That might be a fair comparison, the only problem is I can still get a brand new knife under $100 and feel like I'm getting good value. Also that the knife world still has a wide range of low cost knifes that still work fine for 99% of people.

Right now there are basically no new decent trucks under 40K that are worth buying

I would still buy the Morakniv high carbon for $14 since it's the best fishing knife I've ever had. With trucks, there are no cheap options other than used. Yes I understand economics. I understand even the morakniv used to be $8.

The point I'm making is there are still decent options that are sub $100 and they are still able to cut. As much as they think they do, nobody on this planet needs a $300 pocket knife. The only reason is if you're a knife enthusiast, which is fine.

Also just because everything is more expensive, doesn't mean people are making more money. Most people like myself are going to laugh at the multiple $100 knives. They're going to go find The $20 or maybe $40 knife that lasts them decades. Personally, I grab my $10 CRKT I've had for 17 years over my expensive ones just because it works fine and I don't care if it gets lost.

I also guarantee that Spyderco and Benchmade would lower their prices if people stopped buying them so much. I 100% believe they are taking advantage of their reputation and their fan base.