I guess you have to ask, what are you going to use it for and how long to do you want it to last. I have had a few knives that sell for around 200 and I wish that I still had it. Th blade was 3/8 in thick and OMG was it sharp. I have been told that the esee knives are good. You can find them for around $100. The old Rigid knives were great. A knife is just a tool. Different tools do different jobs.

 

because i like them better.
and that is really all that's to it.

technically i could get by with a mora and a sak.
i have a deep fascination for knives, to me they are more than just a tool.
that said, i still think a mora robust, spyderco tenacious, sak bantam etc are great knives.
i doesn't have to cost 100$ to be good.

 

*knives

and it sounds like someone has a chip on their shoulder lol. Steel quality is the most simple answer.

 

no i dont,I realy want to know what is it that makes some of these knifes worth 3-4 times what a decent 1095 carbon steel KA-BAR,Cammilus,Ontario, ect, better is it because some people have trouble getting a good edge back on knife?is it they feel better in hand?is it just because thats what they like?
I have owened 4 Mark II USMC knifes 2 cammilus,1 ontario,1 ka-bar all same mark II knife least favorite was 1980,s Ka-Bar dont know why just didnt feel right also only one I dont still own..
I'll list Ka-Bar or Mark II knifes in order of preferance..
#1 Older Cammilis oval grip made in 50's-60's (my guess)
#2 New surpluss Ontario made in 90's - 00's guessing again
#3 early 80's Cammilus with sawback' I believe fairly rare from what I've read
#4 early 80,s PX bought KA-Bar long gone just never felt right or hold a edge very well.I gave it to a fellow grunt when I got out,I just didnt like it!!!

 

Thanks for the sencible responces,I have drooled over a few pricey knifes and yes I'm sure some of them hold a edge better then a good $50 knife but I suppose that also comes with a cost not just price but more difficult to sharpen ???? I am all for getting the best for my money but I'm also not the guy that spends extra just so I can say I have the latest greatest wiffle snauser I dont generally like buck knifes but loved the buck muskrat back in the day, that little blade was perfect for me I dealt with it not being the easyest to sharpen or hold a edge great because I loved that thin blade I wore several of them out from repeated sharpenings,some of the guys I worked with loved the old hickery paring knifes because cheap,small,and a couple licks on a steel and back to shaving hair... I realy want a damiscus steel knife but honestly cant figgure out why LOL

 

It honestly depends on what you want as a person, My Gerber LMF2(was around $80), the fact that it's insulates from electrical shock on the handle is a big plus just in case SHTF happens in a Urban area. It pretty think and will handle a good amount of abuse. Now my Esee 5 is a sharpened pry bar, thats as sharp as a razor blade. 1095 carbon steel sharpens very easily, very easy to maintain and again will take abuse like there no tomorrow. And will handle the larger more abusive parts then your Ka-bars will. Your ka-bar has a much thinner tang called a rat tail. The rat tail tangs have been known to bend under stress on Ka-Bars, but as with my Esee 5 unless your trying to pry a 2000 pound concrete slab and your jumping on the handle of your knife. It'll be all but impossible to bend a Esse 5's tang/handle. Alot of your more expensive knives have great steel, full tang construction, and warranties. No matter what I do to my Esee 5(short of loosing it or having it stolen) if I can pick up the pieces and send it to Esee. They'll send me a new one.

But what you have got to remember is, just because I like my LMF2 and my Esee 5 and it's worth the investment to me doesnt mean it's going to be worth it to you. In my Eye's a LMF2 and the 5 are better then Mark 2's. But thats just my opinion. Dont get me wrong, I'm by no means saying a Mark 2 is a bad/lousy knife as it's history very clearly shows that it isnt. It's a very good fighting knife, but thats just it. It's a fighting knife and a very good fighting knife at that. But it's not so much of a great survival wilderness knife for some. It's all about personal preference really. As for a damiscus steel blade they are very nice looking knives. But other then looking great I dont think they hold much more value to them other then looks compared to other knives.

