expensive gun / cheap knife - don't get it!!!!

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I agree about a well matched kit of quality EDC tools. I used to carry a more $ flashlight but with changing tech the prices became crazy. I had the emitter swapped on a HDS flashlight to update it and after that the continued spending wasn't equitable. LED technology would nearly double in 10-12 months so as much as flashlight nuts were spending $500+ on some lights that wasn't my thing. Now it is a Streamlight ProTac 1L ~$35, before they were Surefires. In all far to easy to spend lots of $ on EDC gear.

Plaza Cutlery will have a Knife show in Anaheim Oct 21-22 for any So. Cal people that may be interested.
 
I've got a $250 dollar gun in my back pocket and a $300 knife in my front.

Why? Well for one thing, pocket pistols tend to cost less, but even at that I rarely buy a pistol more than $600.

I'm a knife guy more than a gun guy, so spending $300 on a stylish edc with great ergos, blade steel, fit, finish, and smooth action is worth it to me. Plus I'll use this knife about 15 times a day. Will I thrash it on the job site? No. Same reason most won't roll around in the mud with their BBQ gun. It can handle it just fine, but why tear something up on purpose? That said, knives are made to cut. I don't have safe queens be they blade or blaster. All of my carry pieces will proudly wear the scarring of actual use.

Even my edc work knife is an entry level ZT 350.

However, I don't blame anyone for carrying whatever they prefer. My dad has carried some form of Buck 110 folder to work every day for about 50 years. He keeps a "nice" one that I bought him for going out. It's all the more he wants despite having the means to get something more premium.

I can easily get by with a nice $50 folder or less, but I prefer a nicer cutting tool. It's not about the money or even status as most people don't know what my knife costs unless they are a knife nut like me. It's about enjoying what you own. After all, a cheap gas station folder that cost $6 will cut just like my $300 ZT. Just like a Hi Point will shoot just like a $2000 target 1911;)

At the end of the day, just enjoy what you like:)
 
Sometimes you get what you pay for. Sometimes quality is to be found and not priced. Meaning that sometimes the high priced items have bad quality and sometimes the lower priced items have good quality. I like a quality folder in my pocket. I have found over the years that the cheaper knives break faster than a higher quality one. But what works for me, won't necessarily work to you. My needs are different. I do however have many knives and even a few I made myself.
 
I’d love to go with high-end EDC knives, but..,

I lose knives. I don’t lose guns.

And so I carry low cost knives.

I envy those of you who are responsible enough to keep up with all of your gear!
 
I like high end knives. I carry them frequently. I don't really have any set knife/handgun combos. Like my choice of what handgun to carry on any given day is based simply on impulse, so is my choice of knives.

I have to say, while my choice in handguns and associated leather is usually not all that decorative, I like knives with lots of personality like this one.
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I have a lot of knives, but I think my knife frame of mind is where my gun frame of mind was 35 years ago. I want a nice knife, but I'm not crazy about paying for it. I have three Italian switchblades, which I paid from 70 to 105 bucks for. That's as much as I've paid for a knife. And Italian switchblades are really just more novelty than anything else, though they might have some defensive applications. I have an American made Gerber with a rubberized handle that's a very solid knife, for a folder, and I paid maybe 40 bucks for it. But the blade is too long for me to carry in my city, so there ya go. I have an old Buck that I found, but it's really too heavy. I'd prefer American or European made knives, but I don't know that I'd pay much more than 60 dollars for any practical knife, so that means I'm only going to get a utility USA model, not premium. The most practical option I have is a Smith and Wesson knife that's 3 inches in the blade, so it's legal for me. It may be made in China, I'm thinking, but I got it free from some promotion and it's pretty solid.
 
My RAT-1 folder is dead reliable, and cost around $30. I have a fair selection of knives that are just as good for everyday use and a few of those cost $8, but the RAT is what I carry these days. My preferred carry pistols are a Ruger LC9-S ($300) and a RIA 1911 ($500,with about $150 worth of modifications). Both pistols just chug right along and neither required a co-signer to purchase. In my view, the OP's standard of $5-700 doesn't put you in "nice gun" territory; it lands you in the "bare bones reliable" zone, and then only if you shop wisely.
 
My current pocket knife is a $150 Benchmade. I don't mind spending money on quality items that are used daily. But that doesn't mean I am going to drop $500 on a knife or flashlight. I'm not that insane.
 
If I like a knife, I buy it. That being said, i try to stay under $150 and generally "save for it". I have a 20 year old that within the past 2 years decided to start carrying a folder. I started him out with a Spyderco Dragonfly and he lost it. So I wanted to get him something less expensive but effective. So i bought a couple of Kershaws, ( he wanted something small ) the Ember, small heavy, fast and effective. I also picked up a G 10 Cryo and the G 10 Thermite , all under $30 dollars and a Bang for your buck! He carries the Cryo mostly and I have become very fond of the Thermite.
 
Some people can keep track of things and others can't. That informs their choices.

I've been carrying the same knife for many years now so the investment in it has proven out many times over since I've done things with it that are abuse by any standards.
 
I will say, there are some fantastic budget folders out there. The fit and finish of what they are producing off shore is incredible for the money.

