How many knives would you own, if there was no Internet?

southernknives

southernknives

BANNED
Joined
Sep 30, 2012
Messages
922
I would own maybe 75% less knives if there were no internet.
Simply because I would never see all of the new knives, unless they were in knife magazines.
You also get much better info from owners on its strengths and weaknesses. On and on...
 
Interesting question actually and quite thought provoking considering that many say I have a compulsion to buy knives.

I attended gun and knife as well as gunshows with regularity begining in the late 1980's. I attended Blade before it was moved to Atlanta. I sometimes purchased copies of Blade magazine at that time. My first custom knife was purchased at a gunshow. My first Randall was purchased at the Blade Show in Knoxville TN. This corresponded with the time when I had more disposable cash. So I was buying knives beyond what I considered necessary to use prior to my exposure to the internet.

I think the movie "You Got Mail" with Tom Hanks was significant in awakening the internet age. I had a dial up connection beginning in the mid-1990's. My employer in the early 1990's didn't provide computers except to select employees. I purchased my first computer in early 1991 as part of a job search. I used my personal computer at the office during that time simply because I felt it made me a much more productive employee.

The internet in general and the forums have made it easy to research knife purchases. Invaluable for the knife nut! I feel that I have probably purchased about 50% more knives as a result of the internet as I am more likely to just buy something to try out even when I have no earthly need for the knife.
 
12:

2 Bucks

3 Gerbers

1 Kabar

4 SAK's

3 things that fell out of the BUDK catalog.
 
Last edited:
I'd probably only my SAK and my Leatherman. And if I am honest to myself, I could do 99% of my cutting tasks with those two.
I would probably own my kitchen knives even without internet, but then again I live like 1/2 hour away from Solingen.
 
my collecting began when I started carrying the old Gerber LST... (Micarta handles) - and then I discovered the 'Paul Knife' - then I mailed off for a catalog from this company called "Cutlery Shoppe" and ordered my first Spyderco (Economy) - until the interwebs caught me... I owned about a dozen knives... an eclectic mix of a couple of Gerber, a few Spyderco, one or two Benchmade... and a few SAKs... not too many - my edc consisted of a Millie, then a FRN Goddard, then back to the Millie, and always a SAK on the keychain... and in the sock drawer, the remaining knives... then I found ebay (buying star-wars stuff for me and my son) and I could not believe the variety of knives available... I choked on the prices for a bit... now, 2000+ knives later... My wife is waiting for my personal episode of "Hoarders - buried alive"
 
Before joining Bladeforums way back in 2002 I owned a Schrade 33ot jackknife and a Buck 110. They were both replacements for my two original knives. A Case 3318 Stockman and a Buck 110, which I had received in my childhood. Both originals were lost and I would love to have them back.
I'm not sure how many knives I have now. Somewhere between 75 and 100 would be a good guess. Way more than I need but I enjoy having them.
I have learned a lot here at Bladeforums from all you good people. I still enjoy trying new knives and different steels. I don't buy near as many knives as I used to but I don't believe I'm done either.
 
Great topic! I would own a few cheap knives from local stores. A SAK for sure, and some traditionals. Maybe a lock back or two but nothing anywhere near what I have now.
 
I'd probably have 3 or 4 instead of the 25 I now own. But my kids would have used up the extra cash on frivolous things like food and clothing.
 
A lot less that's for sure, but I have authorised benchmade dealers around town and they carry a lot! But the prices aren't the same as internet. So I would end up buying them, but for more. Same with the spydercos and such..
 
I would probably have about 30% less. I like old traditionals, and without the internet I would have never located some of the old patterns I like in the brands I want.

Also, I wouldn't have as many nice work knives. I use bigger, heavy blades in my construction work and thanks to this forum have found a few that really work.

And if it hadn't been for this site I would never, ever have tried a Pacific rim knife. I only bought CASE, Buck, or one of my favorite German brands. But after all the dust ups on the subject of offshore knives, I tried a couple and they were excellent knives. So another source of hard working affordable knives (mostly Kershaw) came into view.

I am not a compulsive buyer and I don't need anymore more knives. I can't pass up a good work knife though, and I consider them semi disposable tools on my belt. But that never has dulled my enjoyment of looking at fine knives and admiring good workmanship and use of materials. It just doesn't translate to my credit card.

Robert
 
I have around 80 currently, for folders mostly Spyderco, Benchmade, ZT and Victorinox. For Fixed Blade SWKW, ESEE, SYKW, Koster, Customs. Without the internet it would have been much more difficult for me personally to read about and study steel types, lock mechanisms, handle material etc (before I really got into knives I didn't know there was more than one type of SS steel and one type of carbon steel. I would probably have mostly $5-10 gunshow knives, 2-3 Victorinox, a gerber or 2 and maybe a Buck (before I saw Gerber and Buck as the most high end brands out there).
 
Me and a good friend have always been knife guys. I was more the one that dreamed about them, he was the one that owned them (he was wealthy, I'm not and never was).

We always had some military fixed blades like the old Camillus pilot's survival knife or the occasional KA-BAR, etc. We also had some Marbles fixed blades for hunting. My dad gave me his old Camillus military folding knife and I used it for a long time.

Once I was able to buy my own, I had a Case Peanut I carried a while and a Schrade 180T I carried for a long time. I also had an old Buck Crosslock I carried for years and years. Loved that knife. I had the occasional Gerber Gator as well, but they weren't all that great at taking or holding an edge so they didn't get carried or used much.

So I've kind of always had a "knife" drawer. I guess the internet for me just turned me on to higher quality stuff than I could get locally, not really more of them though.
 
Probably a Lot less than I have now. Only a few that I've have for quite a while. Bought a couple Schrade and Case from hardware stores. I had a Gerber Gator,

that I liked a lot until I lost it.

Great thread.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top