Collecting: Are There Limits?

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davidm

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Sep 23, 2006
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Collecting something is both wonderful and painful. The obsession, the expenditure of time, money and energy, the grueling learning process that may take years until you even begin to know where of you speak. What I'm curious about is how other knife collectors feel about this. Are knives #1 in your life? Do you work extra hours to support your habit? Do you have to make hard choices between purchases, and what areas do you prioritize?; tacticals, classic frames, custom vs. brand name, etc. Help me out here, people, I can feel my obsessive demons starting to come out...
 
Space would be an important consideration.

As, when you have no room left for socks or dog food, and have to move because you have no room left for knives(or guns) either, you have too many, and it is time to pare down your collection.:D

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Guns have been #1 in my life for the past 8 years. I was buying too many, and my wife had to end it. I decided to buy some knives instead. Now I'm getting into some trouble with them as well. :(

I've been a collector all my life.
 
I suspect you will see your interests rise and fall with the "tide". If you have people around you who are obsessive about collecting knives, then you will probably be like them. But you have to prioritize.... family, job, house, community first.... knives follow as do guns or anything else that you want to learn about and collect.

I find myself in your situation. I read posts here where someone wants to compare one knife against another and I wonder who in the h*** actually knows about all these knives and then to be able to compare them.....

Hit some of the blade shows. Plan on attending the a big blade show. I'm closer to Atlanta, so I attend the blade show there in June. Just mark your calendar. Allow a couple of days. You will see more customs knives than you have dreamed of and they won't just be pictures on the internet. You actually meet the bladesmith. Makes it far more interesting.
 
This is a REALLY interesting topic. One that requires more typing than I'm willing to do tonite. So, I've got to pick one aspect of the it. Hmmm . . . let's pick breadth. In any collection endeavor, if I don't narrow the breadth, I end up frustrated because my time and financial limits suffocate the collection. A narrower focus on the collection activity is much more satisfying. A personal example is cameras. I started out collecting everything, and started amassing what amounted to be an expensive, disconnected mess. Once I put parameters on the collection -- 35mm SLR, all manual, manufacturer bounds (Nikon, Canon, Pentax: all makes from my photography upbringing), it got really satisfying, and doesn't break me.

So, what's my knife collection focus? Folders of certain classes:
  • customs that really appeal to my engineering side, purchased only directly and in person from the maker (this puts a nice practical throttle on purchase rate, since it's virtually only at knife shows, and makes each custom purchase a memorable experience)
  • high-end production folders of very high quality, and again, with superior engineering very apparent
  • any folder with way-cool actuation or locking mechanisms
  • autos
Even with those limits, knives keep me pretty busy.
 
Yes, yes, this is the way I've been able to keep things within reason, too; focus in and not go nuts. I've settled on folders in general-- I love one-handers/tacs but I also really dig classic pocketknife patterns. Knife shows do seem to be the best for careful purchasing as well as great experiences. Plus I don't feel like I'm paying anything extra (no second parties, no special order customs that will cost more).
 
Each to their own. That being said, I've seen some really destructive collection/buying behaviors and habits on this forum- since you asked. I mean, nobody tells me that they sit immobile and sweaty in front of the computer on a Saturday night, reading about knives, ignoring social callings and significant others, but...c'mon, if you read between the lines, some of the forum members have problems.

Hey, it's your life, and it's up to you how to live it and how to spend your money, but make no mistake; excessive "collecting" is a ruinous habit. I had a problem myself. I dealt with it. I don't buy many knives these days, and I try to avoid the mentality that says I "gotta have it." You may have the money and the time and the inclination but that still doesn't make it OK in my book.

In my opinion, collecting is generally not a good thing. Past a certain point, it just feeds the obsessive nature in us and cuts us off from the world. The fact that you even have to ask such questions supports my hypothesis. But hey, that's just my OPINION.
 
Kohai999 said:
As, when you have no room left for socks or dog food, and have to move because you have no room left for knives(or guns) either, you have too many, and it is time to pare down your collection.:D
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true, but I don't miss socks all that much anymore...
 
Yes, this acquiring of knives is pretty habit forming. I've been bitten by the bug after rediscovering this forum again. Spent quite a few bucks on my collection recently. But I know that I can't have everything and I've pretty much have what I really want...at the moment. I've looked for the best deals I can and saved a bit that way. I've limited myself on folders because they are easier to carry and there are no particular manufacturer that I really hang with - Boker, Spyderco, Kershaw, Lone Wolf, Leatherman, and Chris Reeve are part of my collection. It doesn't matter who makes it, if I like the design, I will consider it.