Several months ago I was at a training where the manufacturer of the goods handed out free pocket knives with their logo etched on them at the end of the day. They were obviously Chinese with low grade steel, but the lock up was great. There wasn't a hint of side to side play and the liner lock engaged exactly one half way. It would make a fantastic beater for the guys there who would be digging and prying with it. The only thing making it a low dollar knife was the garbage steel of the blade.

I know I spend more than I "need" to on my knives, and many days I may carry nothing more than a Swiss Army Knife. Pretty much anything with an edge will work.

I think the issue is that we all have our personal points of diminishing returns on what we enjoy spending our money on. I won't ever buy a $1,000+ gun or knife. I'm not going to be at a stage in life where that is prudent nor would I feel OK using them hard. My limit on a gun is about $700 and $400 on a blade. But I have spent more on edged tools than guns easily 2:1 over my lifetime.

I just enjoy them more.
 
I'm a gun guy, not a knife guy, but for sure, and it finally took me about 30 years or so to figure out, quality steel will last a lifetime, so I've evolved and carry only high-end production knives (although my kit includes a couple way spendy custom fixed-blade knives). I've pretty much gravitated to ZT, Benchmade and Spyderco. As far as guns go, I guess my carry guns are considered expensive by most. If I have to use one of my handguns or knives, I want something I know is gonna work, gonna last a lifetime, etc. No one ever sees the knives (or guns) I carry or use, so it's not about status -- it's about quality and trust.

Oh, and someone mentioned flashlights? Learned my lesson there as well ... if it ain't a Surefire, Streamlight, Fenix or Elzetta, well, good luck with that ...
 
Every young boy was taught by his dad what to look for in quality knife, no?
Listen to your dad----it wouldn't kill you to listen to your dad for once.
 
Bring a pocket bushman. You always have enough knife. I rotate my edc often. But the pocket Bushman is a favorite.
 
Every young boy was taught by his dad what to look for in quality knife, no?
Listen to your dad----it wouldn't kill you to listen to your dad for once.

I wasn't. My Dad isnt into hunting or guns or knives or camping or any of that. Dirtbikes are his thing. Not much else interests him. So I have been going it on my own with this gun/knife hobby of mine. Yet, I feel my tastes have evolved quite well. A Jframe and medium to upper level Spyderco or ZT go with me just about everywhere nowadays.

Edit: I have gotten him to out to a range once or twice though. He has an appreciation for firearms, but doesn't care enough to own any himself. That's actually my Dad in my avatar. Knives, he couldn't care less.
 
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Every young boy was taught by his dad what to look for in quality knife, no?
Listen to your dad----it wouldn't kill you to listen to your dad for once.

My Dad left around when I was 6, great day for my family though when it happened. My Mom did the best she could, but there were no guns, no knives, no anything in the house. She wouldn't listen no matter how much I tried to sell her on it. I think that's why I went a little overboard with the guns and knives as an adult. :)
 
My reason for carrying an expensive gun and a cheap knife is:

I've misplaced/lost many knives in my lifetime,,,
I've never misplaced/lost a handgun.

The one time I needed a knife in a self defense situation,,,
The El-Cheapo no-name brand did the job just fine.

JMHO - YMMV

Aarond

.
 
the way i look at it, a semi mainstream "good" No frills knife will cost you 30-60 bucks (i know thats not necessarily true but, close enough), a semi mainstream "good" No frills gun is about 10x that.
So compare a 100 dollar knife to a 1000 dollar gun, at that price point your buying features.
I like features, I like nice..ish...things. I carry a 400dollar folder quite a bit, its got some honest wear on it, and it works great. Were i allowed to carry a handgun, id probably carry something in the 6-800 dollar range, but thats just because those are the guns I really LIKE.
Now the knife was a gift, otherwise I wouldnt own it. But ive carried a quite a few 100-200 dollar knives, my Spyderfly being one, which for me was a great knife for what i was doing at the time.

As a note ive miss placed a number of 10-40 dollar knives, but ive never lost a more expensive one.
 
I use a butter knife more than a sharp knife of any type (pocketknife, multi-tool, steak knife, etc). As a result, I typically stick to pocketknives I've been given (for free), and wouldn't see the point in buying one over $20. Ever since the TSA stole the pocketknife (I had forgotten was in there) out of my bag one trip, I haven't bothered carrying one since.
Different strokes for different folks.
 
My reason for carrying an expensive gun and a cheap knife is:

I've misplaced/lost many knives in my lifetime,,,
I've never misplaced/lost a handgun.

The one time I needed a knife in a self defense situation,,,
The El-Cheapo no-name brand did the job just fine.

JMHO - YMMV

Aarond

.

Aarond is wise !:cool:
 
My reason for carrying an expensive gun and a cheap knife is:

I've misplaced/lost many knives in my lifetime,,,
I've never misplaced/lost a handgun.

The one time I needed a knife in a self defense situation,,,
The El-Cheapo no-name brand did the job just fine.

JMHO - YMMV

Aarond

.

First off glad you were ok. More of my point of the thread was the idea that if you carry an expensive knife the reactions I've got where there is no notion of value on a more expensive blade being valued the same way an gun of the same price is treated. Both are tools to trust your safety, ability, and life to. They look at me like im an alien or something because I spent some dough on a Benchmade, Spyderco, Protech, Microtech, ect....
 
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