Do others close to you appreciate your CRK hobby/love/obsession?

U

uofaengr

Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
2,485
So first, a little backstory. As some of you know, I started my CRK love in the past couple of months, picking up both my small and large 21 during that timeframe. This was on the quest to become "satisfied" with my knife purchases, and I finally am for now, but of course won't be my last CRK. I have a coworker/friend who's nearly 20 years older than me but we share a lot of the same interests in knives, guns, hunting, etc. He thought I was crazy at first for wanting a Sebenza, but after my explanation about why have a bunch of cheaper knives that don't or won't have much intrinsic value years from now, why not have a few really good pieces that are literally lifetime knives, I could tell his interest starting to grow. He sold some lesser knives off too, and in that same timeframe has since acquired a Sebenza 25 and a large Starbenza and wants more.

His wife is about 10 years younger than he, and has zero interest in guns and knives, hates outdoor stores (as in literally won't even go inside), etc (like I assume maybe a lot of wives do) where on the other hand, my wife likes that I'm into "stuff that men are supposed to like" and actually thinks that my Sebenzas are "pretty" and actually thinks the same of the Mnandis and WH's that I look at, and she's happy that I have some things that make me happy. I don't know whether this is a mistake or not, but when he got his 25, knowing that she'd greatly disapprove, he told his wife how much it cost, and she just rolled her eyes and didn't say anything (shh don't say anything, but have heard she can be a real b-word lol just hearsay please don't flame), whereas my wife knew how excited I was when my first Sebenza came and kinda joined in on the unboxing.

He was telling me yesterday how over the weekend, they went to dinner with her brother's family (I think he's a Case/Kershaw guy...and a pretty small-minded guy in general) and my friend went to show his BIL one of his CRK's. His wife chimes in, "Yeah, tell him how much it was." in a snide voice so he tells him and his BIL just immediately hands it back to him and says, "That's ridiculous, you're an idiot" or something similar and shakes his head, just trying to be a dick about it. I mean, the guy sold off 3-4 knives to pay for it, so it's the same money, HIS money, but in one nice piece rather than several mediocre pieces so what's the big deal and why should anyone else care? I guess my point is his only child is a girl so I don't even know who he will leave his knives to in the future, and really no one around him is willing to appreciate his interest in nice things while they all sit around on $500 cell phones that are obsolete in 6 months running up huge data bills or buying $1500 AR's they can't afford and hoarding hundreds (perhaps thousands) of dollars in ammo (or just insert other expensive hobby here).

I kinda feel bad for the guy, but I guess at some point in this journey we've all had our moments of sitting there feeling like no one understands us after we show or talk about our high dollar knives (though I don't do such with non-knife people). And this can apply to any brand whether Hinderer, Strider, ugh Shirogorov though I don't see near the complaints about why people pay what they will for one whether secondary market or what as compared to CRK (that's another discussion entirely)...but I'm posting this in the CRK forum because civil discussion actually goes on here and the story references CRK knives...plus, I'm sure some of you may deal with this. I have several people close to me, including my significant other, that enjoy my hobbies with me and like to see me happy rather than stay in my ear all the time about how dumb I am for having this and that. I guess I'm just curious to see what others that frequent this subforum experience in their day to day lives in regard to my friend's situation. Sorry for the longwinded post, but it's something that kinda bothers me in a way about how some people can be, so feel free to rant about your experiences if negative or share some positive ones. Not just about your CRK hobby, but your hobbies in general.
 
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I don't have one yet but I will soon. The other day my wife told me that the obsession/hobby of mine that she understands the least is my love of knives and she thinks it is absolutely ridiculous to spend any amount of money on a knife, especially one that costs hundreds of dollars.
 
I'd say my GF is in between. She likes that I have hobbies and sometimes encourages but she's not into knives. However, I talk about CRK so much that she could probably recognize them and maybe some wood Inlays.
 
My wife thinks they're pretty too. Especially the one and only annual I have.

Some people are just not nice! The nice folks even if they're not into what you're into, will still say something nice.

Find some cool people to hang with...:thumbup:
 
I love firearms and shooting as much as anyone, but what kills me is people who literally burn through $300-$500 worth of ammo in one weekend just goofing off...but that same amount for a well made tool, a piece of art, that will last a lifetime and can be brought back to brand new condition whenever you choose? Nah, that's dumb... :rolleyes:
 
My wife likes to look at the pictues. She loves that I like them and does not care what I spend.......as long as it is my money. -:). I could not ask for someone more supportive. Most of my friends like them but do not understant the quality.
 
My wife likes them as well ... especially the UCGs. I am not sure she understands the hobby but she lets me be and always has nice comments for a new addition.
 
My wife and I keep money separate, so the cost aspect doesn't bother her at all. She thinks I am a little odd but tolerates my habit well overall. She is always asking me to use a knife, but won't carry one because she says I always have one lol
 
My wife is supportive of my knife purchases even when it comes to the CRK and William Henry knives I have purchased. She likes that I have a hobby. I fact she bought me a WH a couple years ago. That got me into higher quality knives which lead me here to the CRK sub forum and my first couple CRK purchases.
 
My wife also likes my CRKs. She thinks they are the better looking knives of all that I have had. She understands the cost to value ratio and thinks they are a relative bargain for what you get. She does not mind much when I buy one since I usually buy her a nice purse at the same time. Haha...
 
uofaengr said:
I love firearms and shooting as much as anyone, but what kills me is people who literally burn through $300-$500 worth of ammo in one weekend just goofing off...but that same amount for a well made tool, a piece of art, that will last a lifetime and can be brought back to brand new condition whenever you choose? Nah, that's dumb... :rolleyes:
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Well said !

