What makes a knife expensive?

bigfelipe

Phil-osopher...
Charter Life Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2016
Messages
9,029
Location
Triangle
Rating - 100%
41   0   0
I get that a custom/handmade knife is a representation of hours of craftsmanship, but take for example Cold Steel. They have Kukris from $34 to $700. That's a helluva range. What's the allure in the high end stuff? Surely better steel isn't worth 21 times the price? And for that matter how much better can steel be? I mean really?
 
Serious question. I'm genuinely curious of the thought process. As a craftsman myself, I can appreciate the artform aspect of some high end knives, but it quickly ceases to be a tool and becomes just a piece of art that you "could" use, but would be silly to in many cases.

I mean how many pricey knives do we see for sale with things like "never used to cut anything", "hasn't been sharpened", etc... It's like buying a gun just to look at and not shooting it. Never got that one either...
 
I like artisan knives and have a few - But like you said. I never use them. I have several condor brand knives. These are not very "Artisan" - but are built to take a punishment and dont cost an arm and leg.
 
Depending on the custom steels, scale material and other "touches" the price will climb. The makers reputation and ability to perform the work required to an elevated level will all effect the prices. In the case of the Cold Steel that you mention, whatever someone is willing/able to pay...
 
Serious question. I'm genuinely curious of the thought process. As a craftsman myself, I can appreciate the artform aspect of some high end knives, but it quickly ceases to be a tool and becomes just a piece of art that you "could" use, but would be silly to in many cases.

I mean how many pricey knives do we see for sale with things like "never used to cut anything", "hasn't been sharpened", etc... It's like buying a gun just to look at and not shooting it. Never got that one either...

Same as jewelry or watches. Some is cheap, some horribly expensive, and from 7 feet away you can't tell which is which.

Most people don't use their stuff. Most gun owners don't shoot them. Maybe once in a awhile they run a few mags. But think of how many Les Baers are sold.....lots. But I have never seen one at a match. They are out there but most sit safely in...safes!

"Safe queens" and all that. Many knives are safe queens. Heck, I bought a nice benchmade recently. Carried it once and it's back back in the box ever since. Too nice to carry, lol!
 
You aren't alone brother. I have watched videos of craftsmen forging knives from raw materials and I think "Yeah, that makes sense...he spent like 2/3 days just on one knife...and its beautiful." But when I see a commercial knife, even from one of the "high end" makers I cant help but think that most people buy them for the status of owning it.

Reminds me of when I worked for Ralph Lauren...a RL Polo shirt would run around $75 bucks...a Walmart Polo was around $15. The RL shirt was made with more QC and is a bit better finished product, but I never saw it as nearly 5 times better. In the end, people are buying the small pony on the breast. So I get that some higher end knives are made with better steel, perhaps more QC, but 5-6 times as much? At that point I cant help but feel that people are buying the scroll mark on the blade.
 
It is something I have pondered as well. From what I can tell, the main difference, as B00ger alluded to is name recognition. The other factors such as quality of steel, expense of handle materials and artisan touches are second to the name of the company, or bladesmith who forged the weapon.

But name brand doesn't necessarily equate to quality. I have a benchmade that cannot hold a freaking edge without rolling and I have a $20 CRKT that has been sharp as a razor for over 5 years and has been used to cut hoses and boxes most of its life.
 
Same reason that a pair of Nike sneakers cost $200 at the store, but $0.35 to make. Brand name. Once a brand attains a reputation for quality, or for being used by a celebrity of sorts, people will pay for the luxury of being associated with that brand.

I promise ya that country music has sold more Yeti coolers than extended fishing trips have.
 
I bought the first prototype of the first gentleman’s knife that Dietmar Kessler made. Planned to use it to cut apples and whatnot, but have never cut anything with it. I keep thinking that it can’t be replaced and I do have other knives.

That’s my only “safe queen” knife, the rest get used regardless of cost.
 
