How long is a length of paracord? This year I've been fortunate in that I have set myself a modest budget each week, for the entire year, to upgrade all my gear and equipment. This includes EDC, fire fighting gear, gardening tools, electronics, backpacks, camping equipment, hand tools, outdoor clothing, and a whole heap of other goodies. In everything I try to pay attention to the quality over the cost as I want what I buy to last a long time. I maintain my gear so paying a premium for top quality is worth the investment. There are some exceptions such as backup flashlights for fire fighting which I regularly lose or they get permanantly borrowed.
I'm with you. I like quality and don't mind spending money on high quality EDC gear. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quality is king but even then I only have so much cashola to sink into a reliable and aesthetically pleasing EDC knife, firearm, holster, watch, ring(s), etc. I'm not as much afraid of losing/misplacing something but I do worry about thieving scumbags.
If it means the rent/mortgage payment cannot be met; if it means no food on the table; if it means health insurance/bills cannot be paid; if it means the utility bill(s) are left unpaid...THEN YOUR EDC SPENDING IS TOO HIGH! L'chaim! Moshe ben David
For me personally, my phone, money clip, and keys are pretty much locked in and taken care of. So for me that really only leaves flashlights and knives for the big $ pits. Knives - I've pretty much got my knife preferences figured out. I like small Swiss Army Knives with scissors. I actually use scissors more than a knife in my day to day life. I will also occasionally carry a small Spyderco $40-100 more for fun than actual need. So that leaves flashlights. This is where I spend/waste most of my money. I still haven't found the perfect flashlight, and there are so many that come close to being the one. The flashlights that I like also seem to become rare and harder to get quicker than knives do, so I feel more pressure to buy them before it's too late. For carrying around everyday I like very small (AAA or smaller), powerful, well made flashlights with nice smooth beams and nice close to sunlight tints. I have lights that range from $5 to $160. I don't plan on ever spending more than $200 on a flashlight. $200 is around 1-2 full days of hard work for me, so I don't want to ever exceed 2 days worth of hard work for one piece of not truly needed gear. I really want a Muyshondt flashlight and I have the money, but I'm not gonna do it because $300-400 is too much for me to lose or break and have to work 3-4 full days to replace. I like to look at it like - its not can you come up with the money and buy it for the first time, but can you lose it or break it and buy a replacement the same day without feeling really crappy about it.
I feel we are very fortunate to have such high quality, reasonably priced gear so readily available. This also means that spending more per item, or buying redundant items, is an affordable luxury. For $100 or less each you can buy a serviceable quality knife, flashlight, multi-tool, and bag. If you're on a tight budget, you can find them for $40 each. If you have the money to sink into a hobby, there is no limit to how much you can spend, but you certainly don't have to. So, for zero increase in functionality, how much more money are you willing to spend for purely aesthetic purposes? That only depends on your values and your finances. For me? I often spend more than I have to, but I don't often spend more than I can afford. But I've also built up a collection of gear that fits my needs, so I don't buy much new gear nowadays. I wish guns were so cheap!
Some months I buy nothing. . Then months like this I have already spent 300+.. Could feel bad about that. But know what. I'm going to use that gear and it will last for years. Just brought some oil for the cars.. that was $270.. and it will last 6 to 12 months depending on what vehicle its for.
I think there was a thread like this previously somewhere. My response to this is buy the best stuff you can reasonably afford. If you Want a TAD bag but can't spend the 400$ on one, find something that will fit your needs as well as your budget. But make sure what you're buying has the quality to do the job you need it to do. I.E. Don't buy a Cheaply made knife if it's going to be your EDC knife. You want something that you can use and know that it is not going to fail you even in situations where you may need to mistreat it to get something done.
