Becoming Minimalistic

For the last several months I’ve been rotating back and forth between my Ultratech and my Spyopera.
The rest of my collection has been sitting unused. I really can’t explain why.

I’ve been on the verge of downsizing a few times. But at one point in time, I was enamored with each knife in my collection (with one or two exceptions). I’m not ready to let go yet.
 
I hear you, but I don’t understand the regret. Collector collect, it is what they do and I doubt any collector would reach a zen state while staring at an empty drawer.

Ultimately, it is not about what you EDC, but about the people you meet and what you learn along the way.

n2s
 
emjay said:
Around the end of last year I opened up my knife draw to be greeted with the familiar feeling of being overwhelmed with the choices of knives I have at my disposal for EDC, kitchen and outdoor use. Just too many. So many I'd never be able to wear any of them out in my lifetime. So many to choose I'd get a mild panic attack at wondering if I'd make the right choice for the day. So many that have never even cut anything, let alone have been carried. So many that have been bought due to a romantic idea of a certain situation I might see myself in. I know I'm not alone here.

So I started whittling down the collection. First the duplicates, because in this day and age I'm likely to be able to buy the exact same or similar knife if I lose one. Then the ones I have never used. Then the ones that share the same role as others, but not as suitable for the task. All gifted or sold. Sometimes I'd relapse and buy a couple extra on impulse, then come to my senses and remember the path I'm on, and quickly sell or gift those.

It's taken a long time to whittle down the collection, and to be honest, I'm not quite done yet. I really can get rid of a few more. There are some that I will never get rid of for sentimental reasons, however I am more open to using those sentimental knives now.

The thing is, I feel more free not having the burden of so many choices available to me, which was the point of it. Every morning when I wake up, the same EDC knife is on the table next to me that I will carry everyday. There's no thought behind it. It's like grabbing your keys, wallet and phone and heading out the door. That feeling is more valuable to me than a draw full of forgotten, barely used knives.

Just putting my thoughts on paper here, but I'd like to hear your stories of cutting down the clutter if you have any. We really don't need much to get by everyday.
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As a collector / "reviewer" (lol, 500 YouTube subs), I naturally end up with a ton of knives. I also recently just had this issue. Opened up my knife box that holds 30 and realized i was about to run out of space (and that's AFTER 'being conservative' with my purchases).

I have a rule in my house for decor / household items - "The One Year Rule". If it hasn't been touched or used in an entire year, it goes. Garbage, donation, whatever, but it goes.

Knives are tricker, especially as a "collector", because sometimes that's the POINT... sometimes we buy safe queens specifically just to gawk at them.

The rule I've generally landed on is "If I haven't even thought about the knife for at least 3 months OR if I literally forgot I had the knife", then it goes.

I used to hold onto knives that were of exceptional value, build quality, whatever... But I found myself finding an excuse to keep literally every knife. Only recently did I decide to start letting go of some pieces that I previously thought had some sort of "sentimental value", and it's actually been really refreshing. I now only keep and use the knives I absolutely love the most. I have 4 on my WFH desk that I just love so much that I ACTUALLY fidget with all 4 of them every day.
 
not2sharp said:
I hear you, but I don’t understand the regret. Collector collect, it is what they do and I doubt any collector would reach a zen state while staring at an empty drawer.

Ultimately, it is not about what you EDC, but about the people you meet and what you learn along the way.

n2s
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And THAT, is why I am still here.

Although my knife collection is down to what I can hold in one hand, and no plans to ever go buying again, and even my interest has faded, its the people that I've met and got to know here that keeps me coming back. Like a drunk that has joined the AA, stopping by the bar to see old friends and have great conversation while sipping a club soda with a twist of lime in it.

Its the people we get to know that makes the difference.
 
Candidly speaking, I'm far from any sort of cutting phase as I'm not close to retirement and I just love knives. Always have. That said, I respect those who can pare down a collection to what's needed and only that. I don't have much need for knives when I'm not camping out, so if I only kept the knives I needed, that would be a very small collection indeed. Of course, variety is the spice of life, so I couldn't imagine not having a big selection to choose from. I've bought several knives in the last week alone, and who knows what 2022 will bring?
 
I was in a similar boat recently and started clearing out a bunch of knives and watches. Ended up with a handful of my favorites (couple of sebenzas, shamans, microtechs, and hinderers) that have some sort of sentimental/memorial attachment or were rebought/rehunted. Much easier to use the ones I know I'll never sell than it is to use ones that will ultimately get put on the block.
 
I dabble in minimalism from time to time, but I also lack restraint, so inevitably the knife nut in me grabs the reins whenever I see a knife and it gives me that "must have" feeling. That being said, it takes alot more for a knife to speak to me like that these days, and I do enjoy having a smaller collection of more appreciated knives, rather than just wanting "all the knives" like I used to. I now prefer to let go of knives that I no longer carry (or tire of), and purchase new ones to experience carrying. I don't think I'll ever have a collection of hundreds of knives, but I also don't think I'll ever stop buying knives.


EDIT: When re-reading the last line of my post I couldn't help but have the morbid thought of George Jones singing 🎶"He Stopped Buying Knives Today"🎶. 🪦
 
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I consider myself a minimalist today with only 7 higher end knifes that use, I once owned about 130 Spyderco's until some burger came in my house and relived me of my collection the SOB , that changed my habits with knife collecting, so now I only stock seven knifes that I acutely use.
 
I've always had knives around me and they're used for work, around my rural property, and in the outdoors. I love a nice axe and have a fair amount of them too, but nothing like my knife collection. Of course for the first half of my life I just assumed you were running a long con if you tried to sell knives for a hundred dollars each or more. I owned a few fixed and folders from brands like Buck, Ka-Bar, and Spyderco that were reliable. Super steels were around but not on my radar the way they are now with the super steel of the month coming out. If it wasn't for wanting to seek out new steels my knife collection would be a lot smaller.
 
Ahhhhh, these are my favorite types of posts/conversations and I've started many similar ones myself. I 100% think its much cooler when someone has THEIR pocket knife that they carry day in and day out without thinking about it. That appeals to me much more than a collection of knives or whatever it may be. Simplifying life that way helps me keep perspective about what's important and not chasing the next best thing. I still waver now and again and will buy a knife, but they are usually sold off quickly. I do it out of curiosity and boredom mainly and I've done it enough times that I know I should just knock it off. Right now I have a Vic Classic on my keyring and a Spyderco Dragonfly that I clip in my waistband daily. Had some nice Benchmades come and go recently and had to try the Chris Reeve offerings but they got sold off as well. I am ALWAYS happier when I keep things simple.
 
People are all pretty much the same, but also all different. That thought comes not from Zen but from evolutionary psychology.

In my real job as a computer programmer, I want back-ups of everything. Preferably more than one back-up. If I really like a knife, I want a back-up before the manufacturer discontinues it. There are some knives I could dispose of without missing them, but not the duplicates!
 
Another Shepherd said:
People are all pretty much the same, but also all different. That thought comes not from Zen but from evolutionary psychology.

In my real job as a computer programmer, I want back-ups of everything. Preferably more than one back-up. If I really like a knife, I want a back-up before the manufacturer discontinues it. There are some knives I could dispose of without missing them, but not the duplicates!
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I have to ask if your idea of a perfect date would involve the Doublemint Twins...
If it is: BRAVO!! 👍
 
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