Heck, I bought a nice benchmade recently. Carried it once and it's back back in the box ever since. Too nice to carry, lol!

You are missing out! My spyderco manix 2 rides in my pocket daily. If I have something nice, I am going to enjoy the hell out of it. I recently used it to cut through a car seat in a junkyard to get to the springs under the foam and upholstery. It was awesome.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: NKD
You are missing out! My spyderco manix 2 rides in my pocket daily. If I have something nice, I am going to enjoy the hell out of it. I recently used it to cut through a car seat in a junkyard to get to the springs under the foam and upholstery. It was awesome.

Well, not really, as I have 3 other Benchmades!!!
And many others.

Just don't want to ruin my sweet new one, heh!
 
As someone who can roll his own so to speak I really can't see paying 700 plus for what is essentially a production knife. Even though the steel is better like you say is it that much better?

When you're buying a hand made product there are the factors of time, craftsmanship, and materials choices that can increase the cost. I just don't see mass produced stuff in the same way.
 
+1 for Spyderco.
the others i've tried give me what i pay for.
Spyderco gives me more than what i pay for.
i have some $200 and up knives, but they're
like my graduation rings. in a box at home.
 
Take the Cold steel Kukri. A lot of the price is in the material and the labor it takes to produce it. The expensive one you've seen here is a San Mai blade. That's three layers of steel, 2 flexible layers of mild steel for the outside and a hard edge keeping center layer.

Then there is a carbon V series which is a high carbon blade that is great quality. There are blems of those that can be had cheaper too (That has to do with the finish not being up to par).

Then you have the ones that are basically machete steel stamped out of a roll.
I can't say that the San Mai is that much better than the machete but or that it's worth the extra but they aren't in the same league quality wise.

Like you mine are for use though
 
I have a handmade knife from Brazil that I’m pretty sure could pry a tire off a wheel and seems to be worth every penny...but, I never carry it because it cost so much. Therefore, I’d say expensive knives aren’t worth the price.
 
Perceived value more than actual quality.

Edit:
Think about it. BMW constantly score low in reliability and high in cost of ownership. But people with money to burn want to be seen in them.
Expensive designer jeans don't last as long as a pair of Wrangler jeans from Wal-Mart.
 
Last edited:
I get that a custom/handmade knife is a representation of hours of craftsmanship, but take for example Cold Steel. They have Kukris from $34 to $700. That's a helluva range. What's the allure in the high end stuff? Surely better steel isn't worth 21 times the price? And for that matter how much better can steel be? I mean really?

Aren't guns the same way?
 
Well that and there's like 100 times more metal in the rifle and the bullet...
Mine was an extreme example, but excluding the ammo, I've always been curious how just the rifle is several thousand dollars, whereas a .308 can been had for several hundred. In my simple mind, I'm not seeing more metal as much as I'm seeing larger openings. Does material plus machining equal that much of a difference?

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 
An engine for a Mack truck is bigger and cost more than an engine for a Honda civic?

Maybe that's not a good analogy, but .50's are uuuuuge.
 
I'm glad you guys feel that way about custom knives. I only make 4 or 5 a year and they are sold before I touch the steel. Business is as brisk as it's ever been and that's why I cut back on making them, too much work for me to do on a full time basis.... Taking advantage of the market...
 
Late to this discussion...
I was just talking today to someone about mechanical quartz watches. After about_$300-$400 the mechanisms (movements) don't get any better. But, what surrounds the movement is what changes. More glitz and adornments. A $300 Bulova may have the same internals as a $3000 Breitling, but dressed better. By the way, that movement sells raw for about $30.
So, yes, a lot of it is about prestige and pride of ownership. But, some if it is about the materials and craftsmanship and design.
I own an Omega Seamaster and a TAG 6000 among other watches. But if I had to choose only one watch, it would me my Luminox Navy Seals Dive watch at a 10th the price. It has been the most consistently accurate and durable watch of the bunch.
I have relatively expensive folding knives, which I have carried and enjoy. What I consider premium mid-class, Benchmades, Spyderco, etc. But, I'm currently playing with a budget Kershaw/Emerson collaboration that shows promise. Fit and finish rival a full on Emerson, which I also own. But, the blade steel is the weak link. I re-profiled the blade edge to see if it works better. We'll see.
I guess what I'm saying is that I appreciate the higher end stuff, but there is a point of diminishing return. By the same token, below a certain threshold, you lose quality and workmanship. Maybe a lot of the function is there, but it's not the same.
 
