An observation about our addiction

22-rimfire said:
Any addiction is a bad thing. It implies that desire or need overrides reason. Obsessions are another matter and only implies desire. I am no word smith, but this is my interpretation. Knives are okay as long as you keep your desires reined in based on your financial ability.
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Good point!

(The only debt I have is my mortgage)
 
I was worried that I was getting too into knives a while back, and then I realized that I really like some of the knives I have and I don't really need others. I'll probably buy more at some point, but at this point I don't have the itch to constantly buy.
 
I don't know what is worse... not knowing what you like exactly and buying a wide variety of knives... or knowing exactly what you like and having a few custom makers who know exactly what you like.
 
I enjoy buying something that catches my eye or I read a lot of positive comments about on BF just to try out as long as it isn't too expensive. That tends to be the dominant reason why I buy a lot of different knives (to try out). I purchased my first GEC slipjoint with some reservation due to cost (or value versus what you get). Got past that after a while and now focus on patterns and sizes. Anytime I cross the $100 mark on a knife, I slow down and make those decisions with more care. But certainly 10 $80 knives is $800 and the cost of a pretty darn good custom.

With customs, I make that decision fairly deliberately except when I'm at a show where I can handle it and talk to the maker.
 
I've been bad... 2 knives just over the $2000 mark and another at $750... since this binge was not fueled by a credit card, there won't be any hangover.
 
God, grant me the serenity to accept the knives I cannot buy, the budget to buy ones I can and the wisdom to know the difference. :D
 
22-rimfire said:
Any addiction is a bad thing. It implies that desire or need overrides reason. Obsessions are another matter and only implies desire. I am no word smith, but this is my interpretation. Knives are okay as long as you keep your desires reined in based on your financial ability.
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I agree. I don't drink alot, don't smoke, and hate going out on the weekends when everyone else is out and the roads are crazy. Buying myself a knife and a good steak to go with it offsets this, but I don't overdo it.
 
Charlie Mike said:
I've been bad... 2 knives just over the $2000 mark and another at $750... since this binge was not fueled by a credit card, there won't be any hangover.
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Some of the most accomplished and recognizable people in the world have addiction issues. Addiction transference is common and something for addictive personalities to watch for. I figure that as long as I'm not hurting myself or anyone else, that I can do whatever I want in my clean life, which is 17 years now. Knives are obviously just tools like a hammer, it's how they are misused at times which frightens common folk. And to be honest I get pretty up tight myself when I see a kid with pants half to his knees, sideways hat, mouthing off and doing his jerk walk on the street while he packs a folder. When I get into a hobby I usually go hard. Like tearing apart and rebuilding a motorcycle, serious hard core metal detecting in semi dangerous isolated bush locations etc. We only go round once, so have fun. ''Normal'' is just a setting on a dryer, and besides who wants to be that ? It's incredibly boring !
:)
 
The thing about knives (and any serious collection) is that you can get some or more money back out of them if you were to cash out. Drugs/booze are consumed and gone.
 
jackknife said:
Only in the most recent times has it fell a bit out of favor. I know I'm an old fart now, but when I was growing up, if a man had pants on, there was a pocket knife in those pants somewhere. It was even expected. Many women also carried a small pocket knife in a purse. Every five and dime store had the stand up cardboard display right up by the cash register with the small one and two blade jacks for all of .99 cents, in case you needed another pocket knife it was there as you checked out.

Our modern society has demonized the knife to a strong degree, but it is still a useful, and sometimes a needed object. It is my opinion that every man should have a sharp edge on him. My old man used say, you can never know what you will have to deal with when you leave your front door. <snip>

I can think of a lot worse things to be obsessed over. Knives are legal, cheaper than drug, can be carried around in a pocket, and can save a life. Obsess away!
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Knives have been demonized just like firearms. Growing up, both were such common things to see a young person walking in the woods, down a rail road track, or even along the highway (guns), pulling out their knife to cut a stick or rope, etc. You get the idea. Most people never gave these people a second glance. It's different now and it really shouldn't be. It doesn't need to be if people would use their brains. Maybe there are a few more crazies around.... The population is becoming more and more urbanized and that is your dominant reason for the shift in perspectives.

An obsession with knives is mostly about fun over a tool that you find useful.
 
Charlie Mike said:
The thing about knives (and any serious collection) is that you can get some or more money back out of them if you were to cash out. Drugs/booze are consumed and gone.
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So true. All the booze, drugs and even smokes over decades tend to add up to a few pennies. Cutting tools are a heck of a better investment on so many levels. And they tend to get some of us off our farticus maximus and out for camping etc.
 
Tasmaniac said:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the knives I cannot buy, the budget to buy ones I can and the wisdom to know the difference. :D
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Hi. My name is Matt F. and I'm a steel addict.
 
I had a an expensive collection that gradually got bigger and bigger just because I really enjoyed owning them and appreciated the design / style etc.

Then one day I pulled everything out and took a long hard look. The collection was culled by at least two thirds, I kept the ones that I REALLY liked and sold off the rest. Have not bought a new knife since then as I kept enough to last more than one lifetime.

Addiction kicked :D:D
 
Lycosa said:
My knife buying got me into trouble with my wife, big-time. I will now ONLY trade or sell a knife to buy a knife.
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This is where I am now.

upnorth said:
Some of the most accomplished and recognizable people in the world have addiction issues. Addiction transference is common and something for addictive personalities to watch for. I figure that as long as I'm not hurting myself or anyone else, that I can do whatever I want in my clean life, which is 17 years now. Knives are obviously just tools like a hammer, it's how they are misused at times which frightens common folk. And to be honest I get pretty up tight myself when I see a kid with pants half to his knees, sideways hat, mouthing off and doing his jerk walk on the street while he packs a folder. When I get into a hobby I usually go hard. Like tearing apart and rebuilding a motorcycle, serious hard core metal detecting in semi dangerous isolated bush locations etc. We only go round once, so have fun. ''Normal'' is just a setting on a dryer, and besides who wants to be that ? It's incredibly boring !
:)
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My uncle is like this. He used to drink a lot, but once he sobered up, he just focused that addictive personality on something else. For a while it was glass blowing. There were glass things everywhere at his house. Then it was wood carving. He would sit for hours and carve, sometimes forgetting dinner until my aunt came to drag him to the table. Lately it's been cycling, spending thousands on bicycles that weigh less than my compound bow (he can afford them, though), and riding for hours on end. These are all far healthier than his drinking, but they can still be engaged in to an unhealthy degree.
 
You know you got the addiction bad when you see this...

 
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