i don't mind paying for quality, but am on a very tight budget...which is ok cuz i don't mind doing most or all the cleanup and mounting work myself...i make my own blades as well and can heat treat up to a four inch blade, but send anything bigger to a professional heat treater. as for my personal knives, i couldn't care less about polish, just performance and the ability to soak abuse...a 25$ carbon blade fits that bill nicley
~oz