Advice on how to narrow down collection

unwisefool said:
Take pictures of all your knives. Print out. Put on wood. Throw darts. Those are the ones you get rid of.
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Better yet--throw the knives at a dart board. Keep the ones that stick.

Or: (and I don't recommend this but)

Get married, figure out which ones the wife will let you keep. She might be like my ex and spend so much you have to sell your knives to make ends meet.
 
K.O.D. said:
Better yet--throw the knives at a dart board. Keep the ones that stick.

Or: (and I don't recommend this but)

Get married, figure out which ones the wife will let you keep. She might be like my ex and spend so much you have to sell your knives to make ends meet.
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Do you want lock rock?? That's how you get lock rock.
 
Random Dan said:
Every week randomly pick a couple and put them in a box where you can't see them. If you find yourself missing one of them then take it out and keep it, otherwise sell.
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This is close to the best advice I got on the topic. There was an old photo journalist and outdoor writer named Joe Rychetnik, and as he was getting up there in years, he needed start getting rid of his collection. The way he did it was to gather all of them up, set them on a table, and handle them. The ones he felt nothing for went into the sell or giveaway pile, the second pile was the undecided pile, and third was the keepers.

He'd do this every few years, and by the end he was left with a handful of knives that really meant something.
 
I have 10 knives which seems crazy around this place I know. A couple hold sentimental value, the rest I carry at certain times. If I add one I give away one, usually to my son.
 
Hello Mate- Like you I have collected knives of all sorts when I was in my early years, "saw it & liked it & bought it" and I love all the memories it made me. That being said over time I found what I still wanted to buy, trade and sell and kept it in my budget for 'blowing a few bucks'. Now I have a collection that is purely for investment with high end knives that I have found after extensive research 'Do Not Lose Their Value' if kept in pristine conditions.

1) There is no right or wrong if it makes you happy and your in your budget.
2) Find the one you want with you daily because it meets your needs and is what your happy to have with you constantly.
3) Go from there and enjoy the path you create.

For edc I carry a Leatherman Skeletool CX on my side daily during the workweek, a Finch Runtly Ghost or AdV Micro Impi for causal wear occasions and my newest investment blades are AdV Tactical Blades.

So go with your heart and enjoy where you end up because that is where you will find you are the happiest!

Cheers!
 
I buy knives because I like them but I also have to be envisioning a use for them or a need for them. Maybe I find a knife that I think will work better than one that I already have. So now I have a new knife and an old knife that maybe needs to go. I will keep knives that I use or have use for, or maybe knives that have sentimental value or other meaning. It's still easy to end up with too many so then I have to decide which ones I like the least and/or ones that could sell easy. My tastes change, my uses change, a knife that looked good turns out to not meet my needs as well, lots of reasons a knife might fall out of favor and get sold.

Each person has to set their own limit. If you want 100 knives and can afford them, then you don't have to justify to anyone else. If money is tight then you have to figure out ways to eliminate some. I set my own limit and as time passes I end up reducing the numbers slightly, but at times I might still buy new knives. I try to use most or all of my knives bought within the past 10 years but as many as I have they don't get that much use each and will probably last forever.
 
I was thinking about this very topic tonight & found this thread, which has been extremely helpful! I really like some of your ideas & I believe they'll help me figure out my situation. Nevertheless, I could use some advice!

I've loved knives since I was a kid in the late 80a & early 90s, but only started "seriously" collecting in May 2020. I'm a recovering heroin addict, sober nearly 6 years & I'm still getting my life back on track. Being able to afford knives I don't pawn, & still have money saved is a HUGE deal for me. I'm proud of my accomplishments.

But I need a vehicle to get a job. And with the price of used cars being much higher than usual right now, I find myself feeling guilty about the money I've put into my collection.

I quit my job in September because my family moved into a newly built house in another city & I don't have a car. When I quit I had pretty much exactly 6k saved. I've burned through some savings in the past months on bills, everyday expenses, & knives. I've tried as much as possible to offset purchases by selling other knives. So after four months, accounting for all my expenses, I'm right at 4k. The value on my entire collection is maybe 5-6k.

