Ever get rid of a knife and feel a lot better afterwards?

U

uofaengr

Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
2,485
I'm not talking about you were in a financial crisis and were in dire need of the money. I'm talking you had a knife that just kinda sat around forever, not getting used, just a pile of hundred dollar bills sitting there. But it was just cool enough or rare enough that you struggled daily with the decision of getting rid of it.

In short, I recently sold my Umnumzaan, and if the local buyer doesn't back out, I will have my 3.5" XM-18 sold by the end of the week. And let me say, even though I can afford to keep them, it just feels better knowing they're gone. It's definitely been a struggle though.

I got to the point I'd fondle the Umnum and think to myself "I'll carry this one day" knowing I probably won't. Doesn't have an EDC friendly blade and for work knives I like Spydercos, maybe a Benchmade, or even a large Sebenza. Also bigger and heavier than what I like to EDC as my usual EDC is a plain small 21. Had a certain cool factor though and was a nice knife.

I got the XM when I was in the midst of trying out the "big 3" brands to see what I liked. Already had a 3" which I really like, but I feel will struggle with keeping it in the future also due to the value I see in it. The bigger XM was cool and all, carried it a couple times, customized it a little with standoffs and another scale, but I just couldn't imagine the thing actually being useful. Slicer is kind of an oxymoron for that knife. Built like a tank yes, but just don't need something that friggin heavy or big everyday and would probably never choose it as a work knife. They used to be somewhat rare and hard to get so I hung onto it. Fun to fondle and flip every once in awhile. If I want to use a beefy knife, I think I'd enjoy using my gifted Adamas more anyway.

If you're a collector, then this may not apply to you because you collect knives to keep and not all will be used. I'm not a collector and hate to see things I've impulse purchased that have no sentimental value, especially very expensive things, sitting around not getting used. I've bought and sold a lot of knives and actually like having less knives so I can enjoy using what I have. I'm finding much more value (now that I've tried many expensive knives) in knives below my old limit of $150 anyway. It actually feels good to put a little of that cash toward another hobby and just putting the rest back in the bank. At least I can say I tried them.
 
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I had two XM-18's; a 3" and a 3.5" spanto. I had over $700 in each folder. Did not like either one. The 3.5 detent was minimal and the blade opened in my pocket several times. Got rid of both of them rather quickly and was VERY happy about it.
OTOH, I don't mind owning "good" folders that are expensive. I rather expect to pay more for better quality or customs...
 
I feel this way about a few knives I have. I don't put a cap on the amount I spend on a EDC that's potentially going to be my trusty companion for the next 10 years or so. (probably a mistake), my local knife stores don't really carry anything that Im interested in besides the run of the mill Zts and spydercos so I couldn't just walk in and fondle a knife to see if it were a fit or not. My “big 3” turned into a big 6 and there was noway of getting them in my hand unless I ponyed up the dough and ordered them online. So now, here I sit with a few to many far to expensive knives on the shelf that I don't use and probably wont. I've carried them all for a few days and some for a week to see if I like them or not and simply by doing so the market for used knives demands I discount them substantially like a ¼ to a 1/3 the price I payed or I have no chance at selling them. I just cant stomach it.
I can imagine wanting a little money off the price of a knife because it was carried for a few days but its not like I concealed the thing in a orifice of my body before deciding to sell it.
 
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I fell victim to the XM-18 craze, Its a great knife and all, but it just not a $550 great knife. The detent was pitiful and for such a stoutly built tool they sure did make the liner thinner than any of my other folders. I have a zt 566 and besides not having a thicker blade on it, its of better build IMO than the Hinderer. If CRK doesn't blow me out of the water with the small insingo Ive got coming the cheaper ZT 566 or Spydi Tuff will be my choice EDC for a while...
Sonnydaze said:
I had two XM-18's; a 3" and a 3.5" spanto. I had over $700 in each folder. Did not like either one. The 3.5 detent was minimal and the blade opened in my pocket several times. Got rid of both of them rather quickly and was VERY happy about it.
OTOH, I don't mind owning "good" folders that are expensive. I rather expect to pay more for better quality or customs...
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No, that has not happened to me with a knife. I never owned a knife that was that expensive. My knives are medium priced ones.

I always try to buy what I can see and feel in my own hands when it comes to my knives as I did with all of my former handguns and rifles. That does present limitations since the stores around here do not have a huge collection of knives to choose from.

The sweet folding knives that I REALLY, really liked but can't use easily now due to my arthritis getting worse have been given to my husband and he uses them on a regular basis. One of them is his EDC knife.

I do believe in carrying a good, quality knife that you can easily use and rely on just as you would when it comes to a good firearm too. So if a specific knife costs more money and suits me - I would not hesitate to buy it if I really LOVED IT in all ways.

I am only into fixed blade knives too.

Best wishes to you.

Cate
 
No. But I remember getting rid of an original pristine c95 Manix because people were telling me that it would be a collectors item. I traded it off for an ESEE 4. If I can't use them, I don't want them.
 
I collect comics and lots of video games as well. I have a whole system I use to how I buy,sell,trade.

Just like video games I have so called safe queens where there exists a digital version of the same game to play for much cheaper. But having a physical copy is worth a lot of money and sometimes go up in money. I been collecting video games and comics from the 90s so I have learned the markets.

I collect knives and have safe queens as well as users. Honestly If I wasn't a collector I wouldn't stick around this site and spend so much dedicated time in research. I would have just bought a few good knives and join the rest of the non knife nuts. To me a collector doesn't mean you have to use the knife. It just means that you own more knives then you need or spend more money on them then necessary. Which is many people here. Even people who work the labor industry need like two work knives and that's it. Other wise I'd like to know what the hell it is people are cutting that needs years of research with enormous amounts of money spent.
 
