I think a lot of knife fans are in their exploration stage - if they see an affordable design they like, they'll buy it, so companies make a bunch of designs to hit various tastes. The knife doesn't necessarily need to fill a specific function, and they might not use the knife at all in a few months. After they gain some experience, they slowly realise what they like, and the trigger-happy buying ends, signifying the stage of refinement - looking for improvements, just as you are talking about. While I do agree that companies asking themselves "why" would result in more interesting knives, baking designs one after another is probably still more profitable at the moment.
Ultimate Pixel, it happened to me. Started off just needing a good knife. Enter the Kershaw Link. Then I had to get a Spyderco Dragonfly, and of course, I HAD to have a Benchmade 940...Uhg! After all that craziness died down, I got to think about what I “really need”. I have come full circle and gone back to traditional pocket knives. Mostly SAK’s, Case and older Schrades, scouring eBay for good deals. Funny how the cycle runs! I’m now carrying similar types of useful tools that my Dad & Grandpa carried with them every day.
The knife market is just like every other market; they want to sell us stuff. Also TH-cam reviewers keeping the hamster wheel of knife consumption going strong with more content and nit picking on hot spots when you open a box containing your new knife and what’s too heavy for edc. That’s why they give you guys free stuff. Knife makers don’t have to ask themselves any of the questions you posed in this (very good video); they just have to market it to (the) TH-cam shills and the sales will follow. Using new steels and implementing new locking systems and tri bearing what ever it was isn’t (always) the same thing as being innovative, as it’s often no more than creating a solution to a problem that didn’t exist and creating another intangible reason to buy yet another knife. Let’s put this little innovation that doesn’t really do anything different and send out some freebies to the shills. That’s why a new super Steel comes out every two years. Normal people buy one knife because it cuts and have no idea what 154CM is. We’re sick and we collect and look for that little thing with each knife, those little justifications to buy a new tool. We keep creating issues to be fixed that don’t exist. Most TH-cam knife channels were started just to get free knives. Better too many knives for sale than living in some third world pinko country imho.
True. And I'm definitely blowing against the wind here in a marketing-driven hobby. Maybe I'm just tiring of the hamster wheel. But this is also why I've been thrilled to regularly not-recommend the churn.
Nick Shabazz I think a lot of us feel the way you do. Part of the sickness. I’m into watches too and was before this and the same watch is passed around all the reviews and at some point you wonder why you just watched five reviews on the same watch and then bought it. Part of the sickness. Thanks for the video.
Matt Ashe yeah but he’s saying the plethora of ever increasing stuff on offer from especially evermore new makers is not necessarily takin us forward, but conversely oftentimes backward to shittier designs and builds.
I can't afford to buy multiple $50k sport cars, despite them all 'only' being a fraction of performance difference. I CAN afford multiple $250 knives. I don't need one perfect knife. I need a knife to suit my taste of the moment... Across styles, brands, materials...
Knives are "Functional Art". How do you support the Artist? You purchase their creations. Why would you support one artist over of another? Which artist is creating good art? What is good art - that's why you review knives, Nick. You are damn good and entertaining at it.
I have to say that my Chaparral and my mini-Griptilian are still major players in my daily rotation. My Victorinox Manager stays on my keyring and my Victorinox Compact is in my shoulder bag. I continue to buy knives, I love traditional slipjoints, and I have bought some new knives recently. But it's so true that the great knives at reasonable prices have already been made. I have too many knives that I don't really carry enough and therefore don't need.
Dear Nick, you’ve raised a very intelligent question! Since you have the ear of many large manufacturers, may I humbly offer a suggestion? There are many options for niche markets like Military / Law Enforcement, Fire / Rescue, Bush-craft / Survival, but not much for Merchant Sailors / Yachtsmen etc. (you may Google ‘rigging knife’ or simply ‘sailor’s / yachting knife’). I’m sure a word from you to the Powers-that-Be, would be greatly appreciated by the seafaring community, and hopefully find a little room at the inn for this large market. As always, love your content & delivery! Thanks so much n Namaste from India!
Spyderco wasn't on my radar at first either. I thought the holes were ugly and there were other knives that I'd rather have owned. It wasn't until I was going on vacation to Co. and was checking out what knife stores would be around the area in was visiting that I started seriously considering them. And it wasn't until I held the Manix 2 with it's ergos that fit my hand perfectly and the ease in which it could be opened and closed with minimal effort that I finally got it. Spyderco makes quality tools that bring function and form into a unique balance knife handling bliss.
10 years ago I got a crkt drifter free, it was in the box of a drill dr I had got for xmas. I've carried that free knife for 10 years now as I've continually looked for the right daily carry knife. Well I've given up looking and settled for the crkt. The steel sux but it sharpens quick for a daily work knife. Sometimes the blade will close on it's own, that sux and eventually itll probably cut me. It's good enough; it gets the work done.
There is a fascinating concept to try to translate from video games to actual life. The idea of being “a completionist,” someone who has accomplished every possible task and collected all possible items within a particular game. I don’t think that new knives being released by the dozens weekly is intended to entice anybody attempting to be a real-life completionist by purchasing every knife that ever existed. Rather, it’s kind of a statistical odds game. The more kinds of models you have out there to purchase, the more likely you are to attract a wider range of customers. There are many highly-recommended knives that I’d never ever buy. There are whole companies I’d skip. Not because of their quality, but because of my own personal tastes. One of the knives I carry and use daily has almost exclusively bad reviews online, but I absolutely love it. If I were to show it off to another knife enthusiast, it’s almost guaranteed to bore them, yet it’s a perfectly functional knife which has done quite a bit for me already. Really, though, the other issue at heart is that technology has come so far along that anyone can have a high level of public exposure for work they do. I sincerely believe that in ten or twenty years there will no longer be any such thing as a celebrity, or even a well-known popular show or movie, just because we’ve entered an era where literally anyone can produce something that others enjoy. Knife making is apparently also experiencing this phenomenon.
Unlike youtube reviewers, the rest of us do not get to play with a knife for free to decide whether we like it or not. We have to *buy* the knife to know whether it is better or worse than what we already own.
Absolutely. Which is part of why I started watching reviews, and then why I started making them. Reading or watching good reviews will show you the joys and the pains of anything, which lets you make a more informed decision on your own before you spend the money.
Mee Hung Lowe If I buy a knife and don't like it, which I can determine pretty quickly, I return it and get my money back. All the major on-line retailers have decent return policies, no questions asked. I've never felt that I'm stuck with a knife I don't like.
i agree, i used to buy like 5-10 knives a year, but this year i bought 2 folders and a chef knife, and I feel pretty done. the market has become overwhelmed with mainstream knives (3-4 in drop point flipper, around 100$, s35vn). Can we get like a folding round knife, a folding kiridashi flipper with a proper single bevel, that weird crkt knife that sharpens when you fold it (really any old crkt knife with better steel) Niches are easy to fill, when no one is filling them.
I loved a lot of crkt's old designs, the quality was just so inconsistent. Also, like you said, the steel choices... it always seemed like such a wasted opportunity.
anyone know which ruike knife nick is holding up at 12:46? looked thru old videos and i don't think its the p801. maybe he hasn't released a review of it yet? thanks for your help.
Nick, I've just started in the last couple of years of getting into knives. When I was growing up, it was typical to get a Case, a Schrade, a Swiss Army, etc. , but I was never into collecting and trading. Seeing the modern iteration of knives, I've enjoyed the education that you and others have provided. I've gotten about 8 knives ranging from beater knives {Kershaw Cryo, CRKT Pilar) to a Benchmade 940 and the Spyderco PM2 (in S110V} My favorite knife is probably the Steel Will Modus (in D2). My point is the "Why" for me is why should I continue to add to my collection? In my limited time in doing this, as a novice at best, I've already come to the conclusion that most designs are redundant. There are only so many blade styles, materials, opening systems, locking mechanisms, etc. I already know that for the most part, Benchmade knives are about 30% overpriced, and Spyderco is starting to edge up too much also. I also think they have a certain repetitive quality to their designs. But no one answers those "whys" either, but you do more than your share of asking why, especially the price to quality issue with Benchmade. Why doesn't Benchmade feel compelled to answer that? I feel about knives the way you do about watches (Quartz). I want the knife to be able to cut efficiently, as comfortable as possible, and be made to last a long time. I have no need to pay for overpriced artwork that happens to be able to cut things (hopefully), so custom knives don't interest me. What has surprised me the most about modern knives are the very "why" questions you ask in many of your reviews that never get answered by the manufacturers. (Why did they use Teflon washers? Why did they use red locktite? Why does disassembly void the warranty? Why did QC let this knife get out the door, especially at this price? Why didn't they champer this area that clearly is uncomfortable? etc...) That's why I asked you recently on Instagram if any manufacturer has ever asked your help in designing a knife. I think they should, not because you can create the product from your own mind, but because your insights would help new designs be more relevant. In my mind, that's the key question any manufacturer should ask when coming out with a new knife. Is this design relevant? Sorry for the length.
