How have you gained most of your knowledge about knives?

Other than reading BF ?
By simply using them.
What steel holds an edge, what handle material is grippy,what shape is comfortable -stuff you only find out when using them
 
Most of my knowledge about knives, guns and outdoor stewartship was learned from my Grandfather, my dad and the Boy Scouts of America. My father in law has been a big influence in recent years as well. At 40, I'm at the point where I'm trying to pass it down to my kiddos.
 
Forums like this one are great tools for learning about knives but using knives for various tasks and through trial and error finding what works for you is an important thing also.For instance a recent thread about Trout and Bird knives had a poster disparaging the Randall Model 8 Trout and Bird knife as a poor example of a small game and fish blade.I once would have agreed,and wondered why RMK had changed the design of the Model 8 from the sleek grind of the earlier model,but actually using mine I discovered how the top grind was so functional at beheading and removing wings and legs from critters.That sleek early model looked good but the top bevel was not so functional because your knuckles got in the way,the new not so sleek design allowed me to use the top bevel without my knuckles getting in the way.Form follows function and the idea that a knife designed for rendering trout and birds needs to be very thin and pointed is not always borne out in actual use.
 
Years ago, the only knives I saw were the ones in hardware stores. Time passes and I began to see a broader selection of knives in some stores. I think the first knife store I ever visited was Cutlery World (I believe that was the name) in a mall in Texas. My thought was..... boy are these expensive.... The only knife catalog I ever saw was one put out by AG Russell. My thought at the time..... boy are these expensive.... Then I started attending gun shows and gun & knife shows, and then knife shows. Attended some of the early Blade shows and I didn't even know what Blade was then.

The internet opened all the doors after the show circuit. I never knew there were so many places that sold knives. BF was and is a really useful as an information source, but I was not above just buying what caught my eye at this point in my life. I had already done the Randall knife thing, so I was already primed for $300+ customs.

All of this started with a kid who's father always carried a knife and a kid who pretty much always carried a knife in the outdoors whether it be hiking, woods bumming, or hunting. Knives became an essential part of my gear.
 
Years of reading and then some! When you add numerous hunting trips to the backwoods you can't help but learn a thing or two!
 
I received a Boy Scout knife when I was 8 or 9 years old. By age 12 I was making my own knives. I made probably a dozen knives by age 18. Girls, motorcycles and cars distracted me for a few years, but after that, I'd get an itch to make a new fixed blade every couple of years. I've literally been making knives -- sporadically -- for 38 years. (I have to say that number is shocking to me! I don't feel that old most days...) Nothing commercial, just for my own use or as a gift for friends. It's a question of what works over time, what doesn't work gets left behind on the next one.
 
in order:
1: playing with my uncle and fathers knives when i was a kid... just learned how to cut myself and lose other peoples knives (basically what not to do)
2: being given a knife and shown how to use it and sharpen it
3: grinding out my first blade at 12 years old and bashing it into everything imaginable, and making lots to follow trying to make a better one.
4: knives/blade magazines meeting other makers
5: this forum... as stated earlier this place is one of the best avenues to learn from people a lot more knowlegable than yourself on a lot more topics.

I am 100% positive i have learned more in my time on here asking pointed questions and reading posts, than through any other means and getting answers i would have no way of getting otherwise. it's like having a fireside chat with experts in all areas whenever you want. where else but forums can you just learn about something like this by asking people who have mastered whatever you are attempting and steer you away from the mistakes?
 
You can't help but learn more by reading and participating here on BF. How many of us even know someone who is willing to spend $200 on a knife? How about $400? How about $800? They are all here on BF and all sizes and shapes. But the interest probably started a lot earlier for most of us. With interest, you are receptive to absorbing knowledge, making reasonable judgements, and providing opinions that others might actually pay attention to.
 
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