Buy a knife that’s not first choice to make using it easier

Mind the tip

Mind the tip

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Jan 5, 2025
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I just bought a knife with a configuration that was not my first choice, or even second. I think sometimes when I buy my ideal version of a knife, I tend to carry it less. I wanted a new automatic to add to daily use rotation, decided on a McNees Automac 2. My first choice would have been the OD green, then blue, but I I ended up witb the grey. It’s kind of blah, but honestly that makes it easier to use as a tool. Now I’m not going to do this with every knife, but I think it worked out in this case. Except that I still want the green🤷‍♂️.
 
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Sadly no, Ti slabs. I bought a blue deep carry clip from McNees directly, asked them if they had hardware kits for the Automac 2 like they do for some of their other knives and got a no.
 
Mind the tip said:
I just bought a knife with a configuration that was not my first choice, or even second. I think sometimes when I buy my ideal version of a knife, I tend to carry it less. I wanted a new automatic to add to daily use rotation, decided on a McNees Automac 2. My first choice would have been the OD green, then blue, but I I ended up witb the grey. It’s kind of blah, but honestly that makes it easier to use as a tool. Now I’m not going to do this with every knife, but I think it worked out in this case. Except that I still want the green🤷‍♂️.
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I can dig it. But I'm the flip side of that coin. If it's not the way I want it, it wont get used much.
 
I can see it both ways - if it’s just right, it’s “the precious” and maybe that makes it get babied, or maybe used more depending on your viewpoint. If it’s less than perfect, maybe it has less value to you so it gets wailed on.

I tend to not keep stuff around if I don’t like it as much. My keepers are keepers for a reason, and all get used. That said, some I never thought would be keepers turned out to be because they functioned so well.

That was a whole lot of words to say “yep, sometimes. Sometimes not”.😆
 
I consider myself functionally color blind. I can distinguish different colors, but color doesn’t influence my decisions in what I buy.

I often get the cheapest option because it is an unpopular color.

Often I can remember minute details about something but cannot recall the color.
 
Mind the tip said:
I just bought a knife with a configuration that was not my first choice, or even second. I think sometimes when I buy my ideal version of a knife, I tend to carry it less. I wanted a new automatic to add to daily use rotation, decided on a McNees Automac 2. My first choice would have been the OD green, then blue, but I I ended up witb the grey. It’s kind of blah, but honestly that makes it easier to use as a tool. Now I’m not going to do this with every knife, but I think it worked out in this case. Except that I still want the green🤷‍♂️.
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The detail that is not "choice" is the color? And grey doesn't quite make the grade for you?

Do you see the color when it is in your pocket? Will the color matter if you use it in any sort of tactical manner (or however else)?

Will others whose opinion you value openly laugh at you or mock your choice if you open a box sand lay it on the table?
 
The mind games that many of us play when it comes to our collecting and using knives could have kept Freud occupied for decades.

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"And yet, sometimes a knife is just a knife. Go figure."
 
Maybe this is why I prefer G10 or Micarta since they are so bulletproof. I have a Sage 5 with carbon fiber scales and I worry about scuffing them or damaging the edge. I cannot imagine something actually fragile as a daily carry.
 
Yep, I have “user knives” and “keeper knives”…..sometimes the exact same maker and model. In the firearm business we call them “safe queens”. I’ll purchase a knife that’s a duplicate in okay condition as a “user” even tho I already own a pristine example. (My money, my decision…..even tho it may not make much sense to others.) :cool:
 
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Anymore I tend to rotate everything. I used to try and save special knives for weekends but it just devolved and who knows what's in the pocket. If what I'm carrying is too nice for what's about to happen then there's always the SAK in the other pocket.
 
I completely understand, and this is one of the reasons my collection is made up of less expensive options. I enjoy knives I can use as a tool without worrying about having to carry it in a slip, getting it scratched, developing a splotchy/ugly uneven patina, etc. Having something that is viewed as "precious" affects me psychologically and makes me too cautious with it, which I see as a limiting factor. Some people can pull out a $1000 knife and drag it through a cardboard box with staples in it and not have a care in the world. I say good for them, but I am not that person.
 
Rookie mistake . . .
one ALWAYS buys two of a high end knife that is your first choice . . . one to look at and one to use (and thin and reprofile the blade on ) .
 
I always love seeing posts where someone has purchased a absolutely indestructible tank of a $600 dollar folding knife with steel that would cut Thor's hammer in half and survive immersion in lava; but they also carry a gas station knife for 'hard use dirty work' like opening clamshell packages or cutting tape.
 
That’s like marrying the 6/10 girl (in terms of hotness, brains, compassion for others) because the 10/10 girl will somehow make you feel… guilty?

I have limited funds so I only get the knives I totally like and will absolutely use.
 
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