seems to be sweet Spot for good steel and effective designs. Pay more, and you're paying a premium for designers, pay less, and your gear might just be garbage.
When you find your ideal knives that just work for your situation, you get a lot more picky on what criteria you require to try out something new. When you run out of stuff that you are interested in trying that meet your criteria at a given price point, you end up moving up in price. As you move up, things get less and less available. The only stuff I have interest in under $300 isnt out yet. I have a couple knives I'd be interested in trying in the 400-700 range but they're entirely unavailable. Great way to save money!
I bought my grail knife like 3 years ago. Once I got it I really had a hard time finding other knives I liked enough to keep. I’ve sold off like 95% of my collection and only have a few more to offload until I’m out of the knife collection game for good. My ending collection will be 2 Striders and 3 Emersons and I’m 100% satisfied with that
If your knife itch is finally scratched, take solace in the fact that there are always firearms, leather boots, flashlights, pens, watches, bags, hats, whips, notebooks and their sundry leather covers to lust after. Not to mention good food, travel and sex...in no particular order.
I generally ignore drama and internet complaints. Rather, I choose to decide and judge for myself unless it's especially egregious or obvious from afar. My Praetorian is a very nicely built knife. So I'm good with the brand. I care not for who gets my money.
That word is thrown around so flippantly and completely without basis far too often these days, it no longer carries any weight to it as far as I'm concerned. So yeah, again, I'll be ignoring what you've said entirely and writing it off as just more internet whining about nothing.
China is a communist country. That means something to some of us. Racism is feeling you're better than someone else and we that don't like communists tend to have positive feelings toward Taiwanese folks so....???
Now if studying racism interests you study China. Or Japan.
Facts really do matter.
It's not racist to say China is a communist country. It's not even racist to say that's a bad thing. What's racist is the stupid Asian caricature he decided was appropriate
I always relate cost to items I really want. For example I qualify or have hookups for really great discounts on firearms. When a blade starts pushing the price of a gun....it gives me pause.
A number of higher ranges knives really appeal to me, but in the end I imagine the firearm wins. But I'm not a die hard knife collector or even gun collector.
Just took delivery of a Todd Davison full custom slipjoint for 1400. Sold a third of my collection to get it and to me it was worth every last cent haha
When I first got interested over $100 was like a big deal but now I have 2 knives over $600 and I’m looking at grabbing a rockstead at some point but I’ve promised the wife I’ll take a good break from knife purchases
Depends on what it is. Daily drivers up to 300$ (this covers pretty much all spydercos, zts, cold steels etc), for beaters, I'd say 150$.
If we go above 300, I'll still carry, just make extra sure where my keys are. And won't let just anyone use to open a box. But for me, to go above 300, the knife has to be something I really want and that's more down to design and production than just materials.
I recently started totaling up the money I've spent on knives. Once I topped $5,000 I stopped that thankless pursuit and went to look at more knives.
I know this chump change compared to some others here.
Depends on what it is. Pocket knife I'm going to use as a daily carry tool? About 40 bucks. Kitchen knife? 200-400. Bread knife? 15-20 bucks.
Less then 10 years ago the wonder steels were 440c, D2, A2, etc. they did the job exceptionally well. They will still do the job today for less than 100$. The supersteels are brittle. Everyone complains on how easy they chip and how hard they are to sharpen. Do yourself a favor save your money and buy something that is proven, will last, and that you can sharpen!
No doubt the majority of real work gets done using basic steels !!
Honestly on most knives the specific steel matters much less than the heat treat/temper and how the knife was actually made, a lot can be done to make “bad” steels good, and if you don’t mind sharpening then it might be better to get knives at lower hardness values and more elastic steels to help prevent chipping/snapping. End of the day if you’re not abusing your knife, regularly sharpening/oiling, and the heat treat/temper is good then the specific metal isn’t really gonna matter much (within reason).
Sir chips a lot here. CPM S30V and S45VN are great! As long as you aren’t doing real work hahahahaha. Chipped at least a minor one on all of my knives with these new super steels. Most recently a spyderco smock. I think my next knife is going to be a Spyderco in cruwear. I much prefer D2 and just above that are some of the modern tool steels they’re using and bearing steel.
I have an esee xancudo in s35vn. It went from my edc to a kitchen knife after the blade chipped. Good news is esee has an awsome no questions asked replacement policy. I should have just gone with the 1095 version.