I've bought & sold a lot, approaching 200 flair on the Knife Swap subreddit. I now own about 50 knives. Current used value, about 20 of them are around $200. One is right at $400, & the rest are mostly $180-$250. The other 30 range from $20-$100, with a pretty even mix.

As I go through my collection, this week, I genuinely love every knife I have. I don't use them all, but all the knives that have reasonable value are ones I just love to ogle, fidget, & carry. Most higher dollar blades are either customized by me, very hard to replace, would cost much more to replace than what I paid, or all of the above. Sure, there's always others I want, but this is the first time I feel content with my collection as-is.

This has gotten long so I'll wrap it up. Bottom line is, I still have enough saved to buy a car but only if I stop buying knives, or sell one of equal value for anything I buy going forward.

Should I go beyond that, though? Force myself to sell a number of higher-values, save that as car money, then turn off notifications for knife deals & in-stocks & stop searching the damn dealer websites? I'll probably do that last part regardless, to reduce temptation.

If you've made it this far, I guess I'm just asking for anyone's two cents on my situation. As things stand I'm doing fine in all other regards, such as a roof & food. My family is extremely loving & supportive (my nuclear family, as I'm single with no kids).

Thanks for reading all this bullhonky & for any advice! 😆
 
Irked Particle said:
I was thinking about this very topic tonight & found this thread, which has been extremely helpful! I really like some of your ideas & I believe they'll help me figure out my situation. Nevertheless, I could use some advice!

I've loved knives since I was a kid in the late 80a & early 90s, but only started "seriously" collecting in May 2020. I'm a recovering heroin addict, sober nearly 6 years & I'm still getting my life back on track. Being able to afford knives I don't pawn, & still have money saved is a HUGE deal for me. I'm proud of my accomplishments.

But I need a vehicle to get a job. And with the price of used cars being much higher than usual right now, I find myself feeling guilty about the money I've put into my collection.

I quit my job in September because my family moved into a newly built house in another city & I don't have a car. When I quit I had pretty much exactly 6k saved. I've burned through some savings in the past months on bills, everyday expenses, & knives. I've tried as much as possible to offset purchases by selling other knives. So after four months, accounting for all my expenses, I'm right at 4k. The value on my entire collection is maybe 5-6k.

I've bought & sold a lot, approaching 200 flair on the Knife Swap subreddit. I now own about 50 knives. Current used value, about 20 of them are around $200. One is right at $400, & the rest are mostly $180-$250. The other 30 range from $20-$100, with a pretty even mix.

As I go through my collection, this week, I genuinely love every knife I have. I don't use them all, but all the knives that have reasonable value are ones I just love to ogle, fidget, & carry. Most higher dollar blades are either customized by me, very hard to replace, would cost much more to replace than what I paid, or all of the above. Sure, there's always others I want, but this is the first time I feel content with my collection as-is.

This has gotten long so I'll wrap it up. Bottom line is, I still have enough saved to buy a car but only if I stop buying knives, or sell one of equal value for anything I buy going forward.

Should I go beyond that, though? Force myself to sell a number of higher-values, save that as car money, then turn off notifications for knife deals & in-stocks & stop searching the damn dealer websites? I'll probably do that last part regardless, to reduce temptation.

If you've made it this far, I guess I'm just asking for anyone's two cents on my situation. As things stand I'm doing fine in all other regards, such as a roof & food. My family is extremely loving & supportive (my nuclear family, as I'm single with no kids).

Thanks for reading all this bullhonky & for any advice! 😆
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Uncertain economic times incoming, go with whatever will bring you greater financial security in the near to mid term futures and whatever option will enable you to access the job market, strengthen relationships with friends family etc. Answer seems obvious to me, but it's not for me to tell you what you need to do.

Used cars are seeing an unprecedented upsurge in prices, used knives not so much. So in terms of thinking of this as a hedge against inflation again the answer seems obvious.

Also congratulations on getting the monkey off your back. You are not in the clear, fight hard, good luck.
 
