Attempting to understand the knife collecting mentality.

Boats

Boats

Joined
Aug 7, 2003
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3,330
Simply because I don't get it.

I know that certain folks may exist, but I personally know of no one who collects unused rasp files, screwdrivers, or wrenches in any sort of organized manner. Some people/places do collect saws, axes, farm equipment, but mainly like some display of evolution and by far most examples are well used or restored from use.

Why do people buy knives they never intend to use? Would you resell them to people who would use them?

The closest I come to a knife "collection," rather than a random sampling of used edged tools, is that I have three differently handled BRKT Gameskeepers. I use two of them (one in wood and one manmade handle slabs for comparison) and third is being held to give to my son when he is old enough to use and care for it. Other than that, I have some knives, ranging in acquired price from about $250 on down, that are on their way to beaterhood someday.

Certainly there are more productive or easily liquidated investments. Certainly there are more accessible and presentable works of art.

So what gives, those who buy but do not use?
 
Particularly hard to understand the obsession with collecting production knives-having each color handle of a certain model, for example....I could understand collecting a custom maker as these have craftsmanship, scarcity, etc. as an attraction....but to have endless examples of something stamped out by a machine? I certainly don't get it....

Then again, there are those that get all excited about collecting all the Burger King Super Universe Mega Action Superhero Figures in 36 Unique Shades of FUN!

The only rational explanation is that there is nothing rational about it. It is a purely emotional need....
 
kuribo said:
The only rational explanation is that there is nothing rational about it. It is a purely emotional need....
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That's gotta be it. There are people who collect different kinds of barbed wire - there can't be anything in it but the enjoyment of collecting stuff and learning about it. Any number of types of barbed wire will make a fence after all. I have some knives that I really have no use for, that I bought just because I liked them. People buy paintings that serve no use but to be looked at, but they still provide enjoyment to those who view them.
 
everyone spends their money on something. whether clothes, cars, guns, paintings, knives, whatever. the value is relative. people collect/buy what they like.

why do people collect artwork? is there a true inherent value to a painting by monet? or simply a market value? artwork is only for display purposes, there is no "use" for it. but if someone likes it, wants to collect it, whatever it is, then go for it.

i have many knives i use, many i do not.

if you got your hands on an original springfield m1 garand, never used, would you take it to the range and go plinking? knowing the value would drop by 30% after firing? (just an example)

bottom line, if you dont understand, you probably never will. and you dont have to agree with why others buy to enjoy your knives and let others enjoy theirs, however they choose to appreciate them.
 
knives are art and form. a useful piece of various types of metal and handle material. the reason i collect the ones i like is because they are attractive and each model has its own pluses and minuses. a lot of thought and work go into knives. it doesn't hurt that when some aren't available any longer they tend to increase a lot in value.
 
Boats said:
Simply because I don't get it.

I know that certain folks may exist, but I personally know of no one who collects unused rasp files, screwdrivers, or wrenches in any sort of organized manner. Some people/places do collect saws, axes, farm equipment, but mainly like some display of evolution and by far most examples are well used or restored from use.

Why do people buy knives they never intend to use? Would you resell them to people who would use them?

The closest I come to a knife "collection," rather than a random sampling of used edged tools, is that I have three differently handled BRKT Gameskeepers. I use two of them (one in wood and one manmade handle slabs for comparison) and third is being held to give to my son when he is old enough to use and care for it. Other than that, I have some knives, ranging in acquired price from about $250 on down, that are on their way to beaterhood someday.

Certainly there are more productive or easily liquidated investments. Certainly there are more accessible and presentable works of art.

So what gives, those who buy but do not use?
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I have dozens of wrenches, screwdrivers, drill bits, and other hand tools that I never use or haven't used yet. I have about six different types of wrenches: stubbys, polished, ratcheting, offset, closed ended, etc. I have a different wrench, screwdriver, etc. for all sorts of different jobs, so what is so hard to understand about collecting an assortment of knives for the same purpose?

I think most knife "collectors" buy every knife with the intention of using them, but there is only so much stuff to cut! :)
 
TorzJohnson said:
there can't be anything in it but the enjoyment of collecting stuff and learning about it.
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That's the bottom line, couldn't say it better than that!:thumbup:

The knife is the first perfect tool. It's interesting to see the evolution of the shape and steel over time, whether it be for hunting, preparing food or warfare.

People have a certain interest in knives just as some have in stamps, coins, or as in my son's case, hockey cards.

You don't have to 'get it'. It's an interest for some and not for others.

