I’ve always thought knives were cool, but for a long time I held the belief that a knife was just a knife. For the cheapest $10 he can open a box of two knives just as well as a super high-end knife costing more than $500, so why not save money? Why do knives that do the same thing cost orders of magnitude more?
That was a dangerous question, folks. As I searched for answers, I fell in love with a community of passionate artisans, visionary innovators, enthusiasts, and a world of knives that last a lifetime. Along the way, I also made enough friends and memories to fill more than a dozen lifetimes.
Now, every time I pull out a knife that I acquired several years after entering the knife world, questions arise. “What is this material?” “What is this key?” “Why is it so sharp?” And of course, “Why does it cost so much money?”
I spent the best years of my life answering these questions. Here I will try to answer them in as simple a way as I can muster. I hope that by reading this article to the end, your interest in knives has helped you understand knives on a new level.
However, be careful as reading any further can have dire consequences. Knives are addictive, and the more you know about them, the harder it is to let them go.
material
During my senior year of high school, I finally joined the concert choir of my dreams and learned from Neil Hendrickson, or Mr. H as I knew him. His passion for music was matched only by: his passion for knives, he showed me the knife every day because I got interested, and he never repeated an entire grade. I could have listened at length as he took apart each knife, but he had a job to do.
That was until we went on a choir trip and spent 10 hours on the bus. He makes his Benchmade Sequels (now discontinued) out of pocket, and they cost about $140 each. It was about the same size and served the same purpose as my go-to knife at the time, the Kershaw Median (worth about $20). Why the big price difference?
Mr. H’s benchmade uses 154CM knife steel. 154CM is a high-grade stainless steel originally developed for jet turbines. It is unaffected by temperature changes, has excellent wear and corrosion resistance, and is 100% made in the USA. These are all great features for both jet turbines and knives, but they come at a higher cost. Higher abrasion resistance means better blade retention, but it also means more abrasive is consumed to make the knife. American manufacturing is great, but American workers are paid more. These and other factors contribute to Sequel’s high price.
Compare to my car show. Its blade is made from his 8Cr13MoV stainless steel, a relatively soft knife steel manufactured in many foundries in China. They can be easily sharpened and sharpened by both manufacturers and end users, are not very expensive and are available in large quantities. It’s the perfect steel for a $20 knife.
The Sequel has a lightweight anodized aluminum handle with G-10 inlay. G-10 is a grippy fiberglass laminate that requires more machine time for both the handle and the inlay to do the inlay. My car show, on the other hand, has a sturdy steel handle. This makes the knife very powerful, but it weighs almost twice as much as the Sequel.
Yes, my car show was as unboxable as Mr. H’s fine Benchmade. But even after more than 100 boxes, Mr. H’s knife continued to provide a sharp shave, and my arm didn’t tire as I dragged the 4.5-ounce folder around. However, lighter weight, more complex handles, and more wear-resistant blade steels all had higher overhead and took more time and energy to produce, making the knives more expensive.
build quality
All products sold, including knives, go through what most companies call quality control (QC). This means that when you buy a product, you’re also paying for the seconds the factory didn’t produce. That’s why for many knives, the higher the price, the stricter the quality control standards and the greater attention to detail. And the most expensive custom knives you can buy come with their respective knife manufacturer’s stamp of approval.
When my colleague Hayden Thomas turned 18, his father gave him a handmade custom knife. His father, Darrin Thomas, a master knife maker, told Hayden that the knife had a defect that made it unsaleable. Hayden, who was raised by a professional knife maker and now works at Blade headquarters, has spent the better part of a decade carrying that knife every day and has yet to find a flaw.
You have to have been working with knives for a long time to begin to grasp the details that separate premium craftsmanship from price-conscious mass production. It takes a little foresight to determine things like evenly ground bevels, consistent edge angles, timing of blade lockup, presence or absence of blade play, accurate tips, smooth action, and flush-fit spacers. And the most accurate details, such as what bothered Darrin Thomas about the knife he gave his son, will have to be found by the master. If you want that kind of attention to detail in your knife, it’s going to cost money.
design
Recently, he has become a master of knives and martial arts. Patrick Odle He stopped by and taught me about self-defense knives, how to use them, and what makes a good one. One of his knives he discussed was the Bastinelli Creations PiKa. Karambit was designed in collaboration with. Doug Marcaida (Yes, it was tempered by fire.)it is keel” Doug Marcaida), available now for $150.
