Confessions of a minimalist

[mr.trooper]

I am a minimalist. I try to travel as light as possible, with as few tools as is prudent. Due to my knife addiction I constantly want to buy new knives. The problem is, as a minimalist, I am regrettably required to justify such purchases. In doing so I made myself a list of every kind of knife that I need, and tried to match that category of knife to a piece that I already have. It looked something like this:

Fine edge folder – Buck Mayo Cutback (light weight, solid lockup, good blade steel)
* Serrated edge folder – Emerson Endeavor (light weight, excellent ergonomics, good blade steel)
* Combination edge folder – Kershaw Leek (light weight, “cool”, and good blade steel)
* Hunting Fixed blade – KaBar Little Finn (lightweight, compact, good stain resistant steel; its actually used for skinning things)
* Fighting knife – Kabar 8” tanto (tough, good reach, excellent steel)
Utility/Survival knife – CS Kobun (Light weight, & tough as nails despite lack-luster blade steel. I will probably sell it and use the money to help buy a new one in AUS8)

Part of the reason I’m a minimalist is because I’m poor. I have college bills, and I can’t find a job. I can’t go out and blow $300 like its nothing just to feed some silly knife addiction (no offense). My Endeavor and 8” KaBar are tied for the most expensive knife I have ever purchased, at ~$65 each. Id like to get a leatherman wave, but I can’t afford the $75 that all the local stores charge for them.

The only two categories that are unfilled on my list are “multi-tool” and “traditional folder”. I know what multi-tool I want; it’s a Leatherman Wave. For my traditional folder, I am leaning heavily towards an Opinel. Why? They do everything I want and everything I need while maintaining a price level that is affordable.

Any other minimalists out there?

 

[fortney]

After I received my (Swedish) Frost Clipper from Ragnar I became a minimalist.

F

 

[SOLEIL]

Look at your definition of each knife and see where they overlap. Then sell all of the redundant ones and get yourself a multitool that will fullfill all of your previous uses.

I hope your schooling leads you to a good paying job, as you are already a knife addict with a minimal collection

 

[flipe8]

I would say I'm a minimalist at heart, eventhough my humble collection is ever-growing. I think your definition and mine aren't the same as yours sounds to be based on economics, whereas mine is based on trying to have the fewest number of things to get the job done on my person based on what I'm doing. That doesn't mean I won't have knives, jackets, boots, or whatever in duplicate(or more). It means I won't be carrying multiples of anything at any given time. Based on what you have, I'd probably knock your list in half or less, as some of your tools will serve dual or multiple purposes. When I climb, for example, I don't bring any more clothing than I could wear at once(pretty dumb to bring two Gore-Tex jackets, right?). Same thing with my knives.

 

[flipe8]

After reading my post again, it may have sounded like I was being goofy, but that wasn't my intent. I was just saying that situations dictate priorities to each of us. I'm lucky enough today to have some disposable income for hobbies like this, but it wasn't that long ago when I didn't ,and in reality, that shaped my views on minimalism in my activities to the point where I had to get the most for my money and the most use for my kit. That attitude hasn't changed, eventhough I might have a bit more stuff than I did 10 years ago. When I got into knives some time ago, my goal was to find one tool that served all my needs. I still want that. I still think that's minimalism.:thumbup:

 

[mr.trooper]

Well, my situation IS restricted by economics, but even if I HAD money, I wouldnt go out and buy every knife i could get my hands on. Im not interested in "collecting". I just want a few good knifes to cover my bases.

What do you guys think about the Opinels? I hear some people say that they dont hold an edge very well because of a poor heat treatment, or some such. I have also read that they are made of 1075 Hi-carbon? I am thinking about a #7, and then staining the handle, cold blueing the blade, and adding lanyard hole.

 

[jackknife]

Opinels are great little knives. A number 7 has been part of my edc for twenty years now. I've been through several of them, as sometimes a freind or co-worker would admire it, ( usually after using it to cut something) and I would give it to them. If they insisted I would accept a small payment.

I like to sand off the lousey orange finish, and use a light brown stain, then soak the knife in linseed oil for a day or two. Let it weep for a day and start polishing with a rag. Once a month I rub it down with linseed and let it sit over night. This results in an Opinel you can get wet with no worrys about the blade binding because of the wood handle swelling. The linseed oil gives the wood a golden hue after a while.

Or you can use Helmsman Spar urathane and seal it that way.

I've become a minimalist as I got older.

I always get the carbon steel opy's.

 

[mikeymoto]

I'm at least a minimalist in the sense that I don't like carrying things in my pocket, and that is contrary to my knife hobby. I always have a folder clipped into my right front pants pocket though, and I wish I could be comfortable EDCing a small fixed blade because I admire those more than folders. But I just can't bring myself to do it.

I like traditional folders, but can't stand a knife loose in my pocket (and yes I read the recent thread about this with the option to use sheaths and whatnot, but that goes against my minimalist nature, see!)

Sigh...