Ever Want to go Back?

A little over 10 years ago my first "real" knife was a Buck 279-1 Alpha Hunter. The Buck was my go-to knife I used up until early 2015 when I bought my first 3 Benchmades. A 2550, 5400, and a fixed adams. Between wanting to know what else is out there and having a stable job (and being single), starting about 2 months ago Iv acquired a bit of an.. addiction.

Also had a boker magnum auto and a small stainless steel case that have both been lost.

I just removed the rubber handles on the 279-1 a couple months ago. They are no longer stable and my finger nails could rip them up.

 
Way, way back in the ''before time'', I had every variation of the Normark Folder, the Swede, Big Swede, Super Swede, I went right up the line as a youth. I went fallow for years, then got a Victorinox Rucksack, and it was a stand alone for about a decade. Then about 6-7 years ago I dove in deep. I even got into hawks and axes. I still have that Rucksack, along with many other Victorinox siblings that arrived since. I have never used or even carried the huge Delemont, but it is fun to dig out and handle now and then.
 
jackknife said:
I've gone pretty much back to my roots the past several years.

My first knife was a boy scout knife my dad gave me when I was 12. Carried that thing until I went in the army not long after high school. Left it home as I didn't want some barracks thief getting it. After boot camp I carried the issue 'demo' knife for a few years. For some reason I can't remember, I wanted a dedicated knife. The PX had Buck knives for sale, and I bought a 301 stockman. Liked having multiple blades on hand. Carried that knife for years, until I saw my first Victorinox display in Germany. Big moving SAK in the window of a knife shop in Rothenburg. Going to a SAK was like my old boy scout knife on high test.

Carried that SAK and Buck stockman for many years, kind of on a as needed basis to how I rotated them. Then in my 40's I became a bit of a knife nut. I experimented with all kinds of knives, one hand folders, pocket fixed blades, even a Pacific Cutlery Company balisong. Had a small collection of Randall's. It was a stage that lasted for a few years. Then I woke up. Like coming out of a weird dream, I looked around at all that stuff and thought 'What the hell am I doing?" and I sold off, gave away, gifted off most all my knives. Kept just a few traditional pocket knives and a few SAK's. All I have now is about 6 or 7 knives, and three of them are Victorinox SAK's, so I guess I've gone back. I get up in the morning and don't even think about what knife I'm going to carry, because 99% of the time now it's my Vic tinker. Does everything I need from knife, plus it gives me a few basic tools on hand in a small pocket size package. The knife habit is mostly broken now, and I stop by the forum to just window shop, and see what's going on.

After owning all kinds of knives, I feel very content to be back carrying a SAK like I did in 1969.
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I'm moving to the same direction. I just packed up four knives I sold. All I have now is five of my camp knives, where one is Victorinox soldier and GEC toenail I use at work. I plan to rotate my scouts in my free time mostly. I keep them because they have sentimental value and stories attached.. but even then, they are just things!

I still have interest for knives, but right now definitely not buying. I can get enjoyment from looking at pieces people carry.
 
I was reading those big books of custom knives in the bookstore in the mall in the 80s when I was a teenager. I don't think I ever had a before time. ;)
 
Harry Stone said:
I was reading those big books of custom knives in the bookstore in the mall in the 80s when I was a teenager. I don't think I ever had a before time. ;)
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I was perusing gun catalogs when after I was old enough to learn to read and write, But I didn't buy any firearms until much later. That laid the knowledge framework for later. I guess it would be the same with knives although I am not familiar of any knife catalogs back in my day. I probably would not have been interested anyway as I had little money and buying a Case Barlow was a significant purchase back in the day. It did me for years...

I didn't even know custom knives existed then. A custom knife was a Randall and that was way beyond my income level at the time. I recall their ads back in the 60's.
 
My "before" lasted from around 1970 to about 2010. During that period, I owned maybe a dozen knives. The first was a Hippekniep, a wood-handled German sodbuster I bought in Amsterdam. I carried it in my backpack for most of a year abroad, then put it away and pretty much forgot about it. I still have it.

When I started motorcycle touring in earnest, I acquired a handful of Opinels and a slightly larger handful of SAKs which I stashed away on different motorcycles, tool kits, and pieces of touring luggage. I still have a few of the Opinels and most of the SAKs. I didn't think of myself as a knife enthusiast, I just had multiples because it suited the way I used them.

I picked up a Wirkkala puukko out of the Brookstone catalog, because it looked like a pretty cool knife for $35. I also picked up a small Anza at a motorcycle swap meet because it looked like a pretty cool knife for $25. They both got used on motorcycle trips, especially the Anza, which I dropped into a pocket now and again, even when I wasn't on the bike.

That was the before, maybe a dozen knives over 40 years.
 
I have found that I am handling and using my older knives more and more.

Maybe I am at the beginning of a few steps backwards.

Anyone else ever go through this?
 
I have a bunch of semi-junky tacticool knives. They're thrown in as backup knives and "abuse the snot out of" knives.
I have a leatherman surge, I'm not partial to it anymore, but it still sees a lot of use because it always has something I need.
 
My first knife was the Blue Camillus cub scout knife I got for Christmas in '72. I was immediately hooked. Partly because I thought the knife itself was so cool and partly because my Grandfather (who I'd lived all of my 8 years with) carried a pocket knife. Do I want to go back? No. Once I was old enough to earn money I started buying knives like an addict. As a young teen I mostly liked those Japanese/Chinese clear plastic handle Bullfighter/Dragon single blades. I knew they were junk but they were affordable for a kid and I had fun with them. Go back to them? No. During and after college I was hooked on Case. That culminated in a collection of several hundred knives...some of which I wish I still had but I wouldn't bother re doing that. Then came the era of Automatics, which is where I will stay because I always secretly wished that little blue cubby was a switch.
 
I had a camilus blaze back in the day. Did everything wrong with it. Snapped the tip off. Carried it while sandblasting, used carbide pull through sharpeners, you name it. It walked off a job site circa 2005. Wouldn't mind having another for nostalgia sake.
 
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