Good post and I agree with just about all of it. My first high quality knife purchase was between a benchmade 710 and pm2, but my wife surprised me by getting both. Between those two, it was hard to find any knives that would do even one thing significantly better than either of those knives. Although I found excuses lol
I have been thinking about this recently. Thank you for bringing up this subject. I honestly think that big knife manufacturers could take a break for 10 years and still be able to sell buckets of Knives. There is just that much selection out there that there is a knife for every purpose and every person.
Thanks Nick for your words of wisdom...I think I just reached an apex in my knife collection. There's only so much you can change in knife materials and design.
I have a serrated, semi city, stainless steel delica 2, from the 80's, in AUS-6! Terrible steel right?? But in the 80's...this knife was a Lamborghini...and to me, it still is! A true beauty!
That is the question I have about bearing pivots. Yes the action might be better to start off with, but once it gets dirty it's no better than the normal bronze washers that I hard use every day. I don't have to take the knife apart every time the knife gets a little grit in it.
The message in this video is so important. It applies to so many other professions and industries as well as any endeavors we wish to pursue in our lives. Always ask 'why?' folks. Nice one Nick.
I purchased a few knives I use for work before coming across the spyderco native 5. I was so blown away at the comfort that I got me a second with better steel. Got on TH-cam and I was smitten and google-eyed with all the selection of scales and steel that now I own seven of them. My why question is why can't I have one knife in fluted titanium with one blade of all those steel?
Goddamn this is timely. I was looking at a knife website and wondering "why would I bother with any of these" and bought a Seiko instead. Don't worry though, I am not getting into watches. Although I wonder what other varieties might be out there...
Thankfully non smart watches come off as wasted wrist real estate to me. So while my wallet is screaming from knife buying... It doesn't take much pain from watches thankfully.
Thank you for putting so eloquently what I've been thinking about the knife market for several years now. As a knife maker I'm trying to be original but why I really appreciate is the idea that maybe less is more?
I can definitely attest to having solved the knife question for myself: My two most used knives are the Bark River Featherweight Hunter and Ferrum Forge SM100 Stinger. The Featherweight Hunter is such a competent small fixed blade, it has literally made me sell every fixed blade I own in that size range because nothing that I've come across can compete with it. It's beautiful, thin, razor shaving sharp, and all in a package small enough to fit in a pocket sheath but still big enough to afford a full four fingered grip. As for the SM100 stinger, it is without a doubt the only knife I have that I will never sell, trade, auction, raffle, or otherwise give away, and with remain mine until the day I die. It carries perfectly, it fits in my hand perfectly, and while it is another titanium framelock flipper, the use of SM100 for the blade material makes it so exotic and valuable and special that there's honestly no way for any other production knife to compete with it for my attention or pocket space. Even looking at what are still arguably good knives like the Real Steel Megalodon, with it's m390 blade and superior flipping action, I don't see anything that significantly improves upon the Stinger. The only segment of knives I'm not absolutely locked down on are medium to large fixed blades, but those can fulfill so many purposes it's difficult to find one knife that could meet them all. This has drastically affected my knife buying habits: I used to buy all kinds of knives, finding various means of justifying them and finding legitimate uses for them. If I couldn't find a special purpose for them, then they got fondled over for a couple weeks and then sold. But now that I've locked down two major sections of the knife market, I suddenly find myself unwilling to buy anything else because nothing on the market can justify themselves. Maybe they do something different, but they're not improvements to what I already have. And I wonder how many other people have reached this point themselves, because the market is getting over saturated with what is essentially the exact same thing, repeated thousands of times, with no substantial changes or justification for itself.
Might it be a bit like Harley motorcycles...the market has been saturated & the consumers are aging. Or the HO scale train collections that can't even be given away. The manufacturers have made a killing selling something that we didn't really need, and now we are suffering from over consumption.
You nailed it. I'm not a collector, I buy knives for specific purposes, or to replace one that has been lost or broken. Still, like you, when I am looking most of what I see is lots of the same thing with different brand names. 2mm differences is specs doesn't make a new knife.
Nick, here's one for a review. There are not many folding scandi-grind knives out there, but there is a large population of Scandi fans out there. For something that does address this scantly populated area, please review the Enzo Birk 75. A truly well made and designed knife that addresses this need, at a decent price. It just may be what you need to see right now!
“Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself; but talent instantly recognizes genius.” “Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” “To be of good quality, you have to excuse yourself from the presence of shallow and callow minded individuals.” “Creative people are often found either disagreeable or intimidating by mediocrities.” “The only sin is mediocrity.” “In the republic of mediocrity, genius is dangerous.” “Confidence is the prize given to the mediocre”
I have a rotation of 5 knives (Rat 1, Launch 1, Para 3, Bugout FDE, SOCP) i have been gathering knives for a while trying to find the perfect 1-5 and i think i found em..
A rant worth hearing. New knives can be exciting when the quality vs. value proposition changes significantly -- the "bar" always changes -- and that is why I stay interested in what's coming out.
In marketing theory, it is called the DIFFERENTIATION. "Why would I buy your product instead of the competition?" I own an advertising agency and find myself asking my clients the same question over and over. All good points, Mr. Shabazz.
purchased my first good knife about a year ago (PM2) and absolutely love it, it's perfect for me, however i am planning on picking up a 940-1 as a gentleman's knife -- after that i really don't need anything else
We keep buying them, that’s why. I’m sure we can all say we have great knives that fill every task we can think of. That doesn’t stop us from wanting new ones. I think my PM2 is all I need on a daily basis, but that didn’t stop me from buying a PM3, chaparral, manix 2, delica, rhino, and we’ll just leave it at that.
I have worked closely with a vendor in another hobby. The thing that we hobbyists don't know is what the market is REALLY like. We're not their main consumers. We represent a good chunk, but many actual customers are just not us. We may not know what the demand for new releases and knives is like. When said vendor in other hobby asked for my opinion on whether he should stock a new product, I laughed at it and told him it probably would not sell. He ordered it anyway and it turned out I was wrong. We may not like the way things are and hey, it may not be the best idea, but we also don't have the view of what the community is really like that vendors and makers are privvy to.
The consumerist drive behind the hobby is what informs the makers behaviour. All of us here have multiple knives or collections. This fact speaks to our own motivations and behaviors. Long ago I have satisfied the utilitarian need I'll ever have for a knife as tool. The object itself, the thrill of the acquisition, the new toy high, all play a role in my purchasing decisions. Full participation in the "community" is fueled by owning and talking about new knives. Yes I can go on to the forums and discuss my 7 year old Delica all I want but sooner or later I'm going to want firsthand experience with whatever the new thing is. The (at least major) knife houses know this and just keep pumping them out, it might be uncomfortable to admit but it is in the end, plain old consumerism. You want to know why? Because we keep buying them.
Uh-Oh...I was afraid this was going to happen. Went off the deep end even before getting out there in crazyland. Come back towards the light Nick - come back towards the light...
I think many makers are responding to a demand: the need of a certain type of person to have something new to post on Instagram alongside a watch and a Cuban cigar. This is "knife candy" or a "trophy knife". Its role is to to look attractive, be photogenic and hopefully make others jealous.
I think I found a perfect knife in the Andrew Demko knives AD-15 MG with the unique scorpion lock I stopped looking besides getting a benchmade bugout od green combo edge for a companion knife to go with it.
Nick... with this... what do you think of the way Benchmade is marketing the two new knives that they just released? They seem to have been designed with specific uses in mind.
If you love the corrosion resistance of LC200N you should really check out the Shirogorovs in Vanax 37. It's basically nitrogen Elmax which equates to a whole lot more edge retention and performance than LC200N
Companies do these constant releases because there are reviewers out there who will review them, people who will hype them up and people who will buy them, despite the fact that they already have more knives than they know what to do with. If your designs and your final products really are worthwhile, you only need to put out a new product once a year or even once every two years. Companies like Grimsmo and Holt don’t have to drop a new knife every week because they still have constant demand for their very first designs.
I remember this TH-camr who thought that his Norseman was the greatest knife that the world had ever seen. The end all... The reason that the word why died... Wait... I think he may have sold it. A forever knife that was sold? But why?
