Confessions of an Accumulator

[brj]

my most expensive knife is my Spyderco Military in S90V, which I edc & use
guess that sums it up for me...

 

[Maribor]

I bet some of those "accumulated" pieces could be worth a "collectors price now (discontinued collectors items bought while in production). IMHO there is no difference. Price tag doesn't define the difference. I feel the main difference is you would be an accumulator if you just bought on site as opposed to buying for the appreciation for the particular knife you are getting. As far as quantity wellllll thats a different story......

 

[So-Lo]

All Are Production And The Only One Over $100.00 When I Bought Them Was The Smatchet.

Please tell us more about this knife called the "Smatchet."

 

[gordonk]

I would probably be classified as an accumulator as well I'm one of those that will get one (or more......) that intriques me, carry it for a bit (sometimes, that "bit" is a day), then on to another one. I'm scared to count.....I was somewhere around 200 folders last year..... but just started again after about a year. Been doing this for about 4 or 5 years now. Went on a bit of a buying rampage over the last little while - went something like Spyderco Tenacious, G-10 D4/Tasman Salt, Police 3, CF Harpy (I'm behind - I have to get caught up....REALLY). This was in a matter of about 2 months A Kershaw Leek and Buck Traveller snuck in there as well I find it great fun in seeing which ones stay in my pockets the longest.

 

[neeman]

I was going through a bunch of knives I found, after packing them away some time ago and forgetting where I put them. As I was doing so, I realize something:

I own no collector knives.
... ...

I realized today that I'm an accumulator, not a collector, of knives. All of my stuff is ordinary.

What about you?

What does price have to do with being a collector?
Do you mean an investor, that buys a knife to realize profit later?

I have a number of Queen slippies, none over $60.
I like these knives and they are production knives.
Ordinary?
I don't think so.
They are a collection.


And if they are expensive, they would no longer be ordinary?

 

[Phil Elmore]

Collection implies value.

 

[lorise]

I would say the fifference between an accumulator and a collector is finance.
The accumulator loves his knives just as much as the collector, his stuff is just ordinary and the others is more of the one of a kind.

And alot of the time the quality is more or less the same, it can vary though

Save two or three 100's and buy a collectors one

 

[Benjamin Liu]

Please tell us more about this knife called the "Smatchet."

http://www.usmilitaryknives.com/smatchet.htm

It is a large leaf-bladed knife that is very light. The A-F version is based on the WWII model but not the same, especially the handle.

Mine is made by Boker, but I just checked their site and couldn't find it, so it might be discontinued.

There is another company that makes them, Eight Dollar Mountain Foundry, but I've never ordered from them so I can't tell you much about them. Their Smatchets are actually cheaper than those by Boker and they are carbon steel.


Here's a thread full of Smatchet pictures:

Now that I think about it, someone could collect Smatchets. They could get the satin and black Boker versions, the micarta handled Boker, the Mini-Smatchet in regular and Damascus by Boker, the A-F Smatchet from Al Mar, the models from EDMF, the Smatchet-like knives from Smith and Wesson and Ontario, and actual WWII models. It would probably take a lot of time tracking them down.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=500017

 

[Bob W]

I have a number of Queen slippies, none over $60.
I like these knives and they are production knives.
Ordinary?
I don't think so.
They are a collection.

Exactly. Within my overall accumulation are two mini-collections, Schrade Old Timers and vintage Bruckmann knives. These "collections" consist of knives that were sought out and purchased solely because they belong to a certain category classification, ie Collected. They aren't expensive, whether or not they increase in value is irrelevant, and the majority are not one-of-kind.

My Accumulated (randomly purchased for a wide variety of reasons) knives, on average, probably cost more than the knives I have purposefully Collected.

I bet some of those "accumulated" pieces could be worth a "collectors price now (discontinued collectors items bought while in production).

That's a very insightful observation, and it's certainly true with many knives in my Accumulation.

I dont mind spending a few hundred on a good knife but by God Im gonna carry it and use it.

all of them are users.

You Users need to start your own topic!

Actually, I bet most people who own many knives are some combination of Accumulator, Collector, User, and/or Trader.

Here's how my percentages work out:
Accumulator: 77%
Collector: 23%
User: 1%
Trader: 0%

Out of 300+ knives, I have 70-ish that were Collected, three that are Users, and the remainder were Accumulated. :thumbup:

 

[neeman]

Collection implies value.

Or a method of buying.

I paint watercolor.
I definitely have a collection of paintboxes, (all users).
Current manufacturers in all styles.
Value?

