How do you deal with EDC Anxiety?

Habiru

Habiru

Joined
Dec 30, 2011
Messages
101
So here I am, staring at two knives, and I can't make up my mind! Sometimes, I wish I was a one knife guy. It would make it so much easier. But I'm not. So here I am, wrestling with myself right until AFTER the last minute when I go back INTO the box, grab the second and slip both in my pocket. Which, mind you, is totally unnecessary, as both knives are similar enough that I just can't justify keeping both in my pocket.

The first (and the one I ended up going back for) is my #38 Grinling in Ebony, and the second a 1981 9 dot Case 06247PEN in a beautiful brown almost appaloosa bone that I just recently got done putting back into shape after rescuing it from a certain auction site.

Both 3 7/8 long, same length main clip (though the GEC is a little wider and flat ground), and pen blades (the case being a little wider but just as thin). Obviously, the GEC has the split spring and a coping blade, and the Case is pen styled and nice and trim on just a single back spring.

I think it comes down to this: I spent so much on that GEC, I can't bring myself to use it in the way one would normally go about using their pocket knife. The thought of putting it into food or wearing the blade down kills me! The Case on the other hand I had no problem at all last night burying hilt deep in a pineapple for a late night snack. Please know that afterward it was well cared for, oiled and stropped before being put back in the pocket. I treat my knives well, but expect them to hold their own if they are the right tool for the job. So it would seem that the easy choice is to use the case, and save the GEC, but I bought it because I'm an insufferable whittler, and certainly use it frequently for that. So there's the rub, and the dilemma.

What, do you all do when (if) you're faced with this? Misery loves company, so chime in, and help me feel like I'm not losing my mind!
 
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Ah yes, the old "too nice to use" quandary. So what ends up happening is that really nice, perfect knife you bought never gets used, and your daily, constant friend and companion is the el-cheapo beater you purchased. Doesn't seem logical, does it?

At least at your estate sale, some collector is going to get some nice pristine samples. Your grandkids will cherish the $20 beater because that's the one grand-dad always carried. ;)

Oh - and the way I deal with it? I carry the inexpensive knives that I bought so as not to mess up the pretty ones, which is pretty foolish because it means I wasted a lot of money on knives that I don't use. Turns out the inexpensive ones work just fine.
 
I have accumulated about 70 knives of various types and prices range from $40 to $400. My dilemma when faced with choosing a knife for the day is which one to carry (cause really they all do the same thing, but i like them all). I try to just mix it up, because i never really know what i'll have to cut that day. That said, i don't buy any just to collect, so i don't mind using them for whatever comes up. I find as long as you take care of them and don't abuse them they will hold up just fine.
 
shipwright said:
I have accumulated about 70 knives of various types and prices range from $40 to $400. My dilemma when faced with choosing a knife for the day is which one to carry (cause really they all do the same thing, but i like them all). I try to just mix it up, because i never really know what i'll have to cut that day. That said, i don't buy any just to collect, so i don't mind using them for whatever comes up. I find as long as you take care of them and don't abuse them they will hold up just fine.
Click to expand...

+1

If for some reason I can't or won't carry one it gets moved on to someone who will.
 
Well for food prep or table service at home I don't use a pocket knife. There are better suited tools for those purposes that I have in my kitchen. I also have some old fixed blade knives on my work bench if the task is something I don't want to use a fine quality pocket knife for. In my truck I have a modern Kershaw that I have used to field dress some game or skin some road kill for fly tying materials. I generally have access to an old beater for any task that is abusive to a fine pocket knife.

My EDC knives most often ride in a belt sheath away from keys and loose change. My Sunday go to meeting knives are all stainless including the handles and are either Henckles or Victorinox gentlemen's knives that my dad carried before me. They are tough enough to take some rubbing from coins.

In the end I agree with shipwright: " I find as long as you take care of them and don't abuse them they will hold up just fine."
 
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i too have that issue. i have knives that are brand new, knives that are close to $100 which is not much depending on the company. ive recently been motivated to give away some of the knives just so i can use some. My edc box is where my users go. I have some for fondling which I never use. I buy used versions on ebay to carry so I wouldnt feel so bad. My edc box has a sharpened queen D2 slim trapper for example. There used to be a joke about sticking a GEC in a potato and kicking it down the block before selling it to me because I have some knife ocd. Im starting to get over it, I buy knives to collect, knives that get used, and some get given away down the road. :)
 
I'm not a big-time collector, but I do have several knives. I try not to own anything I don't/won't use, especially when it comes to tools, so I either use a new knife or sell it off. I'll admit, though, there's something to be said for art. I can certainly understand keeping a gorgeous knife (or many gorgeous knives) in pristine condition if that's what makes you happy.

Maybe just try to enjoy using the Case and keep on admiring the GEC. One day, you may be comfortable using the GEC as it was designed to be. If not, it's still conveniently portable art. Just try not to stress out over not using the GEC for now. Alternatively, go dismantle a few apples with that GEC, and you'll likely have no problem using it moving forward. Nothing lasts forever, and that knife is, at the end of the day, just a "thing." You can't take it with you, so maybe you're better off just enjoying the use of the knife.

It all depends on whether you derive more enjoyment out of using a knife or maintaining it in pristine condition. Like you, I'm careful with and take care of my pocket knives. They ride in a leather pocket slip to protect them. They get oiled, but I definitely use them as intended. I also stop to admire them once in a while.