I was so overwhelmed with options when it came to pocketknives, that I just gave up and bought a Leatherman Surge. Might get a Juice. Maybe if Gerber comes out with a knifeless Center Drive with a t-shank socket, I'll get one of those. I mean, they're gonna have to stop making the MP600 at some point...
A W I'm pretty positive that I'm done with thumb studs for the most part. Some knives I can justify having one, but as a whole, anything that removes the thumb stud is right up my alley.
I Really Think Reate is Bringing Something Through Their Collaberations ... Normal People are now able to get their hands on Todd Begg, Kirby Lambert, Tashi Bharucha, Liong Mah, and Faisal Yamin Knives Made Add a Quality That Rivals the Full Customs
The Chinese job-shops like WE and Reate are definitely doing some great work, and bringing some previously-custom-quality to more accessible price points. But they're also helping a lot of folks with a lot of inexperience get a lot of problematic knives out there, too. It's great that we've got options, but there's more to a great knife than machining, and these shops do just as well at making beautifully machined mediocrity.
I’ve been asking myself “Why” more and more. As a result, my knife purchases have dropped off significantly and my WTB list is down to three or four. That would have been inconceivable a year ago.
Great video Nick, and couldn't have come at a better time! I'm designing and about to start prototyping something that hasn't been done before. It wont be the "perfect EDC knife for EVERYONE" but I think it's unique enough to answer "why?" I'll send you one once I get the kinks worked out.
I hear ya Nick! I haven't added to my collection in months. Prices are higher and I cant see what I am getting for it. Why...is a great question for the makers.
As long as there’s a collector’s market for a type of product, manufacturers of those products will continue to release slightly different versions of them to keep those collectors collecting them. A tale as old as time. How many other industries sell a hundred virtually identical versions of the same five or six product types? All of them.
I think you are right on the money. It's a dangerous game to make products that last for ever, and i think it's coming around. This time 6 months ago I was infatuated with knives but unfortunately There is only so much fire and it burnt out relatively quickly, there are still knives I love and want but they all really start to blend together. For some reason in the last 10 years we have had a boom of knife consumerism and brand loyalty and excess when that has never been the case through out all of history, and I think the idea of pushing endless money into a tool is starting to show its ridiculousness. A knife can only be shaped so many ways, and only a quarter of those are worth a damn.
I don’t see a problem here. Knives are a combination of tool and art. Some models or sprints are released to please those who want a certain flavor and they’re coming out more and more often because there’s profit. Some people want to own a certain color, steel, or want all the versions of their favorite model. From year to year there are plenty of totally new designs. The Hawks may have to do most of the major innovation, though.
Well said Nick! To be honest that’s why so many companies like Case still exist.... the why.... aside from an operating standpoint traditional pocket knives had a very specific design use... trapper or stockman... etc... sort of how you eluded to the Spyderco salt water knives..... but my pet peeve is why not improve quality and materials for the price?! I think that is where a lot of improvement needs to be made!
My guess is that it's because most knives sold by those makers don't get used. (I'll make my point below, there's a TL;DR at the end) I think that most new mid- to high-end knives gets sold to collectors. When I say mid- to high-end I'm talking about $100 plus, stuff that the "regular person" wouldn't impulsively buy at a flea market or walmart. The "old greats" such as the delica are sold in big-box store and bought by non knife-guys for actual use, but newer companies like WE knife are known mostly by enthusiasts and that's who buys their products. So, for companies like WE knife whose target market is a bunch of guys who like to hoard blades, making something new is enough to generate sales, "because it's this week's new knife" is enough of a reason for their customers to buy it. It's all about the customer base and how those customers decide to make purchases. More about the customer base: companies whose customer base is mostly made up of enthusiasts have a both a considerably smaller target market than larger brands like Ontario, Spyderco, Cold Steel etc. AND have less of a "rolling customer base". The people who buy WE knives now are probably the same guys who bought one last year, they're collectors more than consumers, whereas a spyderco delica is more of a consumer product and is aimed to be sold at anyone who needs a knife. There are thousands of new people every week who find themselves buying their first delica, whereas it's mostly the same bunch of people looking at WE's page for new releases every week. This means that a week after a knife release from WE, almost every potential customer is aware of its existence and has bought one, plans on buying one soon, or decided to pass on it - if they stop releasing new stuff their sales will go stale because everyone who wanted a specific knife bought one and those who didn't want it won't buy it. This is different from how a delica sells: because the delica's target market is everyone who needs a knife and there's a lot of potential customers that don't even know it exists yet, spyderco iterates it instead of discontinuing it and making a different one to replace it - that way it's better instead of being newer. Spyderco does have, however knives aimed mainly at enthusiasts, and they know which ones those are. I think there's a correlations between the knives that serve a purpose and the ones aimed purely at collectors vs the stores that they're sold in: the ones that serve a purpose or solve an issue are generally found in big-box stores (e.g delica for EDC, salt series for diving etc. are sold in big-box stores) and the ones aimed mainly at collectors are sold in knife-specific stores (WE knives, grimsmo knives, custom knives in general etc. not sold at walmart). Look at spyderco's lineup and new releases, and look at which stores sell which models: the "old greats"/"classics" or the new ones that solve a niche are sold everywhere, and the new ones who were released for the sake of being released are sold at knife-specific shops only to be found by the interested collectors. TL;DR: they're sold to collectors who buy them for the sake of buying new knives. If they don't release something new, collectors will buy "this week's new knife" from someone who DID release something that week.
Spyderco is probably the most consistent knife maker I know of. I have many many knives from Benchmade, Medford, Artisan Cutlery, WE, Lion Steel, Citadel, CRKT, Böker, MKM, Cold Steel, Cudeman, Condor, Two Suns, Victorinox, Rough Ryder, Case, Great Eastern Cutlery, Esee, White River, Ruike, Ontario Knife co, Buck...🤔 Probably forgot a few brands. And practically every Spyderco available today and multiple sprint runs. Currently carrying a Sage 1 in Maxamet and the Subvert on the weekends. 🤘🏻😎🤘🏻 Edit: Don’t know,why I decided to list them, but the 🥃 🥃🥃🥃🥃 are likely contributing. 😂
Very well said Nick I say that with all the bearing knives out there don’t get me wrong they can be great on some but there some I don’t understand like the word hard use and bearings don’t go together in my book but instead of only asking myself why I’m usually shaking my head no,no,no why
I just want a 3.75-4" steak knifey (ZT 0452ish) blade with a slight recurve and clip point or swedged drop point, and a finger coil for choking up on the back curve for whittling. And not in S35VN. Not in M390. Not in any super hard steels. Just some 3 or 4v. Haven't found anything yet
when he bumped that one at 4:42 it bugged me that he didn't put it back, but after 3 minutes of willing him to move it back he did. So all you have to do is re-watch the video and _will_ him to turn it up the right way. the power is yours. believe in yourself :oP lol
I would be perfectly fine if the upside down knife was flanked by 2 right side up knives. But 3 on the right and 2 on the left? What on earth are you thinking Nick Shabaz.
Despite your self-imposed short comings, Nick, we still love you. Stick around mate, help us sort all this out like you have been doing. You have a gift. (That's a metaphor, I'm not actually sending you anything!)
They make them for two reasons. #1- to make money. #2- to make money. I have a drawer full of knives, all given to me! I carried my dads pocket knife until it fell apart, now I carry a freebie CRKT wrangler because I like a locking blade, and I like my fingers.The only two that I’ve bought in the past 50 years are both for specific purposes. The first is a NRS pilot knife ($50), and a garden hawksbill locking folder knife ($15). Thank you TH-cam for reminding me that consumer greed still exists.
I think this video is right on the money and more people should ask this question; not just the knife makers but us as the consumers. That's why I have 3 knives, (well, that and limited funds) but even in the list of knives I want there are only 5 to 10 knives that truly interest me, and WHY would I choose to own all of them when the ones I have work fine? Be selective, don't just buy crap to add another piece to your collection, buy it because it's compelling and serves a purpose. We drive the market, if more people took time to research and consider what they bought half the people I know wouldn't be walking around with dull Gerber paraframes if they knew they could spend 10 or 20 bucks more and get a CRKT with better steel, or if they take care of their things, buy a benchmade or spyderco or something really nice they can give to their kids someday. Instead of adding to my own collection, i support the companies making models I love by buying family a really nice knife as a gift and in the long run hopefully spreading interest and awareness there are better knives out there at the same timd. It's ridiculous how poor stewards we are with our mone, we say "easily available right now", and "good enough" far too often. Demand and buy something perfect for your needs and price range whatever it is, don't settle for crap. Same with media, that's why I sub Nick and don't support shit clickbait
Here’s my take. It’s not 1940 when a person bought one good knife and kept it for life and rarely if ever bought another unless that one went missing. Add to that we now live in a world where lots and lots of people get rid of 1000 dollar phones every year just to get a new one. The knife market is maybe evolving into this mindset as well. people like to get a new knife just because it makes them feel good, just because it scratches that itch, and just because there are so many damn good ones out there nowadays. That’s my theory why you see so many new knives flooding the market and personally I love it.
