Good day to you all in these crazy times

M

Mattswan2512

Joined
Apr 12, 2020
Messages
20
Hi all, im a little nervous about messaging on here as im surrounded by pro's and seasoned collecters and knife makers but im new to this forum and pretty much the scene too.

Im unfortunately a budget collector primarily from the uk but hope in the future to own more middle of the road higher end knives.

I have a few knives now since i started collecting at xmass passed but nothing too exciting for most of you folks

I have 1 magnum boker hunter and a magnum boker hawk

6 ganzo's.....im sorry and i know but its what i can afford and i also love blades. So impressed with fit and finish of the later knives FH11 and FH41.....again i know what ganzo have done and i dont applaud that at all but i cant afford £100+ knives im sorry.
Very happy to look at other brands for the money if you know any tho...

1 little enlan which is actually my fave MO11 and cheapest knife

2 rough rider knives. The cooperator and the buck shot cotton sampler on order I love the look of that cotton sampler with the red detailing...gorgeous knife

So just a high from me. I dont have a specific style of knife i like i just know it when i see it...fixed, pocket, multiblade you name it i just know when i know i like it.

A huge thanks to you for reading this post and i hope to become a valuable member of this forum in the future.
Kind regards
Matt swan from southampton uk.
 
Hi Matt, welcome to the forum. It sounds like you're more of a collector than a user, so I would recommend steering clear of the cheap Chinese "user" budget knives (which definitely have their place if you plan to actually USE them) and focusing on budget classics. This may require focusing on slipjoints, friction folders and backlocks rather than the more modern patterns you might be used to.

Some blades I think every aspiring knife collector should own, as they are classic and exemplary and absolute benchmarks of the knife world:

1. Swiss Army knives - they're absolute classics
2. Opinels - a perfect example of slicey blade geometry... thin, shallow convex grinds that are very well executed
3. A Buck 110 or similar - again, an anbsolute classic
4. A Mora Companion - a basic scandi blade, something all beginning knife enthusiasts should be familiar with


I love that little Enlan M011 by the way - it's been my work drawer utility knife for years now and gets used every day... holds up quite well!
 
I do carry a knife every day and deffo do use them but they do sit there for a while at a time with little to no use until i cycle them.

My enlan gets most use...sooooo cheap but so easy to sharpen and bring back with a strop even if lock up is a little late at over 50% from new

I like the mora knives i must admit....so how do they do it for the money? No offence here knife makers. Ive never held or seen the fit and finish on a expensive knife say £300 perhaps but is it all brand..... i get the individual small knife manufacturers who hand forge and spent long hours on knives but are the bigger companies mechanised in this process?? I dont know.? Like i say no offence here just after getting my head around costs etc.
I do wish i could afford these more expensive knives for sure tho and they have a huge market so must be good in quality and finish.

Thanks for the tips bemymonkey
 
Welcome. My little collection has grown over the past ten years. Some knives were given to me and some i've owned for 50 years. Some get added because they are a specific style or mechanism. For example I have one antique barrel knife and I have one Rat Works automatic with the mini bicycle chain mechanism. So the collection is just me, but i've come around to the point that it's all about the feel. Close your eyes and hold the knife. Does it FEEL good? Eye candy is a distant second.
 
Mattswan2512 said:
I like the mora knives i must admit....so how do they do it for the money? No offence here knife makers. Ive never held or seen the fit and finish on a expensive knife say £300 perhaps but is it all brand..... i get the individual small knife manufacturers who hand forge and spent long hours on knives but are the bigger companies mechanised in this process?? I dont know.? Like i say no offence here just after getting my head around costs etc.
I do wish i could afford these more expensive knives for sure tho and they have a huge market so must be good in quality and finish.
Click to expand...

Once you've reached a certain level of fit and finish you're paying for either the name or what I would refer to as "polish" - eye candy and a level of fit and finish that no longer improves function.

Remember though, that certain knife companies need to recoup more R&D costs than others - a company like Spyderco or Benchmade mostly does fully original designs, meaning they pay designers, CAD people etc. to do a lot of actual creative work which is a time consuming iterative process. All these man-hour costs need to be recouped in the end product's price. This is what many people call "paying for the name", when in reality they're just paying the salaries of people who had input on the product.

