Would you rather have...(quantity vs quality)?

[jtoler_9]

I think it would depend on your current collection size and needs. I can see the appeal of both options. But if I didn't already have a stable of must haves, like a Delica, Endura, PM2, etc. then I would grab those before I went high end. I tend to get by fine on the $50 - $150 blades for the limited day to day stuff I do. The high end is fun to have and bring out every now and again, but after a while it looses it's appeal for me since I can't bring myself to thump on high end stuff. I envy those that can and do. At $500, I'm thinking about my next gun before I go midtech blade. Just my .02

[JD Spydo]

It's a very easy question for me to address>> I will take QUALITY over Quantity any time :cool: Which is one of the reasons that Spyderco appeals to me so much as their products do. Their sharpening equipment is just as high quality as their super cutlery products are.

That's how the Rip-Mart people got to be multi-billionaires>> they just sold the same old crap over and over again to people who thought they were getting a bargain>> Let The Buyer Beware. Get it Right the First Time>> it's a helluva lot cheaper in the long run by far. JD :spyder: O

It's for the most part true I think and something I try and explain to people in general when they buy stuff.

Is it better to buy something once and have it last for a very long time?

Or

Is it better to have to buy a cheaper version of the item multiple times over the years.


I always use the car tire example. :)

Some will go in and buy those low end cheap junk trash tires that will wear out in a year or so or say around 15K to 20K miles so they have to buy new ones almost yearly.

Others will buy better tires that will last 50K to 70K miles and might have to replace them once every 4 or 5 years.

And that's just talking about treat wear, not even getting into how well they do in bad weather or on wet roads.

In the end typically a person will end up spending more buying the cheap ones over time than the better quality ones.

As an example I run Michelin LTX M/s2 on my Jeep SUV 4WD.

Instead of some $80 tire.

Excellent comparison there Ankerson Another super point you make in that comparison is the "Safety Aspect" as well as overall performance.

Tires are something that I DO pay attention to as in what other cars etc are running for MY OWN SAFETY, I see a lot of worn out tires on vehicles around my area. I can't believe what people are running on and with kids in the vehicles too, it can be mind blowing sometimes.

A lot of cheap tires also so I leave a rather large gap between me and them on the HWY I can tell you, I like to stay far away of most of the other drivers whenever possible.

Yeah Brother! and a big Amen! to that one for sure>> not only worn out, thread bearing tires but these disgusting cell phone junkies I contend with here in Kansas City on a daily basis :mad: Some of these people when it comes to being SAFETY conscious they seem to have saw dust and cat litter for brains :rolleyes:

Back to the blade comparison>> truly a knife and I mean any knife can potentially be a dangerous tool>> And GOD knows I've made some stupid mistakes with them in the past and have even admitted it here on the Forum just to punish myself for inexcusable stupidity and learned the very hard way. One time I was opening a package for one of my former bosses and wasn't being careful and I was my Burgundy ZDP-189 Caly jr and it was scalpel/straight razor sharp and it cut my finger literally to the bone>> Yeah I learned my lesson well :o

But the reason I say all of that is to put into perspective is that if it would have been a cheap, Rip Mart, semi dull blade with faulty construction I'm certain it would have been even worse than it was. It goes to say and stands to reason that good quaity construction of any tool usually has safety aspects built right into it>> but in my not paying attention to what I was doing you can also say that nothing can be made totally fool proof :o .

But for a failure of a knife due to poor construction or malfunction due to low quality parts or cheap assembly used again it could have and probably would have been much worse than it was. Thank GOD above I didn't amputate my own finger :rolleyes: . But these cell phone junkies :mad: Nothing can make them safe :mad:

[Ankerson]

It's for the most part true I think and something I try and explain to people in general when they buy stuff.

Is it better to buy something once and have it last for a very long time?

Or

Is it better to have to buy a cheaper version of the item multiple times over the years.


I always use the car tire example. :)

Some will go in and buy those low end cheap junk trash tires that will wear out in a year or so or say around 15K to 20K miles so they have to buy new ones almost yearly.

Others will buy better tires that will last 50K to 70K miles and might have to replace them once every 4 or 5 years.

And that's just talking about treat wear, not even getting into how well they do in bad weather or on wet roads.

In the end typically a person will end up spending more buying the cheap ones over time than the better quality ones.

As an example I run Michelin LTX M/s2 on my Jeep SUV 4WD.

Instead of some $80 tire.

Excellent comparison there Ankerson Another super point you make in that comparison is the "Safety Aspect" as well as overall performance.

