Am I having a mid knife crisis?

[gdwtvb]

My question is, have some of you had a similar experience, or gone through phases, or something different entirely?

Definitely through phases.

Once upon a time I needed at least one new knife a month. This is back in the dark ages for you young-uns before the internet was here and AOL was just an idea. It meant I went down to the local hardware store, (That's a place like Home Depot, but smaller with only one or two people in the entire store to sell things to you) We had one local that carrtied more than just a case knife display because the owner liked knives. I'd purchase whatever caught my fancy, sometimes going away empty handed because I had less than the $30-40 cost of a new knife I was lusting after. (Think Gerber LST, Case, Schrade, Old timer, etc.)

Times and situations changed. I bought many, Spyderco, Benchmade....I miss my Benchmade AFCK to this day. Alas. But I always had my eyes on the prize, but never expected to actually ever spend the money on a Chris Reeve Sebenza. By now I was spending a couple hundred dollars a year on knives buying one every several months or so.

I saved and bought the ultimate knife, CRK Sebenza and my knife purchases stopped...for about 7 years. That was how I rationalized the Sebbie, no reason to ever purchase another knife if I got that one. (This is the stage I think you might be in right now. Get the grail, and then I'll be happy.)

Then I sold the Sebenza because, honestly, it was just a knife. A good knife. A knife with almost perfect fit and finish. But just a knife. (not a lightsaber.) I found that the fit and finish really didn't equate to any more enjoyment using it. It didn't make me feel special. I wasn't any better at cutting tasks, and in some ways the Sebenza was sub-par. (in my opinion Spyderco does a superior job on the heat treat, and the hole is better than thumbstuds any and every day.)

The Sebenza is gone, sold, and I have come to a happy place. I don't collect. I might have 20 knives left. The expensive ones are sold and I have a small collection of sentimental knives, like my grandfather's, and multiple SAK's stashed about. Anything under $25 value really isn't worth the aggravation to sell. I have two different folders I carry depending on what I'm doing, a Spyderco Chapparral ti, and a Viper knives Sowbelly traditional with stag and a M390 blade. (I also have a few fixed blades, but rarely carried unless out camping)

I love reading the forums about new knives and I feel certain when I find one in Magnacut I like, I will buy it in a heartbeat. If one of my users goes unused and it's worth selling, I will move it along. Life has changed. I don't care about collecting things, I care about collecting memories and experiences. Time with my family, those types of things. I would much rather drop $500 to celebrate a birthday or have an enjoyable evening with people I care about than another knife. Because at the end of the day, even if it's a diamond encrusted carved gold monstrosity from William Henry or a standard FRN Delica from Spyderco, I'll only use it to open the odd envelope or cut a steak, the costs has nothing to do with how well they cut. It's just a knife. I might miss the AFCK I lost, but if I really wanted one I could have it. People are irreplaceable.

OK enough of the philosophical rant, I'm going out with my wife!

Have a great day!

Grizz

 

[Hvactech]

Wait until you get to the point where you aren’t happy when you come home unless a knife is waiting for you in the mail. That’s peak level addiction.

Haha I'm already there brother

 

[irsh]

I never realized there were $1000+ folders before I joined BF.
Now that my eyes have been opened to the wondrous variety of sharpened steel available I have more knives, instead of two I have a dozen. I also have more expensive knives, though nothing that costs more than I make in a day (after taxes). I am content.

 

[severtecher]

I have carried a knife for 60 years but really didn't get the "sickness " until about 30 years ago. I have sold half of my knives in the last 12 years.
I just bought a Maserin Solar knife last month and plan on getting a Spyderco Resilience Lightweight in the coming weeks. Then I will stop buying knives except for a very rare circumstance. I have had knives worth $30 to $1800 dollars. I have made about 15% above my purchase prices overall. As much as doubled my money on one and got half on one custom sale.
I've almost always bought on looks and function alone. I'm retired so don't use a knife nearly as much as I did. I never had over 100 knives so needless to say I'm not as crazy like some of you.
(we won't name names) I recently sold a half dozen recently to an online dealer and pocketed about $1500. The wife likes that and said I shouldn't be selling my collection. But, of course, I know better. Got 2 or 3 trades on old purchases and did very well dollar wise.
Been through all the stages mentioned here and the end of the road is in sight and am on a fixed income. That will slow your spending. It has been great fun and have had a ball on the forums for 20 years. No regrets. Now I get as much pleasure looking at your knives and hearing your stories. Thanks everybody. BUY WHAT YOU LIKE!

 

[The Grendels]

See what happens if you don’t control your habits

https://imgur.com/xNvtJpk

What I see is someone in need of a second cabinet. I've got five drawers full and another 30-40 stashed around the place.

I occasionally get the "I don't really want to know how many knives you have, do I", to which I reply "Of course not." (given that that number likely greatly exceeds any reasonable estimates).

 

[cbach8tw]

It’s getting sad, I was rummaging through a drawer and found one I do not remember the maker and forgot I had.

 

[BladeMan]

What I find after buying a few "grail" knives..... they usually aren't as nice as I thought.....
I like everything about them.....except this one thing......

Then the hunt for the NEXT one begins......
Sorry, It doesn't get easier. I just try to keep my expectations in order.

That was exactly the reason i started desgning them and later on making them exactly how i want them!

 

[Crag the Brewer]

That was exactly the reason i started desgning them and later on making them exactly how i want them!

I feel I'm looking in the mirror, then..... haha.
I out grew my 1x30 (a long time ago) but recentlly ordered a new Pheer.... look out World.....

 

[USMCPOP]

Mid knife crisis? Is that like having too many 3 to 5 inch blades? Or $30-$50 knives?