As a general rule, once you get into anything sword territory, don't go Cold Steel. Cold Steel have bad fit and finish, and are tough, but not very historically accurate.

The general rule of thumb with swords(and I would consider a khukri a short sword), is that $300 is a entry level sword with bad fit and finish, $5oo will get you a decent sword with some QA skimps, $800 will get you a great sword made in a production line, and $1000 and above will get you a museum quality replica made to the original specifications of the swords.

Just being in the shape of the sword doesn't mean they balance or handle like a sword at all.
Low end will be Hanwei(chinese), Darksword(indian), and Windlass(indian). I don't include Cold Steel, becuase, though these have qa issues, Cold Steel has a lot more.
Del Tin and Kingston Arms, Valiant Armoury make good mid level.
Albion and Arms and Armor make the great swords.

Now, kukri's are a bit of an exception, as they were traditionally made with what ever steel they could scrounge, but that's about the levels. You're paying for a professional sword maker to go to museums, measure the swords, their balance points and bevels at different points, maybe do some guestimates based on the corrosion of the blade(as an example, people for decades have thought that falchions were big and thick like machetes, same with dane axes, modern test have shown that they were thin, light, and ultra sharp), and then do modern techniques to cut out the blades, and use old world fitment techniques to make sure the crossguard fits tight, and the pommel is hot peened on. It costs money.

Just as an example of low, mid, high, amazing:







https://www.albion-swords.com/swords/johnsson/sword-museum-brescia.htm


More info:



Now, knives, you're usually paying for the materials and again the designer. Benchmade are are renowned for doing wonders with 154cm that no one else can, and have patented some innovative locking systems. Ken Onion and Bob Kramer are both famous artisans, and you are paying for their artistry. In the case of Bob Kramer, you can buy his reproductions https://www.surlatable.com/category/cat1250419/Bob+Kramer , but in that case, what you are paying for are premium materials, good QA, but, most importantly, the licensing of his designs. A $10 kitchen knife made in China looks like a knife, but will it take an edge, hold and edge, or stand up to abuse like a $100 Wusthof Classic? No. You're paying for that extra.
 
Last edited:
I've been wondering about price/value when it comes to really expensive knives and joined up in a Facebook knives group. A BUNCH of people have been on their essentially trolling the group on why high end knives can possibly be worth it. It was kind of funny.

At the end of the day, most were saying that some knives truly are better than others, and some buyers just like having nicer knives. I like coffee... a lot. Folgers is terrible. So I roast my own or get some locally roasted stuff. Many people can't tell the difference between good coffee and Folgers, which boggles my mind. That's kind of how I think so many of these price versus "is it really worth it" convos play out.
 
I had the privilege to be invited to an event at George Heron's home in SC. Possibly one of the greatest knife makers ever, and certainly the best in SC. Got to look at one of his newest creations, IIRC he called it the Herron Wave. $800 and the most beautiful blade I have ever seen or held. Closest thing I can find now is his Semi Skinner. His waiting list was 8 years long and he knew there were folks on that list he would not live to build a knife for. And he didn't. The price of his knives doubled as soon as you got it in hand if you wanted to sell it. Folks would pay twice the amount so they didn't have to wait. For his blades, he was selling his name and reputation. And after a lifetime doing it, it was worth quite a bit.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom