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Cheap Knife vs Expensive Custom
23 April 2013, 14:21, (This post was last modified: 24 April 2013, 11:13 by Skean Dhude.)
#1
Cheap Knife vs Expensive Custom
Okay, this is something I've been challenging for a while and having seen the post about a £123.95 knife, I thought it about time I write this up.

Let's get it on shall we.

I have had MANY knives thoughout my life. And I've started to realise that there are many differences between cheap mass produced blades, and expensive custom blades. Having said that, there are many similarities with them as well.


One of the main things to think about is the purpose of the knife and the value the knife holds.

Some knives are expensive and simply custom blades for investment that specific knife loves will pay a premium for. So, with that in mind, I'll move on to what we are more interested in...what we will use the knives for.

Okay, first off, we'll check some of the differences. One of the major differences is how the knife is finished. If you go to a store and pick up a £300 knife a £30 knife and a £3 knife, you'll probably be able to tell the difference. The more expensive knife is going to look prettier and will likely have a warranty tag added along with it. Warranties are very helpful post SHTF haha. If spending £20 more gets you a warranty, work out when you'll use the knife and whether the extra £20 is really worth it.

Anyway, from picking up the blades, it should be pretty easy to pick the more expensive knife from the group just by the finish.

Material is the next consideration. The mass produced blades are usually made from the same metals as the custom blades. Metals for knives are generally the same and readily available at an affordable price. What this means is that the cheaper knives are cuttingly equal, provided they have the same sharpness of blade and shape. If all dimensions are the same for the blades, custom or mass produced will be the same material, and thus will have the same slicing capability.

Mass production techniques are so advanced nowadays and they're so finely tuned and regulated, that a custom knife can be replicated, to the point where it would be 98% identical to the original custom blade. What does this mean? It means that a 2% drop in quality of finish can result in a 10 fold drop in price! To get another drop in price will require a much more uneven drop in quality, to get to £3, will require a 70+% drop in quality.

Next up, weight. Is it worth spending 10 times more on a knife that'll weight similar to the cheap knife? Maybe a few grams difference? In my view, probably not. But if you think those 10 grams are vital, then go for it.

Okay, build quality up now: This one is more important than most others. You don't want a blade that will shatter when you use it. You need the handle well put together, and everything to stay in place....no blade locking mechanisms unlocking unexpectedly!!! For me, this is the only MAJOR difference, other than finish. What's more, the difference is only in the upper margin and bottom level of blades. Having a £300 knife, you know the mechanism will be good. To replicate that level of intricacy will cost a fair bit more for the mass production groups, and so you'd expect it to be a bit more, so our £30 might be more like £35 or £45, but for a fixed blade or a full tang, you'd still expect the £30ish level to be about right. However, a £3.00 knife is going to be so cheap in it's mechanism that it'll break, almost guaranteed.

Used of the knife. This is the weirdest part really, does an expensive knife have more uses than a cheap knife? Unless we go to Swiss Army or 'added features' then it's going to be a no. A knife is as limited in it's uses whether it costs £300 or £30. Take note I left out the £3 knife option here. The reason for that, the build quality will not be there, and as a result the possible functions that will destroy the knife are much more numerous and thus limiting it's functionality.

I'm working nights so need to get some sleep before going off to work, so I am cutting this short and not going into great depth, but you'll get the point of what I'm on about. If you disagree, find me evidence and we'll talk about it.

Lastly, it's a matter or what you're willing to use the knife for. I've got a beast of a knife that I regularly use to beat on to split wood. I'm happy doing this because the knife is well constructed and has lasted the test of time. It's one of my favourites. No mention of price. My question is, would you be able to pick up a piece of wood and beat down on that new expensive blade that you've not unboxed? If not, then come a SHTF situation, how do you know if it's capable of putting up with the punishment it could have to be put through? If you're not going to test it before TSHTF, then I'd really be cautious about using it after TSHTF!

Simple answer, cheaper knives are OFTEN (not always, but trial and error will show the difference) just as good as custom expensive knives. I'd rather test 10 knives of £30 each and have 2 or 3 that I'm happy with, than one at £300 that I suddenly find out is ornamental and not capable of keeping up with demand and rugged use!

Hope that helps those of you looking at the expensive knives and thinking.....I want one of those.

