How do you keep it fresh and interesting? (Or, do you not?)

Charlie Mike said:
Start making them... That'll keep things constantly new.
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That really keeps it fresh and interesting.

I started putting scales on blanks, then had some custom blanks made of a few designs I came up with, and now I'm trying my hand at making my own.
 
jc57 said:
Assuming that's a reply to me? I have around 140 knives. Plenty of fun. Just no interest in buying any more.
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It was sort of a reply to you, but also my agreeing with you conceptually about my needs. I don't think I own 140 knives and doubt I will reach that point personally. Just getting a new SAK makes me happy.
 
22-rimfire said:
Two or three knives would last me the rest of my life, but what fun is that?
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The fun lies in using those two or three knives. The fun lies in making memories actually doing things and sometimes using those knives within that. You can have 500 knives all accumulated in your house to fondle delicately or show off to the occasional person that actually shares the same interest. Or you can have your two or three knives and when the subject gets brought up about them, you can tell how you used it white water rafting in West Virginia, climbing mountains in Colorado, deep sea fishing in Florida, and camping in Montana, etc. Just something to consider.


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I started with cold steely tacticool knives and now i mostly buy slipjoints with interesting woods and maybe a reasonably shaped benchmade
 
I carry what I find useful and fun, folders and fixed blades, and sell (hardly ever) or gift (much more common thing to do for me) what I don't use.
If I see something with dust on it, or that I didn't remember I even had, it has to go.

And to keep things interesting, my passion (obsession?) is set on some specific kind of blade. I've had a Multitool phase, a small folder phase, a SAK phase, a large choppers one, a small neck knives time, the long perfect EDC large size folder search, the awesome backup slipjoint era...
 
I have my own separate checking account that I have $25 direct deposited into every paycheck.
It's almost always at a near zero balance :D
I don't have the discipline to save up for a knife I want, I just sell something I've grown tired of each time something new catches my eye.
I'm always buying, selling, and trading. Sometimes it works well in my favor financially, sometimes it doesn't.

I definitely can relate to your first two points, OP.
 
Comeuppance said:
How do you keep it fresh and interesting?
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I buy a knife that I haven't owned before; it's pretty easy... :D;):thumbup:

For example, my latest acquisition (got it Wednesday!):

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I get more of a thrill from a $20 Kershaw or Byrd than I do a $260 ZT. I still appreciate the spendier knives, but the older I get, the more I feel like a sucker for dropping big bucks on a knife. One way to keep the buzz going is to try out some entry level knives. And best yet - they actually cut stuff.

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Seriously, guys - for $20 shipped, the Byrd Cara Cara 2 is quiet a knife.
 
I've been in the knife accumulating stage of my life since '95. Things have changed drastically in the market, and that is what keeps it interesting for me. Sure, there's all sorts of new steels every 2-5 years, that have to be tried, though that's not too much of a motivator for me. I still buy 440C or AUS-8 on occasion, if the design trips my trigger.

Mainly it's innovative designs that keep it interesting. I remember seeing my first button-lock coil-spring auto. Frame locks are pretty new, relative to actual time. Flippers haven't been around too long either. If you think about the new things in just the last 20 years, it's mind blowing. I mean, ball bearings in pivots! :eek: And who can forget their first encounter with an Assisted Opening knife! (Ken Onion, you are a genius.)

For those who are on shorter time spans, maybe technology isn't moving too fast, as this pace is the norm for you. As has been said, there is so much out there, that it would take a long time to get bored with knives. So many genres of sharp out there. If one-handed large folders is played out in your collection, move on to small fixed blades. Try autos, if allowed in your state. Camp/hunting knives come in so many iterations, you could get lost in the sea of options. Try a particular old-world country and explore their traditional knives. Go way out there and find the next Klingon Battle Blade. Endless possibilities.

I keep it fresh by hanging out here, and seeing the next generation discover sharp and shiny things and helping educate, when I can. It's fun to point them towards the classics, as well, and see them swing back towards the simpler more comfortable designs.

I still find myself enthralled by the search for "The One" knife, and will continue to experiment with what's out there. I actually hope I never find The One, as that would end my searching.

Life is good, and Knives are cool.
 
