expensive flashlights Vrs knives.

lots of photos of lights with knives here @ cpf.

i understand spending $100+ on a flashlight, but some people seem to be spending $200+ on a knife?


why?

does a $200 knife get used? do you actually cut anything with a $200 knife or are you too afraid to damage the blade and use an exacto anyway?

what material is better cut with a $200 knife then an exacto?




to the mods : i looked but couldnt find a knife subforum

oops, just found the knife sub forum

feel free to move this if you feel the need......

Well it's true, I've never been afraid to shine my $200 lights on anything, but I do tend to take care of my expensive knives. If the situation called for it, I would not hesitate to deploy my good Benchmades and Spydercos in hard usage (prying, cutting hard or abrasive materials etc.), but it's hard to "thrash" them in day to day use.
Same goes with all my gear: use it, don't abuse it, and certainly don't baby it.

I have a $450 knife and I'm not afraid to beat the crap out of it 10 times sideways. The beauty of it is that when a knife is built properly (which many times means it has a hefty pricetag), it's nearly impossible to break it no matter what you do; and with a no questions asked lifetime warranty on top of that, it makes it worth the price in the end.

I would love to see a flashlight I can beat the crap out of and no matter what the manufacturer would fix it free of charge. Even Surefires don't offer that. But knives and flashlights have extremely different uses. A flashlight at the worst might see a drop onto concrete, maybe slammed in a car door or some other random destructive act. Knives on the other hand can be used to baton, hammer, pry, cut, slice, hack, dig, saw, etc. etc. etc. They really get worked out unlike flashlights whose main function is to point at something and press a button.

You're asking the same question about knives, that a non-flashaholic would ask about flashlights. Oh, the irony!

Not having any $50+ knives, all I can say is that I can understand the money spent on a useful tool that can get the job done. Knowing that you've purchased quality craftsmanship can really ease the load on your soldiers.

I suppose a good analogy would be this... I purchased my HDS Systems EDC B42XR (w/P4 LED) about a month ago. I payed $135 for it. The first couple of weeks I had it, it never left my room. Now I'm not afraid to carry it everywhere, and use it in just about any situation where I need it. I have realized that it is a quality tool, that is well built, performs well, and that I can rely on, and I'm not worried about it.

Were I to lose it, or damage it irreparably, I would be angry, but I would be willing to shell out another $135 to replace it in a heartbeat, knowing that I can rely upon it.

I've been a knife guy far longer than i've been a flashlight guy. I would have no problem shelling out $$ on a good knife. Besides I use my knife 10X more often than I use my lights so it only makes sense. Knifes and flashlights so go together

waddup said:

... i looked but couldnt find a knife subforum

Click to expand...

The Knives forum is HERE.

expensive knives use premium materials and have better fit/finish just like flashlights. Better steels are designed to excel in areas such as edge holding, toughness, corrosion resistance and ease of resharpening. For example spyderco's H1 steel will likely show zero corrosion even if you were to leave it at the bottom of the ocean for a century. Resharpening and stropping VG10 is a pleasure compared to the cheap stuff because you can feel the fine grain of the steel structure and the steel is very forgiving while sharpening. Titanium's properties in a frame lock folder makes more sense than titanium in a flashlight body. So in conclusion, expensive knives usually do perform better than cheap knives, but mostly I think it's just nice to have quality stuff.

waddup said:

lots of photos of lights with knives here @ cpf.

i understand spending $100+ on a flashlight, but some people seem to be spending $200+ on a knife?
why?

Click to expand...

I thought it was the other way around, that anyone who sees a really good knife understand perfectly well why it's worth $200+ even though they might not be into knives enough to spend that much on it themselves. Flashlights get a lot less respect by non-connoisseurs, with a heck of a lot of CPF culture just after cheap lumens and having no clue why anyone buys high end lights.

I have a custom engraved Sebenza that cost $740. I carry it every day.

OfficerCamp said:

Well it's true, I've never been afraid to shine my $200 lights on anything, but I do tend to take care of my expensive knives. If the situation called for it, I would not hesitate to deploy my good Benchmades and Spydercos in hard usage (prying, cutting hard or abrasive materials etc.), but it's hard to "thrash" them in day to day use.
Same goes with all my gear: use it, don't abuse it, and certainly don't baby it.

