Anyone else scared of carrying the nice knives they own?

The only knives that I have that I don't carry are knives with sentimental value. For example, I have an old Imperial that was my grandfather's. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world and I would be sick if I lost it. So, I won't carry it.
 
Situational for me; I have dedicated users for sure, and some that I am really undecided on. I have bought many with the full intention of use but when it actually arrives in the mail there are certain factors that force me to put the breaks on. Some don't qualify for action, so they stay mint until I feel like moving them, and in the meantime they just sit and get polished.
 
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when I buy something expensive I carry it but baby it for a while. As time goes by I get over it and start to use as needed. I carry my Sebenza's regularly but if will grab a cheaper knife if I am going to be doing some tough work.
 
I've been there too hence why I made that statement. I would buy a knife and realize how much it was and be afraid
To ruin it. But then I realized I paid all that money for quality and materials and it needed to be used. I got satisfaction out of seeing my sebenza's titanium side all scratched up while the carbon fiber side stays nice. I've bent the clip out twice. 455$ at its finest. Just makes me love the knife even more. Lately im attached to my manix xl
 
I have had issues with carrying my nicer knives but that's because a few years ago when a zt 350 was my best and most expensive knife I had ever owned I went on a hike and when I went to pull it out of my pocket it was gone. So I'm worried about my knives jumping out of my pocket. Plus my 30 dollar knives serve me fine and can be replaced easily.
 
I'm not scared of carrying and using either of my most expensive knives...a Sebenza and an Umnumzaan. But lately I haven't been, due to my EDC for a few years being a Pacific Salt and Tasman. And not because they're cheaper, but because it's just easier/more convenient for me to drop them down in my pockets. They're lighter, and serve my daily purposes a little easier. I never clip knives to my pockets anymore, and I already keep a multi-tool (Victorinox Spirit) on my belt. And the only way I'd EDC a CRK knife now would be in a belt holster.

If I were afraid to carry or use them at all, though, I wouldn't have bought them. I don't mind scratches on the CRK knives' handles, or resharpening them when they need a touch up. I'm 51 years old, and I'm only living this lifetime once. It would be a shame to avoid using a good knife I bought because I was afraid to mess it up. Any good knife should stand up to any reasonable cutting chores. And if I were to carry any folding knife on a hike, camping, etc., I'd simply attach it to my belt with a lanyard (supposing it has a lanyard hole) as an additional safely step.

Problem solved.

Jim
 
James Y said:
I'm not scared of carrying and using either of my most expensive knives...a Sebenza and an Umnumzaan. But lately I haven't been, due to my EDC for a few years being a Pacific Salt and Tasman. And not because they're cheaper, but because it's just easier/more convenient for me to drop them down in my pockets. They're lighter, and serve my daily purposes a little easier. I never clip knives to my pockets anymore, and I already keep a multi-tool (Victorinox Spirit) on my belt. And the only way I'd EDC a CRK knife now would be in a belt holster.

If I were afraid to carry or use them at all, though, I wouldn't have bought them. I don't mind scratches on the CRK knives' handles, or resharpening them when they need a touch up. I'm 51 years old, and I'm only living this lifetime once. It would be a shame to avoid using a good knife I bought because I was afraid to mess it up. Any good knife should stand up to any reasonable cutting chores. And if I were to carry any folding knife on a hike, camping, etc., I'd simply attach it to my belt with a lanyard (supposing it has a lanyard hole) as an additional safely step.

Problem solved.

Jim
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I am in the same boat. On the downword side of the age curve and when I'm gone someone else will have all my stuff. This also applies to backpacking. If you are at the begining of your life and career choice, counting every ounce is beneficial to optimum performance. At a certain point in the aging process, optimum performance goes out the window. Carry and use what you like, life is short and only moves in one direction.
 
DShiflet said:
I'll carry any knife I own(well, within legal limits of course), but I don't buy the above argument. Yeah there are plenty of pictures, but looking at pictures is not the same as having it in hand, even if you don't ever take it outside your house.

Hell, I have a Cold Steel Hold Out 1 coming in the mail tomorrow. I know it's not a "nice" knife, but by the above argument, I shouldn't own it period. It is too big for me to carry here(6 inch blade, Texas limit is 5.5 inches), but I certainly want to be able to keep it here, open and close it, feel it in hand, even though legally I CAN'T carry it. And no, looking at a picture is not even close to the same thing.
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That's the biggest hold out right? I'd love to see a few pics of it. I love huge knives, but I also love buying knives I can and will carry, and I don't think, even with my love of huge folders, I could ever carry that one.
 