Over saturation. You're right. Too many already available. Most people aren't collectors, but users. Once they have the knife they like or satisfies their needs, they're done. They move on to something else.
The knife community remains divided years later over whether a knife is a tool or a piece of functional art. If it's a tool, I get your argument. If knives are art, that's when I start to question things and see the value in a ton of variety and different designs, even if they aren't "innovative" per se. It would be a weird thing to ask an artist "why?" and perhaps even quite rude. The "why?" is sharing their art with the world. How is it any different for a knifemaker who considers their knives to be art?
Old school dad era: You didn't buy 'tools' like toys. that seems to be the trend today - guys call it "adding my collection" when it's just buying more shit you didnt need . "Collection" is a very mis-used word. Well said video, sir
I got one automatic and one manual deep into the watch world before running away and wearing a casio calculator watch. I also get more comments on my calculator watch than I did on the omega.
WHY? Well yes that's a good question. I think first question you should ask yourself is are you a user or a collector? For me it is the: - Collectability and that means it is well made. - Metals used (more than G10 or aluminium handle and at least D2 blade). - Designer (TwoSun for example has some very nice designers to follow and many others that seems to all come from China or design for Chinese knifes). - Price (yes Chinese they make some very nice and often better than the $200 knife for $50). - limited editions (sometimes annoying if you miss out). - Function (camping/user knife is different than collectables). - Replica vs genuine (some of the replica knifes are better than the original and fraction of the price).
I think they don't put a finger choil on the delica because it would hurt the rest of their product line. There would be no need for further renditions.
David McLaren that's what I have always thought. Virtually every model but the delica has a finger choil. I have the titanium Byrd meadowlark and that thing is perfect in my opinion (except blade steel and fit-and-finish issues lol). It's the thinnest knife I have ever seen and has the most useful blade shape and has a finger choil. Other than those issues I mentioned before it is an upgraded version of the Delica in my opinion. You should check it out.
Great video. I would love your opinion on the wave of Chinese knives coming in with premium materials at low prices! They seem hogh high quality and a lot of them have been material tested to prove the HRC and steel/aluminum/titanium used. It's an interesting market. I personally only own a few but it seems like people are going crazy of companies like two sun and ganzo because of this and honestly I can see there point of view. All tho I will always be somewhat of a purest I do love me my kizer basalt lol
Holy shit!!!! "Justify your existence" ....just wonderful Nick! Touchdown! I would just add the other part of the equation which I think is us...the consumer. If we just buy and buy and buy without ever asking ourselves those same questions, it's just another way of depredating the knife world instead of food or alcohol or something else. When we know what we want, things have a meaningand I think that's what we all need a dosis of... meaningful lives.
Watches give people expertise and skill in how they’re produced, exclusivity is a big factor in watches also. Such as how many pieces are made each year, how long it takes to complete single watch. And other factors too. Knife companies designers/custom knife makers, could theoretically use the same principles from watch making but when other companies have similar tolerances or applications in use or Performance it makes higher priced Knives obsolete or unjustifiable.. I believe knife makers are in somewhat of a backwards quarts crisis like what watch makers experienced.. it’s not in the same manor but it’s a similar circumstances.
I agree with you on some part. I mean if the comapanys produce alot they get cheaper and that I believe is great. But yeah, there is a problem with the market right now since there isn't so much artistery anymore.
That’s why I’m anticipating the Paul Alexander Parata. Not because I’ll buy it, but because of the design and Stop-Lock. It will be new and original... Will we see a Sage 6 Stop-Lock?
It was easier when I was a kid. I had a Barlow folder for years, then switched to a Schrade Litte Finger fixed blade years later when I got tired of cutting my fingers, lol.
I think the constant influx of new designs etc is good, it's keeping the market competitive. Yes it is kinda repetitive (another flipper titanium frame lock etc) but I lie it, just buy what you like and sell what you don't. The constant influx of new knives also really differentiates between the good and bad companies when it come to innovation,qc, etc..... I'm still somewhat new to this hobby relatively but that's the way I see it.
Hey past self, I had a feeling I watched this video before....Anyway.... Yes, your original taught still stands. You still like all the innovation,you still like the constant onslaught of knife designs... you've actually acquired some knives you never taught you would. You're doing amazing, both in the knife world and in life. Keep going and I'll probably be here in another 3 years 😂. All the best, past self and hello future self.
The reason why I like Cold Steel, they always come up with ridiculous designs that are at least somewhat original. At least some brands, like Chris Reeve, Rick Hinderer and Strider don’t attempt to make new designs every week because it seems like they reached perfection with their first knife.
I have to agree. I left the knife thing like 2 years ago and when I came back I saw all these brands making too many knives to the point where the interesting knives drown, get lost in the mix and I end up with an empty shopping cart. If Kershaw just made 3 or 4 good well thought out knives a year it would help the brand differentiate themselves from a brand that is killing them on quality, design and price......cough..cough... bestech. KERSHAW PUT A FUCKING DETENT HOLE IN YOUR BLADES. Torsion bars break and you end up with knife that you aren't able to carry. By the way I love these discussion videos. Companies do listen sometimes and making a video like this helps them out too.
I don't think the problem is lack of innovation, I think it's just that the designs right now don't appeal to you (or me for that matter). I think about the knives that got you excited, and even some you named in this video - the holt specter, the olamic busker, the WE eskaton, even the boos blades smoke and mini aero - and none of them were innovative. At their core they are all just titanium flipper framelocks with standard steels, yet they had you (and me) excited. To me that says the issue isn't not enough innovation, it's not enough designs that appeal to you, and frankly, not many appeal to me right now either.
Eh, I disagree there. Making *good* knives is still hard, even with CNC. Sure, it's easier to make something knife-shaped these days, but getting the design, implementation, heat treat, production, and distribution right is still very hard. Or everybody would be doing it. CNC machines are not just printers, and there's true skill involved in using them well.
Spyderco are amazing at innovation, every new model/version has more and more loctite.
And looks just like every other spyderco.
@@ricker76er And yet functions differently and fills a separate need while doing so.
@@ricker76er I cant believe after all this time, Spyderco still hasnt realized how important looks are for cutting performance...
@@patrickg8744 lol
@@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney lololol. Way too much cap.
The solution for me is to go in dept buying every knife so I can find the perfect one for me.
Why ? Because they can ? Because the collectors are jaded ? Because good reviews can explode their sales ? Because they want your money .
I agree because they can..it's for the collector market.
Answers to rhetorical questions are always appreciated.
"Release only if you can improve the market."
- Nick Shabazz
I think a lot of knife fans are in their exploration stage - if they see an affordable design they like, they'll buy it, so companies make a bunch of designs to hit various tastes. The knife doesn't necessarily need to fill a specific function, and they might not use the knife at all in a few months. After they gain some experience, they slowly realise what they like, and the trigger-happy buying ends, signifying the stage of refinement - looking for improvements, just as you are talking about.
While I do agree that companies asking themselves "why" would result in more interesting knives, baking designs one after another is probably still more profitable at the moment.
Ultimate Pixel, it happened to me.
Started off just needing a good knife. Enter the Kershaw Link. Then I had to get a Spyderco Dragonfly, and of course, I HAD to have a Benchmade 940...Uhg! After all that craziness died down, I got to think about what I “really need”. I have come full circle and gone back to traditional pocket knives. Mostly SAK’s, Case and older Schrades, scouring eBay for good deals.
Funny how the cycle runs! I’m now carrying similar types of useful tools that my Dad & Grandpa carried with them every day.
