I find that I sometimes don't want to use even cheaper gear, because it looks so nice and pristine. After the first scratch or two though it doesn't bother me anymore and I use the crap out of it. I think that's the key, once you use it a few times and mess it up a little, you become more willing to use it.

The exception for me is gear I bought strictly as a collectable (like my collection of Benchmade Prototype and William Henry knives). These I buy with the intent of them never being used. Only admired and eventually sold.


With that said, my EDC watch was $700, my EDC knife was $130, my EDC flashlight was $210.....so as you can tell I don't skimp on EDC gear. If I find something that I think is near-perfect for my purposes, it will usually end up in my EDC.

All in all, using a piece of gear doesn't bother me anywhere near as much a losing it. Losing something I really like burns me like no other.