How often do you get a new/used knife?

I run hot and cold on all my interests. After not buying a knife for probably 20 years I've bought twelve (all inexpensive knives) in the past six months (I was a bit surprised when I totaled them up :eek:), with about eight of them in the past two months. I tried to get into modern pocket clip folders (at least four of them), but they just didn't excite me all that much. Then a little Vic SAK called my name, then another one, then a little used Schrade USA stockman... That's when I realized traditionals were what still excited me. So, I've picked up a couple of Case stockmans, a Rough Rider trapper, and a Rough Rider whittler. Oh, yeah, and a Mora makes an even dozen. But with that I think I'm done for a while. I carry one of my stockmans and one of my Vics every day, I have no idea what I'm going to do with the trapper, and when the whittler arrives this week I'm going to sharpen the heck out of it and try to learn how to whittle. I'm not really a collector other than a few that are sentimental for me; everything else I own to use and it bothers me if they are sitting around and not being used. But time will tell, I'm sure something will catch my eye before too long. ;)
 
10 years ago before kids I was buying about 6 $200 knives a year. Then a few years later I got into mid techs and spent about the same amount but only got 2 knives. Then I bought a Dalibor. I have sold most of the knives from years ago. Now I just have the ones I like. Recently I dumped a bunch of money into a wicked edge and I am enjoying my knives much more. I think early on I enjoyed new knives because they were sharp. Now I am throughly enjoying my new old super sharp knives.
 
Not me, I cannot afford new stuff. Costs me money.

I add to a wishlist of knives to buy used from collectors in near mint for usually no more than $100.

Most of the knives I own are used. I've never sold a knife. I allow others to break-in knives for me before I take it off their hands.
 
When I find one that I want and can afford or if someone wants to trade lol.

I haven't bought anything new for "retail" price in about 2 years. That might be why my collection is slimming down
 
I was bit by the knife bug last spring and at the same time had (note the past tense) discretionary funds. I averaged about 2 knives per month for a year or so, with ebb & flow in frequency and price. Some were purchased with gift intentions. Two-thirds were purchased on the secondary market. Most of the retail purchases were discounted below origional MAP for various reasons--I can't resist a good deal.

I think that my acquisition mania has subsided now that my EDC niches are filled and my slush fund is drained. I'm guessing my steady state will probably be 2-4 knives per year now that I've figured out what I like...but that remains to be seen.
 
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About 2 per year average in my lifetime. Low income years, sometime zero, high income years, maybe 8 or so.
 
The disease started slowly at first. One or so every couple of years, I'd say every 3 to 5 years. Then I had to see a "man doctor" and things took a horrible turn. He had a copy of Blade. Although I don't need to say more, I will.

There were so many guy toys, I couldn't help myself. In no time at all I was up to 3 or 4 a month. In true typhoid Mary form, I would give knives to friends and family as birthday presents and other occasions. Then I found Bladeforums and Busse knives.
Several purchases later, I finally slowed down to one per year. The one has to really knock my socks off or I won't even bother. I still do have lots of sharp stuff around so it is hard to get that "I have to get it feeling".
In short, at least one per year...

For now
 
Seein' as I tend to like collectin 'older traditional knives for a hobby I can pick up knives a lot cheaper because they're used and bought at flea markets and yard sales so the price point is between $3-$10 on average I look every time I'm out. I'm not always successful so patience is the key. Sometimes I can pick up5 or 6 knives at a stop and do this at every place I stop. Then again sometimes it's nothing worth buyin' for weeks or months. I don't impulse buy so I don't budget for any knives. Except one, the annual Traditional Forum knife. So if I had to honestly answer it would be one, all the rest are just good luck, timing and coincidence. ;)
 
In the past 12 months, five. I still have three of them; I should probably sell one of those, though. Each purchase kind of flowed into the next:
  • Spyderco Manix 2, my EDC for about three weeks. Too big in the pocket for me, but otherwise amazing.
  • Emerson Mini CQC-7BW, my EDC for 10 months. Love this knife. It really surprised me.
  • GEC #77 Barlow, an experiment to see what I thought of 1095 carbon steel, and because I've wanted a classic Barlow for ages. My at-home EDC for about 1-2 months. I don't love carbon steel.
  • Kershaw Cryo 2, my solution for the Emerson not being an ideal camping knife. Too heavy for what it is, but a great cheap knife.
  • Spyderco Para Military 2, my EDC for the past month. The Cryo made me realize I missed a longer blade, V-grind, and a bit of belly in my EDC. A truly extraordinary knife.
I only buy knives I intend to use. If the PM2 stays perfect for me, maybe 12 months from now I won't have bought any others. o_O
 
2-3 per year. It used to be a lot more.

