There was an older thread about preparedness sometimes becoming a lust for gadget collection (you know .. knives, flshlights ..etc.) I just remembered it when I thought to write this thread.

A few days ago, I was going through my junk when I saw a cheap ( real cheap ) multitool. I dont remember when and where I bought it. Then it struck me : why dont I just use these cheap items around the house and save my more expensive tools in good condition for as long as possible.

Situations around the house arent "life and death" by any means. My life will not depend on it. So, why not the cheap stuff? Let the cheap one be worn out and then I will toss it away with some satisfaction that I stretched my dollars longer than a slingshot rubber has ever been stretched.

I know that cheaper stuff is risky sometimes. But remembering their limitations they are used for light duty work and they are OK. I can even put them to more abuse than I would put the better ones. And lets remembver that a prepper is supposed to be an improviser. A knife which is too poor to cut can be used for scraping.

What I want to say is that following such a strategy, I think I will not leave behind me a cupboard full of expensive and rarely used knives and multitools. The money will be more wisely spent, perhaps to extra-fill the pantry or the like.

This is especially important these days of financial meltdown and income loss.

The flip-side of this position is that if you only use the cheap alternative in every-day circumstances, you have not gained any experience or vetted the more expensive option when a crisis occurs. A crisis is kind of a bad time to learn about the “nuances” of any gadget, even a more expensive one.

mine strategy is buying the best i can afford and sell the old stuff when i replace it. Which saves space and money.

There is a big difference between cheap and inexpensive.
the biggest threat to Amazon monkeys and birds is not only logging, but the single shot shotgun introduced to native peoples.
There is a big difference between a Mora and a Fallkniven. C
ommon to both should be user confidence.

Amen to that.

Cheap stuff is for the most part useless for any serious work. If you need a multitool on a regular basis by all means EDC a good one. A badly made cheapo multitool won't last long and won't do a decent job. I've had one break and the pliers bent the first time I tried to snip some plain 16ga. wire. For the last 5 years or so I've carried a Leatherman Wave and I've never looked back. Probably the best $50 I've spent in a long time.

If you want to have a proper backup you'll have to buy another quality multitool. Cheap Chinese crap is useless for everyday work and it's just as useless in an emergency situation.

The ceap stuff thends to either slip and cause damage to what you were trying to work on or breaks causing injust to you. BTDT.

I'm not much of a handy man sadly enough. However over the years I've learned to suck up the extra cost and buy better quality tools. The reason is simple, you will use a household tool many times over many years. If the tool is a piece of crap you will be reminded that it's a piece of crap every time you pick it up and try to use it. Even with my limited abilities, I can tell the difference between better tools and poorly made tools.

Sometimes the more "expensive" item is actually the cheaper buy.

The F1 is several times as expensive as a Clipper but and its a big but, it is also somewhat more than several times as durable.

I like the Clipper. It's "inexpensive" and would be a good buy at twice it's price. I think that it is a wonderful knife for slicing and dicing, whittling and futzing up sticks for a fire. Its great for using with a ferro rod. But I would purely hate to have to rely upon it as my only knife in a cold, wet, shivering, got to baton this large chunk of wood for dry firewood or die of hypothermia situation. One reckon's that one would break it.

The cheapest tool is the tool for the job. If its going to get broken, stolen or used only once then "inexpensive" is the way to go.

Unless, of course, your life depends on it. then buy the best that you can afford.