this is actually a very good question when you think about it , but it also depends on what your idea of expensive is.
My my knives that see daily use :
Strider PT $300
Case/Bose ( 2000 model ) $300
Rinaldi Matrix $300
I also rotate in / out a Hossom Dogtag ( not sure but about $400 ) , Strider AR ( $400 but this was a gifted BRO knife ) and a few others...
I think nothing of using a $300 - $400 knife , I bought them to use and know they hold up , could most of my stuff be done with a $100 Benchmade , no doubt , but it doesnt give me the pride in use or knowing the person that made it , the PERSON , not the company ( ok with the exception of the case/bose but this will do till i score a real TOny Bose .) I used my Strider AR to cut the last 6 rows of shingles for my roof when I broke my razor knife and didnt want to stop to go buy a new one. It got a bit scuffed up , but it's a tool , I dont chop bricks but I aint afraid to cut with it.
Some of the high end productions are pretty darn good in fit & finish , blade steel , etc , but you will never meet the person who made them.
I carry knives made ( or designed ) by people I have met , became friends with and trust. Some may say it's a sense of loyalty or pride , I can except that.
To me when I hear expensive I think of a Loveless at $3K , an Onion Custom at $3K or other hard to get awesome knife.
The best I can say is catch a decent knife show and see what some of these makers are putting out , visit some knife forums and see what is out there.
About 7 years ago I would not have thought a custom knife world exists , I couldnt tell you what the difference was between a Buck Crosslock ( what I was carrying then ) and a Sebenza , Strider or Carson , but I went to the Vegas Classic Show and once I handled some customs , I could sure feel the difference. ( and I been broke since
)
For a knife buyer there are so many choices in knives , from low end production ( aimed at the entry level buyer , like Spyderco Byrd series ) , to factory collabs with custom makers , Case/Bose , BM/Blackwood , Buck/Mayo , Zero Tolerance ( Onion , Strider , Kershaw ) to the mid techs and then onto full customs , it's a buyers market , there is something for everyone.
With firearms you pretty much know you have to spend at least $XXXX amount of money to get something you want/like/need , with people who are into knives the same applies , you reach a point where you become afraid to use it though , then it is a collector and not a user , I would bet there arent a whole lot of Loveless knives in use compared to those tucked away in safes.
Not that there is anything wrong with that. All in what YOU feel you want.
in short :
You dont
NEED to spend $300-$500 to have a nice knife , but when you get into it , you may find you
WANT to.... and then there is no turning back.