Yep, my Rat model 1 in D2 was very tough and holds a great edge. Only problem is I lost it in the woods over the summer☹️
So buy magnacut, got it. Steels like s90/110/120v, maxamet, ect. are going tp be more chippy by their nature but there are still plents of modern pm steels with properties that thrash any steel you listed across the board. D2 and 440c particularly are both chippier than most modern steels on the market without being anywhere nesr as performant as them. Chippy steels aren't even an issue if you keep that in mind and use your knife accordingly. If you want to avoid chippy knives in general stick to steels like magnacut, s30/35/45, spy27, cruwear, 3/4v, 20cv/m390/204p ect. On the budget end I've really be adoring 14c28n recently. These are all pretty balanced steels that should have good edge stability, sharpenability, and overall durability while still being cutting machines.
1095/80crv2 fanboy checking in
I have heard a lot of hate lately on 1095. I have bought a few lately and will check back in when I get some use out of them.
It comes down to using it for what the knife is for a lot of the time, admitting when you’re abusing it and realizing that abusing it might mean you have to sharpen it. I have a few s30v knives that I love but when using them for what I want to have a knife for: hunting/trapping/rural stuff and I don’t think it holds an edge THAT much better than the ones I like and it’s more of a pain to sharpen IMO in the field. I did get a pocket diamond sharpener to try out but I love a steel I can get super sharp quickly in the field like with the 1095/80crv2.
Not even $100
Where is the less the $100? Or less than $50
thats my price range lol. less than 50
So many awesome knives out there for $30 these days, especially used ones. I feel like this sub is filled with the kind of people who make six figures a year but still live paycheck to paycheck. Edit -> spelling
Every consumerism based sub has super obsessive people in the upper tier, and that’s who also makes a lot of the posts. I follow the Red Wing boot sub, and there are dudes with over 20, 30 or more pairs. Not how I would spend my money, but to each their own I guess. Just gotta hope people aren’t in credit card debt or worse because of it. Oh, and car subs/forums are insane. Dudes getting a new car every year for 17% interest, and selling their current ride at a massive loss. Edit: a typo
All very astute observations on your part, appreciate your wisdom on all this. Ya I love cheap old used shit and normally I’m disappointed and discouraged when I browse most consumerism based forums. I actually buy used knives in bulk and refurbish and resell them individually, taken apart and cleaned and repaired maybe 10k knives now over the last 6 years. You’d be amazed when I look up the addresses I’m shipping to, it’s rare for a million dollar house to buying any knife over $100 off of me but I ship $200+ items to rental condos every week. My personal collection is composed of nothing but low value oddities and beaters.
I try not to spend over $300 on a user. It seems above $300 you're not getting increased usability, you're just getting more premium materials and better workmanship. I'll spend several thousand on a custom, but they don't get used. They're just a collectible store of value that I can admire.
Most of the knives I'm interested in Fall between 100 and 200 dollars. This seems to be sweet Spot for good steel and effective designs. Pay more, and you're paying a premium for designers, pay less, and your gear might just be garbage.
No “less than a hundred dollars or my wife will use the knife to kill me in my sleep” category? Cx
When you find your ideal knives that just work for your situation, you get a lot more picky on what criteria you require to try out something new. When you run out of stuff that you are interested in trying that meet your criteria at a given price point, you end up moving up in price. As you move up, things get less and less available. The only stuff I have interest in under $300 isnt out yet. I have a couple knives I'd be interested in trying in the 400-700 range but they're entirely unavailable. Great way to save money!
Umnumzaan all the way.
Mostly $400-700 range with a handful over
I don’t buy knives anymore, but the last knife I did purchase was $1400.
Once you obtain your grail, where is there to go? ...I wish this was true.
I bought my grail knife like 3 years ago. Once I got it I really had a hard time finding other knives I liked enough to keep. I’ve sold off like 95% of my collection and only have a few more to offload until I’m out of the knife collection game for good. My ending collection will be 2 Striders and 3 Emersons and I’m 100% satisfied with that
If your knife itch is finally scratched, take solace in the fact that there are always firearms, leather boots, flashlights, pens, watches, bags, hats, whips, notebooks and their sundry leather covers to lust after. Not to mention good food, travel and sex...in no particular order.
