Very expensive knives.

[petrochemicals]

I do understand the want for the best tools. If I had the spare cash I would buy a whole lot of tools, the very expensive brand. For example this is 4 spanners of one type, and there are several different designs

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...roup_ID=674989&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

I would need probably 30 spanners in a set, and in 3 measurements for each set. Then I would need sockets, offset spanners, ratcheting etc, probably totaling about 700 tools, give or take 200. I have no need for them but just to have them sort of attracts me to have the best. I suppose it's the same with a knife that would see a lot more use for the cash than a large whitworth socket.

What the facination is with particular makers and inparticular the woodlore made by a particular maker is, I do not understand

 

[HillBill]

/...............

 

[Yorkshirewanderer]

Each to their own I say, To some people £400 isn't a lot of money, to some its a 3rd of your monthly wage. There will always be expensive types of different items in this world and if you have the money and think it is worth it then you will buy it. Take the recent purchase for that Picasso for £155 million, somebody obviously thinks its worth that amount and is willing to pay it (I personally wouldn't give a fiver for it) that's just the way the world works.

 

[John Fenna]

I would love a really nice looking, "big name", knife that retails at megabux ... just like I long for a really big income tax bill ... it would show that I had money to burn
However, as it is I have not had to pay income tax in the past 35+ years as I do not have a mega income so I stick with less expensive knives.
I enjoy making things, so most of my knives have an element of DIY in them (I have even made a few blades but I am no bladesmith ... more a cutler...as in one who works on finished blades to make them into finished tools) but I admire the work of the guys who take the process from base steel to finished item and if the result is super fine then it would be worth super fine money A good craftsman is worth his hire
You can of course get knives that "do the job" but which lack the fit, finish, attention to detail of a craftsman piece - and rightly enough they cost less.
Sometimes, just as in the Antiques and Collectables market, you just pay big bucks because everyone and his braindead pony want that rubbish (ie Clarris Clift, Moorcroft pots, Piccassole paintings etc)when better designed and more attractive stuff is cheaper... it ain't logical - but it is human....

 

[SCOMAN]

I am not the most prolific bushcrafter due to work commitments and spending time with loved ones. I did buy an RM AW knife this year because I had money in my savings and one came up. I do not have it locked in a drawer or on a shelf with a photo of Mr Mears next to it, I bought it to use it, just haven't got out much. I agree with the gist of previous comments though just because an item has been handmade it doesn't make it magical or valuable.

 

[Tom Gold]

In my humble opinion a Ray Mears knife is not £400 worth of cutting implement, a significant proportion is what people pay for his name on it which really makes me wonder at the true value.

I'm not a knife maker so please help me out here but there are pics on this forum of knives made by its members which show hairline precision and great creativity. If RM knives use similar steel, wood and brass just how much better can they really be?

 

[OldJimbo]

With regular carry knives, I usually carry a Mora despite having many others - so I actually prefer the cheap Mora. I've kept most of the others for reference. In the kitchen I use CCK Chinese slicing cleavers - again through preference. My plan was to get the CCK's properly set up then get a Japanese make high end stainless slicing cleaver to see how it did. By the time I got the CCK's set up, I realized that they had become better than my capabilities, and I could happily live with carbon steel in cleavers.

When clearing trails I use a variety of goloks, parangs and kukries which cost a staggering (for me) total. They've all seen extensive use and I wouldn't expect ever to see anything which could beat them. I have a lot of vintage axe heads, some of which are used frequently and some of which live in boxes as reference so that I'm able to get precise measurements and advise people buying similar so they don't get something ground down. I guess I've got quite an investment despite buying in better times. All in all I got my money's worth out of my axes since I wanted to learn, and that involved having a lot as well as doing a lot of chopping.

 

[mark.177]

In my humble opinion a Ray Mears knife is not £400 worth of cutting implement, a significant proportion is what people pay for his name on it which really makes me wonder at the true value.

I'm not a knife maker so please help me out here but there are pics on this forum of knives made by its members which show hairline precision and great creativity. If RM knives use similar steel, wood and brass just how much better can they really be?

thats basically it... your paying more for the name. as a maker i dont find anything particularly special about the knife in question, a lot of reputable makers here could produce something equally as good or better for less... unique even?