I stopped buying crap I won't use a while back. Price really isn't a factor as I use the heck out of a $475 SnG, but wouldn't use a much less expensive Spyderco sprint. Having a purdy knife with S90V steel and raising it as a mushroom seems senseless, but I realize some just like to have. I'm on my 3rd Sebenza and do like the knife, but wish the clip had a little more retention. More than once it has fallen off on my truck seat, etc.. I am spoiled by the great retention of the SnG. Lately it's bee the great all-around use of a Native 5.
 
RedLynx said:
That's the biggest hold out right? I'd love to see a few pics of it. I love huge knives, but I also love buying knives I can and will carry, and I don't think, even with my love of huge folders, I could ever carry that one.
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Yeah, that's the biggest Hold Out...and it is indeed huge. I'll probably put up a pic tomorrow on the CS subforum.
 
As soon as I bought my bm 7505-132 mlk (sibert dual action auto) i threw that mf in my pocket. I spent over $600 on it the most I have ever spent on a knife. I Sayyid to my self "I'll be damned if I die and leave this here in mint condition."
 
I use and carry every knife I own including my late fathers Old Timer. I'm careful about what kind of situation I will be in though for carrying a certain knife.
 
The way I see it is, you buy a 500$ knife. Buying it for resale later on down the line I can see keeping it pristine, I would even put it in a bag to keep the box in good shape. But if you buy a 500$ knife with the intention to use it and you fall in love with it, ya gotta use it. I think keeping a knife meant as a user pristine is just to show off to others how your sharp jewelry looks. When I show people my sebenza (not beaten on, but used) they're amazed at how much I paid and how scratched up it is. It's not gouged but there are marks on the titanium side. People don't know a sebenza from a gerber unless they're knife folks, and as a knife collector/buyer/user I would look at someone's sebenza that's pristine and wonder why they even bother to carry it. All you see is a clip. That's not showing off. Now if I saw a sebenza with a scratched to hell pocket clip, or even a strider I would think that they know what they own and they appreciate it. Appreciating a knife isn't polishing it everyday, it's using it as a cutting instrument. I now carry a spyderco manix 2, I do know that the initial cut or sticky liquid in the pivot, etc is overwhelming (no sarcasm), but once you get over that you can use and appreciate the knife. I have a "ritual" I go through to get over that initial shock. I disassemble, clean, lube and sharpen the knife. Then it's officially "my" knife. Then it gets used. I say carry it. It's not the only one on the planet and by the time that ones ruined you'd have saved for another. Not having the funds to replace a knife is all te more reason to use it. You didn't spend your hard earned money on a knife to have it sit. You could have used that money for more important things.
 
I was up on a ladder, waiting for some zipties when I decided to snap this pic. This is one of my favorite knives, a one-off custom Horton TAC4. I used it to strip insulation, cut drag lines, cut bundled electrical tape, notch ceiling tiles, and even lent it to one of the contractors who needed to trim a piece of plastic and rubber insulation (later he said that it cut through his glove, but luckily nothing else). This is on it's second clip, has smoothing of some stonewashed areas, scratches on the Ti, and the signature platinum edge has some swirls on it, but it remains one of my toughest and sharpest knives, and the hollow-ground convex chisel is so easy to maintain that it'd be a shame to deprive myself of its use. I feel that carrying valuable knives makes me more aware and more responsible about keeping them safe, using them responsibly, and get better at maintaining them.

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As long as the knife isn't extremely hard to find (or doesn't have high sentimental value), I will carry it. It's just like how I treat my phone. Yes, it will cost me some money to replace, but at least I can replace it. The only time I would be hesitant of carrying my nice knives is if I didn't know the local knife laws at all, but that's only because I don't want the nuisance of dealing with the law
 
Not scared of losing them. I've never lost a knife. I am, however, a little afraid of breaking one in an unforeseen situation. That's why my more expensive folders are harder use!
 
I had several "limited" and "special" Buck 110's, and I sold them. At this point, I have no interest in knives that I can't carry and use.
 
arizonaranchman said:
I don't buy things that I can't use. No point in it to me. Knives especially. A fine tool deserves to be carried, used and enjoyed. Not locked in a safe to be fondled once in awhile. That's a waste.
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Wholeheartedly agree. Nothing is for best. You're a long time dead, so buy quality items and enjoy using them.
 
To each his own. But I would be excited to carry an expensive new knife. Maybe someday if I become a "collector" when I'm old I'll just keep them in a glass case and stare.
 
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