Do You "Use" The Knives In Your Collection....

jwblack911 said:
i dont personally believe in safe queens for myself. only because my expendable income is not as high as i would like. i usually hover with 4-7 knives of mid tech, nicer productions or less expensive customs. i have had probably 30 knives i have bought or gotten in trades that i fondled and then they sat for a week-months before i sold then in perfect condition but i wouldnt consider them safe queens. i would call them dust collectors ha. i wasnt buying them to put away and save for later. i bought them to use them and they turned out to not be what i needed or wanted. a few examples would be the zt 0560, 0550, 0350, 0200, bm adamas, spyderco navaja, crk zaan just to name a few. all the knives i have sold off have been wonderful and everything i expected but just didnt seem to 100% fit my needs.

even right now i have a rat 1 and a gso 4.1 in 3v which is amazing. but both knives sit, unused brand new because i have been too busy to sell or trade them
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Let's keep it to traditional knives folks. Thanks.
 
I use or have used every one of my knives BUT my pre-1971 Case knives and a Dozier CF KS7 wilderness.
Everything else gets thumped on.
 
I look forward to using each and every knife I own. The only exceptions are a couple of inherited knives from my grandpa that are on display, but not carried due to their well loved condition. I do have a couple of his knives that do find their way into my pockets from time to time. I am not at the point in my life where I can justify owning a knife that doesn't get used. I love them all too much for that...
 
Most of mine (fixed blades) have been carried at one time or another while working trails, hiking, or camping. Some of those I never had to use for various reasons. They get rotated in and out of the vault depending on my wants that day or week. Some are rare or custom and never get used. I have several folders that I rotate to use as EDC knives. I have one or the other with me at all times.
 
My knives don't get the hard use they did in the past, simply because I'm now older and less active, but they're all there for using, and I enjoy using them.
 
All mine get used. I am selective as to which are carried at work and which are EDC(off work). My work knives tend to be those which are cheaper and more easily replaced. Although this is not always the case.
 
Knives $200 and less I use !(Hard) as those are not rare, are always available ,don't have any collectors value
Knives $700 and up I don't use:)
 
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I use all mine, although some more than others. There are certain regulars that always end up in my pocket.
 
I used to collect autos and balisongs. Most of them are gone. The majority of my "collection" now is traditionals, but I don't really consider myself a "collector", but more an accumulator. Some rarely, or ever, get used, but that's mostly because I have so many, and have a few favorites that capitalize most of my pocket time. But I've never bought one with the intention of never use it.
 
All knives I buy have the intention to be a user. Some favorites get more pocket time than others. I often find it difficult to pick next knife from the drawer that's gonna be the user for a certain period of time. Some are still in line to be used for the first time ;)
 
I realized that I use all but one, a Fight'n Rooster "End of Day" stockman. Takes me awhile to get through the whole rotation though!
 
I'd say I use 90% of them, the 10% I don't use either because they're retired because they've seen the extent of their useful life and of the 10%, 2% of those were bought as an investment to either sell or trade later on.
 
Hmmm, I'm the oddball here. :)

I have a hard line that is drawn between what I carry and what I collect. There are a few that have been retired for one reason or another. There are a select couple that I carry. There are a few specialty knives that I use for hunting and processing my game. I have a couple keepsakes from my family tree that have naturally been used quite a bit.

But the knives in my collection? Every one is a mint condition, never carried, never sharpened knife. There aren't that many of them, maybe a couple dozen all told. But the ones in the collection never get carried. And won't. When I pass on (hopefully in a long time) whoever gets them can decide what to do with them.

It is all about what works for you. By drawing a distinct line between what I will carry and what I collect it keeps me in line. I have settled on what I like and that probably won't change until I lose one, break one, or some flaw develops that keeps it from serving its purpose well. To me carrying a knife is about memories and it takes a long time to really make one look nice to my eyes. I love the look of a well cared for knife that has seen years of pocket time. You only have so many of those you can produce in a lifetime. I am very choosy as to what gets to make it into that process.

Will
 
I have a couple hundred fixed blade custom knives in my collection. I would say that I only use about twenty of them. The rest sit in the safe and increase in value. I will most likely at some point pick twenty to twenty five of the ones that I do not use and want to keep to pass on to my boys and sell the rest.
 
For me the decision to NOT carry a knife is based on it's rarity and irreplaceability, not it's price. I have several GECs that are 1 of 10 or 15 made, and there's just no way to replace one if it got damaged. I have carried and used knives from $6 Rough Riders to $500 customs with a lot of satisfaction.
 
bwperdue said:
All of mine are users, even the "1 of XX" ones. In fact, I've been going through the accumulection to see what I don't use, as I've found myself guilt-carrying some just to use them. Then I realized I needed to clean out a bit.
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I am here too right now amigo. More than just folders too.
I need a good declutter....it feels so wasteful having stuff sat idle.
 
Jack Black said:
My knives don't get the hard use they did in the past, simply because I'm now older and less active, but they're all there for using, and I enjoy using them.
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Just wanted to chuckle at this. If only they saw as much action as yoru drinking arm! :D
 
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