 

short answer-more elaborate selling scheme,

I wouldnt say that at all, and I mean at all. Just because Honda has a great commercial doesnt mean I'm willing to pay the cost of a Ferrari 458 Italia for one. I mean come on a civic is a civic. It's the same with knives.

 

I have one high dollar knife $200(high dollar to me.) I paid that much because

-I carry it everyday and it felt just right
-It was made in the US
-Quality it has a titanium handle and a very nice blade

Normally I would not spend that much on a knife it was mostly because I carry it everyday.

 

When I was in the military, we used whatever got the job done. And knives did fail. A high price tag did not eliminate that fact. So more often than not, we would grab what was solid yet replaceable at the same time. When I use a knife as a tool to get a job done on a regular basis, I use this train of thought. When I see that some serious knowledge of the craft, and the skills to make a truely superior blade went into a knife, I can really appreciate it. And will, every now and again, pay the higher price.

 

i dont disagree, in the grand scheme,a car is a car
one is a midlife crises chick magnet car , the other is a car

i`m going to delete post 8 of mine
i think i`m comming across the wrong way...apologies
i`m sure i will voice these opinions again in a future thread

 

FWIW, I gotta chime in on this one. From what we've seen in the past several years, the quality of many items has vastly improved, an improvement most pronounced and visible in the lower cost products, from knives to LED flashlights.
Though I acknowledge the wisdom of old adages like, "you get what you pay for", the honest fact of the matter is that there are a great many outstanding products to be found at much more reasonable pricepoints.
Typically, technological advances trickle down and permeate an entire industry, and inevitably we see better and better products, at prices that were once indicative of "junk".
A good case in point are the Spyderco Tenacious series of knives reffered to above by Steffen. These are simply OUTSTANDING knives, especially at these prices.
With any product,one has to spend a certain,minimum amount to avoid wasting money on crap,no argument there, but after a certain quality/price level, we quickly reach the point of diminishing returns,and at this point, it becomes more about ego and bragging rights than it is about discernable improvements in quality and usefullness.
Also, as i've said many times,IMO, it's better to have THREE "very good" items of a specific type of gear, than it is to have ONE single item, that's the very best/most expensive you can own. In other words, 3 Ka-bars are better to have than a single Randall. 3 Fenix's are better than a single Surefire ( and I love my Surefires).
In short,buy 'good' quality, and stop worrrying about owning,and wasting money on, "the very best of the best".

 

old-grunt-nothing makes them better,just perhaps better suited for a multitude of reasons.
the most important being ,a cutting tool
sharp is sharp...and this can be obtainable from 12 bucks to infinity money wise

 

For collectors the resale value if you've never used it. For the actual user, it come down to comfort of use, skill set to go with the blade and maybe just pride of ownership. Getting from Point A to B with either a Ferrari or a Rabbit........

 

I'm an esee convert. I have had, and still have, several great Gerber knives. Though I have heard that their quality has gone down a bit in the past few years. The ones I own, and have owned seemed just fine (key word "fine"). But they were made in the USA. I hear that these days they are not, at least not all of them are anymore.

My ESEE... I was looking for an excellent, solid, American made, kick@$$ knife for my bottom line, no worries, no doubt in my confidence in its ability, survival knife. After doing my homework for awhile, I chose the ESEE 6 with a survival pouch. Thus far, it fits the bill. Plus it comes with a lifetime warranty. I know others do as well, but out of all the reviews I read about their no questions asked warranty. Not one negative that I saw. Standing behind your product like that, means a lot to me. Especially in this day and age. I'll spend the dough for that. Quality+that kind of warranty=my business.

That being said. Gerbers are still my go to hunting knife.

 

With custom made knives, the cost is usually associated with time and the materials used, it takes me approx 30 hours to produce a knife. For some knives the piece of timber selected for the handle can cost more than the labour costs. It's all about perspective I suppose.