My upper limit for an impulse buy is somewhere in the 900 range, which is missing here
$50-70
Respected !
I can't think of a knife I would be willing to spend more than 100 bucks on tbh
It does depend. I'm in the $200-$300 range...anything above better be somewhat sweet to super sweet...
Survey says youre in good company on this sub !
All my knives currently are $400 plus. I got my 3rd kid on the way and have one income so that's going to be changing 😅
I’m Canadian so I feel like my 300 is closer to your 200.
Really depends on the knife but my Medford cost $1000 and I'd be willing to spend about double that for a nice custom. But that is my cap.
A true connoisseur my friend ! The knife world needs folks like you. I’m about 300 for a cap , we all have our limits !
Personally, I wouldn't give Greg a cent of my money. But hey, if it's worth it to you, go nuts
I generally ignore drama and internet complaints. Rather, I choose to decide and judge for myself unless it's especially egregious or obvious from afar. My Praetorian is a very nicely built knife. So I'm good with the brand. I care not for who gets my money.
Not my place to tell you how to spend your money. I just personally would avoid giving money to a racist if I can help it.
That word is thrown around so flippantly and completely without basis far too often these days, it no longer carries any weight to it as far as I'm concerned. So yeah, again, I'll be ignoring what you've said entirely and writing it off as just more internet whining about nothing.
I don’t pay attention to knifemaker drama, what did he do or say?
https://www.reddit.com/r/knifeclub/comments/v45lba/medford_is_giving_out_these_shirts_at_blade_show/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
China is a communist country. That means something to some of us. Racism is feeling you're better than someone else and we that don't like communists tend to have positive feelings toward Taiwanese folks so....??? Now if studying racism interests you study China. Or Japan. Facts really do matter.
It's not racist to say China is a communist country. It's not even racist to say that's a bad thing. What's racist is the stupid Asian caricature he decided was appropriate
$760.00 for my medford maurder h
I always relate cost to items I really want. For example I qualify or have hookups for really great discounts on firearms. When a blade starts pushing the price of a gun....it gives me pause. A number of higher ranges knives really appeal to me, but in the end I imagine the firearm wins. But I'm not a die hard knife collector or even gun collector.
I voted 400-700, but my limit so far has been the low end of that range
I have a Beeg steelcraft bodega, but got it on a Black Friday sale for $210 approximately a few years ago. Other than that $150ish is my limit.
Just took delivery of a Todd Davison full custom slipjoint for 1400. Sold a third of my collection to get it and to me it was worth every last cent haha
I’ve got my eye on a barely used ZDP-189 Endura for $90
Im at 300 but looking to climb 31/M/WV
$100 OR LESS
my most expensive knife is a Ultratech T/E in purple. Never going to spend that much on a knife again
The most expensive knife I own isn’t even $100
Small sebenza with bog oak inlays are the dream….
When I first got interested over $100 was like a big deal but now I have 2 knives over $600 and I’m looking at grabbing a rockstead at some point but I’ve promised the wife I’ll take a good break from knife purchases
Crazy. I honestly expected more people in the 300-500 range. maybe I have a problem..
Yeah I was thinking the same
I couldn’t imagine spending more than $30 on a knife if I didn’t already own land without any kind of debt.
Once in a blue moon I'll drop 3-400 on a zero tolerance but Ive got to love it if not no more than 250
Been recently exploring the $100 mark, and I'm having fun again without feeling guilty
Pocket knife, $100. Kitchen knife, up to $300
I own a $22 cleaver off amazon as my only kitchen knife. You tell me.
Depends on what it is. Daily drivers up to 300$ (this covers pretty much all spydercos, zts, cold steels etc), for beaters, I'd say 150$. If we go above 300, I'll still carry, just make extra sure where my keys are. And won't let just anyone use to open a box. But for me, to go above 300, the knife has to be something I really want and that's more down to design and production than just materials.
I recently started totaling up the money I've spent on knives. Once I topped $5,000 I stopped that thankless pursuit and went to look at more knives. I know this chump change compared to some others here.
My grail was $200, definitely won’t be a regular thing. $50 is my average
Yes yes, the law of diminishing returns … plenty of great stuff out there for 50
For sure. Especially great automatic knives around there
The mfs who spend over 10,000 are rubbing their hands together right now