Collector Or Accumulator?

My knives stretch almost every genre I can think of. From modern, automatics, balisongs, traditionals, usually the only requirement is they have one blade. If they have two, it must be removable neatly.
 
I consider myself a collector but it's all semantics to me. Does the dust on my dining room table collect there or does it accumulate?

I usually just buy whatever I'm attracted to but I do have several Lion Steel, Case, A.G. Russell, and Buck knives. The rest of my collection is random knives that I happened to like.

If every knife in my collection was vastly different than the others I would still consider myself a collector because I keep buying the same type of item. They might all be different but they are all knives.
 
My preferences are always changing, but ultimately I purchase knives with the intent to use and carry, and I'll downsize whenever I realize I'm not using or carrying a knife. If I can't bring myself to use a knife as a knife then I sell it, a knife is a tool and if I'm going to spend money on a tool I'm going to get good use out of it.
 
I definitely fall into the accumulator category. I only buy knives I have a use for. I see a knife I like and think "Hey, I could use that." Over the years that has caused me to accumulate far more knives than I could ever use. But, I enjoy having them all.
 
TheChunk91 said:
Both things are kind of the same aren’t they? I know I fall into both.
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Nope. They're related, but different.

This is a collection.

waynorth said:
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This is an accumulation.

50163819151_0905cc5c7c_b.jpg


See the difference?
 
My current accumulation of SAKs. I doubt there will be any more added to the pile. (Image cross-posted from the multi tool thread.)
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Counter-clockwise from the wood, then down to the center - Wenger EvoWood 11, small Tinker, Pioneer, Cadet x 3, Pioneer X, Swiss Army 1, Rescue Tool, Trekker, Farmer.

Have had the Rescue Tool since 2008, it sits in the sheath in a kit that gets tossed in or out of vehicles as needed. Had the Wenger for less time, but it has seen the most pocket time and use, and needed some sandpaper work on the wood recently. The Trekker is almost 2 years old and will be going in an emergency kit once I get all the parts. The Farmer is recent, and will go in a lightweight emergency kit once I get all of those parts.

The remainder are a year or less in age, so it'll be a while before any handling/ use wear starts to appear.
 
Temporary owner of a lot of different styles. When I'm gone, I doubt anybody close to me will realize the value or importance of them and they'll likely vanish-hopefully to appreciative homes :cool: rather than the landfill :eek: But, I won't be here to bother :D

My point being, it's all very temporary and should be enjoyed rather than agonised over;) I'm not a 'collector' in that I'm not interested in 'having a set' or owning a knife nobody else does-got some -but it's not important me. Describe myself as a Knife Aesthete, I like beauty and interest and I like having that around me. Locking stuff away from view, gong into agonies about climate control and fearing a rust spot or some other evidence of ageing is really not my cup of tea, nor do I really understand it either:rolleyes: Had a neibour when I was a kid, he had an elegant expensive car that he was always washing, cleaning, fretting over, he hardly ever drove it and I found it bizarre behaviour...o_O
 
Collecting is a discipline I don't have. I was an accumulator. Over the years in my work life I accumulated and used dozens of fixed blades.

The last couple years in retirement I've been able to focus on what I want new, and will use. Including my newfound appreciation for high grade folders.

I currently have five users. The rest get passed by. Or my wife (ab)uses them.
 
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I only buy knives I intend to use, but I HAVE deliberately sought out and “collected” knives which are:
  1. Inexpensive.
  2. Carbon steel
  3. Folding
  4. In current production and have been continuously manufactured, by what can be argued to be the same company, for the longest time.
I think I have gotten as far as I can with this:
sGzMA02.jpg

If I can’t find something which meets all of those criteria, I will buy a more recent model, even stainless, if the company has some history behind it. It has to be inexpensive, though:
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This one is a very old model, from an even older company, but in stainless:
TF7yaMQ.jpg

I did also deliberately collect of all the currently produced Okapi models:
ctaINiU.jpg

And then there’s all the other random stuff which appealed to me for some unknown reason.
 
Will Power said:
My point being, it's all very temporary and should be enjoyed rather than agonised over;) I'm not a 'collector' in that I'm not interested in 'having a set' or owning a knife nobody else does-got some -but it's not important me. Describe myself as a Knife Aesthete, I like beauty and interest and I like having that around me. Locking stuff away from view, gong into agonies about climate control and fearing a rust spot or some other evidence of ageing is really not my cup of tea, nor do I really understand it either:rolleyes:
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Hey, get out of my head! My thoughts mirror your own.
 
Definitely an accumulator. If a knife speaks to me, I will pick it up. Of late I find myself selling and trading knives I once thought I would never part with. I find my greatest enjoyment comes from those I carry and use.
I marvel at some of the collections that I see in this forum. They attest to a perseverance and “thrill of the hunt” that I’m afraid I just don’t have.
My knives will go to my daughter when I’m done here and I hope she will find a few among them that she can treasure.
 
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