Goodbye/au revoir/adios!

[herisson]

Nice to know there's a happy knife owner, so happy he doesn't need more knives !!! Congrats and have fun with your trusted users. That's also great fun : using what you have to the bone. Great enlightment and sense of freedom ! As for me, I must now go back to work to pay the next shipment of knives coming my way. Who said sick ?

 

[J Buck]

Sick?! My case is a FATAL DISEASE! All of a sudden I have discovered the joys of Schrade Old Timers and small carbon Jackknives. My search for "The One" continues. I am happy for you that you have shaken off this knife "nonsense" and settled down. A person can sure wrap up a lot of time and money on this little thing we have going on here. Peace and blessings.

 

[91a2jettavr6]

Translated = "Ultimately, I lack the self discipline to refrain from buying awesome new things when I see them here, on BF...so I must go altogether." . Reminds me of myself not long ago...thank God for therapy of the shock variety LOL !

 

[pertinux]

...although you all are fantastic people, you are also horrible enablers that appeal to my worst weakness.

Aw, shucks.

I sometimes wonder if I actually have a knife hobby, or if my actual hobby is participating in knife forums and if the reason I buy the knives is to give me something to talk about.

~ P.

 

[jackknife]

Actually, this thread makes me philosophic.

I think I've been dancing around the edge of this for a few years now. After my huge downsizing some years back, I've been getting on with fewer and fewer pocket knives in an ever downward spiral. I'm down to just under a half dozen now, and day to day, I don't use half of them. When I went on our 5 week road trip last fall, there I was roaming around the country with a peanut in my pocket and a classic on my keying, and I was perfectly happy. Making a conscious choice to leave my collection home, and just travel with my usual everyday choice, was far easier than I thought. The fact that I had a nice sharp knife in my pocket was all that mattered. Anything past that is excess gravy on the potatoes.

By midway on the trip or even less, I wasn't even missing my other knives much. I was too busy having fun galavanting all over Texas, New Mexico, California, and other points on our travels. When I needed a knife to open a package, or cut something, I had one. End of problem.

I wonder if most people, sooner or later come to the epiphany that mudguard came to, and I've been dancing on the edge of?

Even my three children did not inherit the knife knut gene in tow of the three cases. When I was having my downsize, I couldn't interest my older son and daughter in any of my knives. In both cases, they both were die hard SAK carriers. When I offered my yellow Case sodbuster to her, she answered, "Dad, I have my Swiss Army knife, what more do I need?" To this day, Jess is fanatic about having her larger SAK in her purse, and her pink classic on her keyring. My older boy John, travel's a lot, and is a SAK fan. Only my youngest, Matt, has a love of traditionals, and that is only for scout knives. He has my old boy scout knife that my dad gave me, and he carries it some, but has slowed down and now carries one of a couple of boy scout knives he's got of the big internet auction site. It's all he carries or wants. Camillus, Ulster, PAL, Imperial, all scout knives. No interest in any other pattern or even a SAK. He loves the old vintage stuff.

But…and this is the thing, none of then spend any time on knife forums. They know they need a knife, so they have one, and that's it. They are satisfied. They are not suffering from our affliction for the never ending search for the perfect one.

I don't now where I was going with this, just rambling. Now I have to polish and oil my precious five pocket knives that will serve me for the rest of my life.

Carl, Grand High Muckba, in search of contentment.

 

[DrPenguin]

Interesting take Carl.

I think there are some who wrestle with the desire for simplicity and minimalism on the one hard versus the want/need to acquire and expand on the other. Not everyone certainly, but some. I went through this myself I know.

After finding what I consider to be "the perfect knives" for myself I still like being around those who are still searching. And I enjoy the writeups and pictures and whatnot. But I don't post as much now that I am ~settled in~. At times I even feel guilty for not supporting my hobby through more purchases. Even though I am sure I have not bought my last one, it has become obvious that any more will go directly to the collection and never see my pocket. I hope the rest of the forum does not adopt my tactics as it would mean the end of the traditional knife manufacturers and that would be a real shame.

There is a threshold that a knife passes once it has been carried enough. The patina begins to look honest, there isn't any question of "forced" versus "natural". You just look at it and the only term that comes to mind is "earned". The little nicks and scratches on the bolsters that bothered you when it was new have become a very pretty matte and have become immune to the atrocities of spare change and car keys. And the whole package just feels natural. It fits.

When you have what you consider the perfect package, and you also have the history with the knife that has made it yours... well the thought of something else replacing it causes a missed heartbeat or two. And you know in your heart that unless something breaks it probably won't happen. It's not a bad place to be.

Will

 

[Woodrow F Call]

Hope all works well for you.

I too have been finding that I don't need much. I've been happily living with a peanut the past couple of weeks.

I'm finding that I still like to try other designs. I just buy and sell and rotate for my enjoyment. I might already have all the knife I need, but there is something fun about trying something different out. Kinda like beer, ice cream, or foods..... is variety the spice of life or not?

 

[akadave2]

I think I will rotate some of the knives I have extras of out and before I pick up many more. Im getting way too many to carry with any regularity.