Outside of actually needing a knife, and I mean REALLY needing a knife, I considers knives to be an indulgence.

It's always been my policy not to indulge (purchase unneeded things) unless all of my REAL needs are covered. This is simply a matter of setting priorities and practicing self-discipline.

You want to buy a used car, those are expensive. Then there's insurance, gas, and basic maintenance. And then there is always the potential for a flat tire or some mechanical failure which would cost more money.

I don't know your age, but it sounds like you're living with your family. There's nothing wrong with that, but in my opinion, being able to contribute and help out with household expenses is far more important than buying knives, or keeping expensive knives that you don't really need, particularly if you don't have a job/income.

I'm guessing that you owe your family a lot. For their support, patience, and maybe financially. I think repaying them for all that, and showing them that you are a responsible person, is more important than a knife collection.

My advice would be to get your life sorted out (job, transportation, pay off any debts, build up some savings, etc), and start collecting knives later in the future when you have achieved some financial security.

Just my 2 cents. Congrats on the 6 years sober. And good luck. :)
 
Step 1: Decide which of your accumulation you use the most, then giveaway or sell the rest.

Step 2: Stop looking at knives online. Also, refrain from going to the Sporting Goods department, or at least the isle that has the knives, when you go to Walmart, etc.

Step 3: Limit your knife purchases to 1 or 2 or less per fiscal quarter. Also, put a limit of say $50 ~ $60 or less for any one knife.
When you "see something 'cool' " Ask yourself "Will I carry and use it regularly, or will it just go in the knife drawer?"

Also ask yourself "What can it do that my other knives can't?" and the related question "Have I ever needed to do whatever before? Will I ever need to do that?" Then wait a few weeks or months before "pulling the trigger."

The final question to ask yourself is "What do I need more than another knife?"
(E.G.: Maybe invest in some penny stock, or get a life insurance policy, or even a prepaid burial plan and a 4x8 plot of ground with a nice view. Maybe stick the cost of the knife (including sales tax/Gov'ners bribe/kickback to let you spend your money) in a large jar or cigar box, and save up a decent down payment (50 ~75%) on a new car/pickup/mini van, or the 20 ~ 30% down payment on a house.)
I am presuming you are an adult. Learn to control your impulse purchases. :)
 
Like others have said, we tend to enable knife buying, rather than encouraging fiscal responsibility.

I have a bad habit of trying to over-optimize, so the process of figuring out what I like was just what I do.

Cost was part of it, but perceived value for the money is, too.

Handle materials, blade shape, and lock type are the other big ones for me, though I mostly steer clear of knives with thumb ramps and lots of other tactical features that don't do anything to improve ergonomics.
 
Even though I bough an investment property a few weeks ago, and there is nothing stopping me from using the leftover money, I still sold a PM2 and a Sage 5 recently, and am selling a Native LW, a Bravo 1 in D2 and a couple of lesser knives, so I am not feeling bad about getting the CF Native and something in K390 and/or MC next.

I also ordered three sets of custom scales, but that's a rare thing.
 
I think if you have to ask us how to pare down your collection: you're asking the wrong group of knife nutz!
Keep buying, and let someone else worry about the EPIC pile of knives that they find: while cleaning out your personal effects...
 
As long as your budget allows (meaning the $$ you spent on your knife collection won't have any noticeable negative effect on your life and your family's life), there is no need to force yourself to downsize your collection if you don't want to. It would be a completely different story if you have to squeeze $$ from other important/necessary expenses (food, utility, car/transportation, education, housing, gifts to important ones, etc.) in order to increase/maintain your knife collection. As for which knives to sell or keep, only you can decide. Some people emphasize on using, others on collecting or fondling. There is really no correct or wrong answer to that.
 
Thanks for all the replies! I have a lot to think about. I do think I need to find a way to pare down my collection.

Are the very least, starting today, I have already stopped all in stock & deals notifications.

I think I'll set a goal of selling 1k worth of knives & saving that money, then see how I feel. I think I can do that easily & still have a lot of kick-arse knives to carry & ogle.

Thanks again so much everyone!!! 😃
 
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