To those of you who have really expensive knives.

[sm]

Aw come on Steve, use that knife! LOL Yes "custom knives a comin'" is a neat feeling.

Yes my friend, it is.
Friend is the key is here as is the word "Respect". I respect your craftsmanship as much as I do your friendship.

Still, my friend, I carried that knife you made for me, in a serious situation along with a "old friend" a Colt, 1911, with a gold bead front sight, and USGI 7 round mags, with the dimpled followers.

Yeah, I respect your work, I carried this knife on some serious, real deal, full tilt boogie serious work, I had to do.

Just me, still this is way better than cleaning fingernails, or even cleaning a deer.

Don knows...yeah he do...

Steve

 

[BEEinAK]

Most of us don't 'need' the high dollar fishing rods, guns, scopes, binoculars, etc. that alot of us use. I have lot's of knives and some of them are very expensive. There are many inexpensive (not cheaply made) knives that I trust, however I just prefer handmade things- just like furniture. I also like to carry and use what knives I have and not just leave them in a case.
There are many handmade knives that are not expensive and it is nice to carry something that you have wanted and had made in a style or handle that you requested. Is there anything that a custom high dollar knife can do that an over-the-counter knife can't do? Not much...but then again most fish can be caught on an UglyStick- I just prefer to use my G. Loomis or Sage flyrods.

Carry what you like- just make sure to keep it sharp!

 

[jeggers]

I have four addictions... knives, guns, cars and watches. I spend way more on these items than most people I know do. However, its what I am into.

Can a $50 knife do the same as a $300 knife? Of course, as they both cut. However, a knife with better craftsmanship and steel should hold up better over time, hold a better edge, etc...

$300 knives are usually better quality, and you get what you pay for most of the time. If I compare hand-to-hand my DR Madd Maxx to a Gerber Applegate (for instance), the difference is apparent. And 99 out of 100 people could tell which one cost substantially more.

Personally, I would rather save up and buy a Darrel Ralph or Sebenza that buy a couple cheaper Kershaws or SOGS.

Same thing with cars, guns, etc... I would much rather pay for the pleasure of driving an M3 everyday even though a Civic will get me around just fine.

It all boils down to personal opinion and perceived value. A friend of mine is into Nike shoes. He spends what I think is ludicrous money on them, but that's his bag.

To each is own, but I think you get what you pay for.

Just my .02...

 

[USMC8541]

I put a 300 Randall against a 5 dollar western flea market find hunting knife, results were even in all areas except price

 

[Gordon]

What test wuz that? Cutting the flea market knife in half with the Randall?

 

[Wolfebyte]

I initially bypassed this thread when it first came out, because I didn't have any expensive knives... I'm happy with CRKT and Case..

but that all changed last Wednesday..

I'm at the office working when a coworker/friend comes up and tosses this knife down on my desk.. I asked if he needed it sharpened, he replied "guess so, you don't carry a dull knife." ... huh?

He gave me a knife that he had.. he said it was an object to him, didn't hold any special thoughts or stories with it. It was too heavy in his pocket, it was a "thing" ..

so now I'm the owner of a Bob Terzuola tactical folder..

No markings other than the original dragon below his name on the blade. It's a liner lock, titanium (sand blasted) .. Looks like his ATCF model, but mine does not have any lettering under the thumb wheel..

The jury is still out as to if this will be a safe queen, or a BBQ carry...

 

[shockwave]

Bikerdoc said...For me it is a journey not the destination.

That's the money quote right there. Me? I own so many knives it isn't funny. Folders, fixed-bades, throwing knives. Autos, assisted openers, switchblades, and slip joints. Bowies, stilettos, melon testers, spikes and OTFs. Kerambits, gravity blades, and exotic Asian blades.

Ultimately, I've found that my knives only have one useful function: Opening the boxes that my new knives come in.

You listen to some people here, you get the impression that they're out in the woods, using their custom $680 handmade blades to chop down trees and carve open automobile hoods to fabricate survival tools.