Tires are something that I DO pay attention to as in what other cars etc are running for MY OWN SAFETY, I see a lot of worn out tires on vehicles around my area. I can't believe what people are running on and with kids in the vehicles too, it can be mind blowing sometimes.

A lot of cheap tires also so I leave a rather large gap between me and them on the HWY I can tell you, I like to stay far away of most of the other drivers whenever possible.

Yeah Brother! and a big Amen! to that one for sure>> not only worn out, thread bearing tires but these disgusting cell phone junkies I contend with here in Kansas City on a daily basis :mad: Some of these people when it comes to being SAFETY conscious they seem to have saw dust and cat litter for brains :rolleyes:

Back to the blade comparison>> truly a knife and I mean any knife can potentially be a dangerous tool>> And GOD knows I've made some stupid mistakes with them in the past and have even admitted it here on the Forum just to punish myself for inexcusable stupidity and learned the very hard way. One time I was opening a package for one of my former bosses and wasn't being careful and I was my Burgundy ZDP-189 Caly jr and it was scalpel/straight razor sharp and it cut my finger literally to the bone>> Yeah I learned my lesson well :o

But the reason I say all of that is to put into perspective is that if it would have been a cheap, Rip Mart, semi dull blade with faulty construction I'm certain it would have been even worse than it was. It goes to say and stands to reason that good quaity construction of any tool usually has safety aspects built right into it>> but in my not paying attention to what I was doing you can also say that nothing can be made totally fool proof :o .

But for a failure of a knife due to poor construction or malfunction due to low quality parts or cheap assembly used again it could have and probably would have been much worse than it was. Thank GOD above I didn't amputate my own finger :rolleyes: . But these cell phone junkies :mad: Nothing can make them safe :mad:

Don't get me started on the cell phone people, cell phones are more dangerous than W.M.D.'s IMO.... :mad:

Here is what is was left of my 96 Sentra that was in excellent shape that ran like NEW, here is what is left of it after some idiot texting ran a red light and t-boned me back in 2009.

[HarleyXJGuy]

I like this thread, good idea.

So Domino and K2 for sure so where does that put me. $200 for the Domino and $229 for the K2. That pretty much kills my budget and ex post factos my answer as what B?

Not really how I decide though based on price but on which model I want. If there is not enough money in the budget I just wait until there is. Nor do I pass on a Spydie because it is a lower end model if it is something that appeals to me. Looking at you Tenacious.

[JD Spydo]

I like this thread, good idea.
Nor do I pass on a Spydie because it is a lower end model if it is something that appeals to me. Looking at you Tenacious.

In all fairness to Spyderco and as much as I despise a lot of the low quality trash that is made and imported from 3rd World **** Holes that have completely appalling human rights records :mad:

But in a postive note I will say that even Spyderco's Byrd line of inexpensive blades are at least made with reasonable quality and fair workmanship>> I doubt if Rip-Mart would ever want to carry them :rolleyes:

And their Taiwan line is actually pretty decent for the most part. But I personally confine my Spyderco purchases to USA and Japan made Spyders for reasons of personal beliefs and liking and preferring the workmanship in those aforementioned Spyders. Which still gives me a very wide selection.

It humors me that I encounter so many people that when they see some of my Spyders are made in Seki Japan they jump to conclusions and tell me that those are junk :rolleyes: they don't even realize that Japan's high end blades are as good as anyone's on the planet and better in many cases. It just goes to show you that most people don't know quality cutlery at all. Few people take into account that the swords made in Japan are the finest on the planet. The Japanese people know cutlery of all types and produce some of the finest on the planet>> most people I know that are chefs or meat cutters use high end Japan made blades for the most part>> and these are professionals that can have pretty much any kind of cutlery they desire.

The old saying that "Beauty Is In the Eye of The Beholder" is true for the most part>> but quality is subject to honest scrutiny and actual tested usage. Real quality just can't be denied.

[Bodog]

I like this thread, good idea.
Nor do I pass on a Spydie because it is a lower end model if it is something that appeals to me. Looking at you Tenacious.

In all fairness to Spyderco and as much as I despise a lot of the low quality trash that is made and imported from 3rd World **** Holes that have completely appalling human rights records :mad:

But in a postive note I will say that even Spyderco's Byrd line of inexpensive blades are at least made with reasonable quality and fair workmanship>> I doubt if Rip-Mart would ever want to carry them :rolleyes:

And their Taiwan line is actually pretty decent for the most part. But I personally confine my Spyderco purchases to USA and Japan made Spyders for reasons of personal beliefs and liking and preferring the workmanship in those aforementioned Spyders. Which still gives me a very wide selection.