The knife market is just like every other market; they want to sell us stuff. Also TH-cam reviewers keeping the hamster wheel of knife consumption going strong with more content and nit picking on hot spots when you open a box containing your new knife and what’s too heavy for edc. That’s why they give you guys free stuff. Knife makers don’t have to ask themselves any of the questions you posed in this (very good video); they just have to market it to (the) TH-cam shills and the sales will follow. Using new steels and implementing new locking systems and tri bearing what ever it was isn’t (always) the same thing as being innovative, as it’s often no more than creating a solution to a problem that didn’t exist and creating another intangible reason to buy yet another knife. Let’s put this little innovation that doesn’t really do anything different and send out some freebies to the shills. That’s why a new super Steel comes out every two years. Normal people buy one knife because it cuts and have no idea what 154CM is. We’re sick and we collect and look for that little thing with each knife, those little justifications to buy a new tool. We keep creating issues to be fixed that don’t exist. Most TH-cam knife channels were started just to get free knives. Better too many knives for sale than living in some third world pinko country imho.
True. And I'm definitely blowing against the wind here in a marketing-driven hobby. Maybe I'm just tiring of the hamster wheel. But this is also why I've been thrilled to regularly not-recommend the churn.
Nick Shabazz I think a lot of us feel the way you do. Part of the sickness. I’m into watches too and was before this and the same watch is passed around all the reviews and at some point you wonder why you just watched five reviews on the same watch and then bought it. Part of the sickness. Thanks for the video.
Matt Ashe yeah but he’s saying the plethora of ever increasing stuff on offer from especially evermore new makers is not necessarily takin us forward, but conversely oftentimes backward to shittier designs and builds.
Today's Grail Tomorrow's Beater I’m agreeing with him 100%.
Why???.... Matte Ashe just hit the nail on the head!
I like the rant videos. Nice to have different types of videos every once in a while.
I can't afford to buy multiple $50k sport cars, despite them all 'only' being a fraction of performance difference.
I CAN afford multiple $250 knives. I don't need one perfect knife. I need a knife to suit my taste of the moment... Across styles, brands, materials...
Knives are "Functional Art". How do you support the Artist? You purchase their creations. Why would you support one artist over of another? Which artist is creating good art? What is good art - that's why you review knives, Nick. You are damn good and entertaining at it.
same with guns. therefore the political aspect comes into play. why support a company that is anti gun like benchmade?
I have to say that my Chaparral and my mini-Griptilian are still major players in my daily rotation. My Victorinox Manager stays on my keyring and my Victorinox Compact is in my shoulder bag.
I continue to buy knives, I love traditional slipjoints, and I have bought some new knives recently. But it's so true that the great knives at reasonable prices have already been made.
I have too many knives that I don't really carry enough and therefore don't need.
Dear Nick, you’ve raised a very intelligent question! Since you have the ear of many large manufacturers, may I humbly offer a suggestion? There are many options for niche markets like Military / Law Enforcement, Fire / Rescue, Bush-craft / Survival, but not much for Merchant Sailors / Yachtsmen etc. (you may Google ‘rigging knife’ or simply ‘sailor’s / yachting knife’). I’m sure a word from you to the Powers-that-Be, would be greatly appreciated by the seafaring community, and hopefully find a little room at the inn for this large market. As always, love your content & delivery! Thanks so much n Namaste from India!
Spyderco Manix 2 is the only knife I need, but there are a few others that I like to carry along with it.
In with you on the Manix
Spyderco wasn't on my radar at first either. I thought the holes were ugly and there were other knives that I'd rather have owned. It wasn't until I was going on vacation to Co. and was checking out what knife stores would be around the area in was visiting that I started seriously considering them. And it wasn't until I held the Manix 2 with it's ergos that fit my hand perfectly and the ease in which it could be opened and closed with minimal effort that I finally got it. Spyderco makes quality tools that bring function and form into a unique balance knife handling bliss.
I have to agree. It get the most pocket time for a reason.
Bruce Leo b
I still love the delica/endura. Carry a pm2 most times.
10 years ago I got a crkt drifter free, it was in the box of a drill dr I had got for xmas. I've carried that free knife for 10 years now as I've continually looked for the right daily carry knife. Well I've given up looking and settled for the crkt. The steel sux but it sharpens quick for a daily work knife. Sometimes the blade will close on it's own, that sux and eventually itll probably cut me. It's good enough; it gets the work done.
There is a fascinating concept to try to translate from video games to actual life. The idea of being “a completionist,” someone who has accomplished every possible task and collected all possible items within a particular game. I don’t think that new knives being released by the dozens weekly is intended to entice anybody attempting to be a real-life completionist by purchasing every knife that ever existed. Rather, it’s kind of a statistical odds game. The more kinds of models you have out there to purchase, the more likely you are to attract a wider range of customers. There are many highly-recommended knives that I’d never ever buy. There are whole companies I’d skip. Not because of their quality, but because of my own personal tastes. One of the knives I carry and use daily has almost exclusively bad reviews online, but I absolutely love it. If I were to show it off to another knife enthusiast, it’s almost guaranteed to bore them, yet it’s a perfectly functional knife which has done quite a bit for me already.
Really, though, the other issue at heart is that technology has come so far along that anyone can have a high level of public exposure for work they do. I sincerely believe that in ten or twenty years there will no longer be any such thing as a celebrity, or even a well-known popular show or movie, just because we’ve entered an era where literally anyone can produce something that others enjoy. Knife making is apparently also experiencing this phenomenon.
Unlike youtube reviewers, the rest of us do not get to play with a knife for free to decide whether we like it or not. We have to *buy* the knife to know whether it is better or worse than what we already own.
Absolutely. Which is part of why I started watching reviews, and then why I started making them. Reading or watching good reviews will show you the joys and the pains of anything, which lets you make a more informed decision on your own before you spend the money.
Mee Hung Lowe If I buy a knife and don't like it, which I can determine pretty quickly, I return it and get my money back. All the major on-line retailers have decent return policies, no questions asked. I've never felt that I'm stuck with a knife I don't like.
Eh, I let people narrow my knives all the time.
i agree, i used to buy like 5-10 knives a year, but this year i bought 2 folders and a chef knife, and I feel pretty done. the market has become overwhelmed with mainstream knives (3-4 in drop point flipper, around 100$, s35vn). Can we get like a folding round knife, a folding kiridashi flipper with a proper single bevel, that weird crkt knife that sharpens when you fold it (really any old crkt knife with better steel) Niches are easy to fill, when no one is filling them.
Folding Kiridashi? I'm interested
I loved a lot of crkt's old designs, the quality was just so inconsistent. Also, like you said, the steel choices... it always seemed like such a wasted opportunity.
anyone know which ruike knife nick is holding up at 12:46? looked thru old videos and i don't think its the p801. maybe he hasn't released a review of it yet? thanks for your help.
Nick, I've just started in the last couple of years of getting into knives. When I was growing up, it was typical to get a Case, a Schrade, a Swiss Army, etc. , but I was never into collecting and trading. Seeing the modern iteration of knives, I've enjoyed the education that you and others have provided. I've gotten about 8 knives ranging from beater knives {Kershaw Cryo, CRKT Pilar) to a Benchmade 940 and the Spyderco PM2 (in S110V} My favorite knife is probably the Steel Will Modus (in D2). My point is the "Why" for me is why should I continue to add to my collection? In my limited time in doing this, as a novice at best, I've already come to the conclusion that most designs are redundant. There are only so many blade styles, materials, opening systems, locking mechanisms, etc. I already know that for the most part, Benchmade knives are about 30% overpriced, and Spyderco is starting to edge up too much also. I also think they have a certain repetitive quality to their designs. But no one answers those "whys" either, but you do more than your share of asking why, especially the price to quality issue with Benchmade. Why doesn't Benchmade feel compelled to answer that? I feel about knives the way you do about watches (Quartz). I want the knife to be able to cut efficiently, as comfortable as possible, and be made to last a long time. I have no need to pay for overpriced artwork that happens to be able to cut things (hopefully), so custom knives don't interest me. What has surprised me the most about modern knives are the very "why" questions you ask in many of your reviews that never get answered by the manufacturers. (Why did they use Teflon washers? Why did they use red locktite? Why does disassembly void the warranty? Why did QC let this knife get out the door, especially at this price? Why didn't they champer this area that clearly is uncomfortable? etc...) That's why I asked you recently on Instagram if any manufacturer has ever asked your help in designing a knife. I think they should, not because you can create the product from your own mind, but because your insights would help new designs be more relevant. In my mind, that's the key question any manufacturer should ask when coming out with a new knife. Is this design relevant? Sorry for the length.
Good post and I agree with just about all of it. My first high quality knife purchase was between a benchmade 710 and pm2, but my wife surprised me by getting both. Between those two, it was hard to find any knives that would do even one thing significantly better than either of those knives. Although I found excuses lol
I have been thinking about this recently. Thank you for bringing up this subject. I honestly think that big knife manufacturers could take a break for 10 years and still be able to sell buckets of Knives. There is just that much selection out there that there is a knife for every purpose and every person.
