Beauty vs The Beast

[Col.Decker]

I've been looking at some of the lovely knives you guys have on here, esp the homemade ones. Seriously they're like works of art, beautiful craftsmanship.

But it got me wondering. Are they too good use in the wild for fear of wrecking or loosing them? Fer example: if I lost a £20 Gerber in the wilds I'd be annoyed, if I scratched a £400 Ray Mears sig I'd be crushed.

Is there an optimum point between cost vs quality? .... (Also how long is a piece of string? Exactly).

 

[copper_head]

...(Also how long is a piece of string? Exactly).

Hehe summed it up there buddy . There's nothing a £200 knife will do that a £20 won't. It just aesthetics and personal taste after that.

 

[British Red]

Yep its a Mora. All else is because we want to - and because we can.

My knife was made for me to my own design. Its genuinely unique, made by a master craftsman from rare materials, engraved by a jeweler and sheathed in custom tooled leather.

I will never have a house built to my design, or a car or a rifle. I probably won't even have a shirt or a suit tailor made. But my knife is and that gives me pleasure. Its not a functional thing nor even an aesthetic thing - its about craftsmanship. Many people spend more than my knife cost on a package holiday to Spain. I would rather have the knife.

 

[JonathanD]

What Red said. There is something special about having your own knife. But it's not needed.

 

[Clouston98]

That's it, it's pleasure. I paid £189.99 for my Timberwolf and I love it, it's craftsman made, the curly birch is proper burl wood, no half measure, amazing grinds and finish quality, it's a stunning blade and it's something I'll treasure and isn't mass made, it's put together by an British craftsman. I guess you do it for quality and pleasure, as the others have said there's something special .

Edit:

I do beat the living day lights of it as well, for literally everything you can think of it's done at some point, that's what it's for .

 

[John Fenna]

If you love beautiful tools you will learn the skills needed to use them without worries... and that includes repairing them when you mess up!
The knives I would hate to lose/damage are the ones that have "significance" to me ... not monetary value but something more

 

[Baelfore]

As far as I'm concerned all knives are users.

my two priciest knives are a 'tactical combat' knife that I bought several years ago during my pepper stage (about $230 if I remember correctly), and one I handled myself with the blade and handle materials coming to about £120

These regularly get beating, as I bought-/made them for use, not decoration.

I won't part with money for them unless there going to get used, otherwise it's just an expensive paper weight.

hope this helps

Ste

Ste

 

[Col.Decker]

It's great that you're using them!!! It kind of reminds me of my other passion in life: music.

I 'could' do a gig with a £50 guitar from Argos, but I'll 'actually' do it with the £1200 Fender. However my mrs can't understand why I need so many of them lol.

 

[GGTBod]

The user makes the knife a good tool or not, i totally agree on them being things of beauty and works of art and if i spent upward of £100 on a knife it would sit in a glass case mint condition in original packaging. Another Morakniv user here

 

[vizsla]

My main user was hand made and quite expensive but iv been using it for a good ten years now and if I spent half an hour cleaning and removing the natural patina it would look like new so it's definatly earnt it's keep and I couldn't even think how long it would last before it's un usable
also if you appreciate the knife and the outlay you will you it wisely and certainly won't lose it.
it all depends what tikles your fancy some people will spend £500 on a knife and carry it in a £15 surplus rucksack were as some may carry a £10 mora in a £300 Duluth pack

 

[dwardo]

'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all....

I have mourned the loss of an expensive knife only to find it 18 months later.
Yes a Mora perfectly serviceable, functional and reliable but.... a hand crafted anything from rare or exotic wood with a nice steel puts a smile on your face near every time you use it.
If funds do not allow for a posh knife then make your own or handle a blade for much less. Like everything hand made with consideration and passion they are just nice things to experience.

 

[BigMonster]

There is a bit of science to it.
Basically the ratio of performance to the value is not linear.
20 quid knife will be about twice as good as 10 quid knife. But 40 quid knife will be only 50% better than 20 pounds knife. You have to find your sweet spot on this line. Not many people can justify paying 400% more for 2HRC more on the blade....

Another funny thing about it is the fact that if you go far enough you actually start loosing performance with higher cost due to "more specialized=less robust" rule. Like paying stupid money for ultra light/warm sleeping bag. It will make climbing Everest possible but it will be absolutely useless for bushcrafting, camping, hammocking etc because it is so focused on one parameter.

Think about what YOU want in a knife. If you buy a 3000 pounds knife and show it to a native from amazon jungle, he will drop it in the mud or use it as a fire poker because it have no value for him compared to his trusty machete.
I have actually traded my Fallknives S1 for a 60 quid schrade with hollow handle and inferior steel. But I like it, the design, blade shape and lenght, weight and room for customisations. And especially the fact it's so reasonably priced so I can throw it, dig with it etc. I actually value it more than my previous fallkniven.