 

[dwardo]

In my humble opinion a Ray Mears knife is not £400 worth of cutting implement, a significant proportion is what people pay for his name on it which really makes me wonder at the true value.

I'm not a knife maker so please help me out here but there are pics on this forum of knives made by its members which show hairline precision and great creativity. If RM knives use similar steel, wood and brass just how much better can they really be?

Thats the thing though, something doesnt have to be "better" to be worth more money. Its just needs to be more desirable.
Some folk buy Armani jeans for £150 and some but Tesco or Asda and both will keep your butt warm the same. Yes the Armani jeans might be a little better quality but would you go through 10 pairs of Asdas own before wearing out the Armani? I doubt it...

That and wouldn't life be very dull if when the first Mora came out and we all said well thats good enough for me,, we don't need any more knives now. Also folk like Hill-Bill wouldn't have a job any more.

Variety being the spice of life n all.

 

[Squidders]

Cos i made it. And while my knives, have a decent rep, but may not be the best in the world.... (way too many opinions for that) I can safely say.... they work, and work well!.

Ahhh... then so we can also safely assume that Alan Wood is also known to make a knife that works, and works well?

My point is that if you buy a modern 1000cc sports bike and mount it on your wall, you know it's a fast bike and if you resell it, you are being more than reasonable if you claim it is a fast bike. Just as anyone selling a Woodlore knife that is unused can reasonably claim it's a good bushcraft knife. It is, after all, a standard model and lots of other people have already proven that the knife is a good 'un.

I'm all for ranty posts about some peoples outrageous claims but this one just feels unjust to me.

 

[Terry.m.]

Well I hear what you say, firstly try buying a Ray Mears AW knife for £400 unused,!! trust me its not out there .!!
I just bought one and it was way over that ,!!anyhow WHY would I do that .!!!
Well as others have said its all about choice and the ability (luck) to be able to do it.
If you Loved Cars for instance and were in a position to buy an Aston Martin would you go and but a Fiesta prob not.
It still goes from A-B .
I have to say I am no expert but like most things in Life ( apart from the Mora) buy cheap buy twice.

i did a course with Ray Mears the other week and he still uses his original AW knife and I am sure he uses it more than most
and it was immaculate but worn..

 

[Tonyuk]

I believe expensive knives can be worth their money. It depends on the knife itself, some are costly due to the materials and construction techniques they use. The rarer the steel, the better the quality, the higher the price. This applies to most of the well known makers such as Fallkniven etcc.. Of course there are knives that are expensive (as in stupid money) because of a brand name. The Ray Mears knife is one of these, a decent well made knife, sold for silly money purely because it has his name on it. Is it worth that cost? purely as a user knife i would say no. There's no way its that much better than a simple Mora. But as a collectors piece? Perhaps, it all depends on the individual buying it and how much they are to have 'The' knife Mr Mears uses. Look back at his very early videos before the Woodlore even existed and you'll see him use a variety of knives, all reasonably priced, so even he knows you don't need a near £400 knife in the field, its all a money making business for him really. Other knives with price tags inflated with a brand name i believe are a similar story.

Tonyuk

 

[GGTBod]

Something gets me about the whole thing not being made by Ray but having his name on it, if Ray himself made every blade from start to finish and was a master bladesmith and cutlerer i could almost understand the cost but he doesn't and it's not so i don't.

To reuse your car analogy if Enzo Ferrari was having cars made by Nissan and allowing them to stick a Ferrari badge on at the end for a share of the profits on each one sold ........ or an artist analogy, if say Picasso was coming along and signing paintings painted by other artists, like i mentioned above i don't understand

I think if i spent £600+ on a knife my expectations would be too high, i'd be sitting there waiting for it to make feather sticks for me on command and pop out of it's sheath into my palm as i reached for it like Robocop's gun and hone and resheath itself after use.

 

[Tom Gold]

Thats the thing though, something doesnt have to be "better" to be worth more money. Its just needs to be more desirable.

Yep, fair one. There is a trade off between pure functionality and something which reflects the users personality or status. For me though this trade off is definately south of the £400 marker. I use a Mora Black which has all the pleasing appearance of my Dad's old Betamax video player. It does a great job but I would love to have something handmade!

 

[crosslandkelly]

Ahhh... then so we can also safely assume that Alan Wood is also known to make a knife that works, and works well?

