Evolution of a knife nut.

[Alberta Ed]

Great topic. I've moved to smaller blades later in life; as noted above, our ancestors used sharp rocks to process everything from buffalo to mastodons.

 

[joe90]

What a fantastic story. Really. I loved reading this one.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) depending upon your perspective (and age lol) I have not reached the downsizing yet (!?) ... though I often wonder what I am doing with soooo many cutting instruments.

Ah well .. perhaps we'll all see some sense at some point (maybe)

Keep 'em sharp and keep 'em safe.

Joe.

 

[jc57]

My evolution: First 55 years of life - no particular interest in knives. Next 3 years - got into it as a hobby, accumulated more than I need, learned how to sharpen. Next 2 years, realization of the needless excess, declining interest, lack of desire to buy more. Which gets me to now. Have some nice kitchen knives which I know how to keep sharp. Have a couple of shelves full of unused pocket knives that I need to sell. Have a handful of pocket knives which get carried and used. Haven't bought a new knife in well over a year, with no plans to change that any time soon.

 

[jackknife]

My evolution: First 55 years of life - no particular interest in knives. Next 3 years - got into it as a hobby, accumulated more than I need, learned how to sharpen. Next 2 years, realization of the needless excess, declining interest, lack of desire to buy more. Which gets me to now. Have some nice kitchen knives which I know how to keep sharp. Have a couple of shelves full of unused pocket knives that I need to sell. Have a handful of pocket knives which get carried and used. Haven't bought a new knife in well over a year, with no plans to change that any time soon.

Do you ever wonder how you got by the 55 years??

 

[cbach8tw]

What a fantastic story. Really. I loved reading this one.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) depending upon your perspective (and age lol) I have not reached the downsizing yet (!?) ... though I often wonder what I am doing with soooo many cutting instruments.

Ah well .. perhaps we'll all see some sense at some point (maybe)

Keep 'em sharp and keep 'em safe.

Joe.

joe90, looks you and and I have reached middle age of the knife nut crazy age. I like knives as they come out, like some designs more than others, but the craving to get more has been waning, and I have been wondering how many is too many, still I like a good sized knife. However, my tastes lately have been for smaller fixed blades with 2.5 to 3.5 inches, and I like my SA and my small Opinel #6 for small cutting jobs, just plain handy. Does not mean I do not like all my larger knives, but realizing they may not see a lot use, as my needs are different from others who may need a larger blade. I always was impressed with the Otzi knife, a small blade attached to a useable handle.

Some things I have observed during this process (trust me there are more than that, but these stick out) my tastes have changed over the years and smaller knives are handy, and that just because a knife may be inexpensive, does not necessarily mean it is cheap quality, they will handle most jobs and stand up to use.

 

[22-rimfire]

Great topic. I've moved to smaller blades later in life; as noted above, our ancestors used sharp rocks to process everything from buffalo to mastodons.

I would be willing to bet that our ancestors would have tossed all of those sharp rocks for one good stainless steel fixed blade. We are really spoiled when it comes to things, including knives. A big step for me was finally admitting to myself that I really like Vic SAKs and could continue through the rest of my life quite nicely with nothing else. By today's standards, VICs are good pocket knives with so-so steel.

 

[GermanyChris]

While I don't and won't use small knives I did come to the conclusion late last year that I didn't need to have 15 knives and only carry one or two so I sold them all and got these

If I can't do something with either of these I guess I really don't need to do it

Yes I'm proud of them and will use any opportunity to take a picture and post them

 

[jc57]

Do you ever wonder how you got by the 55 years??

I just used them as tools. I carried a Buck 110 and then later a Gerber Bolt Action folder on my belt at work but very rarely needed to use them. They were a "just in case" seat-belt cutting tool. Never needed to cut a seat belt in about 14 years of being a first responder. Either the seat belt latch worked fine, they weren't wearing one, or they needed to be cut out of the car using power tools by the fire dept.

After a career change, the Buck 110 languished in a tool box in my carport for about 20 years along with a Schrade Sharpfinger that I got for free with a magazine subscription but never used. The Gerber sat unused and mostly forgotten in a desk drawer, along with an old Schrade 194 that I had not cared for very well that had a broken tip and missing bolster from being dropped.

In my new job, I needed screwdrivers, pliers, and wire cutters and so a Leatherman tool ended up in my briefcase or tool bag. I rarely needed the blade for anything except maybe opening boxes, but you're really only cutting packing tape most of the time and not actual boxes. I worked in offices and scissors or box cutters were always available. I used utility knives around the house (with the retractable, disposable blades).

I didn't know how to sharpen properly. Our kitchen knives were total crap, but I didn't know better and my wife used a cheap pull-through sharpener with them.

So basically I got by OK by using other cutting tools or just not really needing a knife for much in the first place.