Patrick talked about how small this knife is, measuring just over 5 inches in total length. As such, it is difficult to make a knife that is very concealable, but small enough to fit in an adult’s hand. With the right curve, you can get a good grip across your entire hand while still having access to the aggressive hawksbill blade. The blade is small and the handle has a finger hole, so an attacker would have a hard time wresting it from their hands. With flat sides, he has a Kydex sheath that makes it comfortable and easy to hide inside your waistband. Best of all, this powerful tactical knife’s weight is feather-light at his 1.37 ounces.
“But George, that cutlery Casanova,” I heard you say. “How can less than 2 ounces of steel be worth $150?”
Well, that’s because of the design work. Bastian Koves and Doug Marcaida didn’t just pull out the knife and call it a day. They combined years of experience in various martial arts and countless hours of sparring in the gym to create a near-perfect self-defense knife. It’s more than just a knife, it’s physical proof of their mastery of the craft, and master-level design work comes at a price.
mechanism
The earliest known folding knives date back to the Iron Age, and as you might imagine, their mechanisms were rudimentary. A simple handle with a single pivot point around which the blade rotates. Instead of a lock, it used the force of the user’s grip on the knife to hold the blade in place through friction. We now call these “friction folders” and they are still available. As you can imagine, it doesn’t cost much.
Friction folders are still being made, but they have been overshadowed by newer, more sophisticated mechanisms. The slip joint on Grandpa’s pocket knife was effective at keeping the blade open. Lockbacks came later to make the knife truly lock open. Since then, new locks and openers have mushroomed, making modern knives the pinnacle of engineering.
One of the most complex knives I’ve ever had the privilege of holding is the Grant and Gavin Hawke Deadlock. It is truly a double-action out-the-front switchblade. Push the thumb slide forward to fire the knife. Thanks to an ingenious patented mechanism, the deadlock locks perfectly securely without rattling or blade play. Once the cut is complete, pull the slide back and the blade will return to the handle. We’ve come a long way since the humble Friction folder.
That being said, creating a deadlock requires much more expertise and effort than most knives out there. Each knife must be finished by hand by someone who knows what they are doing. Due to the finest materials used, as well as the innovation of its craftsmanship and mechanism, the price of a deadlock can easily reach several thousand dollars.
guarantee
Let me quote directly from the ESEE Knives warranty.
“Our warranty is very simple: If it breaks, we will repair or replace it. We will not question the validity of a warranty claim for a broken knife, handle, sheath, clip plate, or hardware. The warranty is lifetime and transferable. In other words, we stand behind these products no matter how many times they are traded, sold, or transferred. No sales receipt or proof of purchase is required. there is no.”
To put it more simply, if your ESEE knife breaks, you can have it replaced. No matter how much I break it. If you have knotty seasoned ebony battened together and it breaks, you can have it replaced. You can replace it by putting it in a vise and folding it in half. I do not have any questions.
ESEE offers such a thorough warranty because we want you to use our knives. difficult. In fact, they always lovingly repost #BeaterESEE content on Instagram. If you push it to the limit and your knife breaks, they’ll replace it for free. Yes, it may be a little expensive considering the material. But for me and many others, it’s a small price to pay for a quality knife that you can keep using without worrying about losing it.
Compare this to the Schrade Frontier, which is a giant fixed blade with a 7-inch blade that’s about a quarter-inch thick. It uses the same blade steel as most ESEE knives, but costs $42 and also has a TPE handle. Why is it cheap? Since it is made in China, if it breaks due to abuse, you will have to replace it yourself.
It probably won’t break the Frontier, but if the peace of mind of knowing your knife breaks and it’ll be replaced for free is worth it, you’ll have to pay more for a more complete warranty. right.
so what?
I’ve met almost everyone mentioned in this article, and they all love knives, make them, use them, and collect them. None of them are psychopaths, they just happen to have a deep passion for one of humanity’s first tools. Now, you wouldn’t expect him to spend all $401,000 on fancy cutlery. (Although your boss will be happy if you do.) But I hope you’ll gain a new understanding of what goes into a knife and a respect for the skill of a knifemaker.
If you’re ready to get your own knife, check out our knife buying guide for beginners.