I have a good group of users and I'm getting pickier on choosing new ones to purchase. So I'm not going on sprees like I used to.
 
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Two to three, maybe four a year sounds about right for me :) . The fewer, the better...
 
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Dadpool said:
  • GEC #77 Barlow, an experiment to see what I thought of 1095 carbon steel, and because I've wanted a classic Barlow for ages. My at-home EDC for about 1-2 months. I don't love carbon steel.
Click to expand...
If you aren't too fond of the 1095, take a look at the Lionsteel Euro-Head Barlow, it sounds like it might be up your alley.
Pinned Ti liners, screwed on slabs for ease of maintenance and customization, M390 steel, offered from the factory with your choice of Palo Santo, Rams Horn, Carbon Fiber, and one other material that currently eludes memory.
 
I go in spurts. I might go a month or 2 without buying something sharp and pointy, other times I'll run across a string of blades I like. I hit garage sales, estate sales, flea markets, Craig's List and fleabay. Sometimes, I'll buy a lot of 4 or 5 knives to get 1 particular knife and the rest go into either the "Give It Away" tub or into the "Sell It" tub.

Since January of this year, I have "acquired" 29 fixed blades, 14 axes/axe heads and 1 folding knife. The "new to me" sharps range from a pair of 1970s Funk's Hybrid Seed Corn aluminum handled paring knives to an Ames 1870 USN short sword , with some bayonets, faschinenmessers, sabers, swords, hunting knives, daggers and the axes thrown in. The lone folder is a 1930s Western coke bottle.

When I was in the Navy, being underway or overseas put a damper on buying, obviously.

When my ships were back in the states, I personally was NOT buying with great frequency, but I still accumulated a bunch of knives and swords.

When whatever ship I was on pulled into a US port, many of my men (and some NOT in my Division/Department) would scour pawn shops for "things on Mr. Z's list". I had an upper limit of $20 on knives and $50 on swords. The guys would haggle the pawn shop owners down in their best "overseas dickering" methods and bring the sharps they bought with the receipt back to me for a known $10 (knives) or $20 (swords and sword-bayonets) finder's fee.

The guys would spend an hour or so each looking and could make way over the $2.5 minimum wage of the time with 1 or 2 blades to make extra spending money. They were also NOT drinking while they were searching, so that was a win-win for me - fewer drunk sailors meant fewer fights/problems and less paperwork. :D

Sometimes they brought me junk, sometimes some good stuff. It just had to meet my criteria - military fixed blade. Some of the the things they brought me were military knives only in some mall ninja's nightmares - one man even brought me a custom miniature Klingon bat'leth. It was only about 12 inches long in an unknown stainless steel, rather than the "real" bat'leth length of nearly 4 feet.

The guy haggled the pawn shop guy down to $5. I should have kept it, but I only had $15 in it and when I wore it to one of the SciFiCONs in San Diego, a die-hard Trekkie offered me $100 cash, and when I hesitated, he immediately bumped his offer to $150, then to $200. It was like he was bidding against himself.
 
Yup, 2-3 per year for me too.
It has to be one I know I like and will carry in my edc rotation.
 
I started my knife hobby from the outset with the goal that it had to be self sustaining and not tap the family budget. I started making and selling custom wood scales to pay for new knives. In about 3 years it has netted me about 30 knives, all a mix of fixed and folding knives. Started with a Survive! Knives 5.1 for $225 and went from there.
 
For years I only used a knife for work or yard chores and would only pick up a knife when the previous one broke. Probably every couple years or so. Then last year I decided to put some thought into a knife purchase, began doing research, and was bit by the knife bug. I've averaged about 2-3 knives per month since then ranging anywhere from $20 - $500 each. The last few months I've been more discerning since I have a good variety at this point.
 
I've bought three this year, but I pre-ordered the eurobarlow so that'll make 4 the flip side is I sold 6 or 7
 
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