"How many knives do you own?" - from the girlfriend

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ShooterMcgavin

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Jan 20, 2008
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I have been asked this question many times by girlfriends in the past and present. I try not to be a collector of things "just to have them", but I really like my tools and I like to be prepared with a tool for any of my expected needs. Hence, I have several knives, but not a ton. Just for reference, I probably have ~10 folders (including SAKs and folding utility knives), 3 fixed blades, and 1 multi-tool. My girlfriend recently asked me how many knives I have. Without knowing the exact number, I just answered "4 or 5". That's probably about as many as she will ever see and, since she's not my wife, she doesn't have a financial need to know. Still, that is too many, in her opinion :) I asked her how many pairs of shoes she owns and she could not answer.

Out of curiosity, the question is this... When asked "how many knives do you own?" by your girlfriend, how do you answer?

Since wives have a mutual financial obligation and a greater responsibility to know, I am not really asking this question about them, but you can answer if you want. Also, I am sure some women loves knives and there would be no reason to try to hide the true number. You guys are lucky, but I usually get this question with a sort of "WHY?!?!?" attitude.
 
Why not just tell her you had 13, instead of 4 or 5. 13 is not very many, as most knife nuts had that many in grade school.
Starting out by being honest is always best IMO.

No one has asked me "how many", but they will know soon after I know them that its alot. If they asked I wouldn't lie just because they may not understand why someone would like guns or knives. If anyone told me they thought I had to many of either I would show them the door....fast:p
 
A friend at work asked "How many guns I owned" and I responded "Less than I used to".

Later he asked "How many knives did I have?" and I responded "On Me?".


Does the question "How many knives do you own?" include kitchen knives, butter knives and utility knives?
 
My girlfriend knows better than to ask. We've been together for 16 years.

My usual answer to that question is either "a lot" or "I don't know, I can't count that high".
 
My wife doesn't have to ask. All she has to do is enter my home office and see the displays, she can count. And she knows that's not all, there are plenty more in drawers and boxes. All she really asks is, once in a while, to see the new aquisitions, just to see if she likes them and what I'm currently into.

She has a couple of Spydies that she got at the SFO. Her favorite is the latest edition of the Meerkat.
 
Ken44 said:
Why not just tell her you had 13, instead of 4 or 5. 13 is not very many, as most knife nuts had that many in grade school.
Starting out by being honest is always best IMO.
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Because I don't think she was asking out of curiosity or to show a genuine interest in something I like. She was trying to prove a point, after I mentioned a new knife I want to buy. I felt, at the time, that it was not in the best interest of our relationship to start counting all my knives so that she could build a case against me. It's a new-ish relationship, so I am trying to ease her into my "wild side" :)
 
My GF is actually really cool with it. Although sometimes reluctant, she has often come with me to my knife store and stood by as I shopped around for an hour..
 
Luckily, I am never asked that question. She already knows the answer.
 
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Once you reach a critical mass, the knives all begin to look the same and wifey or girlfriend can't tell them apart. Thats called nirvana. "Yeah, honey, I've had this one for a couple of years now."

Mrs. Powernoodle knows how many knives I own, but I think she doesn't really know the individual cost or collective value. But she doesn't really care, either.

My view is that I did not spend 19 years in school for nothing, that the Powernoodle household has zero debt of any kind, and that I don't spend coinage on a bass boat, golf clubs or girlie bars. So in the big scheme, hoarding knives - I mean owning a few knives - is pretty harmless.

Show this to Girlfriend if you want her to realize that your piddly stash is not so bad. :)
 
I use general terms like "a few". But now that I'm moving I got rid of alot of them.
I kept 5 to be exact: spyderco military, spyderco sage, a buck 303 my grandpa gave me, an old timer stockman my dad use to carry and a leatherman wave. I will carry the Millie 90% of the time and carry the sage when I'm in a more public setting and size may be an issue.
 
When my girlfriend asks how many knives do you have, I always tell her the truth followed by "Please don't tell my wife!" :D
 
You have to explain 13 knives?? Red flag for how your relationship is gonna go. But I have more than 13 in the glovebox of my truck.
 
"how many" always leads to "how much" which is a very slippery slope in my experience.
 
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