Buying patterns you don't like

I mostly buy different knives to try out.
Some stick around and many go down the road.
The Scout and Sodbusters are two knives that I like to have but don't like to carry.
Why don't I get rid of them? Probably because of the nostalgia they offer when I look at them.
 
I liked every knife I ever bought, at least during the 'process.' I collect the hunt and the anticipation as much as the knife itself. Later, I might find myself rather bored with the little beauty, even though some definite fondness remains. I have a few hundred I would release. Many of those tear at my heart when I do send them on. But my capacity to keep everything is increasingly strained.
 
Why waste money on something you dont want? I figure that thats money I could save for something really cool instead that I do want. Or money that could go to my family.
So thats a no for me.
 
If a knife doesn't get carried, I don't keep it. Granted, I never really know if I'll carry a knife until I own it so I end up with quite a few models that are just "passing through".

It's one of the things I really like about knives. They're cheap enough that you can try darn near anything (within reason) and if it doesn't work out, you can sell it for a small loss (I look at it as a rental fee). It makes it a lot easier to justify trying knives that haven't sold me on their looks, but have great user reviews.
 
I have purchased patterns, or knives with cover materials or shields, I was not crazy about, and then sold them later.

My experience is if I don’t love the pattern or shield/cover material immediately, love-at-first-sight style, it rarely grows on me.
 
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I try to like stockman more than I really do, but a sheeps foot ends up being all the secondary blade I need and then some.
It's existence doesn't hurt anything but it bothers me knowing theres a 3rd blade sitting there unused.

I also often buy knives larger than the size range I know I love most, I like them just enough to keep them even though I know they're not my favorite size.
Not everything can be a perfect favorite knife.
 
Hickory n steel said:
I try to like stockman more than I really do, but a sheeps foot ends up being all the secondary blade I need and then some.
It's existence doesn't hurt anything but it bothers me knowing theres a 3rd blade sitting there unused.

I also often buy knives larger than the size range I know I love most, I like them just enough to keep them even though I know they're not my favorite size.
Not everything can be a perfect favorite knife.
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That's funny. I love stockmans, but I'm carrying today a two-blade stockman (Buck 301, which was the 2018 Bladeforums knife), and I really miss the spey blade! It's just not a stockman with only two blades. ;)
 
Bigbobg said:
Just curious if anyone buys patterns they don't like because they feel the need to have one? I'm not crazy about sodbusters (apologies to Sodbuster fans) but I own a few because as a Case collector I feel my collection wouldn't be complete without one.
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I share your sentiments about the sodbuster ... looks like an opinel blade with that big belly grind .... just not a fan. I've never owned one and don't plan to (sorry Sodbuster guys ... more of them for you guys :-). Same for doctors kives, russlocks, little stockmen, etc.
So, I guess I have no need to fill out a series ... if I don't like a knife, I leave them for guys that do ... the knife world is better than Baskin Robbins - more than enough flavors to go around
 
Modoc ED said:
I have/had many knives I don't/didn't like but figured I get one to see what they were all about. Some turned out to be ok - Canoe comes to mind and some didn't work out so well - Eisenhower comes to mind.
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Couldn't agree more .... I avoided canoe's and slimline trappers for years - until I finally tried them. To my surprise, turned out to be a few of my favorite patterns...
 
Prester John said:
That's funny. I love stockmans, but I'm carrying today a two-blade stockman (Buck 301, which was the 2018 Bladeforums knife), and I really miss the spey blade! It's just not a stockman with only two blades. ;)
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I've been contemplating turning the spey into an awl, that would definitely be more useful to me but I just hope I'll find the spey useful.
So far I have not and every time I carry it I get closer to pulling the trigger on the mod.
 
I don’t buy knives I don’t like but have bought a few I was unsure about. One little pattern I never owned until recently was the Schrade 825, 897 patterns. After carrying them I could see them easily being an exclusive carry for an extended period of time. Another pattern was the 61 OT, while it’s a bit big for my everyday carry I could see it being a great field/work knife for outdoor type jobs.
 
When I started collecting Case Knives I was after one example of each pattern. I slowly figured out that was nearly impossible once you figured in the rare antique patterns, so I shifted to the idea of just modern Case (post WW-II). I ended up with Canoe and Congress pattern knives that once I owned them I never warmed up to them. I still have several of the examples I bought, but I don't buy them anymore and don't even get excited when I see a deal on one. Things change in your interests, what once was sought after drops away and is replaced by something else. Short answer, no I don't. OH
 
If I think I may like it I'll give it a shot and see how it works out. If I know that I won't like it, I don't bother as I know it will only sit in a drawer and collect dust.
 
I've really only been collecting traditional knives for a couple of years. In that time, I have bought a bunch of different patterns - some of which I came to find out that I don't care for. Most of these I have moved along and don't intend to buy any more of them. I think I'm finally done experimenting and have honed in on the combination of shape, blades, and size that I prefer so I'm hoping this happens less now. I for sure won't buy a knife I know I won't like just to fill out some niche in my collection.
 
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