Knives. We use knives every day, several times a day, whether it’s in the kitchen, out on a camping expedition, the workplace or maybe just opening your latest infuriatingly over-wrapped package (that seems impossible to open).
A sharp knife is yours and almost everyone else’s go-to. They are an absolute essential!
I’ve often found myself particularly aggrieved with less than adequate knives and want to share a few reasons why cheap knives belong right where they hang on isle 17 of the Supersave store!
5 Reasons to Avoid Cheap Knock-Offs
1. The Blade.
If you are tackling that maddening packaging with a knife, your anger will often get the better of you and you’ll start hacking away with a knife that probably isn’t as sharp as you might think leading to a potentially serious injury. Cheap knives don’t stay sharp very long at all, a quality steel blade will immeasurably reduce the chances of the knife slipping or ripping, seamlessly opening what feels like 12 layers of box tape while staying sharp. A quality blade should be stainless steel to avoid rust or seizure after a prolonged period without use ensuring it stays clean for whenever you need to use it!
2. Mechanical failure.
This problem is more often pertinent to automatic and OTF(out the front) knives. It’s a real headache if the mechanism suddenly gives up the ghost on you due to poor manufacturing while you’re out on a hunting expedition you’ve been looking forward to for months.
3. False Economy.
I’m sure we have all been culpable of the mindset “buy the cheap one, if it breaks, we’ll buy another”. Regrettably, I know I have! Unfortunately, this in most instances ends up being a less economical option when you’re into the third rebuy within a month! I’ll now always go for quality over quantity.
4. Reliability.
With any product, we have so many choices of the same thing these days with the odd little tweak and often none at all! Prices determine the quality. Quality is reliability. One of the more frustrating issues we have on a daily basis is something failing or breaking at the most inopportune of moments exposing an uncontrollable fury much like that to one we experience when we bang the back of our head!
5. Appearance.
It’s a similar case to that of buying knock-off sunglasses. They look great from afar but as you get closer, far from great. You see the poor craftsmanship, the screws come loose, the frames bend out of shape once you put them down for the first time and most annoyingly, the lens scratch so easily. Cheaper manufacturers cut corners to keep costs down leading to all-round inferior product. It’s no different to a knife, knock-offs are less ergonomic with little to no attention to detail.
I, for one, have learnt over time and after many poor purchases that it’s not worth trying to save a few bucks while compromising on the integrity and overall quality of a product increases the chances of something going wrong and making life harder than it has to be!
