great points , however when you break it down to a cost per use basis , the knife ends up being a better deal.
I have been using knives , some custom and some productions for years , I have never lost one and I have never broken a quality knife. Broke some lesser expensive ones , say $10-$15 but I dont hold them to the same standards as a $100+ knife.
Perhaps when you pay a bit more for it , you tend to take care of it better and keep track of it more, like an expensive shotgun
I do know guys who have the same $20 Remington slipjoint that they bought 25+ years ago.
Knives are not intended to be used for chopping logs or splitting wood , sure some have adapted a design to make a knife more axe like , but it is not its intended use , any more than a butt of a pistol is used for a hammer , though you could use your S&W 627 perf center pistol to baton your custom knife thru firewood , but I would prefer an axe and a good hammer
In the end it comes down to perceived value. I couldn't spend $2K on a shotgun as I don't shoot trap/skeet anymore , and don't hunt , however I shoot pistol/rifle a couple weekends a month , but I use my knife every day , many times a day.
Smiles per dollar I call it.