I sell a few and give away more. As someone else posted, the hunt for a new knife is a big part of what attracts me to the hobby. However, I don't have as many buying "binges" as I used to and I'm much more selective these days.
 
Daniel Dorn said:
I've been in the knife accumulating stage of my life since '95. Things have changed drastically in the market, and that is what keeps it interesting for me. Sure, there's all sorts of new steels every 2-5 years, that have to be tried, though that's not too much of a motivator for me. I still buy 440C or AUS-8 on occasion, if the design trips my trigger.

Mainly it's innovative designs that keep it interesting. I remember seeing my first button-lock coil-spring auto. Frame locks are pretty new, relative to actual time. Flippers haven't been around too long either. If you think about the new things in just the last 20 years, it's mind blowing. I mean, ball bearings in pivots! :eek: And who can forget their first encounter with an Assisted Opening knife! (Ken Onion, you are a genius.)

For those who are on shorter time spans, maybe technology isn't moving too fast, as this pace is the norm for you. As has been said, there is so much out there, that it would take a long time to get bored with knives. So many genres of sharp out there. If one-handed large folders is played out in your collection, move on to small fixed blades. Try autos, if allowed in your state. Camp/hunting knives come in so many iterations, you could get lost in the sea of options. Try a particular old-world country and explore their traditional knives. Go way out there and find the next Klingon Battle Blade. Endless possibilities.

I keep it fresh by hanging out here, and seeing the next generation discover sharp and shiny things and helping educate, when I can. It's fun to point them towards the classics, as well, and see them swing back towards the simpler more comfortable designs.

I still find myself enthralled by the search for "The One" knife, and will continue to experiment with what's out there. I actually hope I never find The One, as that would end my searching.

Life is good, and Knives are cool.
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I used to tell myself I was looking for "the" knife, but have had to accept the following:
- There is no "the" knife, as my tastes and needs change over time.
and, critically
- I really like having a bunch of new stuff arrive at my door.

I've only been into knives at a hobbyist level for about four years - while it's been long enough that my initial senses of wonder, fascination, and edginess is gone, the passion is still there. I no longer dream of super steels that cut for years, I no longer anxiously await product releases, and I have far fewer questions about knives - but it's still engaging and interesting to me to watch the industry develop and see where my tastes wander.

I definitely look forward to having the kind of perspective you have on knives - one that can only come from time and experience. I hope the rate of technological advancement at least stays close to where it is and doesn't plateau, as one of the most engaging parts of this hobby for me is just seeing what keeps becoming possible and what people choose to do with those technologies. The blade on my RAT WORX MRX was CNC milled from a billet of spray-formed particle metallurgy CPM-154 steel. That's just wizardry to me and those technologies have been in the knife world for the better part of a decade and are just now seeing broad commercial application across the industry. I remember, as you mentioned, when bearing pivots were a huge new thing and rarely seen outside of custom knives. Now? Boker, Spyderco, Benchmade, KAI, even EMERSON uses them in production knives.

Then there's the huge boom in knives coming from China. Reaté, Kizer, WE, Stedemon... Not only are they putting out original designs and awesome international collaborations, but they also serve as a price check for manufacturers in other countries. I wonder what the future of Chris Reeve Knives is going to be now that the kind of mechanical precision and material quality they are known for is practically commonplace in knives at half the price point... Interesting things are happening, for sure. It's a fun time to be a knut even if the prices are creeping upwards.
 
If you want to keep things interesting use a carbon steel knife, every once in a while when you look at it you'll notice a new color of patina. Tell me that having your knife change colors on you isn't interesting 😁😁
 
I agree. It's fascinating how things that seem futuristic, non plus ultra innovations are quickly implemented into production pieces and available to almost everyone.
That's part of what makes technological progress so awesome. Example: Tec-Lok + kydex + multi-position-carry sheaths

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PS: You said you were getting a G.Sakai H1 blade, could we know what model are we talkin' about? I hope you like it, I really love mine. One of my most carried large knives.

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Keep us updated!

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As others have mentioned, I like to have a custom in the works with a maker.
For me it's good enough to satiate my desires over the long term because they usually take months to complete.

Along the same lines..if I have a knife that I like but feel it could be improved by a "pimpjob", that's another way to keep things fresh...and much cheaper than buying a whole new knife.
 
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