Thanks Nick for your words of wisdom...I think I just reached an apex in my knife collection. There's only so much you can change in knife materials and design.
I have a serrated, semi city, stainless steel delica 2, from the 80's, in AUS-6! Terrible steel right?? But in the 80's...this knife was a Lamborghini...and to me, it still is! A true beauty!
How many titanium handles frame locks do we need?
That is the question I have about bearing pivots. Yes the action might be better to start off with, but once it gets dirty it's no better than the normal bronze washers that I hard use every day. I don't have to take the knife apart every time the knife gets a little grit in it.
But anyway my question is why would you pay more for something that needs more maintenance? From a user stand point that is.
The message in this video is so important. It applies to so many other professions and industries as well as any endeavors we wish to pursue in our lives. Always ask 'why?' folks. Nice one Nick.
I purchased a few knives I use for work before coming across the spyderco native 5. I was so blown away at the comfort that I got me a second with better steel. Got on TH-cam and I was smitten and google-eyed with all the selection of scales and steel that now I own seven of them. My why question is why can't I have one knife in fluted titanium with one blade of all those steel?
Goddamn this is timely. I was looking at a knife website and wondering "why would I bother with any of these" and bought a Seiko instead. Don't worry though, I am not getting into watches. Although I wonder what other varieties might be out there...
DO. NOT. GET. INTO. WATCHES.
LOL!
Thankfully non smart watches come off as wasted wrist real estate to me. So while my wallet is screaming from knife buying... It doesn't take much pain from watches thankfully.
Thank you for putting so eloquently what I've been thinking about the knife market for several years now. As a knife maker I'm trying to be original but why I really appreciate is the idea that maybe less is more?
the Para 3 is all the EDC I need used to be the Bugout but was promptly replaced when the Para arrived
I can definitely attest to having solved the knife question for myself: My two most used knives are the Bark River Featherweight Hunter and Ferrum Forge SM100 Stinger. The Featherweight Hunter is such a competent small fixed blade, it has literally made me sell every fixed blade I own in that size range because nothing that I've come across can compete with it. It's beautiful, thin, razor shaving sharp, and all in a package small enough to fit in a pocket sheath but still big enough to afford a full four fingered grip. As for the SM100 stinger, it is without a doubt the only knife I have that I will never sell, trade, auction, raffle, or otherwise give away, and with remain mine until the day I die. It carries perfectly, it fits in my hand perfectly, and while it is another titanium framelock flipper, the use of SM100 for the blade material makes it so exotic and valuable and special that there's honestly no way for any other production knife to compete with it for my attention or pocket space. Even looking at what are still arguably good knives like the Real Steel Megalodon, with it's m390 blade and superior flipping action, I don't see anything that significantly improves upon the Stinger. The only segment of knives I'm not absolutely locked down on are medium to large fixed blades, but those can fulfill so many purposes it's difficult to find one knife that could meet them all.
This has drastically affected my knife buying habits: I used to buy all kinds of knives, finding various means of justifying them and finding legitimate uses for them. If I couldn't find a special purpose for them, then they got fondled over for a couple weeks and then sold. But now that I've locked down two major sections of the knife market, I suddenly find myself unwilling to buy anything else because nothing on the market can justify themselves. Maybe they do something different, but they're not improvements to what I already have. And I wonder how many other people have reached this point themselves, because the market is getting over saturated with what is essentially the exact same thing, repeated thousands of times, with no substantial changes or justification for itself.
Might it be a bit like Harley motorcycles...the market has been saturated & the consumers are aging. Or the HO scale train collections that can't even be given away. The manufacturers have made a killing selling something that we didn't really need, and now we are suffering from over consumption.
You nailed it. I'm not a collector, I buy knives for specific purposes, or to replace one that has been lost or broken. Still, like you, when I am looking most of what I see is lots of the same thing with different brand names. 2mm differences is specs doesn't make a new knife.
Nick, here's one for a review. There are not many folding scandi-grind knives out there, but there is a large population of Scandi fans out there. For something that does address this scantly populated area, please review the Enzo Birk 75. A truly well made and designed knife that addresses this need, at a decent price. It just may be what you need to see right now!
“Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself; but talent instantly recognizes genius.” “Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” “To be of good quality, you have to excuse yourself from the presence of shallow and callow minded individuals.” “Creative people are often found either disagreeable or intimidating by mediocrities.” “The only sin is mediocrity.” “In the republic of mediocrity, genius is dangerous.” “Confidence is the prize given to the mediocre”
I have a rotation of 5 knives (Rat 1, Launch 1, Para 3, Bugout FDE, SOCP) i have been gathering knives for a while trying to find the perfect 1-5 and i think i found em..
A rant worth hearing. New knives can be exciting when the quality vs. value proposition changes significantly -- the "bar" always changes -- and that is why I stay interested in what's coming out.
In marketing theory, it is called the DIFFERENTIATION. "Why would I buy your product instead of the competition?" I own an advertising agency and find myself asking my clients the same question over and over. All good points, Mr. Shabazz.
purchased my first good knife about a year ago (PM2) and absolutely love it, it's perfect for me, however i am planning on picking up a 940-1 as a gentleman's knife -- after that i really don't need anything else
"Do not get into watches, by the way." Wisdom.
What knife is that carbon fiber handled knife. Looks dope
We keep buying them, that’s why. I’m sure we can all say we have great knives that fill every task we can think of. That doesn’t stop us from wanting new ones. I think my PM2 is all I need on a daily basis, but that didn’t stop me from buying a PM3, chaparral, manix 2, delica, rhino, and we’ll just leave it at that.
I have worked closely with a vendor in another hobby. The thing that we hobbyists don't know is what the market is REALLY like. We're not their main consumers. We represent a good chunk, but many actual customers are just not us. We may not know what the demand for new releases and knives is like. When said vendor in other hobby asked for my opinion on whether he should stock a new product, I laughed at it and told him it probably would not sell. He ordered it anyway and it turned out I was wrong. We may not like the way things are and hey, it may not be the best idea, but we also don't have the view of what the community is really like that vendors and makers are privvy to.
The consumerist drive behind the hobby is what informs the makers behaviour. All of us here have multiple knives or collections. This fact speaks to our own motivations and behaviors. Long ago I have satisfied the utilitarian need I'll ever have for a knife as tool. The object itself, the thrill of the acquisition, the new toy high, all play a role in my purchasing decisions. Full participation in the "community" is fueled by owning and talking about new knives. Yes I can go on to the forums and discuss my 7 year old Delica all I want but sooner or later I'm going to want firsthand experience with whatever the new thing is. The (at least major) knife houses know this and just keep pumping them out, it might be uncomfortable to admit but it is in the end, plain old consumerism. You want to know why? Because we keep buying them.
Uh-Oh...I was afraid this was going to happen. Went off the deep end even before getting out there in crazyland. Come back towards the light Nick - come back towards the light...
Heh. I wasn't in crazyland before?!
Are the weird avant garde video shitposts the next step?
I think many makers are responding to a demand: the need of a certain type of person to have something new to post on Instagram alongside a watch and a Cuban cigar. This is "knife candy" or a "trophy knife". Its role is to to look attractive, be photogenic and hopefully make others jealous.
I think I found a perfect knife in the Andrew Demko knives AD-15 MG with the unique scorpion lock I stopped looking besides getting a benchmade bugout od green combo edge for a companion knife to go with it.
Will you ever review a Joe Caswell Morphing Karambit? I know its more of a tactical knife but I think that the mechanism is really cool.
Nick... with this... what do you think of the way Benchmade is marketing the two new knives that they just released? They seem to have been designed with specific uses in mind.
New guy with a question: what is knife second from the right with wood grain handle?
Benchmade Crooked River or Mini Crooked River.
I only carry/own a Sebenza, I just like to watch these to see what's coming out
If you love the corrosion resistance of LC200N you should really check out the Shirogorovs in Vanax 37. It's basically nitrogen Elmax which equates to a whole lot more edge retention and performance than LC200N
Companies do these constant releases because there are reviewers out there who will review them, people who will hype them up and people who will buy them, despite the fact that they already have more knives than they know what to do with.
If your designs and your final products really are worthwhile, you only need to put out a new product once a year or even once every two years. Companies like Grimsmo and Holt don’t have to drop a new knife every week because they still have constant demand for their very first designs.