But if you're like me, the heaviest duty your knives will see is cutting through packing tape and cardboard to open another knife in a box. Maybe an electronic device in a plastic shell case.

No, I'm not hacking down trees and building tents in the wilderness. I'm not dressing deer carcasses or field-stripping elk. I'm cutting a zip-tie or slicing a nylon web strap. That's it.

Yesterday I bought an Italian switchblade (11") that was over $100, to fill in a gap in my collection. The chances of my using it to cut any kind of material except an assailant are pretty much zero.

In fact, almost all my knives are purchased for self defense reasons or, as in the case of the melon testers, for collectible purposes. What I try to keep in mind is that a blade is ultimately a sharp piece of metal. An $800 sharp piece of metal won't be that much sharper than a $50 CS or CRKT blade.

Might be a bit sharper, might hold an edge better, but for what? For opening the next knife that comes in the mail. Whoop.

The knives I own are almost uniformly for self defense, and I select the carry model based on environment and objective. In the car door pockets I keep long blades. In the back seat area I carry swords. For daily carry I'll bring whatever is convenient. Going to high-end functions, an auto or spike is a reasonable choice.

If there's any expectation of danger, I'm bringing a handgun. The edged weapon is a secondary tool. In the event I need it, I really doubt that the difference between the $150 switchblade, $90 karambit, $40 Ti-Lite, or $25 spike will be significant.

There is absolutely zero, nada, zip, bupkiss chance that the knife I have for defense will fail to save me whereas the ding-dong doofus $1100 custom lapis lazuli inlaid pearl handled damascus hand-made designer special inlaid one-off name-brand maker blade would save the day.

 

[USMC8541]

Actually I got both knives equally sharp and cut thru equal lenths of cardboard boxes.

 

[USMC8541]

My everyday Knife now is a Spyderco Endura, I carried this knife in Iraq recently, I carry it all the time now, It is very strong and lightweight. Not a cheapo but not a 500 dollar cry if you lose it knife.

 

[Valkman]

Actually I got both knives equally sharp and cut thru equal lenths of cardboard boxes.

Not much of a test - the Endura is a good knife but no $5 knife is going to stand up to real tests like a more expensive blade. I bought a $6 folder once and the lock failed when I was using it - luckily I wasn't hurt bad. No more cheap Chinese junk for me.

 

[sm]

Re: Customs

Some other things come to mind as to why a custom.
One being having something that fits me, for tasks, unavailable from production knife folks.

Expense? Well I have a custom coming, that is not very expensive that will fit a niche for me.
It is simply a small fixed blade.

Back in the day, we did not have all the offerings as we do from so many companies. Yes we still had plenty of knives to catch attention and have folks spend monies. Switchblades were the most common, and everyone from the county fair with prizes to some "5 & 10" stores had them.

But I was brung up different and mentored as I was. I was born with a Case pen knife in my dresser drawer crib and it was not long before some handmade knives made their way to me. Best recall, sawmill blades were most often used for these fixed blades.

I just sorta come up with pocket knives/ slipjoints and fixed blades. Then again I cannot recall when I first started seeing "locking" knives. I guess it would be Case Mako Shark or when out of town and seeing Buck 110s.

I come up with Vets from Conflicts, and many simply could not use a pocket knife as they once had, before they went to war. Amputations will quickly make it difficult to use two hands to open a knife. Some did use the knives designed for one hand opening, and the name of the pattern escapes right now.

So, a lot of folks carried a small fixed blade. For me, and where I come up and spent time, these were often "handmade" or "custom" if you will.

Yes, there are "defensive uses" for such knives, but folks often forget a knife is designed to cut, and not everything will mean a mob of zombies.

Take the Vet, with his left arm left in Korea, that used his custom, small fixed blade to cut the shoe string of a little girls shoe, caught in a escaluator and her foot would have been hurt, seriously had he not simply reached down and cut the shoe lace.

