Collecting vs Using?

Why do you buy a limited edition/Sprint run knife?

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kingston73

kingston73

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Oct 14, 2013
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So curious to know how you decide whether to use or just collect and look at a knife? For instance, let's say you manage to buy a Spyderco Sprint or one of the many dealer exclusive anything's...do you use it or just put it away and occasionally look at it? Or do you buy it specifically to resell it? Or something else?
 
The only knives that I don't use very much have some strong sentimental significance, are broken fundamentally, or are "users to be".
 
I've got about 25 folders all users or at least carriers and used when something comes up I need to cut. Any knives I buy and don't carry are sold off. I'm not a flipper and am happy to just break even. The latest was an Arius that thing was like tits on a bull. Too pretty to carry and utterly useless to me.
 
All my knives are users. I fail to see the point of not using it. I own sprints and LE's. My Manix 2 sprint (CTS-XHP) is well used for example. Custom scales, multiple sharpenings...
 
started out as a user only. over the years have some I use and others I collect. sometimes I'll buy 2. 1 to use and 1 for the collection. mainly Bucks as I collect those more than other brands, but do have doubles of many brands and models.
 
All users now, I buy to use the different steels

I'm lucky enough to be able to use my knives everyday at work so now I try to take as much advantage of it as I can

I'm a multiple user lol
 
kingston73 said:
So curious to know how you decide whether to use or just collect and look at a knife? For instance, let's say you manage to buy a Spyderco Sprint or one of the many dealer exclusive anything's...do you use it or just put it away and occasionally look at it? Or do you buy it specifically to resell it? Or something else?
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In my personal opinion I wholeheartedly believe using my Knives make them much more special and I just appreciate them that much more. Lot of my knives are dealer exclusives and I just find a lot of joy in using them and creating memories that will last a lifetime with them. I’m looking forward to picking up any of my knives 20 years from now and being able to remember all the great memories made with it.

I currently own more GEC’s than I have use for and although they’re not all being used I definitely appreciate them and occasionally look at them so it’s obviously understandable how some folks don’t use and only appreciate their collection. But I must say I appreciate the ones I use much more!

If I ever decide to part ways with any of the knives I don’t use they will either be used as trade fodder or to sell them to fund another purchase. I’ve only sold one knife so far that really wasn’t for me to fund another purchase
 
I admire people who collect, especially if they have something on their mind, like a theme.

I buy a lot of stuff that I don't need, but I'm not a collector.
 
Every knife I buy gets carried, and some see more carry and actual use than others. I have one dedicated “work” knife that is with me on duty every day, while the others comprise the off-duty rotation. If I find a particular knife isn’t seeing much pocket time, I usually sell it to fund a different one. I don’t keep a ton at one time, as they do me no good just sitting in storage, but have had a ton over my lifetime. I can never seem to bring myself to buy dedicated safe queens, customs, or high end “investment” knives, as much as I admire their craftsmanship.
 
I collect using knives. If it doesn't cut, it's not a knife. It's a paperweight. I have exactly one of those, a knifemaking friend gave me an incredible deal.
But generally, everything else gets used for its intended purpose(cutting stuff) at some point.
 
If I don’t imagine myself using a knife, I won’t buy it.

That said, I do have a couple of LNIB knives in my safe (among which are a FLASH & a Dealer Exclusive Spyderco). They are users that I just haven’t gotten around to using yet.

In general, I don’t participate in the Exclusive/Limited Run BS. Neither of the knives mentioned above were particularly hard to come by at the time (and one remains available at SFO).
 
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For me mostly just to see what a knife is like and how it feels in hand. Some may be used, some others may be kept as toys, and some others get sold mostly with a loss of $$. A Spyderco s30V PM2, an s30v Military, a K390 Delica 4, a k390 Endela, a ZT 0562cf, a SAK Poineer X, and a Leatherman Charge TTI pretty much cover all my knife use. I don't claim to buy every knife to use and I am not ashamed of that. I mean seriously, with the built quality and the material quality of knives like Spyderco's, one or two knives alone should last a normal user's life and maybe even longer.
 
I’ve collected the CRK Halloween knives with the intention of never using them, collection only. I have a few other CRK’s for that reason. All the rest are users.I’ve been on a spyderco kick lately. I’ve got all 4 native chiefs offered. I’ll carry every one eventually, right now I’m sporting the Rex45 and fondling the others.
 
I have certain knives that I "use." Most of them are kitchen knives and many of them are 50 years old or older. However, all of the knives that I've purchased w/in the past 3-4 years were purchased purely for collection and I make no apologies about it.

What I buy I buy w/the intention to keep and not to flip but that does not mean that I don't sell a knife now and then.

I accumulated over 400 knives in those 3-4 years but w/in the past month it was clear that I needed to do some housekeeping. So, I've sold (and am still in the process of selling) off about 100 knives, mostly cheaper Kershaws/CRKTs that I bought when I 1st started collecting and certain odd ball knives that no longer fit how I view my collection.

This will result in a still large but more focused collection of knives of all kinds that I am very happy to own, even though I don't "use" any of them.
 
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