Click to expand...

ditto...I use my junker knives day in/day out...My benchmade auto is my stand by knife...cause when I do need it, I need it to be sharp...cutting seat belts, removing clothes (first-aid), cutting rope...I carried it with me every day in Iraq, "just in case". I can't bring my self to open a can of corn with a $300 knife...great thread BTW op...

Lol at the irony.

TriChrome said:

I have a $450 knife and I'm not afraid to beat the crap out of it 10 times sideways.

Click to expand...

Big +1 to this. I carry a 3rd gen XM-18 ($385 from Plaza Cutlery a couple of years ago, aftermarket prices are much higher) and happily use it as my general/hard use knife, because I know that it can stand that use and still keep going.

waddup said:

What material is better cut with a $200 knife then an exacto?

Click to expand...

I don't have any $200 knives, but I did pay $95 + shipping ($35) for a knife - so that knife has cost me $130. To answer you question: it cuts trees better than an exacto! (it is a bit bigger than many knives and weighs 26oz)

I did this with a single chop from my $70 BK-9, I don't think and exacto would match it either:


The chopping board wasn't supposed to crack in half, I was only aiming to split the melon, but what can you do when you use a knife that cuts like a lightsaber?

KiwiMark said:

I don't have any $200 knives, but I did pay $95 + shipping ($35) for a knife - so that knife has cost me $130. To answer you question: it cuts trees better than an exacto! (it is a bit bigger than many knives and weighs 26oz)

I did this with a single chop from my $70 BK-9, I don't think and exacto would match it either:

The chopping board wasn't supposed to crack in half, I was only aiming to split the melon, but what can you do when you use a knife that cuts like a lightsaber?

Click to expand...

PICS OF THIS "LIGHT SABER"???

Knives, arms, axes, cutlery were almost always artistic, and symbols of prestige. In the really old days the material and quality your adze or axe was made of was a very strong status symbol. Such as bone, copper, bronze, or iron, today it is very rare that a knife has really good steel, materials and workmanship.

I have seen toolmakers make quite a few thousand dollars, in labor costs, in about an hour making cutting tools. The machine mechanics can easily make 500-1000 dollars an hour take home.

I can recommend AUS8 steel, its not bad. I would like to try some "D" steel (Die Steel) knives but they are quite rare.

Knives were symbolic:candle: in rituals and superstition, maybe because they were essential tools for survival, "Cutting is one of the things the human body isn't readily able to do" :candle:

I have a titanium dive knife (shark knife, gotta be fast), the newer titaniums arent bad. they are usually very well sheathed , but double edged blades are sometimes against the law. Very useful as a multipurpose survival tool, very very light, backup,. In the middle of nowhere, money or bank accounts arn't worth much.

Sometimes I am actually more afraid of messing up a cheap knife over an expensive one. The expensive ones I *know* can handle it the use, the cheap ones I'm not always sure.

I am a bit more careful about how I use my best knives and what I cut, mostly because I hate having to sharpen nicks and flats out of premium steels, not because I worry about messing them up.

All of mine, whether it's a SAK or Hinderer, are carried and used.

Dan

I don't know knives much at all, but have a growing interest in them.

So what is an acceptable price 'pleateau' to when you get a good quality and value for the buck? And good models in this area - Benchmade?

I've seen the Rick Hinderer, and yes it looks so badass, but I guess I'll need a 'gateway' knife if you will

I guess the analogy of this thread to flashlights is buying the $3.99 plastic walmart flashlight with batteries included vs going to say a $30-$50 Fenix vs a custom built light in the $300 range

Having a small axe or shovel handy all the time helps. Keeps me from using my knives adversely. You are supposed to keep a shovel in your car, an axe is part of a disaster first aide kit. The little shovels often have a pick, and hammer surface. Shovel hitting axe is a lot easier and safer than swinging a big knife. A fighting axe can go through wood amazingly fast. Gotta have eye protection