Carrying my Knife collection

I mentioned earlier that I'm a terrible collector, and it's true. But there's also another factor in the equation when I'm deciding whether and what to buy. I absolutely, positively loathe buyer's remorse. Obviously, we buy a lot of things in our lives that don't require extensive research. But if I'm spending more than about $50, I want to be sure I got the best value for my money. Whatever the cost of the item, it's my money and I worked hard to earn it. Don't misunderstand, I'm not a total cheapskate, just a partial one. I'm also a charter member of Overthinkers Anonymous. So if I've decided that I have $150 to spend on a new knife, I'll make The Long List of contenders, then start eliminating them until I get it narrowed down to just a few options. If, for whatever reason, I decide that the most expensive knife is the one I want, so be it. OTOH, if I decide that it's not, then I'll buy one of the less expensive knives. At the end of the day, I almost always wind up with something that I'll enjoy using.
 
CHNeal said:
Oh I don’t actually care about your collections or money. I don’t even care that you collect that with you do not use.

No I pity you for your intolerance of others that don’t share your opinion. It must be a very lonely existence.
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So you seem kind of intolerant: of his supposed intolerance...
Why not just let everybody find their own level of enjoyment in this hobby?
 
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I’m in the do whatever you want with your knives camp.

Personally, I use all of my keepers, but to varying degrees. I’ll abuse an Esse, Becker, or SAK. I’ll use (not abuse) my Sebenzas, though if I know it’s going to get heavy use before I dress, it’ll be one of my older PJs. My Mnandi gets babied - office use or the rare occasion I dress up a bit, though once on me, it gets used as needed.

I could totally get by with a single folder and a single fixed blade. I could also get by less clothing, cheaper food, less food, no whisky (God forbid), an older car, a less expensive house, a lower speed job, etc., but I’m not doing any of that either :)
 
I use all of my knives. From time to time... Excepted those whom I got bored off before even using them. So... this leaves me with many knives lying around on shelves and in drawers. Until I suddenly remember one and it gets carried, sometimes for weeks. Even the forgotten ones sometimes may step up. I gave up understanding, I just enjoy them.
 
I feel like the value that drops from a knife being a user isn’t enough to make it worth preserving. As long as I don’t go batoning a steel beam with my ultratech, I bet I can still get 80%+ of my initial purchase. Yes I won’t make profit on my purchase… however, that’s pretty amazing that I can get nearly my entire investment back even if I carry and use the knife.

I still struggle carrying my big boys. I had to sell my lefty shiro neon because it was over $700 and I just couldn’t justify my self using it.

I think a $400-500 knife is about the highest I’ll go and actually carry/use. I’m looking at Hinderer and CrK here.
 
I carry at some point most of my approximately 30 knives. I have a few knives that are sentimental to me for various reasons (grandfather's old carry, etc.) and remain locked up. The rest I rotate and use.
The top shelf of my collection is comprised of Hinderer, CRK, and Strider but I will not buy a knife to relegate to a safe queen.
 
Bob Denman said:
So you seem kind of intolerant: of his supposed intolerance...
Why not just let everybody find their own level of enjoyment in this hobby?
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sgt1372 sgt1372 implied that anyone who uses a knife worth more than $200 is stupid. Most knives I use are worth more than $200 so I guess I’m stupid. I didn’t see anyone call him stupid for having a 50-70k collection sitting in a safe. C CHNeal was just pointing this out.
 
I can understand both sides of the argument.
I've got a collection of Italian stilettos that were bought with no intentions of being used.

