Paradigmonds
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2014
- Messages
- 8
Hello gents ( and ladies, of course ),
I've got a quick question for you that will hopefully make sense after I explain a little bit.
I got into lights back during my military service, but sort of let my interest fade. However, I've just recently garnered an interest in higher end lights once again, as my wife and I recently bought a large tract of fully wooded land, and over the past 9 months we are often working out there late into the evening. A quality torch makes all the difference in the world when you're making a 20 minute trek through thickets and brush, carrying chainsaw, machetes, and various other gear. Also, once we build our house and live out there, I am certain that I will need a collection of high quality flashlights on hand for a variety of reasons.
So, to get into my question.......one thing that I have learned with all of my hobby/interests over the years is that there are distinct price/quality groups that one runs into when dealing with individuals who are "into" a particular product.
As I'm sure many others on this forum are, I am a pretty avid knife collector, so to give an example of what I'm referring to, a person who is not into knives will go buy a Kershaw Leek or a CRKT Aluminum Ripple at the store for <$50 and think they got a pretty awesome knife. Thats not to say that either knife is a bad knife, but they think of it as good because its likely the first decently made knife they have ever owned. They may have owned a few Chinese gas-station junk knives previously, or even a Case that they found in their dad's desk drawer years before, but they easily recognize that this purchase is something better. Now, if I show that same person a $700 Pohan Leu custom Bluephin or a $1600 Busse NMFBM-LE, they would think that only a crazy person would pay that kind of money for a knife.
As a person who is into knives, my perception is slightly different:
< $70 -- Most knives under $70, if I buy them, are either to simply play with, to beat up, or for projects. That's not to say that good knives can't be made for under $70, but they generally aren't what I am looking for.
$70-$249 -- Just like many knife collectors, I have dozens of knives in this range -- Benchmades, Spydercos, Boker, etc. Some very good quality knives in this range, but still room to improve. To me, this is the entry level into collecting quality knives.
$250-$400 -- A range that still includes some newer knife enthusiasts - includes some lower price range custom knives, some Limited Edition Productions -- many are pretty likely to have higher end steels, be more refined, better fit/finish, but its still very possible to get ripped off with a mediocre, or worse, knife in this price range if you don't know what you are doing
$400-$800 -- This is where you start to lose a lot of the non-hardcore collectors -- Quite a few good customs and some of the pricier Ltd Edition Production knives. Most people who buy knives in this price range know what they are looking for and are very familiar with knives and knife collecting
$800-$2000 -- With the exception of Busse and a few other pricey production knives, this tends to be the domain of many custom makers. This is the area where I VERY carefully consider all purchases because I start to feel like the value of the purchase is being overshadowed by the price. Not that I don't consider a $400 purchase very carefully, as well, but I'm more easily able to justify a knife's value at $400. At $1600, you're paying for more than just the product. You are paying for rarity, for the maker's time, etc.
$2000+ -- In my opinion, this is simply ridiculous. Of course there are many collectors who consistently make purchases in this upper range. Most of the knives in this range are priced as such because they are either extremely rare or retain a value far beyond simple aesthetic appeal and basic utility. I recently saw a Flavio Ikoma custom selling for $14,000 ( and someone bought it!! ) So, yes, there is a market for custom knives in this price range, but it simply is not, nor will it ever likely be, something that I have an interest in.
I know that there is always some overlap, and the more ranges you add and the more specific you are, the more overlap there is between groups.
Here is the caveat, though. Just because those ranges represent vague thresholds to me, doesn't mean that someone else might not have different idea of where price/value intersect.
What I would like to know, from anyone who wants to take the time to answer, is what ranges of price do you think correspond to levels of quality in the flashlight world. I have no doubt that there is probably an $8,000 flashlight out there that someone thinks is the most amazing thing ever to be bestowed upon man, but just as with knives, I'll bet that 95% of even the most avid flashlight collectors are content to admire it from afar.
So, for avid collectors, what are the price ranges that you feel comfortable paying in order to get a good quality, great quality, and a top-notch incredible product?