Golfers want the best hand made clubs they can buy, Musicians want to play the finest instruments crafted bythe greatest luthiers, and a certain percentage of hunters survivalists want the best hand made knife they can afford.

It's about what the customers requirements are, and as a knifemaker I'm glad of it

 

I would be interested in something very simuler to this old schrade I like the size 5 1/2 inch blade I like the clip point,and I like the curve at tip with the sharper point it will work on small game,the curve works decent for cutting hide off larger animals then the back couple inches for rougher work,and general cutting use..what brand and where would I look for something with general blade shape and size 5-5 1/2 inch blade say $100-150 price range prefer carbon steel over stainless.. Thanks

 

Because i cant buy a benchmade balisong for 50 bucks

when did $100 become high dollar knives? 1k, thats a high dollar knife.

I can get by with a 5 dollar knife if i gotta.(hell, i can get by with a flint knapp for free if i have to) I prefer quality and im willing to pay for quality. 50-100 is a good price range for quality knives.

 

From my personal observations about 50-120 is the sweet spot in price for good knives any more you typically paying for name and towards the lower end and below your starting to get more junk to quality blades

here is my knife a humble puukko made by woodsknife of finland razor sharp good steel and made by a one man shop

 

I'd like to see your USMC last a week on my sailboat without elbow grease. Though I do believe they make the usmc "style" in stainless, but god is it butt ugly.If i go cheap on a knife, its a Mora. My Fallkniven has yet to fail me.

 

how about this swiss army knife

http://www.luxurylaunches.com/gadgets/victorinox_swiss_army_platinum_diamond_knife_for_usd_70000.php

its a steal at only a cool 70k

 

ill take 3. Just in case.

 

I think what makes a custom knife worth more is the fact that I made it. The satisfaction I get knowing the materials, time and thought that went into it. Knowing it was made by someone who cared about what they were making and not a slave in china banging out junk for a bowl of rice and .18 cents an hour. The piece of Afzelia on this knife cost more than $40

 

My most expensive knife is $140 and it was made by SYKCO...its an absolute BEAST. My cheapest knife is the CTD Rough use knife, it was $12...its a work horse but no where near as durable as my SYKCO blade. There are some manufactures that RAPE you...not going to say their names but I guess it really does just come down to what you want to do with the knife.

You can get a good knife that will be good enough for 99.9% of the stuff you will need for less than $100

 

I think most of the more expensive knives are custom made. If it takes 5, 10, or more hours to make it, times a reasonable salary, doesn't take long to add up. People frequently ask me to machine or fabricate something for them. Even figuring $20 hour for wages, a simple thing becomes a lot more expensive than the Chinese version. Vast majority want cheap vs. well made. That's why toasters are disposable.

 

My friend is a knife maker, his basic models sell for a couple of hundred bucks and his elaborate models go for over a grand. If you figure his time he's really working for minimum wage (making the knife, sheath, etc. also running his business).

That said, you really need to have an appreciation for a custom knife to own one.

Do you have a car with a blue-printed engine ?

Do you have a custom built home ?

So, for most folks a well-made factory knife is just fine. That said, I do have these:

from here:

http://www.acremetalworks.com/

 

Blade material, edge retention, warranty, scales.
It don't get no simpler than that. My $100. knife
is superior to all those knives you just listed.

Hope that helps.

:thumb:

 

^^^ Oh I'm not so sure ^^^

My friend's knives have to go through an intensive torture test like bending the blade 90 degrees and having it snap back into shape. I'm not sure any commercial knives can perfrom as well as knives from a master smith.

There is definitely a reason that they cost more.


The damascus in the blade is often 1024 layer or more of the toughest steels to get this performance. Differential heat treating is the norm.

That said, most folks will not need that level of performance.

 

If you're saying that to me, my post was to the OP.