It humors me that I encounter so many people that when they see some of my Spyders are made in Seki Japan they jump to conclusions and tell me that those are junk :rolleyes: they don't even realize that Japan's high end blades are as good as anyone's on the planet and better in many cases. It just goes to show you that most people don't know quality cutlery at all. Few people take into account that the swords made in Japan are the finest on the planet. The Japanese people know cutlery of all types and produce some of the finest on the planet>> most people I know that are chefs or meat cutters use high end Japan made blades for the most part>> and these are professionals that can have pretty much any kind of cutlery they desire.

The old saying that "Beauty Is In the Eye of The Beholder" is true for the most part>> but quality is subject to honest scrutiny and actual tested usage. Real quality just can't be denied.

Evidently you're not too schooled in history because Japan has committed as many or more atrocities throughout history than China. Even America has committed some pretty seriously bad stuff. You can't hold what they did in the past against them or else America couldn't be forgiven either. It's just the way of the world, man.

[Slash]

E. Do some flipping so I could have more than $500 to spend...please note this can take years.
Unfortunately some knife makers pricing is making this a less profitable endeavor.

Honest answer really comes down to your financial situation and needs.
I carry and use a stealth Ti chaparral daily and it takes a good beating within its abilities of course. Why? Because I like the way it carries and looks and can afford to beat on a $200 gentleman's folder that some people would only use to cut open envelopes with.

With that said I wouldn't take a $500 knife into the woods a start batoning with it even if it's a busse that will replace it no questions asked. Why? $500 to me is above my financial budget that I would put out there when I can do the same thing with a kabar for under $100.

But, if I were in the woods every day and using and looking at the knife daily. Then, I don't think $500 would be very much of a stretch.

Hope that makes any sense. To make it more clear a $500 knife that gets little or no use is worthless IMHO. Take that $500 knife out of the drawer and use it often...priceless.
It's all about the pleasure and satisfaction you get in using said blades that you can't put a price on.

Only $500 to spend?
1. Decent fixed blade at least 1 of each, small medium and large.
2. Decent folders at least 1 each small medium and large.
Sad to say I may be looking at another brand than spyderco given a $500 limit and those parameters.

[Ankerson]

I like this thread, good idea.
Nor do I pass on a Spydie because it is a lower end model if it is something that appeals to me. Looking at you Tenacious.

In all fairness to Spyderco and as much as I despise a lot of the low quality trash that is made and imported from 3rd World **** Holes that have completely appalling human rights records :mad:

But in a postive note I will say that even Spyderco's Byrd line of inexpensive blades are at least made with reasonable quality and fair workmanship>> I doubt if Rip-Mart would ever want to carry them :rolleyes:

And their Taiwan line is actually pretty decent for the most part. But I personally confine my Spyderco purchases to USA and Japan made Spyders for reasons of personal beliefs and liking and preferring the workmanship in those aforementioned Spyders. Which still gives me a very wide selection.

It humors me that I encounter so many people that when they see some of my Spyders are made in Seki Japan they jump to conclusions and tell me that those are junk :rolleyes: they don't even realize that Japan's high end blades are as good as anyone's on the planet and better in many cases. It just goes to show you that most people don't know quality cutlery at all. Few people take into account that the swords made in Japan are the finest on the planet. The Japanese people know cutlery of all types and produce some of the finest on the planet>> most people I know that are chefs or meat cutters use high end Japan made blades for the most part>> and these are professionals that can have pretty much any kind of cutlery they desire.

The old saying that "Beauty Is In the Eye of The Beholder" is true for the most part>> but quality is subject to honest scrutiny and actual tested usage. Real quality just can't be denied.

Quality products can be made in a number of places around the world and are.

It's not the actual Factories that set the standards of how a product will turn out, it's the Company that contracts the factory to build the products that sets those standards.

As far as working conditions go there are problems everywhere including here in the US, and things are getting worse here as time goes on heading back to the pre-union days at an alarming pace if one keeps up with those sort of things. With Government Corruption and other serious issues some are getting away with some alarming things right here in the US and there have been some sweat shops shut down lately right here in the good ole USA.

With the supposed manufacturing that is supposed to be coming back into the US it worries the **** out of me the way things are these days with the Corruption and other serious issues. I just don't believe it's a good idea unless some major changes are put in place before hand to protect the employees.