Thanks for any info.
W
I've got a quick question for you that will hopefully make sense after I explain a little bit.
I got into lights back during my military service, but sort of let my interest fade. However, I've just recently garnered an interest in higher end lights once again, as my wife and I recently bought a large tract of fully wooded land, and over the past 9 months we are often working out there late into the evening. A quality torch makes all the difference in the world when you're making a 20 minute trek through thickets and brush, carrying chainsaw, machetes, and various other gear. Also, once we build our house and live out there, I am certain that I will need a collection of high quality flashlights on hand for a variety of reasons.
So, to get into my question.......one thing that I have learned with all of my hobby/interests over the years is that there are distinct price/quality groups that one runs into when dealing with individuals who are "into" a particular product.
As I'm sure many others on this forum are, I am a pretty avid knife collector, so to give an example of what I'm referring to, a person who is not into knives will go buy a Kershaw Leek or a CRKT Aluminum Ripple at the store for <$50 and think they got a pretty awesome knife. Thats not to say that either knife is a bad knife, but they think of it as good because its likely the first decently made knife they have ever owned. They may have owned a few Chinese gas-station junk knives previously, or even a Case that they found in their dad's desk drawer years before, but they easily recognize that this purchase is something better. Now, if I show that same person a $700 Pohan Leu custom Bluephin or a $1600 Busse NMFBM-LE, they would think that only a crazy person would pay that kind of money for a knife.
As a person who is into knives, my perception is slightly different:
< $70 -- Most knives under $70, if I buy them, are either to simply play with, to beat up, or for projects. That's not to say that good knives can't be made for under $70, but they generally aren't what I am looking for.
$70-$249 -- Just like many knife collectors, I have dozens of knives in this range -- Benchmades, Spydercos, Boker, etc. Some very good quality knives in this range, but still room to improve. To me, this is the entry level into collecting quality knives.
$250-$400 -- A range that still includes some newer knife enthusiasts - includes some lower price range custom knives, some Limited Edition Productions -- many are pretty likely to have higher end steels, be more refined, better fit/finish, but its still very possible to get ripped off with a mediocre, or worse, knife in this price range if you don't know what you are doing
$400-$800 -- This is where you start to lose a lot of the non-hardcore collectors -- Quite a few good customs and some of the pricier Ltd Edition Production knives. Most people who buy knives in this price range know what they are looking for and are very familiar with knives and knife collecting
$800-$2000 -- With the exception of Busse and a few other pricey production knives, this tends to be the domain of many custom makers. This is the area where I VERY carefully consider all purchases because I start to feel like the value of the purchase is being overshadowed by the price. Not that I don't consider a $400 purchase very carefully, as well, but I'm more easily able to justify a knife's value at $400. At $1600, you're paying for more than just the product. You are paying for rarity, for the maker's time, etc.
$2000+ -- In my opinion, this is simply ridiculous. Of course there are many collectors who consistently make purchases in this upper range. Most of the knives in this range are priced as such because they are either extremely rare or retain a value far beyond simple aesthetic appeal and basic utility. I recently saw a Flavio Ikoma custom selling for $14,000 ( and someone bought it!! ) So, yes, there is a market for custom knives in this price range, but it simply is not, nor will it ever likely be, something that I have an interest in.
I know that there is always some overlap, and the more ranges you add and the more specific you are, the more overlap there is between groups.
Here is the caveat, though. Just because those ranges represent vague thresholds to me, doesn't mean that someone else might not have different idea of where price/value intersect.
What I would like to know, from anyone who wants to take the time to answer, is what ranges of price do you think correspond to levels of quality in the flashlight world. I have no doubt that there is probably an $8,000 flashlight out there that someone thinks is the most amazing thing ever to be bestowed upon man, but just as with knives, I'll bet that 95% of even the most avid flashlight collectors are content to admire it from afar.
So, for avid collectors, what are the price ranges that you feel comfortable paying in order to get a good quality, great quality, and a top-notch incredible product?
Thanks for any info.
W
