Collection vs rotation

J

jasonbroni

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Dec 10, 2009
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I'm curious as to your opinions on what makes a knife enthusiast's knives a collection.
Is there a number? Is it the fact that you may have safe queens or knives that you simply prefer not to use? What if you have 50 knives and use them all? What if you have 50 knives and only use half of them?

I have four small folders in my rotation, but I do not consider myself a collector... or am I? (Not that there is anything wrong with either view).
No wrong answers here - I just would like to hear some of your opinions.

Ps - I've not been here in a long while - glad to be back!
 
I have a working collection. I can’t use more than I need. It’s currently about a dozen mixed fixed blades and folders.

A half dozen fixed blades have been my work kit for decades. Now retired it’s still pretty much what I have at home plus a few folders now.

EXCEPT ...

In two or three years of hanging out on BF I’ve upgraded over half of the slots to customs: folders and fixed blades both.

A couple makers are here.
 
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I rotate stuff out. I carry a different knife every day. I do have my favorites but I force myself to give them all some pocket time.
 
I've got over 330 knives and consider that a "collection." It is divided into various categories (both broad and narrow) by type, brand and function

I only carry a small fraction of them (less than 5) that I carry in "rotation" although I may carry one occasionally that usually remains in the "collection" 99.9% of the time otherwise.
 
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In my opinion collection should have some kind of specific unifying factor or idea behind, in another case it is accumulation. l have around 100 knives but inside of them I have only small 5 knife collection.
 
It is what ever you want to call it
But
collectors often develop some sort of theme
users rotate
and accumulators accumulate with no theme
 
It is an accumulation until you have a theme(s), then it becomes a collection or collections. Use and quantity doesn’t matter.

n2s.
 
I call it a collection when you buy knives to keep and not use them, when you seek out multiples of the same knife with variations, when you buy knives if the same brand/maker because they are the same brand/maker.

I have an accumulation of about 100 or so. In a years time I use less than 10. I have used all of the knives I own and will continue to, but my interests have narrowed.
 
Pretty much any number can be a collection. Hell, 2 can count. I got a fixed blade and a folder, so I'm good ;) lol but for real to me if you have more than you use, that makes it more like a collection.
 
marchone said:
I have a working collection. I can’t use more than I need. It’s currently about a dozen mixed fixed blades and folders.

A half dozen fixed blades have been my work kit for decades. Now retired it’s still pretty much what I have at home plus a few folders now.

EXCEPT ...

In two or three years of hanging out on BF I’ve upgraded over half of the slots to customs: folders and fixed blades both.

A couple makers are here.
Click to expand...
Ditto. Only rather than upgrading slots, I've mostly added to. I accumulate and dream of being able to afford to have a "theme." If I were to identify a theme, it would be high quality, interesting knives of all kinds. I could find myself at 1am studying the merits of Cold Steel stuff as easily as ogling knives from knifemakers on here. I definitely feel like I have a modest collection. But I use or have used almost all of them. Of ~35 knives, 3 are safe queens.
 
Everyone's definition will be different based on lifestyle and preference.
I only buy what I love so my small rotation is my collection. They are all my favorites. This is my method of reducing clutter in my life. To me if you love all your knives, that is your collection no matter how much you use them or how many there are. They can all be very different, if there must be a theme, it's your taste that's the theme.

Accumulation for me is about quantity, knives that you don't really love, you just have. That to me is clutter. I would never buy a knife for the sake of having another knife. Even if it's free or cheap I wouldn't take it. I must love the design and quality UNLESS it's a present (which doesn't happen to me, so not applicable lol).
 
You display and or hide away and don't use a collection of knives.
A " rotation " of knives which is what I have is an accumulation of knives which are intended for use.

I don't intend to collect knives so I let go those I don't find myself using as often as I'd like.
In a collection you may have a specific rhyme or reason for what you buy, while an accumulation you may or may not simply buy whatever appeals to you at the time.

For me it mostly boils down to a collection consisting of things which you do not use, and an accumulation consisting of things you do.
 
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Some people have fun collecting knives as shelf queens, some only want to buy them and be able to use them. I don't think it matters much, so as long the hobby makes you happy.
 
I definitely have a theme. I use them all for the most part. So I guess collection of users? I generally don't sell, and I don't keep safe queens.

I like color variety and dislike G-10 and FRN scales, especially black. I also dislike plain Ti. The only G-10 I have left is the peel-ply CF stuff from Spyderco.

I also prefer low profile pocket clips.

However, ever since I got an OTF (Hogue Exploit) it's almost all I carry. Occasionally I'll carry something else, but so much has changed this year for me and I don't really think about it as much.

Hell, I used to match a knife to my outfit, whether by color, size, weight, etc.

As of yesterday, my rotation will be the Exploit, Twist Tighe, and Launch 8. Gray, Blue, Green.

I like the OTF because I know my little nephews don't yet have the strength to accidentally open them and hurt themselves.

Maybe tomorrow I'll get the gang together for a pic.

Once the true apocalypse occurs, I'll start a new collection. Knives that I've stabbed someone with. Some people scratch their killings in to a wall. I'll be mounting my implements of death on the wall.
 
Kabancheck said:
In my opinion collection should have some kind of specific unifying factor or idea behind, in another case it is accumulation. l have around 100 knives but inside of them I have only small 5 knife collection.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I have users, and accumulated knives. Then several collections. Here is my military pocket knife collection. (The ones on the close end are my mostly boyhood accumulation.)

if you buy a knife you don’t intend to use and it goes with another you already have it’s a collection.



view
 
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I've never bought a knive I didn't intend to use, so I mostly have knives that are useful as cutting tools. Some are just used more at home than out and about because they're not as practical to carry as part of the EDC (Opinels, larger fixed blades)...

I'd define myself as a user rather than as a collector. All the blades I've accumulated are simply a byproduct of my search for the perfect blade(s).
 
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