My point is that if you buy a modern 1000cc sports bike and mount it on your wall, you know it's a fast bike and if you resell it, you are being more than reasonable if you claim it is a fast bike. Just as anyone selling a Woodlore knife that is unused can reasonably claim it's a good bushcraft knife. It is, after all, a standard model and lots of other people have already proven that the knife is a good 'un.

I'm all for ranty posts about some peoples outrageous claims but this one just feels unjust to me.

I'm sorry if you feel this post is unjust, I posted an opinion, my opinion, which is as valid as anyone elses. I said in the OP that I was not criticizing peoples choice or use, but claims made by others, about their particular knife.
I seriously doubt that any body buying a 1000cc bike, would not use it.

 

[Squidders]

I'm sorry if you feel this post is unjust, I posted an opinion, my opinion, which is as valid as anyone elses. I said in the OP that I was not criticizing peoples choice or use, but claims made by others, about their particular knife.
I seriously doubt that any body buying a 1000cc bike, would not use it.

Don't take it personally, As you say, your opinion is just as valid in the universe as mine but because the topic is hard to prove either way, i'm happy to think you're wrong while at the same time understanding that I might also be wrong. It's not like i'm here seething at you

Fortunately, I can fix your serious doubt about unused sports bikes by asking you do a google image search for: Ducati on wall.

 

[Squidders]

Yep, fair one. There is a trade off between pure functionality and something which reflects the users personality or status. For me though this trade off is definately south of the £400 marker. I use a Mora Black which has all the pleasing appearance of my Dad's old Betamax video player. It does a great job but I would love to have something handmade!

Actually, it's often the makers status, not the users that is the problem. I wanted a Woodlore because it was a known quantity - a well made, robust knife from someone who knows their stuff, made by someone who knows their stuff. When I got mine, there was a long waiting list of a few years and I can only imagine how Alan Wood felt seeing a huge list of the same thing to make.

I imagine Alan Wood sitting there in a pool of his own tears, crying "Not another Woodlore!" as he works. Only wishing Wilkinson Sword was still around.

When demand massively outstrips supply and enthusiasm to manufacture you will always see prices go up.

 

[Tiley]

Over the years, I have been beguiled by the looks of a number of knives. I have bought them, awaited their arrival with keen anticipation and then used them. More often than not, I have sold them on for annoyingly less than I paid for them. Why? Well, it varies: blade shape, handle size and shape, the 'feel' of it in the hand and when working with it - and a host of other little, personal niggles and opinions.

Although some were expensive, all of them were used and given, if you like, a fair trial. I always seem to come back to my preferred ones though for reasons I can't rightly explain but I reckon familiarity is in amongst them.

Have they been worth it? Yes. Although out of pocket on the deals, I have learned a lot about what I like and expect from a knife; the sadness - an understandable one, really - is that I have had to go through the process of buying them to try them before selling them on. The ones I come back to as my main users are ones I would never sell. I'm happy with them because they fit and are comfortable in my (much-operated-on) hand. For that, and that alone, I remain happy to have paid more than the price of a Mora for them.

 

[Stevie777]

As a Guitar player for a number of years i have amassed a small collection along the way. I buy, play a little, them sell on, but one in particular never leaves the house now, in fact, it very rarely leaves it's case.
It was as expensive as any guitar out there without going down the serious Vintage route. Why do i keep it when i dont even use it no more...? it is what it is, As a kid i dreamed of owning this guitar, as a adult i got the chance to own one...
Would i sell it,? Never!!, That guitar will be with me until my dying day and hopefully my Son's will get the same enjoyment as i did.

What they do with it after i'm gone is not my concern, just as long as they dont batter each other over ownership..Ha.

Sometimes you gotta have the Precious..

 

[knifefan]

WOW!! How many times have we seen threads like this one!! As a collector and a user of knives I buy what I like, should that be a piece of steel and wood manufactured my Mr Mitchell, Mr Wood, Mr Smith or any of the other great British craftsmen, then so be it. The fact is that "Yes" I'm prepared to pay a premium to own a piece of truly British made functional, fit for purpose work of art. Knowing that it has been "Handmade" in England and helping to carry on the tradition of knife makers is a large part of my decision making and how I choose to spend my money If I wanted a knife, untouched by the human hand I would buy a Mora!!!!! But I don't, and will continue to spend my disposable income on a knife that has a history and is made by a true craftsman