Bludgeon said:
If having cash tied up in knives doesn't sit well with you don't get in to guitars.:D
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I once met a guy with a briefcase full of high-end folders. Real artwork, those knives. He said this was his way of weaning himself off of collecting watches. Me, I own some expensive knives (may not for long), but won't carry them. After losing a Merlin (lousy integral clip), a Salt 1, and nearly losing a PPT (by far the most expensive knife I ever carried, and that for only 1 day), I swore off carrying any knife over $100 retail.
 
I've bought blades to try, then if I didn't like em I sold em to buy mostly other stuff to try out. As it turns out, the stuff I bought as impulse that I thought would be collectable etc. Were the blades I didn't use. Having that money tied up certainly didn't help the cause of finding THE blade that fit my hand and performed the way I liked best.

It's the ones that were bought impulsively that were the burdens lifted when sold.

I've used and plan to use each knife that I own or plan on purchasing from now on.
 
Nope. :)

I don't feel burdened by having stuff.
If having stuff burdened me, I wouldn't get stuff in the first place.
 
Even though I collect knives, I still feel the need to purge a few knowing they will be appreciated and used by someone else. Of course I always have a tough time deciding when/ which ones to let go of. I have a few that will never leave my possession.
 
OP, I TOTALLY get it!

Not that this is the same price range, but I've had a ZT 0350 for about 3 years. I think I carried it 3 times. It was great...I loved the design and build quality, but it just wasn't for me. Wasn't something I ever grabbed when leaving the house. But I hung on because I thought "some day I'll need/carry this thing". Yesterday I sold it and feel SO good. I'm excited to start selling more never-used knives so I can mix up my EDCs. I already put another ZT on Craigslist and am planning on putting more on this week.

It's liberating to finally admit to yourself, "no, I'm never going to carry this, it's gone!"
 
Yes.

I paid $2200 to have this AXD built by Darrel Ralph. I carried and lightly used it for 5 months. When I got something that suited my needs better, I put it on eBay... and it sold for $680. That was the price I had to pay to learn that assisted opening (no matter how high quality) wasn't for me.



OTOH, I wore the Submariner which I purchased used for $4500 for just over a year. Then I bought a Deepsea Sea Dweller ($10,100) and I quickly sold the Submariner back to its original owner for $3500... I consider that lost thousand as a Rolex rental fee ;)



I sold the factory bracelet on ebay for $1100 after 6 months (damn thing is heavy) but this watch has been on my wrist all day, every day since the day I got it. I'm lucky enough to have found my grail... I'm done with watches. :D

 
Bludgeon said:
If having cash tied up in knives doesn't sit well with you don't get in to guitars.:D
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^^^This too. I had $750.00 tied up in a nice CRK one piece. Never could bring myself to use it. Finally sold it for a little profit. What a relief. On the guitars, my son has 4 in his room right now that add up to more than two of those CRK's and he hasn't played any of them in a year. Ouch.
 
I can relate to the op. I had a fair bit of money in folders and I was in need of an engagement ring. I sold about 4k worth and bought a ring. I loved all of the knives I sold but I needed the money more. I think 10 knives is about the most I'd have at one point. Maybe 20....
 
Some people may have misunderstood, but I don't have a problem with having nice things or even nice things that go unused...if they have some kind of value to me. Excluding the 3" XM I still have that hasn't even been used, my high end knife of choice is the Sebenza 21 and have a plain large and small. EDC the small most everyday. At that price range, what I get for the money feels right compared to the others. Have owned 6 different CRKs at one point or another.

I rarely carry the large 21 because of its size, but I have used it and have no intentions of selling it because it's a perfect knife. The smoothness of that particular knife is unlike any I've ever seen on any other. It just hits all the right buttons for me and what I paid for that was well worth it. I'm having my wife give me a small micarta insingo for Xmas and it's going to be my EDC for a long time, plus I like having the sentimental value. After that, there's just not really much out there that's new or that I've already tried that interests me so I can relax and just enjoy my knives for awhile. Will be nice not scouring the internet seeing what to buy next.

I've figured out I really only like Spyderco, Benchmade, and CRK in modern folders, and I've got the 4, 5, and 2 models from each brand respectively that interest me at all after trying many. Some really nice knives in there that deserve to be used. I tend to buy knives based on the niches they fill and do the same with flashlights, which I have many and have some expensive ones. They do different things for me. Flooder, thrower, higher color rendering, EDC size, larger size, different battery types for certain situations, etc. Same thing with firearms. Plenty of them sit around unused all the time, but I more or less have every basic need filled with my collection without too much filler but have some very nice pieces. To me sometimes, less is more. In the end the Umnum and XM had no personal value to me other than I could say I owned them.

Oh, and about guitars, I've played for almost 20 years so I know exactly what you mean. I've got a couple nice ones and look to pick up at least a couple more over the next few years.
 
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Think guitars are bad......try high end custom pool cues!!! Especially when you are a player!!
Or high end air rifles....tunes.....scopes.....
No friggin wonder I'm broke.
 
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I am unable to sell anything I buy. Not a knife, gun, watch etc. I've thought about it, had offers, but can't do it.
 
uofaengr said:
it just feels better knowing they're gone. It's definitely been a struggle though.
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Half of your brain thinks the that spendy folders are cool; the other half recognizes that all they really do is cut stuff - just like much cheaper knives. So there can be this constant tension of the two brain halves pulling against each other. That tension is released when the knives disappear.
 
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