Exactly that is my question too..why...it just makes the purchase decision harder and harder
Can anyone tell me what the knife 3rd from the left is? Looks like carbon fiber scales. Thank you in advance
Three Rivers Neutron
How about cheaper options like a Smith & Wesson Extreme Ops SS Karambit? I'd like to hear your opinion on something like that, is it good?
I remember this TH-camr who thought that his Norseman was the greatest knife that the world had ever seen. The end all... The reason that the word why died...
Wait... I think he may have sold it. A forever knife that was sold? But why?
Because he's a jackass? And tastes change and evolve?
I was so overwhelmed with options when it came to pocketknives, that I just gave up and bought a Leatherman Surge. Might get a Juice. Maybe if Gerber comes out with a knifeless Center Drive with a t-shank socket, I'll get one of those. I mean, they're gonna have to stop making the MP600 at some point...
I love that you only have one flipper pictured, I have almost fully migrated away from them- the novelty has worn off.
Damen0530 flippers are shit. Especially frame lock flippers. I'd rather have a thumb stud/spyder hole.
A W I'm pretty positive that I'm done with thumb studs for the most part. Some knives I can justify having one, but as a whole, anything that removes the thumb stud is right up my alley.
A W in my opinion it's impossible to beat the compression lock 1 hand open and close and still has a great fidget factor
and i just got my first flippers ..the cycle continues
I like flippers. They work.
I Really Think Reate is Bringing Something Through Their Collaberations ... Normal People are now able to get their hands on Todd Begg, Kirby Lambert, Tashi Bharucha, Liong Mah, and Faisal Yamin Knives Made Add a Quality That Rivals the Full Customs
The Chinese job-shops like WE and Reate are definitely doing some great work, and bringing some previously-custom-quality to more accessible price points. But they're also helping a lot of folks with a lot of inexperience get a lot of problematic knives out there, too. It's great that we've got options, but there's more to a great knife than machining, and these shops do just as well at making beautifully machined mediocrity.
I’ve been asking myself “Why” more and more. As a result, my knife purchases have dropped off significantly and my WTB list is down to three or four. That would have been inconceivable a year ago.
Great video Nick, and couldn't have come at a better time! I'm designing and about to start prototyping something that hasn't been done before. It wont be the "perfect EDC knife for EVERYONE" but I think it's unique enough to answer "why?" I'll send you one once I get the kinks worked out.
I hear ya Nick! I haven't added to my collection in months. Prices are higher and I cant see what I am getting for it. Why...is a great question for the makers.
As long as there’s a collector’s market for a type of product, manufacturers of those products will continue to release slightly different versions of them to keep those collectors collecting them. A tale as old as time. How many other industries sell a hundred virtually identical versions of the same five or six product types? All of them.
I agree with you, though, it’d be great if that trend could reverse itself.
I think you are right on the money. It's a dangerous game to make products that last for ever, and i think it's coming around. This time 6 months ago I was infatuated with knives but unfortunately There is only so much fire and it burnt out relatively quickly, there are still knives I love and want but they all really start to blend together.
For some reason in the last 10 years we have had a boom of knife consumerism and brand loyalty and excess when that has never been the case through out all of history, and I think the idea of pushing endless money into a tool is starting to show its ridiculousness. A knife can only be shaped so many ways, and only a quarter of those are worth a damn.
What is that blue Kershaw?
Kershaw Dividend.
I don’t see a problem here. Knives are a combination of tool and art. Some models or sprints are released to please those who want a certain flavor and they’re coming out more and more often because there’s profit. Some people want to own a certain color, steel, or want all the versions of their favorite model. From year to year there are plenty of totally new designs. The Hawks may have to do most of the major innovation, though.
Well said Nick! To be honest that’s why so many companies like Case still exist.... the why.... aside from an operating standpoint traditional pocket knives had a very specific design use... trapper or stockman... etc... sort of how you eluded to the Spyderco salt water knives..... but my pet peeve is why not improve quality and materials for the price?! I think that is where a lot of improvement needs to be made!
My guess is that it's because most knives sold by those makers don't get used. (I'll make my point below, there's a TL;DR at the end)
I think that most new mid- to high-end knives gets sold to collectors. When I say mid- to high-end I'm talking about $100 plus, stuff that the "regular person" wouldn't impulsively buy at a flea market or walmart. The "old greats" such as the delica are sold in big-box store and bought by non knife-guys for actual use, but newer companies like WE knife are known mostly by enthusiasts and that's who buys their products. So, for companies like WE knife whose target market is a bunch of guys who like to hoard blades, making something new is enough to generate sales, "because it's this week's new knife" is enough of a reason for their customers to buy it. It's all about the customer base and how those customers decide to make purchases.
More about the customer base: companies whose customer base is mostly made up of enthusiasts have a both a considerably smaller target market than larger brands like Ontario, Spyderco, Cold Steel etc. AND have less of a "rolling customer base". The people who buy WE knives now are probably the same guys who bought one last year, they're collectors more than consumers, whereas a spyderco delica is more of a consumer product and is aimed to be sold at anyone who needs a knife. There are thousands of new people every week who find themselves buying their first delica, whereas it's mostly the same bunch of people looking at WE's page for new releases every week. This means that a week after a knife release from WE, almost every potential customer is aware of its existence and has bought one, plans on buying one soon, or decided to pass on it - if they stop releasing new stuff their sales will go stale because everyone who wanted a specific knife bought one and those who didn't want it won't buy it.
This is different from how a delica sells: because the delica's target market is everyone who needs a knife and there's a lot of potential customers that don't even know it exists yet, spyderco iterates it instead of discontinuing it and making a different one to replace it - that way it's better instead of being newer.
Spyderco does have, however knives aimed mainly at enthusiasts, and they know which ones those are. I think there's a correlations between the knives that serve a purpose and the ones aimed purely at collectors vs the stores that they're sold in: the ones that serve a purpose or solve an issue are generally found in big-box stores (e.g delica for EDC, salt series for diving etc. are sold in big-box stores) and the ones aimed mainly at collectors are sold in knife-specific stores (WE knives, grimsmo knives, custom knives in general etc. not sold at walmart). Look at spyderco's lineup and new releases, and look at which stores sell which models: the "old greats"/"classics" or the new ones that solve a niche are sold everywhere, and the new ones who were released for the sake of being released are sold at knife-specific shops only to be found by the interested collectors.
TL;DR: they're sold to collectors who buy them for the sake of buying new knives. If they don't release something new, collectors will buy "this week's new knife" from someone who DID release something that week.
Spyderco is probably the most consistent knife maker I know of. I have many many knives from Benchmade, Medford, Artisan Cutlery, WE, Lion Steel, Citadel, CRKT, Böker, MKM, Cold Steel, Cudeman, Condor, Two Suns, Victorinox, Rough Ryder, Case, Great Eastern Cutlery, Esee, White River, Ruike, Ontario Knife co, Buck...🤔 Probably forgot a few brands. And practically every Spyderco available today and multiple sprint runs. Currently carrying a Sage 1 in Maxamet and the Subvert on the weekends. 🤘🏻😎🤘🏻
Edit: Don’t know,why I decided to list them, but the 🥃 🥃🥃🥃🥃 are likely contributing. 😂
Very well said Nick I say that with all the bearing knives out there don’t get me wrong they can be great on some but there some I don’t understand like the word hard use and bearings don’t go together in my book but instead of only asking myself why I’m usually shaking my head no,no,no why
I just want a 3.75-4" steak knifey (ZT 0452ish) blade with a slight recurve and clip point or swedged drop point, and a finger coil for choking up on the back curve for whittling. And not in S35VN. Not in M390. Not in any super hard steels. Just some 3 or 4v. Haven't found anything yet
It's killing me that one of your knives is upside down.
Two.
mayo4700
Do look now but there’s actually 2
when he bumped that one at 4:42 it bugged me that he didn't put it back, but after 3 minutes of willing him to move it back he did. So all you have to do is re-watch the video and _will_ him to turn it up the right way. the power is yours. believe in yourself :oP lol
I would be perfectly fine if the upside down knife was flanked by 2 right side up knives. But 3 on the right and 2 on the left? What on earth are you thinking Nick Shabaz.
And one is open
Despite your self-imposed short comings, Nick, we still love you. Stick around mate, help us sort all this out like you have been doing. You have a gift. (That's a metaphor, I'm not actually sending you anything!)
They make them for two reasons. #1- to make money. #2- to make money.
I have a drawer full of knives, all given to me! I carried my dads pocket knife until it fell apart, now I carry a freebie CRKT wrangler because I like a locking blade, and I like my fingers.The only two that I’ve bought in the past 50 years are both for specific purposes. The first is a NRS pilot knife ($50), and a garden hawksbill locking folder knife ($15). Thank you TH-cam for reminding me that consumer greed still exists.