Companies like Ganzo or *gasp* outright clone makers pretty much just need a bare bones team - someone for a bit of CAD and maybe someone who understands tooling and assembly lines. This is why a lot of the lower end makers seem to turn out oodles of fit and finish for little to no money.

The other route for keeping costs down is huge mass production over super long periods of time, like Mora or Victorinox. They've been churning out thousands and thousands of knives for decades and decades, optimizing their supply chains and cutting down costs. Since it's a finished product with little to no development, they're able to keep the price very low... it helps that they use widely available steel that's not immensely difficult to work with (no using up multiple grinder belts trying to shape insanely hard steel) and cost-effective handle materials.
 
Welcome and good luck with your search for knives. Pretty good advice from the above.
 
Hi Matt and welcome
If you like Rough Rider , try the Colt and Marbles branded slip joints.
Also very nicely made and they have some different patterns / handle materials.
 
Welcome. If you are (or are not) on a budget, please take your time before buying lots of things. There is a world of knowledge available on BF, but you can't learn it in a day or week. Patience will pay big dividends if you give it a chance. Good luck and good hunting.
 
Hey Matt! Don't be intimidated. This is a great place with lots of helpful people. There are a few jerks but that's true anywhere. Most here love to share what they know.
 
mora is my favourite budget knife mfg, they can do it since they have invested in automation & people, and have really great economies of scale (they make a LOT)

this is a good video about how they do it
 
Mattswan2512 said:
I do carry a knife every day and deffo do use them but they do sit there for a while at a time with little to no use until i cycle them.

My enlan gets most use...sooooo cheap but so easy to sharpen and bring back with a strop even if lock up is a little late at over 50% from new

I like the mora knives i must admit....so how do they do it for the money? No offence here knife makers. Ive never held or seen the fit and finish on a expensive knife say £300 perhaps but is it all brand..... i get the individual small knife manufacturers who hand forge and spent long hours on knives but are the bigger companies mechanised in this process?? I dont know.? Like i say no offence here just after getting my head around costs etc.
I do wish i could afford these more expensive knives for sure tho and they have a huge market so must be good in quality and finish.

Thanks for the tips bemymonkey
Click to expand...

I'm not a pro here by any means.
From what I can gather, I'm looking at steel and blade type when I'm buying a knife.
There are alot of different steels that offer superior edge retention and longevity.

You can get some pretty well rounded steel without breaking the bank but... it will cost more than 20$.

Last on my list is handle material.
As long as they're grippy and not plastic, I'm good.
 
Greetings, Matt!

I would say to enjoy what you have, and don’t feel nervous or intimidated due to anybody else’s amount of experience...everyone starts somewhere.

My favorite knife manufacturer, budget or not, is Victorinox. AFAIK, they make more knives per day than any other knife company on the planet, and their quality control and consistency are unmatched, considering the numbers. Their Swiss Army Knives (SAKs) are also highly useful, and you may well find, like many do, that a basic SAK model has more versatility for various uses you come across in a day than a single-bladed knife.

Spyderco includes a budget line manufactured in China, including their Byrd line.

I would advise that, before you purchase anything, make sure it’s something you really want. A trick I’ve discovered is, if I find myself wanting a knife, especially one that costs a good amount, I’ll wait for a month (or two); if, after that waiting period I still really want it, I’ll usually buy it. Usually after that waiting period, I realize I don’t really want it. This strategy has saved me a lot of money, and ensures I end up (mostly) with knives I really like and appreciate more. This might be of help to you, because impulse buys can multiply fast.

Jim
 
Last edited:
I have owned and used a a double hand full of customs and higher end productions.

I often find my self with thousands of dollars in knives on my person...... and still get some of my best, most enjoyable knife use and satisfaction from some of my cheapest knives. Opinel being one.

There is nothing wrong with low cost knives.

I have two custom fixed blades with me, and three nice production slipjoints, two modern folders and two Opinels with me today, ( the production fixed blades are a cheap Chinese made Byrd (Spyderco) and a cold steel Recon 1 triad lock.

The Opinels are some of my favorites!

Rough Rider slipjoints tend to be well made, and offer a lot of value for their price.