Please note, this is not a knock on expensive knives! It's a promotion of cheaper ones.
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23 April 2013, 14:44,
#2
RE: Cheap Knife vs Expensive Custom
I have to say, I did get two versions of the same knife once as a test an American made Blackjack Grunt and a Chinese version. Both very good knives but the Chinese version lost it's edge much faster, but it was as nice to use as the American made version.

http://themarketstick.blogspot.co.uk/201...-woes.html
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23 April 2013, 14:50,
#3
RE: Cheap Knife vs Expensive Custom
i've got loads of cheap knives, some for £3-4, i've got some i got for a quid in a market, they were taken off people at airports boarding planes, cheap copy of a buck folding knife, i've still got them all and they are excellent knives.
Some people that prefer to be alone arent anti-social they just have no time for drama, stupidity and false people.
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23 April 2013, 14:53,
#4
RE: Cheap Knife vs Expensive Custom
And I have had some dreadful cheap knives, and they have been pretty dreadful. Blades snapping, breaking away from handles... Had a nice EKA10 (which I got cheap, well less than half price) start to fail on me the other day though mind.
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23 April 2013, 15:06,
#5
RE: Cheap Knife vs Expensive Custom
dont be so rough with them then!Big GrinBig Grin
Some people that prefer to be alone arent anti-social they just have no time for drama, stupidity and false people.
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23 April 2013, 15:09,
#6
RE: Cheap Knife vs Expensive Custom
I don't think I was being rough with them!
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23 April 2013, 15:59,
#7
RE: Cheap Knife vs Expensive Custom
I only buy cheap knifes because I can’t justify paying for the custom made expensive ones.
i have tried make a couple of knives, nothing special just for whittling so they dont get abused.
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23 April 2013, 17:30,
#8
RE: Cheap Knife vs Expensive Custom
Most of my knife are cheap the only knives I hold to any expense is a small Scandinavia blade and a original bowie that my dad gave me years ago (he had it years before that)
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23 April 2013, 17:34, (This post was last modified: 23 April 2013, 17:53 by Mortblanc.)
#9
RE: Cheap Knife vs Expensive Custom
I grew up using some very inexoensive good quality knives.

I dropped my first knife in pocket when I was about 4-5. I have had one in pocket ever since.

I still have one of the last I bought as a kid, aged 12, stashed in the jewelry box. It was made by a company called Sabre. A two blade Barlow with a sheepsfoot main blade. It will still take a razor edge.

I have been through many knives of varrying quality over the years and I also have learned to forge blades to the point that I have at least one bushcraft knife on every continent except Antartica, every nation in Europe and every country in South America. Several in russia too.

So I have been through the entire spectrum of quality over the years.

There are some really bad custom knives on the market. Do not be fooled, not everyone with a grinder knows what they are doing.

I ahve also found that not all people use their knives like I do so their requirements are different.

I do not use my knives for splitting firewood, chopping trees or digging foxholes. I have axes, shovels and splitting mauls for that work.

That means I can get buy with a lighter blade that does better duty for what I use the knife for.

It also means my judgement of quality is different that someone else. My prefered handle material is of wider allowance and the size of my knives is different than another might chose.

Back in 2007 I taught a two week survival course using only a $4 paring knife from Walmart as my main blade. I did it just to prove it was possible.

The next year I used only a retractable box cutter for the same reason.

As the saying goes, "It's not what you have it's what you do with it that counts."

So all in all I would rather have a good quality moderately priced knife than a cheap one, and I would rather have an inexpensive knife that I prefer over a custom knife that YOU might prefer, if that knife is not up to my design needs.

That being said the Mora Classic is one of my all time favorites.

I am also partial to the Russel Green River series in the "camp knife", Ripper and Dadley styles.

I can make do very well with Old Hickory butcher knives when necessary.

I can also make do with just about anything Buck or Gerber produces with blades less than 6"

Since my custom knives are actually custom knives I do not accept someone elses' pattern knife they are calling "custom" as a good way to spend my money. It will be made to my specification or I will not pay for it. that means it will be different from what YOU specify.

Therefore, comparing a "custom" knife to a production knife is really impossible.
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24 April 2013, 10:18,
#10
RE: Cheap Knife vs Expensive Custom
I've got cheap knives, I've got expensive knives.

Quality, pretty much the same to be honest, most are of the same steels.

I don't really think it matters if it's a cheapy or expensive knife, as long as it's kept sharp, and you use it for the intended job.

Although saying that the Sheffield steel MOD chopper that I have is tough enough to dig holes with.
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