Or take the same Vet who used the same knife to cut the leash of a dawg that jumped over the side of a truck and was "hung" until cut free.

He had a "little piece of sharp steel" that he could access quickly.

 

[USMC8541]

I was a custom knife addict and still am to some extent, Knifemakers are artists in their own right, Purchase what you want, It is still a free country to some extent. I have a Rolex watch that doesn't keep as good time as a Casio, But I enjoy wearing it everyday.
All I am saying is that your Grandads Shrade Walden purchased from Sears in 1950 for 7 bucks will cut just as well as your 400. Randall in O-1, If Your Randall is 440A stainless you will lose period. Whatever BS test some magazine comes up with to justify why your knife is better is Just BS.

 

[JTW Jr.]

thread title is : " To those of you who have really expensive knives." not to those who don't why not....

fyi: a Randall is still a production , or semi-production , they are no longer custom.

 

[seed]

As I get older, I am trying to use what I have and acquire as opposed to not using them because they are too nice. It is hard sometimes, but I'm not going to live forever and I have no kids. And even if I did, giving them something I used, that they can use is much better than giving them something to collect value. If I want to give them something for the value aspect, I should invest in something with much higher returns so they can live more comfortably, rather than imagine how much of an impact an inanimate object would make in their lives if they sold it -- the answer always being much less than say a smart investment strategy.

I'm not all the way there yet, but I am trying.

 

[22-rimfire]

Folks say "it's just a tool" whether it be a knife, firearm, or cresent wrench. One aspect that has not been touched on much is "style". People gravitate to things that they are accustomed to and fit their life style and knowledge. One person may drive a BMW and carry a chinese Frost Cutlery pocket knife. More than likely the BMW owner carries no knife and borrows one when they need to cut something. I suspect I will still carry my SAK daily even if I won a 100 million dollar lottery tomorrow though I own much more expensive blades.

 

[cwbyengraver]

Hi this is my first post cool site. As far as expensive knives I engrave alot of custom knives that push the price up over a grand. I carry a kershaw ken onion. But somebody is buying them I have eight on my bench right now.

 

[burnse]

I had a wonderful Benchmade (I don't remember the model, but it had an axis lock and D2 blade), which retailed around $160 to 180. Really nice, but I sold it. Everytime I used it, I felt like I could be doing the same job with a "lesser" knife.

Now, if I want to carry a folder, my Opinel No.8 ($13) does the job, and if I want a fixed blade, I carry my Courier des Bois model ($36) which I picked up from Track of the Wolf, a nice Black Powder store about an hour from home. I prefer the fixed blade for day to day. Both of my thin-bladed, carbon steel knives are great tools and are easy to sharpen, while taking on an incredible edge.

I have since lost the desire to purchase expensive knives.
I do, however, believe in supporting craftsmen whenever possible, so when the day comes that funding permits me to do so, I will certainly start financially supporting the knifemakers of the country. Until then, I am buying strictly to have a knife to use, so good AND cheap will do.

The only knives I will never, ever drop a lot of money into are my kitchen knives. I grew up with Old Hickory, and I will continue to use them until they are gone.

 

[USMC8541]

The only knives I will never, ever drop a lot of money into are my kitchen knives. I grew up with Old Hickory, and I will continue to use them until they are gone.

Roger that, I buy old carbon steel kitchen knives at flea markets for 1 or 2 dollars, take them home and they sharpen up quickly to a razor edge.

 

[feedthehogs]

You can always narrow down this topic or others like it to disposable income.

Those that have it can appreciate fine quality craftsmanship and the price tag that goes with it along with the appreciation of owning it.

Many that don't will never be able to understand.

Will a 20 Mora cut as well as a 1000 custom? Yes. But like the women at closing time, its a damn sight uglier.

And what man here set out to get a wife or girlfriend by saying, I want the girl that looks like my dog walking backwards?

Its the old Hi Point vs Sig argument only for knives.