Cheers
 
you could ask why anyone bothers to make knives by hand, or why mass producers make handle/steel variants, limited editions, etc. Why did BRKT even bother to offer different handle materials for you to compare, why you bought two to do so.

It's certainly no worse than coins or stamps, you can still use a knife to some degree and maintain the value.
 
i don't ever intend to use most the high dollar knives i buy, in fact i don't even like people that don't know knives looking at them for fear they will want to cut something or clean their finger nails. i always carry a cheaper knife to lend or cut with. I'm on the weird side when it comes to my high end blades in that i will carefully carry them and take them out and admire them, but it would have to be a life or death situation before i used one. i guess i sort of think of knives as self protection. which only makes me feel like i have something with me to deter attack on my person. I've only had to draw a blade once in my life in self defence and the car load of drunken guys didn't press the matter much to my relief. I've also snapped a blade in a few aggressive dog's faces before and the sound of the metal locking up seemed to let them know to back off. so when i buy a blade i like to think of it as what it could do to help me out of a bad situation. even though i probably will never have to use it i still just like the weapons aspect of knives and firearms.
 
Boats said:
Simply because I don't get it....

Why do people buy knives they never intend to use?

So what gives, those who buy but do not use?
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Boats, you've been on these forums for 3 1/2 years and you have no clue as to why people collect knives? :confused: :eek: :confused:

My advice don't ever go on Ebay and see the stuff that other people collect, your head will explode. :rolleyes:
 
It is more of an obsession with me , an obsession I cannot really afford regularly which , puts me in trouble at least twice a year.

I was thinking last night , that if some of my family saw how many knives I really have , they would freak , here I am always bitchin about not having any money to buy a suit or to take girl of the month out to dinner (another self question , whats better - girls or knives?- hmm , how hot is she again ??... mmm Spyderco lol ) but yet I was able to buy more exotic wood or that Spyderco I've been eyeing.

I love weaponry , edged weapons being part of that , the tool apsect of it all comes into play as well with my work.
Knives are fascinating , one of mans oldest and most beloved tools and one of the few that gets passed down.
I.E. , do you know anyone who inhereted his Grandpa's chisel or crobar ?
:D
 
PhilL said:
Boats, you've been on these forums for 3 1/2 years and you have no clue as to why people collect knives? :confused: :eek: :confused:

My advice don't ever go on Ebay and see the stuff that other people collect, your head will explode. :rolleyes:
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Never bought a knife yet that I haven't actually used.

Someone brought up whether I'd fire a previously unfired Garand. The time to my first PING! would be about twenty seconds more than it took me to get to my lane on the firing line.

Garand wall hangers are for Brits with deactivated militaria.
 
Good luck trying to understand it Boats. I used to have a fairly valuable collection myself (mid-five figures) but then got to the point that the collector mentality made no sense to me, either. Guess I realized for me, the fun in life is all about the doin', and has nothing to do with the ownin'.
 
Boats said:
Never bought a knife yet that I haven't actually used.
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I understand, you're not a collector. But, you can't understand why anyone would collect knives. Do you understand why a coin collector may not want to put part of their collection into a vending machine or why a stamp collector wouldn't want to mail a letter with a valuable stamp?
 
Sometimes when I'm sitting around bored, or reading a magazine, or watching a boring football game, or just whatever, I'll pull a drawer out of my knife chest and set it next to me. Sometimes I'll open and close the knives, sometimes I'll oil down the carbon bladed ones, sometimes I'll just sit and look. No rhyme, no reason, it just brings me pleasure. When I go to work, I have about 6 different knives to chose from to take with me, when we go out I have about 50-100 to decide on. Usually a pocket clipped Benchmade, or belt sheathed Buck, and a Willaim Henry or Benchmite or other such small gent's knife for the other pocket. Everyone I know knows I have a sharp knife if they need it, and I in turn look for other people who have clips attached to them and wonder what they are carrying, although most I can't regognize from just the clips. It's just a hobby, reading up, studying forms, shapes, steel types, locking systems, sharpening systems, hell, if it weren't knives it would be something else to pass the time. Plus, if I had to, I could sell them off and buy a new Honda....
 
Even the famous Studley tool chest (piano maker) held tools that never got used...he spent hours building it...and hours just collecting tools to go in it!

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/w00088.asp

w00088_01.jpg


Sometimes, it's just nice to own a piece of fine toolery, whether historic or new.

My father-in-law (as well as my grandfather) - both avid tool collectors...and not cheap-o tools, but nice ones. Yes, some he'll never use. But "just in case"....:D
 
You don't have to understand it.
It makes some people happy and you're not one of them.
It's all good :D

Me?
I'm still working on one of each :D
 
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