At the moment I've pretty much petered out on my purchases because nothing really appeals to me at the moment. I'm very selective on my purchases and it really have to be something that I know that I will be using as a EDC or I will not buy it.

BTW, a few years ago I was into collecting tactical flashlights:).
 
davidm said:
Collecting something is both wonderful and painful. The obsession, the expenditure of time, money and energy, the grueling learning process that may take years until you even begin to know where of you speak.
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Not an issue, just look around any home, not hard to find :
Star Trek, Star Wars, CD, DVD, toilet paper, photos/snapshots on magnets on the fridge, etc they are all some form of collecting because hoarding is an inherent human obessession.


davidm said:
What I'm curious about is how other knife collectors feel about this. Are knives #1 in your life?
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No knives are not #1. My family, friends, and church nieces/nephews are the top priority.

davidm said:
Do you work extra hours to support your habit?
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No. I only work extra hours when I have a deadline or am behind in schedule.

davidm said:
Do you have to make hard choices between purchases, and what areas do you prioritize?; tacticals, classic frames, custom vs. brand name, etc. Help me out here, people, I can feel my obsessive demons starting to come out...
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Yes, my main hobby is fountain pens.

Very hard choices, but my first FP purge netted me some nice blades.

Currently I am balancing my "portfolio" of knives(WHK, CRK, vintage Case), and pens (vintage and modern MBs, Pelikans, Parkers, Nakayas, Dani Trio etc). This way, I do not need to fork out extra cash for a new distraction (knives)
 
Chipperman said:
Guns have been #1 in my life for the past 8 years. I was buying too many, and my wife had to end it. I decided to buy some knives instead. Now I'm getting into some trouble with them as well. :(

I've been a collector all my life.
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This is me exactly... Z
 
I started out collecting guns, (wife complained-why do you need so many guns) so switched to flashlights (wife complained - why do you need so many flashlights.) Now into kinives - you guessed it - why do I need so many knives? Realistically she is right - I don't need all these things - I need help - any suggestions?
 
Sure-- firstly, having a passion for something is great as long as it's a genuine appreciation rather than just to occupy your time. Beauty, craftsmanship, functionality, all things we get from a good knife are positive and shouldn't be a cause for alarm. Second, focus-in on a particular area (tacs, classics, specialty knives, etc.) and you'll acquire less. I raised this thread to spark conversation and to comiserate with other collectors, but all knife lovers should embrace their passion, not be ashamed of it. Rock on...
 
Although I check in on BFC a couple of times every day, buying the latest knives is not what I come here for.
For me my collection is not a race, but a journey. I don't buy a lot of knives and the knives I do add are bought after much consideration. The purchase is always with disposable income, I don't buy knives on credit. Cash or no knife.

After several years of collecting all of my knives mean something to me, all have a story that goes with them. I doubt I have 100 knives all told, but I do have some that I consider to be real gems.

But, more than the knives it's the people that I've met through my interest in knives. I've said it many times, "I came for the knives and stayed for the people."
 
As I have grown in my knife collecting, I find myself getting more and more focused. I am in a place where all I want to collect is CR knives and Customs. The best part about knife collecting are the wonderful people and friendship that I have made. It has been awesome meeting the knife makers too, which makes my knife buying even more meaningful, as I am supporting people I really like.
 
Since knives became a business in the late 90's, my collecting has really slowed down. But I continue to maintain four collections. I collect Congress pattern traditional knives, Case Eisenhowers, Spyderco brand knives and knives I like. The Eisenhower collection actually started after I went into the knife business. The last collection is the largest and has no particular theme or purpose. It is just a potpourri of things that ring my chime for one reason or another. There are very cheap knives and very expensive knives in that group. The only thing they share in common is that they appeal to me for one reason or another.

I spend little time at knife collecting, actually. I acquire about one knife per month - maybe a little more - and look over my collections about as often. I have customers that spend $ thousands monthly on knives. They are not only hard core collectors but affluent ones at that.

My main hobby is cycling and the second one is cooking. I do these two things every single day. Here's the latest bicycle I built. I'm going out on it as soon as I leave the computer.

ciocc.jpg
 
Regular reading and participation in the various forums feeds the desire to acquire more of whatever. I can say that with Colts in particular. I have slowed down, way down. It was just taking up too much of my income.

I know there are lots of people who earn far more than me. The forums allow me to learn and also to appreciate from my chair the hobby. The forum becomes your circle of friends or support group for the hobby.
 
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