Cutting Back

Shorttime said:
The Double Helix?

Not for nearly 300, I don't! I like the way WE transposes lines and curves in their designs, I like a lot of the minimalism of their knives.

The most I paid for a knife was my Mini CQC-7, and that was only because I got to handle it first, and it told me take it home.

If it's never happened, I can't explain it.

WE is heading in a good direction, but they're not there, yet. I would get a Kizer/Vagnino Zipslip, before the Double Helix.
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Im definitely considering it. Its the prefect size for me, but yeah the price is the biggest turn off.
 
I realistically rotate about 10 different knives, normally carrying 2 at a time. I had about 75 knives meaning 65 were just holding down my dresser from being blown away. So being the reasonable guy I am, I gave away about 12 or so, then sold 15 I wasn't using so that I could buy 1 really nice one... That I'm also not using lol. Got another 10 in a box to be given out. So now I'm down around 30 and use most of them, but those 10 much more often than the rest.
 
I’ve been hovering around a dozen for a long time. That’s still kind of two many, I could easily do with 3 or 4. The problem is there’s just a lot of cool knives out there.

Some I never carry. I have a stainless handled Spyderco Police. Why? It’s a gigantic, heavy knife that’s too poky. But it’s just cool.
 
RBid said:
I enjoy them most through use and appreciation of capability. The more I have, the less I bond to any one knife. So, my best experience as an owner/collector/user involves avoiding spreading my time with each too thin.

Try this, maybe. It’s my current plan:

Limit yourself to one new buy per year.

It will make you more selective, and will keep you enjoying others that you have.
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Problem with that is, you miss out on any limited run, special edition, sprint run, dealer exclusives, etc.
 
`br4dz- said:
Problem with that is, you miss out on any limited run, special edition, sprint run, dealer exclusives, etc.
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That’s a matter of perspective. My only limited run knife is a blue weave Domino. I don’t feel as though I’m missing out.
 
I am also in the process of cutting back. I’ve never had a huge collection but I have trouble even rotating 5 knives in my pocket. I never really get to enjoy them. I’m trying to cut down to 3 knives. 1 Small edc/gentlemen’s, a 3.5ish edc and a “hard use” knife.
 
`br4dz- said:
Problem with that is, you miss out on any limited run, special edition, sprint run, dealer exclusives, etc.
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I miss almost all of them.... technically. Doesn't bother me a bit. I probably have 100 knives lying around. Don't need to add one of these unless it has really special appeal to me.

Carried my Boker Urban Trapper today for the first time. Think I like it. Used it too (edc stuff).
 
Shorttime said:
I have a confession to make.

I haven't bought a knife in two months. There just hasn't been anything interesting.

It's worse than that, actually. For about that same amount of time, I've just been keeping my SAK Electrician in my pocket during weekends and off-time: it's there, anyway, why not?

Not that I'm bashing SAK's. It's just that, for the longest time, I've been such a fan of locking folders with chunky, ergonomic handles. But it has other tools on it, carries pretty easily, doesn't catch my shirt, etc.

I know some others here have cut way back, or even sold off their entire collection and started over. It's something I'm thinking about doing, and I wanted to have a re-telling of other people's experiences. Especially what made you decide "this is it. It all has to go!"
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I recently purged my collection and started only carrying either a Delica or Endura along with my SAK.

I've bought and sold a few knives since then, but I keep coming back to the two mentioned above. I like experiencing new knives, but have been happier with my collection and use since downsizing.

Carried the Delica today to a baby shower for my niece. The SAK would have done fine on its own, but both proved useful. As usual, I was the only person in the room with a cutting tool.
 
I'm strongly considering selling off a chunk of my accumulation of knives. Most are just sitting around unused, and I figure I should sell them so someone else can enjoy them, and also to raise some spare cash (to buy more knives:rolleyes:?) Even then, I would still probably end up with 10 or so knives I could rotate out for EDC, which is still more than I need.

And I don't blame this forum for my going overboard on knife purchases. Actually, it's the internet in general which provides such a ready availability of reasonably priced, easy to buy knives that is the root of this evil.
 
I basically have about five more Knives that I want to buy. I am going to sell off a few that see no use to fund a mountain bike that I really want and one more Chris Reeves Inkosi . I don't really see a problem with buying more of the Busse Knives, since I really enjoy them.
 
I think that’s kind of the cycle of a knife nut. A few years back I sold everything except for four knives that I knew were going into the grave with me. Stayed that way for a couple years when I started getting into fixed blades. Did the same thing where now I have about 6 that are keepers. And recently I really got into traditionals and accumulated about 12 rather quickly. Luckily for me I’ve had enough experience to learn to buy only if I’m really sure. So far I only let one go and I think the others are going to be keepers. Pretty happy with my modest collection and it feels nice to know that every one of the knives I have I know I’ll be happy if that’s the only one I had. That’s usually how I can gauge whether a knife is a keeper or not.
 
