I have a problem... I don't use my knife!

T

toad224

Joined
Jul 5, 2006
Messages
31
I have a problem... I don't use my knife. I like keeping the blade really sharp in case I need to use my knife in an important situation. So I simply don't use it. I have some kind of paranoia that if I used my knife regularly, such as to open a box, then I later had a more important task, my knife wouldn't be sharp enough.

I know I could sharpen the knife if I used it. I just bought a Spyderco Sharpmaker. However, I don't trust my sharpening skills to make my knife as sharp as it was right out of the box. Someone help me!
 
Sounds like OCD to me.

Solutions:
1. Carry 2 knives. Use one, and keep the other for "important situations".

2. Factory edges are for wimps. :D Get a cheap knife, and practice with your Sharpmaker. In most cases, you should be able to get a better-than-factory edge on you knife with it. Watch the video, and practice. Search these forums for threads about sharpening. You can learn a lot.

And welcome to the forums.
 
Welcome.

Please use your knife, always use safe handling, be aware of sheeple when you take it out etc. but use it. It is your god given right to have tools and use them... after all that is what separate us from animals.

The SM comes with a DVD... why not use your knife a little and start by retouching the blade? Trust me your knife will be fine.
 
It could be an awful lot worse. You could have Obsessive Compulsive Behaviour (and I might be starting to get pretty darn close), and feel you have to sharpen your blades every few days whether you have used any of them or not.

Of course, I entirely blame some of the fine folks here who have helped me hone my honing skills! :)

Cheers
 
Use it. I used to be the same way, now I enjoy sharpening my knives and have no problem using them. I usually carry a decent folder (like a BM or Spyderco) and then I carry a Victorinox SAK which I use if I need to cut stuff up that's not so "important". :)
 
don't worry,
I use my fslippie on a daily basis since a year now, and NEVER sharpened it!!!
Just a little stropping every weekend keeps it shaving sharp!

So don't mind and USE YOUR KNIFES!!
 
I agree with the pack on this one, use your knife!
And not only use it, but come back to the forums and post how it performed on the Review Forum.
Share your experience and knowledge with us, it will be greatly appreciated my most of us.

Good luck,
Allen.
 
I used to have your problem, but after getting my sharpmaker I found myself using my knife just so I can sharpen it. My arms and hands are nearly bald from checking my work on the stones. My wife thinks that I have OCD over sharpening (she's right). I say use your knife and practice your sharpening, you can't be a proper knife nut without learning to sharpen them!
 
Just use your knife, because that's what it's for. The more you use it and sharpen it, the more it will become a natural extension of your body. Perhaps you have a case of 'toonicetouseitittis'. This condition is easy to fix by getting a second knife. Use the second knife, and use it hard. That way you can keep your 'best knife' for back-up etc.
 
Now you know why multi-blade slipjoints were so popular in days past. If you actually had to use your knife 20 times a day, it's nice to always have a sharp edge in reserve.

I suppose this is also why it's become so popular nowadays to just carry multiple knives. I try to get the best of both worlds by carrying a one hand opener and a multiblade.
 
Cheap SAK, SAK knockoff or a Mora. All of these are great for edc utility stuff and you keep your knice lol knife for the reason you got it. Now if you got a knife originally just for every day stuff then use it! Trust me if you open 100 envelopes or cut some tape your edge is not going to be dulled in any practical way unless you have some 440 stainless class no name steel. I also feel factory edges are overrated unless you buy custom or the knife comes with a convex blade grind. Learn to sharpen. Use your kitchen knives if you want until you know you are good enough.
 
A sharp knife is a great thing and that's the way it should start out. But a knife does not have to stay razor sharp to do it's job. For example, how many of your kitchen knives are really sharp? If you are like most people, not many. They still do their job, right? You can still open a box with them or cut your steak. So yes, USE IT. Don't worry about it getting a little dull. That's just what happens when it's used. It one of the universal laws of knife usage.
 
Never be afraid to use a good tool , practice your sharpening tech. on cheaies . Get something like a three blade stockman - sharpen the blades for different duties . If you must - reserve one blade for pocket scalpel type chores .

Chris
 
Get a couple of inexpensive quality knives like a Delica/Endura and practice sharpening. Once you are good, practice some more. After a time you don't give sharpening a knife much though or too much thought, because you want be better and better, either way, factory edges don't mean much anymore after a while.
 
toad224 said:
I have a problem... I don't use my knife. I like keeping the blade really sharp in case I need to use my knife in an important situation. So I simply don't use it. I have some kind of paranoia that if I used my knife regularly, such as to open a box, then I later had a more important task, my knife wouldn't be sharp enough.

I know I could sharpen the knife if I used it. I just bought a Spyderco Sharpmaker. However, I don't trust my sharpening skills to make my knife as sharp as it was right out of the box. Someone help me!
Click to expand...

carry two one to use and one to keep sharp, like above posters said buy cheap ones and practice.
 
I don't know how many knives I own - at least 50, probably. I only use three of them for actual chores: a Swamp Rat Battle Rat for trimming tree limbs, and two smaller knives for opening boxes, bags, etc.

In the case of a defensive knife, it is better not to use it for utility purposes. It is best to keep it sharp in case the very unlikely event occurs in which you really have to use it. Of course, if you are lucky you will never have to use it.
 
Well, you can always use it. Go get a piece of wood and whittle away at it. I also carry two knives. One to use around liberals and the other to use around real Americans.

Of course, it pays to be discreet. I just never get over how some folks react to pulling out even a small locking knife. I did it matter-of-factly about a year ago at work (to open a large box) and a woman who was with me just about came apart. It was a cheap Maxam for opening boxes; of course, I carried it.

Stupid questions.
 
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