Well, there's lots of stuff here.
Many themes.
Mr. Levitian, sir, you have made a lot of posts I agree extremely strongly with. I have trained more with sticks than any other weapon, probably even including firearms. I believe, and preach, that defensive users are better served with an impact tool, preferably one with reach, if faced with an attack by blade and firearms are unavailable.
I also agree strongly with the theme that dedication, perhaps combined with skill, is much more important than the actual tool.
Too many people make the mistake of thinking that just because you have the high end what-ever, it gives you an advantage.
Well, this is a problematic statement. It's almost true, but it's deceptive. I know people who could kill an attacker with anything or nothing. These people are the closest thing to unstoppable you'll find in human flesh. One of these masters would prefer a quality weapon, but you're right, can kill with anything. On the other hand, I have trained with
many "scary good" people (and have
approached that level myself, a few times). The chances of two masters fighting are nil. Won't happen. I've seen
two that I know of in my life, among the thousands of people I would prefer not to cross.
I've seen an unknown number of scary good- perhaps about one hundred, at a rough guess. It is not unthinkable that two people of that skill level fight. If that were to happen, other factors being equal, who wins? I'm just going to guess it might be the guy with a dedicated tool, instead of the disposable clumsy one. Might never happen. Probably won't.
Could. Because- to hell with "high end"- a
well designed tool DOES give you an advantage. Just like training, mindset, and physical capability are advantages, too.
Some folks might believe I'm a fan of "tactical". Well, I like things that work. The "tactical" things I like
are bargains in their areas. What defines a bargain?
Incredible value for the price.
Spyderco? Incredible value. Less hype, more use. Superb ergonomics. Excellent heat treats. Great steels. Commendable business ethics. And if you chose to fight with a folding knife, you'd never find a better choice than an appropriate Spyderco. If I had to fight with a folder, I'd pick a Chinook II or III over even the nicest Sebenza.
Cheap? Hell, no. Chinooks can be had from about $130.
What is my life worth?
Maybe they are cheap, in comparison.
Let's look at John Greco's knives. I love the codger. I'm really happy he's making knives again. You know why I love Grecos?
Because they're incredible values. I've seen knives of John's that other custom/semi-custom makers would have sold for at least double what John sold them for. And they're good knives. I have a small one that I think I'll send to a good friend, because regardless of what it costs (not that much),
it's a really good knife, and he had a birthday. I'll then be left with a sole Greco. It, too, is a really good knife.
The first knife of John's I picked up, I didn't really want to touch.
It was ugly. I was uninterested. A friend practically forced it into my hand, and to be polite, I held it.
And I could feel it, like a shock. That ugly knife had something you would never find in a knife from a box store. My eyes got big. "Oh, my god." I don't mean balance. I don't mean weight. It was
something else, and either you know what I mean, or I'll never be able to explain it to you. You'd better believe I'd prefer that ugly knife be in my hand should I ever be forced to defend myself and something sharp be in the only thing within reach.
Now, I have often suggested that people be prepared to defend themselves with whatever is at hand. I firmly believe this. I also believe in making your dollar count. I own more HI fixed blades than anything else, though I can't seem to help giving them away to friends. Though HI prices have been forced upward because of political instability and rising fuel costs, those knives usually still cost 1/3 or less what an equivalent hand-forged U.S. knife would run.
Here's the deal. Use what you can reasonably afford. Don't be fooled by hype and advertising. Listen and learn. If you're actually planning on self-defense being a potential reason for purchasing a knife, in general, you're best served with a knife that's a reasonable size. It should be easily opened with one hand, if a folder. It should be sturdily constructed. It should cut well. If it's a folder, it should lock.
Just because other things have been pressed into service, in no way changes the fact that a dedicated tool will do the job better. My "new" CRX has a window handle that falls off. I tried to use a Guppy Multi-tool to roll the window up today when I couldn't find the handle, and then finally borrowed vise-grips to roll my window up,
because the Guppy wouldn't work at all. The handle would have worked best.
So, to all, don't imagine spending more automatically means buying something that works better. Don't believe that something will work best because it's a neato color, or looks cool. At the same time, don't go for false economy. Do reasonable research, look reasonably and intelligently at your budget, and make good decisions.
Live well, prosper, and accept my apologies for what's probably my longest post ever.
John
like yourself, I owned quite a few knives, thank you. 