Most of us have more knives than we need...I also have more forks and spoons that I need...not to mention plates, bowls and my personal favorite...toilet paper.
 
I really binged for a few years, but as of a few months ago I feel like I’ve finally had enough. There are always really cool things coming out that I’d like to have, but not so much that I’m ready to drop cash into them. A LARGE part of it has to do with the fact that I’ve already got a several (many) knives that I really like, but never seem to get around to carrying.

cashville said:
I have found that it is hard to enjoy what you have when your collection is too large and you can constantly chasing that new knife feeling.
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^^^This.

DrRollinstein said:
Check out the newest WE knife and tell me you dont want that sucker.
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I don’t want the sucker...well...at least not enough to drop the cash on it. ;)

22-rimfire said:
I presently have no intention of selling anything. I own a lot of knives. I used to buy stuff just for the heck of it and they almost always never got used or even looked after perhaps a month of ownership...I pretty much carry the same couple of knives all the time with little desire to dig something else out to use. I'm comfortable with my choices.
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^^^This also is me. I have 30-ish knives, maybe 10 which account for 90% of my carry. But I like them all and can’t see myself parting with anything.

CookieRawwr said:
I basically have about five more Knives that I want to buy.
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^^Also me. 2 CRK, 1 Olamic, 1 ZT, and a Spyderco. Most of those are just wishes, but a guy’s gotta dream.
 
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I don't think I've purchased a new knife in over a year. Plus, I've recently have been thinning the herd, so to speak. Some stuff has been given away and I have put a few things up for grabs in the PIF thread. I can only think of one knife that I miss but, we parted ways because I hardly ever used it. If I bought another, I doubt that it would see pocket time. I have about three or four folders that I carry and most every other folder I have collects dust. I have a couple of fixed blades that see some use but not much. There are a couple of fixed blades that I would like to try but considering how little I use one, I can't justify the cost.

I have to admit, an Alox Cadet, OKC RAT1, and a RAT3 fixed blade could meet 99.9 of all my knife needs but where is the fun in that? Maybe add a RAT2 into the mix instead of the Alox. A set up like that would be fun to try for six months or so just to see if my ideas work.
 
I had a lot of knives bought impulsively over the last 30 years. Most were not carried or appreciated. I recently retired and moved. I gave away over half my collection to friends.

Nowadays I’m even more interested in knives, but my focus has changed to custom fixed-blades.

So I have fewer, better knives now.

I still have a few good tactical and traditional folders, and may carry a simple slipjoint pocket knife. But I’m never without a good fixed-blade nowadays.
 
I started cutting back in 2015 on pocket knives, with only a few purchases that year. Got more into kitchen knives around the end of 2015, but had most of that covered by the middle of 2016. Two more pocket knives in 2016 (one was a $12 SAK if that counts). 2017 was a good year - only two knife purchases - a couple of cheap beater kitchen utility knives under $6 each. 2018 was looking to be a no-knife-purchase year, but I succumbed to the 2018 BF Forum Knife, and I picked up what I expect to be my last kitchen knife.

Basically for me it was an automatic process that I wish had kicked in sooner. Any time I was looking at a new knife, I thought about all of the other ones that I has already bought that were waiting their turn for use, and it just made no sense to add another new one to the back of that line.

That plus money got a little tighter - that always helps re-prioritize your spending.
 
I had settled in nicely, with my victorinox/sebenza carry for a couple of years. Then I wondered if I’d like friction folders. After all, the Romans used them. Now I have 4 packages coming in the mail. It’s all ebb and flow.
 
I recently sold most of my accumulation and started accumulating more. I go through phases like that. I've slowed down this process...a little bit, well, not much really.
 
GermanyChris said:
I just ask myself if I’d really carry whatever knife I’m looking at over the Seb if that answer is no I don’t buy.
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Good approach and sound reasoning. I have been applying the same logic to my purchases, but I still buy some things. I just got a Boker Urban Trapper on a whim while in a local sporting goods store. Yeah, I could have gotten it cheaper. Going to carry this one in place of the Steel Will Mini Cutjack for a month or so and see how I feel about it. The SAK stays however.

I'm on tap for the new 2018 traditional forum Buck made two blade slippy in CPM-154 also. That won't arrive for a few months. I have almost reached the buying level of 2017 with the Boker purchase. I want a certain Condor chopper but nothing else is tickling my fancy. The chopper is purely for fun and will probably only see use a couple times a year at most.
 
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