It used to take some effort to burn that much money in ammo but you can easily hit that dollar amount in ten mags full of 5.56 these days with nothing more to show for it than a wide smile that'll only last a couple of hours. A fine knife can last an entire lifetime or longer for the same amount of money.
You could make the same comparison with so many of the other hobbies us knife nuts get into and still be right on the money, especially perishables or consumables like booze and cigars.
To each their own but I do take offense when somebody has the nerve to judge me for how much a knife, watch, or flashlight may cost but 2 minutes later will tell me all about their new 5K custom laptop or some other item that only performs a function that a much less expensive version of the same item can also perform; how many times have you fellow knife nuts heard that any cheap knife can do what your expensive knife can ? They really don't like it when that gets turned back on them and their expensive, habit, hobby, or toy.
I've come to a point that I don't tell people what they cost anymore, sometimes I just tell them 5 bucks because if they're not a knife person they'll never go to get one anyway. It helps to avoid the conversations where people get weird about how I spend my own money- which is it's own kind of strange in my opinion, it is after all, MY MONEY.
I do my happy sharing of my love of sharp steel right here on bladeforums where more often than not I get a nice enthusiastic reply from another addict/enabler :)
 
uofaengr said:
Lol well some might agree...I mean, you have owned almost 100 CRK's! :D

I'm just envious! :thumbup:
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Thanks uofaengr. Its not so much the quantity that people give me a hard time over, its the price of them. Its just an expensive hobby is all. Some people walk around with thousands of dollars worth of electronic gizmos. I choose to spend my $$ on knives AND guns AND electronic gizmos.....lol

Birdhunter1220 said:
We know that but he was asking about CRK's :-). Always enjoy your post and thanks for the time line thread I use it often.
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Your more than welcome Birdhunter1220. Its is an invaluable source. Make sure you go through all the post as info is contained throughout. Can't put everything on one page due to character count....lol.
 
1AbominAble1 said:
Well said !

It used to take some effort to burn that much money in ammo but you can easily hit that dollar amount in ten mags full of 5.56 these days with nothing more to show for it than a wide smile that'll only last a couple of hours. A fine knife can last an entire lifetime or longer for the same amount of money.
You could make the same comparison with so many of the other hobbies us knife nuts get into and still be right on the money, especially perishables or consumables like booze and cigars.
To each their own but I do take offense when somebody has the nerve to judge me for how much a knife, watch, or flashlight may cost but 2 minutes later will tell me all about their new 5K custom laptop or some other item that only performs a function that a much less expensive version of the same item can also perform; how many times have you fellow knife nuts heard that any cheap knife can do what your expensive knife can ? They really don't like it when that gets turned back on them and their expensive, habit, hobby, or toy.
I've come to a point that I don't tell people what they cost anymore, sometimes I just tell them 5 bucks because if they're not a knife person they'll never go to get one anyway. It helps to avoid the conversations where people get weird about how I spend my own money- which is it's own kind of strange in my opinion, it is after all, MY MONEY.
I do my happy sharing of my love of sharp steel right here on bladeforums where more often than not I get a nice enthusiastic reply from another addict/enabler :)
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Good post. Yes it's funny how people feel entitled to tell you how to spend your money. I guess I should tell the neighbors I get from point A to point B just as well in my F150 with 200k miles as their BMW 750LI ;). I think we are in an age now where people value Chinese made, mass produced, disposable goods such as phones and tablets that "do stuff" and buy one every other year than handmade, precision fitted works of art that perform a simple task such as a CRK that cuts or a fine Swiss watch that tells time and both will last a lifetime. They never become obsolete. But there are also people that will tell you a Natty Light will get you just as drunk as a fine single malt. Frankly there are just a lot of folks who don't "get it" nor really care to.
 
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uofaengr said:
Good post. Yes it's funny how people feel entitled to tell you how to spend your money. I guess I should tell the neighbors I get from point A to point B just as well in my F150 with 200k miles as their BMW 750LI ;). I think we are in an age now where people value foreign made, mass produced, disposable goods such as phones and tablets that "do stuff" and buy one every other year than handmade, precision fitted works of art that perform a simple task such as a CRK that cuts or a fine Swiss watch that tells time and both will last a lifetime. They never become obsolete. But there are also people that will tell you a Natty Light will get you just as drunk as a fine single malt. Frankly there are just a lot of folks who don't "get it" nor really care to.
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Saw a guy spend $200 today on what I would spend no more then $80 worth of plastic cold steel nonsense and when I asked if he liked high quality knives he sarcastically replied "doesn't everyone" i proceeded to mention Chris Reeve knives and how there the finest piece of cutlery and the young inexperienced salesman butted in saying "actually bench made is the best"i about broke down laughing hysterically. I tried explaining the quality but the foreign cold steel fan was set that his $1600 gold class Benchmade he supposedly had was as good as they get. I flat out told him at $1600 for a benchmade I hope it gets you off at night and left.
 
I try to explain the quality of a fine knife.
I show knives in different qualities and therefore different price ranges.
It's about understanding quality (material, fit and finish, design).
The price-performance-ratio is a very personal thing, as I have experienced.

Sometimes I wonder how things would be if more people would get it.
Imagine the wait for a Chris Reeve knife.
Probably it's better the way it is - a "relatively" small community of those who understand. ;)

red mag
 
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