Just try to avoid knives that offer no use or value for the money spent. And enjoy what you have.
 
hello there matt!!
anyone who love knives
is bound to end up here.
its karma !!
when you're surrounded by likeminded
people, your passion of pursuit wil
see a mark increase.
i applaud the fact thst you buy
and own knives in the UK.
let's hope this forums won't let you down.
feel free to state your mind and concerns
regarding this shared hobby of ours.
some things to consider...
you must be clear about your needs
and the direction you wish to take.
plus, never feel intimidated by what
others might think.
they simply are not you...period
depending on location, folks the world
over face localized issues which some
folks elsewhere seldom realize puts
a damper on things like matters regarding cost differences, product availability and dreaded legal concerns.
so life isn't always perfect
and we can't have everything.
that shouldn't stop anyone
from craving the impossible.
one needs to dream first
before it becomes a reality !
enjoy your time in these forums :-)
 
GIRLYmann said:
hello there matt!!
anyone who love knives
is bound to end up here.
its karma !!
when you're surrounded by likeminded
people, your passion of pursuit wil
see a mark increase.
i applaud the fact thst you buy
and own knives in the UK.
let's hope this forums won't let you down.
feel free to state your mind and concerns
regarding this shared hobby of ours.
some things to consider...
you must be clear about your needs
and the direction you wish to take.
plus, never feel intimidated by what
others might think.
they simply are not you...period
depending on location, folks the world
over face localized issues which some
folks elsewhere seldom realize puts
a damper on things like matters regarding cost differences, product availability and dreaded legal concerns.
so life isn't always perfect
and we can't have everything.
that shouldn't stop anyone
from craving the impossible.
one needs to dream first
before it becomes a reality !
enjoy your time in these forums :)
Click to expand...

Now thats how you put that....thank you girlymann i appreciate your time and that little nugget of wisdom.

So far this forum seems fantastic i must say
 
GIRLYmann said:
hello there matt!!
anyone who love knives
is bound to end up here.
its karma !!
when you're surrounded by likeminded
people, your passion of pursuit wil
see a mark increase.
i applaud the fact thst you buy
and own knives in the UK.
let's hope this forums won't let you down.
feel free to state your mind and concerns
regarding this shared hobby of ours.
some things to consider...
you must be clear about your needs
and the direction you wish to take.
plus, never feel intimidated by what
others might think.
they simply are not you...period
depending on location, folks the world
over face localized issues which some
folks elsewhere seldom realize puts
a damper on things like matters regarding cost differences, product availability and dreaded legal concerns.
so life isn't always perfect
and we can't have everything.
that shouldn't stop anyone
from craving the impossible.
one needs to dream first
before it becomes a reality !
enjoy your time in these forums :)
Click to expand...
OK, I've gotta ask. Why do you write like that? So many completely unnecessary line breaks, makes your posts nearly unreadable. The poor punctuation doesn't help either.
 
Welcome!
Don’t apologize - do what makes you happy! And there’s lot of time to collect knives - and even maybe get tired of it for a while - so take your time and enjoy the journey!
 
Hi Matt
Welcome to the forums.

There is no need to explain since most of us started as you have. When I was starting out the key thing was to learn about the knives that I liked, how to make use of them and how to maintain them. The more that you use, clean and sharpen your current knives, the more you will learn about what you like and dislike.

That, and spending lots of time on sites like this one, can help you to avoid mistakes and develop your interest.

This would also be a good time to consider running away from this hobby. Whether you spend a few hundred, thousands, tens of thousands, or more, per year; you will always feel that your collection is lacking in something. This is a huge hobby populated by a worldwide network of makers, craftsmen and collectors, stretching back deeply into history and pre-historic times which is rich in technology and applied science. You can easily spend many lifetimes just learning about some of the areas of knife lore that interest you.

It is the richness of the subject that makes it interesting. But, remember this is entertainment, it is not a race, and no matter how many grail knives you see flying by, there will always be others. Learn to pace yourself and learn to be reasonable and patient. Educate yourself before you buy. Most of the people you will encounter will be helpful and friendly, but there are predators out there as well who take sport in abusing those who over-extend themselves. That’s where you might make expensive mistakes like buying fakes, fantasy or misrepresented pieces, and paying way more than you can ever hope to recover from them.

Most of all, remember to keep it fun.

n2s
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top