Anyone else lighten their buying habits?

Popsickle

Popsickle

Joined
Jul 25, 2010
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Once upon a time I would snatch up everything I liked, but lately I have limited myself to only a couple knife purchases hopefully for the year. Has anyone else scaled back their knife buying?
 
I go thru phases where I won't buy a knife for a while, then I go crazy again. I've got enough knives now though that I don't have to invest much money out-of-pocket, because I try to sell other knives to cover my new purchases.
 
I set myself a budget/two knife a month limit, so even if I don't get to my budget, I won't buy more than two. Although I am going to scale to just getting one. I already narrowed down what I'm gonna get in March and it'll be the entire budget. Probably starting in summer when I have some time off I might sell a few to fund some new knives instead of pouring more money into it, thin down the collection and use the money for some of the expensive items on the wishlist AND I will use some of the knives more frequently and baby them less as well I think. Go the @Charlie Mike Route, see how much I can f&$k up some black DLC by using it :D
 
Ohhh yeah. I’ve gotten super selective. This is driven partially by finance, including diminishing disposable income, increasing retail prices, and even the Exchange seeming more volitile lately. Also in part is the fact most of my niches are filled with knives I really like. If I’m not convinced I’ll like something better than what’s already in my collection, I’ll pass on it.

As such, I’m either waiting for 1, something to blow me away (perhaps the ZT 609?); 2, something that’s a really good deal (like Spyderco fall close-outs); or 3, saving for a big-purchase grail (Olamic or perhaps CRK).

The last knife that came close was the BM mini Crooked River. It’s a great knife that almost satisfied requirement #1...but not quite, so I’m waiting to get a few other new releases in my hand.
Prior to that, my last actual purchases were discontinued Spydercos that I would not have been able to justify at retail.
 
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I went through a phase where I wanted to only collect one brand then decided to try other brands that I came across so I traded knives I accumulated for something else. This went on for a while. I have found that the older I get, the easier I am to please. So I am more willing to settle now than I used to be. To make a long story short, I have lightened up with my knife purchasing for various reasons. I still look online and flip through books and magazines and do more wishing and wanting than buying.
 
TheEdge01 said:
I went through a phase where I wanted to only collect one brand then decided to try other brands that I came across so I traded knives I accumulated for something else. This went on for a while. I have found that the older I get, the easier I am to please. So I am more willing to settle now than I used to be. To make a long story short, I have lightened up with my knife purchasing for various reasons. I still look online and flip through books and magazines and do more wishing and wanting than buying.
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I actually try that too, not branch out TOO much from certain brands. I do test the waters here and there (no duds so far) but I feel like I am being fairly selective. There are a bunch of brands I want to try but I am hesitant about it and keep shifting my focus back on certain knives or brands at least. Hogue is a good example, I really like the X5, Benchmade's upcoming Fact and Vector look really good, but then I think: Well ZT has two models coming out in the near future, do I really want to allocate that money to a brand that's new to me?
 
b00n said:
I actually try that too, not branch out TOO much from certain brands. I do test the waters here and there (no duds so far) but I feel like I am being fairly selective. There are a bunch of brands I want to try but I am hesitant about it and keep shifting my focus back on certain knives or brands at least. Hogue is a good example, I really like the X5, Benchmade's upcoming Fact and Vector look really good, but then I think: Well ZT has two models coming out in the near future, do I really want to allocate that money to a brand that's new to me?
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The Vector really caught my eye too. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with ZT, I have owned several and they were all great knives.
 
At the first of the year, I decided to slow down and get 1-2 a month. Had my purchases mapped out for the first few months. Except I didn't take into account knives I wanted were being discontinued, so I was forced to scramble and get 'em before I couldn't. Got one of the last L.T. Wright Coyotes on the web. Was going to make a purchase from A.G. Russell in March, and one of the knives is out of stock until the end of April. Best laid plans...
Of course then there is the inevitable new model that keeps calling "buy me"... For good or bad, another one on my wish list just dropped to clearance pricing. So as far as my cutting back, maybe I have? hard to tell. lol
 
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Murphjd25 said:
Having a baby defintly dappens my knife habit!
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Ah, the joys of being a responsible adult! I keep looking at all these great toys, then I think about how much college tuition is likely to be for my boys. Bargain hunting on the forum has fed my desire to acquire without breaking the bank or bringing down the ire of the nice lady who shares her life with me.
 
TheEdge01 said:
The Vector really caught my eye too. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with ZT, I have owned several and they were all great knives.
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Oh yeah, I have a bunch of them already, can't wait for the 0393 and 0462. As for the BM's, the Vector looks very sleek and I thought the Fact looks like a modern Stiletto. There are a few more I liked, the Contego and Bedlam specifically but I don't love the Axis lock and the QC issues have always steered me to something I just like that little bit more.
 
Having kids and a wife can dampen things but also back when I used to snag up more things they were priced a lot lower. Not like spending $400 on a knife every 2-4 weeks.
 
Definitely. You have to curtail your Bladeforums habit as well to curtail your knife habit. I still check the forum every day looking for the great info, but I don't "hang out" as much.
 
I've become a fan of my particular knife tastes and have picked 5 that I believe I can live with for basically all of my needs.
The other 50-60 will start appearing on the exchange next week.
Mountain bike season is coming up quick and Barman needs a pile of parts. ;)
So no more buying for the foreseeable future. Definitely a change for me, I get the DTs just thinking about it.
 
I generally only buy USA made knives now. I have applied this to all the gear that i carry everyday that I can afford to such as multi tool, flashlight etc. Just my way of supporting american manufactures I guess, and it keeps me from going crazy.
I also dont really buy "fancy knives" or limited editions, Unless I find a super good deal on one, I buy knives that Im not afraid to beat up, use, scratch, or even break.
I do have a habit of buying up any type of old traditional knife i find though lol. Especially trade knives like tl 29 patterns or hawkbills, scout knives. But I can find those for under 10 bucks usually and they look nice sitting in my display case. Or just something to work on as a project.
 
Quit spending a lot of money on knives for a few reasons:
1. Still super caught up on the Sydercos and CRKs I got over the past year and just really taking time to thoroughly enjoy those.
2. My ZDP Endura and h1 ladybug hawkbill continue to be my " I found it!" perfect EDC all things considered
3. Been spending all the "extra" cash on tattoos :p
 
I went into 2018 hoping to buy a lot less than last year. 2 months in, it looks like I'll be buying more than last year...I'm already on 18 and counting.
 
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