Ever "downsize" on knives?

Quiet said:
I would say that I'm definitely in the process of doing so, currently. I love knives, and have quite a few. I'm slowly coming into a phase where I'd like fewer knives, so they need to be awesome.
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Zidfeldts said:
I sell lower dollar knives to buy higher priced knives. If I sell 5 knives for 100 dollars each I will buy 1 for 500 dollars. I try to keep the dollar value similar.
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I'm in this dilemma right now. 4 or 5 nice folders, or one amazing? Whichever the case, the total value has stayed pretty constant.
 
I understand yearning for a simpler functional accumulation, but I just don't see much point of going to all the trouble to sell. When I was a 10, I owned one knife. When I was 30, I owned two knives. I probably own 50 knives now and use 4-5 on any regular basis. I have probably a dozen machetes. I enjoy handling the knives even if I don't use them.
 
I downsized two years ago to pay for college :) I'm glad I had that collection since it was several $K that I got out of it and was able to pay for school. At the moment I'm on two knives but hopefully that'll change soon :D I do miss the Spidies I had.


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Yup. About 200+ when I was a kid. Around the time I married 5 years ago its been about two. Just don't need a bunch. Now would I rotate and and trade off . Oh yeah.
 
22-rimfire said:
I understand yearning for a simpler functional accumulation, but I just don't see much point of going to all the trouble to sell. When I was a 10, I owned one knife. When I was 30, I owned two knives. I probably own 50 knives now and use 4-5 on any regular basis. I have probably a dozen machetes. I enjoy handling the knives even if I don't use them.
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I think there's only about 20 knives out of my pile that I've actually put to use. Most of em I just handled a few times, found something about it that didn't suit me, and put it back in the box. Up until about a year and a half ago I only had 1 or 2 knives at a time in my possession, then I got sucked in when I bought my first Benchmade. During that year and a half I was constantly working long hours away from home, so it just wasn't convenient for me to sell the ones I didn't want. Now I'm back home and I've got a lot of catching up to do.
 
In the process. Down from 25-30 at the peak to about 10 now. More quality less quantity. Keeping only those that I use often or hold sentimental value.
 
Just pulled out fourteen of my knives tonight that I was ready to sell. After I my wife went through them I only have 8 to sell :). Its easier to downsize when your wife does not have the same interests as you do.
 
I'm about to sell or give away a handful of cheap folders and a fixed blade. Nothing so cheap it's unsafe, but not the kind of quality I like to carry anymore now that I've got some better blades. I only carry 1 of 3 blades anymore, being an opinel 9, BM griptillian, or my Izula 2. I'm starting to collect fixed blades and periodically rotate through an SAK, so I'm not ditching them. Why hold on to knives that I don't use, have no sentimental value, and somebody else could use? Most of them are getting a 1 or 2 dollar sticker at the family yard sale. For gently used 10-15 dollar blades, somebody's going to get a decent deal
 
Reading through this thread I can see we all have different thresholds of what's a comfortable sized collection. Mine is around 4. When I have more knives than this it kind of stresses me out that I have a $300-$500 item I don't use, so I start selling off. (The knives I buy will usually be in the $300-$700 range.). With a 5 knife collection there start to be knives that I don't like as much as the newest or that "shine" less as users for my evolving tastes.
 
WOW. I don't have nor have I ever had anywhere close to what a lot of you folks own, but at the same time I guess it's all relative. 15 or 20 knives to me would be a LOT. This is my current collection with a Condor Nessmuk on the way which will be a go-to for camping. I actually had a few more until TSA lightened my load yesterday when I forgot a few small knives\multi-tools in one of my small packs. So no more Micra and no more alox Rambler. :thumbdn: I'm left with an Alox Classic, Yellow Delrin Case Peanut, Buck 309 (AWESOME), Robeson Pocketeze that belonged to my grandfather, Alox Pioneer, Rat 2, and an Opinel #8 that my little brother gave to me as a birthday gift. I have had a bunch of other knives that I kept for a while and then sold off simply because I don't like a lot of things laying around that are not used. image by Six Pound Cat, on Flickr
 
Quiet said:
I would say that I'm definitely in the process of doing so, currently. I love knives, and have quite a few. I'm slowly coming into a phase where I'd like fewer knives, so they need to be awesome.
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This. Exactly this.
 
My collection ballooned up to 15 at one point. Now I have it trimmed down to 10. Still way more than I need. I could easily do just fine with two folders and one fixed. Maybe I'll part with a couple more here soon, but right now I'm focused on eliminating some extra backpacks I don't need.


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Trying to downsize, I thought 20+ folders was a rather huge pile of steel for me. I'm trying to stop buying knives one every paycheck . I want a new firearm before the next threat to American democracy gets into office. Also I will be building a new computer and buying new parts may distract me from looking for more knives, I hope lol.
 
I have downsized a few times, the first was 20 years ago selling off a 3 rolls of vintage Boker pocket knives and straight razors, so next was getting rid of a load of 50+ pieces kitchen cutlery, wood planes, draw knives, and wood carving knives, now I need to thin down the axes and machetes. Thing is I keep buying and making knives, restoring vintage axes, and buying edged tools like a scythe just to learn how to use them. I have no idea how many knives I currently own, but they are everywhere in my house shop and car.
 
Bought a little plastic tray with a rubberized bottom in the kitchen drawer divider area of Lowe's. It's 6"W x 9"L x 2"H. Placed about 10 folders in it that I currently have lying out where I can play with or use them to keep them from just flying around. You know, the box should easily hold all the knives I need except for fixed blades. It would be a nice thought to limit myself to a total number of folders that will fit inside this box at any one time. But it kind of goes against my pack rat inclinations.
 
I have gave Away most of my knives either here in the pif thread or to buddies. Right now I have 5 crk knives 2 fixed blades from the maker daado and am waiting on a traditional that was my grandfathers that glennbad is redoing for me. Oh yeah and my BM griptilian I carried in Iraq.
 
Not really, no. I have given away about 6 or 7, sold one. But still have over 100. I'll get around to it some day. Just too busy to worry with it.
 
This thread got me thinking. I do believe I'll be thinning my herd by another 3-4 knives here shortly. It'll be good to get back into the single digits. :)


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Downsizing is one of the ways I've distilled my collection down to knives I love. I carry all of my knives; I'd do things differently if I had any non-users.

I've gotten rid of something like 20-25 knives in the past year or so. My current collection is about a dozen knives.

It seems to come in waves for me: acquire too many, realize there's too much overlap/I'm not carrying them all, downsize . . . acquire more. ;)
 
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