BONUS: If you do somehow manage to wear out the GEC, you get to buy another one!
 
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jc57 said:
Ah yes, the old "too nice to use" quandary. So what ends up happening is that really nice, perfect knife you bought never gets used, and your daily, constant friend and companion is the el-cheapo beater you purchased. Doesn't seem logical, does it?

At least at your estate sale, some collector is going to get some nice pristine samples. Your grandkids will cherish the $20 beater because that's the one grand-dad always carried. ;)

Oh - and the way I deal with it? I carry the inexpensive knives that I bought so as not to mess up the pretty ones, which is pretty foolish because it means I wasted a lot of money on knives that I don't use. Turns out the inexpensive ones work just fine.
Click to expand...

You're right, absolutely right!
BUT I found solution : the Charlie's ancient barlow. Comes with patina et all that stuff you don't want on your expensive knives. The useful and usable perfection imho.
 
That pristine Grinling you can't bring yourself to use is going to be one heck of a deal at your kid's garage sale some day.
 
I am not very good at picking either! Somedays I will carry one knife for a few hours and then switch for midday and maybe switch again if going anywhere that night. The only steadfast rule I have set for myself is that the "nicer" knives (GEC, Queen,etc) don't go with me on the kayak or boat. I have lost a few knives in the rivers and ocean and maybe I have learned my lesson. All my knives are "users" though. Occasionally I will pick up a knife that is somewhat collectible and I can't bring my to use it and I will quickly pass that one on to someone else. I have a bunch of knives, fishing gear, flashlights, and bicycles, but I am not a "collector", I use everything!
Bruce
 
shipwright said:
I have accumulated about 70 knives of various types and prices range from $40 to $400. My dilemma when faced with choosing a knife for the day is which one to carry (cause really they all do the same thing, but i like them all). I try to just mix it up, because i never really know what i'll have to cut that day. That said, i don't buy any just to collect, so i don't mind using them for whatever comes up. I find as long as you take care of them and don't abuse them they will hold up just fine.
Click to expand...

Oh, this sounds too familiar. I didn't buy my knives to collect (at first) then I realized I couldn't use the 50 or 60 case knives I had so then I just started calling them my collection. I hate using brand new knives but then how do they become used? I'm hopeless.
 
I'm a utilitarian. If I don't use it I don't really need it. I just pull up pics of y'all's knives when I want to daydream!! :)
 
When I first got into the hobby I had the same anxiety until I dropped my first knife on the concrete. After that I collected but didnt enjoy having thousands of dollars sitting in a box. I started using them after I asked myself why I really had what I had and what did I really enjoy about it. Turns out I enjoyed the hunting and buying part way to much. It also turns out that I really dont enjoy collecting. Those two enjoyments do not go hand in hand logically with my income.

So, I sold all or gave away all the ones that I didnt really see myself using. I stopped fooling myself in saying, "Oh, I'll use it." I stopped buying the same ole same and sought out new knives to try (Kukuri, Puukkos, Fixed blades) and repeated the process of keeping only those I enjoy using.

I now have no anxiety in using a $500 knife because I know it is mine and it is not going anywhere. It's mine. Im not holding it or preserving it for someone else. I am the one who is going to enjoy it.

Anyways, just my long winded input. Enjoy the hobby how you see fit. They are yours to do with as you will while you have them.
 
I like knives, and have some disposable income, so I buy knives. Doesn't matter if it's a $7 Rough Rider or a $500 custom, if I feel like carrying and using it, I do. Hobbies aren't supposed to cause stress, they're supposed to alleviate stress. If you wanna carry one, do it and enjoy it. If you don't wanna carry it, but just keep it nice and enjoy that, then do that. But don't stress about it. They're your knives, and ain't no wrong way to enjoy them.
 
That's why I like buying 'users'. Once somebody else has knocked the 'new knife shine' off of it's much more likely to be used by me.
 
Well I hear people say "it isn't being carried so it has to go". I think this is sad so I made up my strategy to be sure that all of my knives get carried.

Periodically I lay out all of my EDC knives and place them in a somewhat random order that provides variety, IOW I mix them up based on characteristics such as brand, size, etc. Then I pick up the first one and put it in my pocket. A couple of days later I pick up the next one and carry it. And I continue until I have gone all the way through and I start over at the beginning. If I pick up a knife and decide that I really don't want to carry it I might skip it. If this happens more than once then I consider if that knife should be taken out of the EDC rotation which would then make it eligible to be sold. That way I don't have to worry about anxiety and all of my knives get carried somewhat the same amount.

Currently I have about 10 knives in my EDC rotation. I used to carry each one a week before going to the next but it was taking too long to go all the way through the rotation so I switched to about 2 days each.

I have learned from past experience what my price range is, meaning what price knife I am willing to carry and use. I noticed if I tried to carry more expensive knives I would be hesitant to actually use them. If I buy a new knife within my price limit I go ahead and put it in my pocket and carry it, and use it. I resist using a knife for something that would likely damage it unless it is an emergency, but I cut whatever I need to cut knowing that I can pretty easily resharpen the knife.
 
abcdef said:
Count my many first world blessings and don't worry about it.
Click to expand...

Got a good belly laugh out of that one. Yes, we fret about a lot of unimportant things and a lot of third world folks are just very glad to have one or two very primitive knives that they use for everything.
 
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