I collect 3 1/2" stockmans from $30 to $60.
Value? No.
But definely a collection of a certain pattern.

Accumilate implies random.

 

[cutter17]

Way to go Mongrel!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

I did a major downsizing of my stuff a few years ago, and got down to about 6 or 7 knives that I rotate often. Got down to two handguns and just two rifles as well, but thats another forum. I gave most of my almost 100 piece knife accumulation to family, friends, former co-workers from before I retired.

It was so liberating I can't begin to describe it!

I think these forums make you buy more than you need.

This is exactlly what I did a little over a year ago. I got to around 10 knives that I was pretty happy with and would actually carry in my edc rotation, except for the two fixed blades I had. This past summer saw my collection go to nearly zero as I had to sell off all but 3 knives to pay my lawyer for a year old divorce I thought was finalized a year ago! Anyway I have since grown it back up to five, counting the three I had. A couple of impulse buys got me two more knives but only one will see any edc rotation. I have planned out my next 6 months of knives, as long as no impulse buys interrupt it again, I should have my favorites back by then!!

 

[Thomason]

I guess I would be bit of an accumulator and a bit of a collector. A combination that surely spells financial ruin. Lot of fun though.

 

[moonwilson]

I think the main difference between a collector and an accumulator is the thought, time and effort that goes into what you buy. Accumulators buy impulsively. Collectors research and hunt specimens.

 

[Bob W]

Accumulators buy impulsively. Collectors research and hunt specimens.

Well said, a perfect set of definitions.

 

[bammann45]

I've been thinking of paring down my firearms collection along the same lines as everyone else who has gotten rid of their accumulations. I have a number of pistols and revolvers but I find myself only shooting only a few of them consistently -- a kimber 1911, a ruger slabside mark 2 w/ultradot and a ruger bisley. I think I was an accumulator who thought he was a collector who ended up just being an enthusiastic user, if that makes sense

The rest pretty much sit in the trunk and come out to be cleaned once in awhile. Probably the biggest barrier to me doing so is what pain in the a** it is to sell them. Most gun stores buy back at a fraction or sell on consignment taking a big whack. Private party sales seem to be painful due to the transfer, esp here in Los Angeles where I live.

Knives seem easier to dispose of. I am afraid though that this site has turned me into a knife accumulator although I think the pattern is following the same one I have with firearms. I have about 15 folders but only consistently carry about 3.... You would think I would've learned this lesson already

 

[pppiggg]

I guess I am an accumulator. Nothing I have owned is worth more than 200 dollars when new. I doubt I will get half of what I paid if I deceide to resell them. But I just enjoy getting something new now and then.

 

[akadave2]

Its been my experience that the everyday production knives hold their value better thant most customs. Unless the custom is one of the top makers they just seem to be worth only what you can get for them. A lot of production knives seem to have their values well established by collectores, and they dont necessarily have to be the high end blades.

 

[No_b00st]

I realized today that I'm an accumulator, not a collector, of knives. All of my stuff is ordinary.

What about you?

I'm just getting started, but I just can't see buying a knife unless it has an intended purpose besides being looked at. Seems pointless to me.

 

[UpChUcK]

I guess I wouldn't classify myself as either a collector or an accumulator.

I am practical about what I purchase. That is to say that I buy a knife to fill a purpose. For example, I will buy 1 or 2 for an EDC, or for a survival kit, or backpacking/camping, or hunting, or general use/utility, etc. Once I fill the purpose, I move on to the next. If I lose or break one, then I'd refill. But once I fill the need, I don't have the compulsion to get more just for the purpose of getting more. This is true for my flashlights (LED) and guns.

I appreciate the quality, beauty and passion involved in any type of 'collector' piece, but I just don't have the collector mentality. I use what I buy. They are tools to me. If I can't use it because I'm afraid to scratch it or loose it because it is rare, then it's not for me. I will spend extra for quality because I want it to last, but not so much for aesthetics or exclusivity.

 

[RNST]

I have pared down my EDC's that I used to have in a seven day rotation. Basically I have a user Lochsa on my belt daily, occasionally use a small seb Limited Edition in my pocket, couple of SnG's or a CRK Mnandi. I use them if the day to day situation requires me to have a small knife in a pocket.

Still need restraint when new knives come out like the Umnumzaan or other high end production folders. These are my weakness and I tend not to buy knives to accumulate.

The rest of my knives are 'collectors' that I never use and occasionally use to trade for other customs.