As far as users, I have favorites so they don't all get used, but that has nothing to do with price, it just means I have too many.
And most days I carry more than one :)
 
I am comfortable in my position, and thus unconcerned with what others might think about it, however I'll just say that I have more knives than I will ever use (and have many years of buying more ahead of me). Also, I'm a desk-driving "white collar" worker who lives in the 'burbs, so my every day cutting needs tend to be minimal, along the lines of opening mail, cutting a steak, or snipping a thread. That's about the harshest "use" that any of my knives that cost me more than $150ish or so will ever see. If I did have some hard use need (like when camping on a weekend), I'd use one of the inexpensive knives from my early days of knife buying. Why mess up the edge on an expensive custom Curtiss F3 when I could use this old Ontario RAT 1 I have in my toolbox instead? Why beat on my custom handmade Bob Dozier out in the woods, when my Cold Steel Recon 1 will do the job just as well, while my Dozier is safe at home in my knife chest?

I get that some folks seem to almost make it a point of pride to be able to mar up or destroy beautiful, expensive things but frankly, I have expensive knives that I'll never use for anything more than slitting open an occasional envelope. I also have subset collections of knives I don't plan on using at all. I just like looking at them. I don't feel bad about it, and frankly, I'd be amused if others thought less of me for it. I couldn't care less. I don't buy expensive knives to beat on them, I have cheap knives for that. Simple as that. There's that silly hashtag on IG you see on knife pages, "#USEYOURSH$%" (except with the last word spelled out), and whenever I see it, I'm like "Heh, I DO use the cheap #$%^ knives I own. I just don't beat on my nice knives. Big difference there."
 
I have plenty of knives and carry a lot of them. I also have knives that I won’t carry for collector reasons but I’d call myself a user-collector. I can use a $1k knife and not beat the hell out of it or trash it and I’m not sure why someone would even use a $50 knife in that way.

Use what you buy if you’d like and take care of it, that’s how you get something to last a lifetime.
 
Some of the comments in this thread plus the OP go me thinking and to be honest I am not really a collector. I am more of an accumulator on a search for the “it” knife. That elusive perfect knife; the one that puts all of the others to shame. Yes, I know that such a knife that is perfect for all occasions and cutting requirements does not exist but that didn’t stop me from trying.

I can understand the idea of not using expensive knives or rare knives, in fact I have a couple that I bought with te intention of them being safe queens. I like pulling them out occasionally just to admire them.

I have more knives than I really need and my buying habits have slowed down tremendously, but I still pick up a knife that really piques my interest.

To each his/her own and the people who seem to have issues with the ideas of others. Get a life because you have way too much time and energy on yout hands worrying about others.

The reason I have stopped buying a lot of knives? I have pretty much found the “it” knife; for an office worker like me the “it” knife turns out to be a CRK Mnandi.
 
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Tossed the birth certificate and box , now an undocumented Sebenza.
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I recall reading something on this topic here years ago. Something about squirrel guts and biscuit gravy. It stuck with me.

Edit to elaborate.

A member on here said if he passed away he wouldn't leave behind a box of NIB knives for the guy that ended up taking his place. They'd be all scratched up and worn down.
 
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Rufus1949 said:
I am a relative "newbie" to the knife world. Hence I have a lot of catching up with regards to knowledge and purchases. I'm a kid in a candy store. My intention is to buy and enjoy not buy and sell.
Like art I appreciate the the talents of each knife creator but value the usefulness and what I can do with each knife.
At worst they get muddied and make me bleed..the least they do is become a pocket fidget.
No safe queens for me.
Though I have sold a few new knives which never left it's box because I knew that knife was not for me.
When I pass it will be my wife's new hobby.😁
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I'm a newbie as well, but catching on fairly quick I do believe lol. Welcome aboard my fellow knife knut !
 
Ajack60 said:
I enjoy all the knives I have, whether they are used for carry or to be admired. I would be lying to myself if I ever thought I'd carry one of my CRK Halloween knives, but I enjoy them just the same. Besides, I've got too many other CRK's that I do use on a daily basis that bring a smile to my face.
When I buy a knife, I immediately know if it's going to be used or for collection to be admired. Here lately, I've bought users.

Knives I use (Recycled pic)
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Knives I admire
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Awesome collection man !
 
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