And thank you for being an attentive TH-cam consumer!
I think this video is right on the money and more people should ask this question; not just the knife makers but us as the consumers. That's why I have 3 knives, (well, that and limited funds) but even in the list of knives I want there are only 5 to 10 knives that truly interest me, and WHY would I choose to own all of them when the ones I have work fine? Be selective, don't just buy crap to add another piece to your collection, buy it because it's compelling and serves a purpose. We drive the market, if more people took time to research and consider what they bought half the people I know wouldn't be walking around with dull Gerber paraframes if they knew they could spend 10 or 20 bucks more and get a CRKT with better steel, or if they take care of their things, buy a benchmade or spyderco or something really nice they can give to their kids someday. Instead of adding to my own collection, i support the companies making models I love by buying family a really nice knife as a gift and in the long run hopefully spreading interest and awareness there are better knives out there at the same timd. It's ridiculous how poor stewards we are with our mone, we say "easily available right now", and "good enough" far too often. Demand and buy something perfect for your needs and price range whatever it is, don't settle for crap. Same with media, that's why I sub Nick and don't support shit clickbait
Here’s my take. It’s not 1940 when a person bought one good knife and kept it for life and rarely if ever bought another unless that one went missing. Add to that we now live in a world where lots and lots of people get rid of 1000 dollar phones every year just to get a new one. The knife market is maybe evolving into this mindset as well. people like to get a new knife just because it makes them feel good, just because it scratches that itch, and just because there are so many damn good ones out there nowadays. That’s my theory why you see so many new knives flooding the market and personally I love it.
Over saturation. You're right. Too many already available. Most people aren't collectors, but users. Once they have the knife they like or satisfies their needs, they're done. They move on to something else.
The knife community remains divided years later over whether a knife is a tool or a piece of functional art. If it's a tool, I get your argument. If knives are art, that's when I start to question things and see the value in a ton of variety and different designs, even if they aren't "innovative" per se. It would be a weird thing to ask an artist "why?" and perhaps even quite rude. The "why?" is sharing their art with the world. How is it any different for a knifemaker who considers their knives to be art?
I really enjoy these types of videos you put out like this!!
I have pm2 , bugout , delica, minigrip ,ZT 450cf , ect. Why do I put my RAT model 1 in my pocket all most every Day ?
when is you launch 4 review?
Old school dad era: You didn't buy 'tools' like toys. that seems to be the trend today - guys call it "adding my collection" when it's just buying more shit you didnt need . "Collection" is a very mis-used word. Well said video, sir
I got one automatic and one manual deep into the watch world before running away and wearing a casio calculator watch. I also get more comments on my calculator watch than I did on the omega.
WHY? Well yes that's a good question. I think first question you should ask yourself is are you a user or a collector? For me it is the:
- Collectability and that means it is well made.
- Metals used (more than G10 or aluminium handle and at least D2 blade).
- Designer (TwoSun for example has some very nice designers to follow and many others that seems to all come from China or design for Chinese knifes).
- Price (yes Chinese they make some very nice and often better than the $200 knife for $50).
- limited editions (sometimes annoying if you miss out).
- Function (camping/user knife is different than collectables).
- Replica vs genuine (some of the replica knifes are better than the original and fraction of the price).
I think they don't put a finger choil on the delica because it would hurt the rest of their product line. There would be no need for further renditions.
David McLaren that's what I have always thought. Virtually every model but the delica has a finger choil. I have the titanium Byrd meadowlark and that thing is perfect in my opinion (except blade steel and fit-and-finish issues lol). It's the thinnest knife I have ever seen and has the most useful blade shape and has a finger choil. Other than those issues I mentioned before it is an upgraded version of the Delica in my opinion. You should check it out.
“Why” is a question that ever person with a passion has to answer in order to maintain that passion. Without a why it is easy to burn out.
M390 Delica w/ Lynch Clip and Custom Kydex is all I need.
Great video. I would love your opinion on the wave of Chinese knives coming in with premium materials at low prices! They seem hogh high quality and a lot of them have been material tested to prove the HRC and steel/aluminum/titanium used. It's an interesting market. I personally only own a few but it seems like people are going crazy of companies like two sun and ganzo because of this and honestly I can see there point of view. All tho I will always be somewhat of a purest I do love me my kizer basalt lol
Stellar video. I couldn't put my finger on it before, but now I think this is exactly why I got into watches. THANKS A LOT, knife industry!!
I COMPLETELY agree with you on this one... Its like.... "Oh... A flipper ti framelock... Oh, great action... Yea sweet......"
Holy shit!!!! "Justify your existence" ....just wonderful Nick! Touchdown! I would just add the other part of the equation which I think is us...the consumer. If we just buy and buy and buy without ever asking ourselves those same questions, it's just another way of depredating the knife world instead of food or alcohol or something else. When we know what we want, things have a meaningand I think that's what we all need a dosis of... meaningful lives.
Watches give people expertise and skill in how they’re produced, exclusivity is a big factor in watches also. Such as how many pieces are made each year, how long it takes to complete single watch. And other factors too.
Knife companies designers/custom knife makers, could theoretically use the same principles from watch making but when other companies have similar tolerances or applications in use or Performance it makes higher priced Knives obsolete or unjustifiable..
I believe knife makers are in somewhat of a backwards quarts crisis like what watch makers experienced.. it’s not in the same manor but it’s a similar circumstances.
I agree with you on some part. I mean if the comapanys produce alot they get cheaper and that I believe is great. But yeah, there is a problem with the market right now since there isn't so much artistery anymore.
That’s why I’m anticipating the Paul Alexander Parata. Not because I’ll buy it, but because of the design and Stop-Lock. It will be new and original... Will we see a Sage 6 Stop-Lock?
Yup. It doesn't have to be perfect to be interesting.
It was easier when I was a kid. I had a Barlow folder for years, then switched to a Schrade Litte Finger fixed blade years later when I got tired of cutting my fingers, lol.
Flipper framelocks feel old to me now. Please do another lockup mechanism. What about a button lock. Is that so much harder to produce?
I think the constant influx of new designs etc is good, it's keeping the market competitive. Yes it is kinda repetitive (another flipper titanium frame lock etc) but I lie it, just buy what you like and sell what you don't. The constant influx of new knives also really differentiates between the good and bad companies when it come to innovation,qc, etc..... I'm still somewhat new to this hobby relatively but that's the way I see it.
Hey past self, I had a feeling I watched this video before....Anyway.... Yes, your original taught still stands. You still like all the innovation,you still like the constant onslaught of knife designs... you've actually acquired some knives you never taught you would. You're doing amazing, both in the knife world and in life. Keep going and I'll probably be here in another 3 years 😂. All the best, past self and hello future self.
The reason why I like Cold Steel, they always come up with ridiculous designs that are at least somewhat original. At least some brands, like Chris Reeve, Rick Hinderer and Strider don’t attempt to make new designs every week because it seems like they reached perfection with their first knife.
I have to agree. I left the knife thing like 2 years ago and when I came back I saw all these brands making too many knives to the point where the interesting knives drown, get lost in the mix and I end up with an empty shopping cart. If Kershaw just made 3 or 4 good well thought out knives a year it would help the brand differentiate themselves from a brand that is killing them on quality, design and price......cough..cough... bestech. KERSHAW PUT A FUCKING DETENT HOLE IN YOUR BLADES. Torsion bars break and you end up with knife that you aren't able to carry. By the way I love these discussion videos. Companies do listen sometimes and making a video like this helps them out too.
I don't think the problem is lack of innovation, I think it's just that the designs right now don't appeal to you (or me for that matter). I think about the knives that got you excited, and even some you named in this video - the holt specter, the olamic busker, the WE eskaton, even the boos blades smoke and mini aero - and none of them were innovative. At their core they are all just titanium flipper framelocks with standard steels, yet they had you (and me) excited. To me that says the issue isn't not enough innovation, it's not enough designs that appeal to you, and frankly, not many appeal to me right now either.
Spot on nick, were oversaturated. I'm 19 years old and every knife I own was was probably designed before I was born
Because they can, there will be some one who will buy it. Gone are the days when they are hard to make, CNC machines have made it cheep to do.
Eh, I disagree there. Making *good* knives is still hard, even with CNC. Sure, it's easier to make something knife-shaped these days, but getting the design, implementation, heat treat, production, and distribution right is still very hard. Or everybody would be doing it. CNC machines are not just printers, and there's true skill involved in using them well.