 

[BellaBlades]

I was in deep. Now I carry a Native 5 , Mora, Bugout and Kershaw auto-1 .

I appreciate different things now.

 

[badmatt]

I'm 32 and I think I have had two pre-mid life crisis's on knives alone...


I need to slow down...

 

[Leo Greer]

I’m a relatively new knife guy.

For many years I have appreciated the value of a good knife, but my standard was really the $10 folders from Academy that I bought and lost one per year.

Through gifting, I acquired two custom Damascus knives, a folder and fixed blade, both with relatively high values ($300-$500?). Both are very well made, but neither is a particularly good knife to carry around and use. I used them for fishing and hunting and cleaning and quartering, but they’ve never seen much casual carry time. The folder is a thick beast that probably weighs 10-11 ounces. Damascus bolsters, ram’s horn, some other material on the other side, Damascus lockback… 0.75” thickish. Maybe I’ll weigh it at some point. I will probably never get rid of these knives, as they are gifts and they hold value to me beyond their cutting capacity.

Other than those, I have owned in between ten and twelve knives of the $10 hunter variety. None of them have been crazy crappy, but my standard were just dirt. Honestly, I never would’ve known I was missing out…

If a few years ago I hadn’t done research on folding karambits and discovered the world of high end knives.

Still though, the price deterred me. However, about three months ago I purchased a $90 knife from a no-name Chinese brand. It was supposedly M390 and Ironwood. This is exactly what you SHOULDN’T buy from China, but I did it anyways.

A week later and I walk into a knife store and pick up a Kizer Sovereign. My local LKS is pretty lame in terms of pricing and service, but they have a small selection of random stuff that may be bought without boxes, and about which the owner can tell you very little.

**flips knife a few times**

“What steel is this?” I say.

“I dunno.” Rando answers.

**reads steel mark**

“Says N690… what the heck is that??”

**googling noises**

“Like VG-10… I’ll take it.”

And so I bought it having no real clue how VG-10 actually ranked in terms of properties or listing on the “steel ladder”.

Cost me $110, which was MSRP when those things were new. I definitely overpayed. There were several that I later found in “the bay” for sub-$70.

I will never sell this knife because I will never be able to sell it for anything close to the amount I paid for it. Probably.

That, and a few of the features are actually kinda nice… I overpayed for the materials, but the F&F has something going for it.

Fast forward about a month. I discover BladeForums. I write a glowing review for my trashy Chinese folding device and am immediately called out as a “paid shill”. To be fair, I did kinda sound like it, but it messed with me a little that people would be so quick to decry on someone’s first ever post.

I go in search of what people would actually respect and accept as a “good knife”.

After a few threads posted and some hours spent researching, I buy a WE Kitefin for $120 off the ubiquitous auction site. Used. Pocketwear. Really actually a good deal.
For $10 more than my Kizer I’ve just bought S35VN and Titanium on bearings…

The spree begins.

Before the Kitefin even arrives I’ve purchased a WE Seer, WE Upshot, and WE Balaenoptera. One from an old exchange post, and two from other avenues.

The Seer arrives first:

Yes. This is the new standard for what a knife should be.

And the rest you can guess.

I’ve since purchased in between 15 and 20 knives that cost over $100. Everything from a Civivi Wyvern that cost little more than $40, to a BT custom that cost over $450. I’ve sold about a dozen of those. Maybe more. I don’t count.

My rule is that I have to keep my spending funds under control and I can’t keep everything I buy.

So far, I’ve tried out WE, Reate, BM, Brian Tighe, Civivi, CH, Ruike, Vero, Giantmouse, Adam Purvis, and others in my search for what kind of knives will be my deal.

I’ve tried Chinese knives, a sparse few American ones, an Italian one, production knives, customized knives, and a true custom or two.

Hinderers, a PM2, and a CRK are in the mail.

I’m starting to think that I’ll go for the $200-$400 range, with exceptions either way, as those knives tend to hold resale value better, and allow me to experience “better knives” while also being able to get rid of them for no less than I paid. If I find a good deal, maybe I even cover shipping and various fees too.

The real thing is that I’ve come to believe that “stuff” can never bring true joy. It just can’t. Happiness is for a moment, but joy is eternal, and stuff only lasts for the moment, so how can it give you joy? It can’t. Stuff can have it’s place, but we should never mistake it for something that will bring us joy and true happiness. When you believe it will, the desire just consumes, because it never is enough. When you accept that it won’t and act accordingly, you gain freedom from the addiction, because you know that stuff is, ultimately, useless.

I hope to never go through a “mid-knife crisis”, but I empathize with those who find themselves in the loops of buying and regretting and buying some more. The concept is not unfamiliar to me.

To manage costs, I plan to simply buy and then sell or trade, as I have been doing these past few months. I’ve lost a few bucks through shipping, fees, and devaluation. I’ve gained a few bucks through good buys and good observation. Don’t ask me what happened with the trades I’ve done. That’s complicated. I’m probably under even for my total knife spending, but that’s the cost of fun. I accept that cost.

I don’t plan to let it consume me. I hope that it doesn’t for y’all.

Leo.












If you’ve actually read to the end of this post, you deserve a prize…

Go find yourself your own prize—I’m not giving you one!!

 

[FloridaDreams]

Not tons to contribute about the original ask - but I’ve always used knives at work, I’m a little newer to anything north of a DeWalt box cutter. (I exaggerate but you get my point). I am really enjoying learning about and trying different steels to see what suits me, learning to sharpen, and trying different models/brands to see what I like, and I definitely have bought a few to collect/save, so can see it becoming more thought/time consuming so please allow me to throw in a ‘Thank you’ - that this has all been interesting/helpful to understand.

 

[Sonnydaze]

See what happens if you don’t control your habits.

Amazing grapes...!