Interesting Quandary Regarding Knives and Knife Collecting

MostMenAreRuthless said:
I would classify myself as an "average knife guy.". I am not quite "knife knut" status, but am certainly more interested and enthralled by blades than the average individual. I have relatively small collection of blades, mostly folders, that range from $10 specials to Sebenzas and a Mnandi. Here is the quandary: I don't really have much of a need to ever USE a knife. Sure, I have cut tags off of clothes. I have cut up the occasional cardboard box to place in recycling. I have used it to cut off the strings on my pocket from the wear of the knife clip (which, if I didn't have a knife clipped there I wouldn't get the strings!) I have used a knife for 6 of one thing and half a dozen of others, but they all seem like trivial tasks that could be performed with any $10 special.
I realize there are plenty of guys and gals that really get out there and USE their blades at work, in the woods, at home, or otherwise. But, I can't be alone in my quandary. Please tell me that I don't have psychological addiction issues. Certainly there must be many others out there that simply enjoy knives because of their functional beauty, inherent utility (utilized or not), and other mystical reasons... Or, am I alone?
Thoughts?
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I shred office paper with knives, even though they provide paper shredder. Not many things to cut with .. so I'm with you.

I like knives for their functional beauties and sharp (almost intangible) edges that truly apexed one will have few molecules at the edge :eek:
 
rinoceros830 said:
So OP, keep buying knives. Screw anybody that disparages you for not 'using' your collection. Your reasons are yours, even if you may have an addiction problem. :)
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Some people collect, others do not. But it's to those who do collect, whatever they may collect, to whom we owe our history, science, and progress too. It is this weird urge to assemble and organize things and information into whatever pattern suits us that will lead us to a better understanding of what we have, where we have been and where we are going. It is a courious mind whom collects and the collection is a focus for that curiosity. I am partial to collectors of any kind, and favor them to the rudderless drones who are so easily manipulated by the latest "style", whom wear green because it is in, whom have little affinity for anything they do or own, but go for it in order to keep up with the Jones. There is no shame in proclaiming yourself a collector. Whether your collection consists of one knife or thousands, if you have bothered to give your collection form beyond the ubiquious "knife" you are likely a collector, and should be proud of it.

n2s
 
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I'm pretty much the same as the OP. I'd say I'm a knifeknut though but still I hardly ever use any of my fixed blades but I do love having them. My folders I use all the time on the other hand at work.
 
I was given a small fixed-blade knife for my fourth birthday. That would have been 1950. It was pot-metal with a fake plastic stag handle and a compass inset, made in Japan when that was a synonym for junk. But it had a sharp point and somewhat of an edge. I still have it. Whenever I could scrape together a few dollars, it usually went for a cheap hardware store bowie which I usually destroyed throwing at the Mulberry trees in our yard. I killed a lot of cheap knives and two large Mulberries. My dad, who understood kids, would make me steel spearheads at the shop of the coton mill where he worked.

I can't remember ever not having a knife in my pocket. If a high school teacher asked if you had a knife, it meant that they had left theirs at home and needed to cut something. They handed it back to you when they were finished. In the rural school I attended, a boy who didn't carry a knife was considered a little "odd".

When my daughter suffered permanent brain injury in a hit and run, and I had to care for her constantly for several years, my beloved outdoor activities were out of the question. Fortunately I had by then acquired a couple of Busses, and discovered Bladeforums and the Busse subforum. These great people, and the collection of Busses I began acquiring, sustained me through several trying years. My wife recognized this for the outlet it provided to me and was very supportive of it.

I now am closing in on 100 Busses and a dozen or so other premium knives, and have zero regret about the money and time put into them. About ten are designated users and the rest purely collectors. Some people collcet Busses for profit. If the bottom of the Bussse secondary market fell completely out tomorrow, I would still have some fantastic knives and would not be upset.

All of this is to say that I have a deep emotional tie to knives. They have been a lifelong fascination for me, and not one negative thing has come out of it that I know of. To me, it is not an affliction of concern, but a source of pleasure.
 
Blade collecting/knife fascination seems to be somewhat of a microcosm of life's experiences in general. What I mean, is that we all come from different backgrounds, economies, belief systems, etc and as such our knife "experiences" have manifested some of that in your responses. Some do it for fun. Some do it for comfort. Some do it from boredom. Some may not even know why they do it--they just do it! Life is like that--we do what we do and allow ourselves to be governed by the dictates of our own conscience. Anyway, not to dig too deep--but bottom line is this: knives are cool.
 
Part of the appeal for me is that this is one of those hobbies where it's not too hard to have the best there is. You look at cars or most other things and it costs thousands or millions of dollars just for one example of the best of the best. Depending on how you look at it the best knives in the world range from $100-$500, and it can make you a sandwich.
 
This is by far one of the greatest threads I've read on BladeForums in a long time. I can relate to almost everyone here in some way. I mainly collect but have a few dedicated users. Then there are some that in midway between collector pieces and users... they get taken out of the box and carried once a blue moon, mainly cause they are either too rare, too beautiful, or too sentimental to use.

Also, his thread needs to be stickied. :D
 
I love this thread. When I started collecting I did spent too much too fast, but have since slowed it down to "must-haves" and selling some of the less expensive knives to compensate for the higher-end purchases. There is still a very strong desire to purchase multiple knives when I see them on a website and really want to add them to my collection NOW, but I simply make a list of the makes/models and hope I can find them in the sales area here or a better price/on sale elsewhere later. Nowhere near the brink of financial ruin though, and I smile big every time I open a case in my collection and look at all the knives or take them out for a closer look and quick flip. Knife collection show and tell with friends and other collectors is when I really feel good about what I've collected so far. :)
 
Tim616 said:
It's good to have whether you use them a lot or not. Let's use a hypothetical situation (the crowd goes wild (YAY!!! hypothetical situations!!!))


You're in your car. You're driving. A deer runs out in front of your car. All of the sudden the deer transforms itself ( Aha, didn't know the deer was a shapeshifter from the 4.5^10th dimension did you? Exactly) into a stone barrier coated in 3/4'' thick steel plate.
You swerve you're car flips and somehow midair catches on fire (you are still not on fire yet).
But "OMG" guess what, your seat belt clip is damaged, smashed closed, and you can't get out of it, your car is upside down, and will explode in 45 seconds.

You reach into your pocket and BOOM, (the car didn't explode, it was a hypothetical boom representing enlightenment), you have a trusty knife with you.

You cut that seat belt off, your knife was sharp, the seat belt had no chance, and let's say for sake of this story, it was definitely sharp enough to cut the seat belt.

You escape the car, but you don't run, you walk, you got out in 15 seconds.

You have 30 seconds to walk away slowly, put on your sunglasses like a badass and have a nearby observer film you as your car explodes in the background as you walk away folding your knife and putting it back into your pocket.
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Hypothetical? The exact thing happened to me just last week --TWICE!
 
MikeH hit it on the head. And so did everybody else.
But I see no reason to debate with all here why I am fascinated with cutting art. Too much analysis can kill the passion.
Where I live I meet few fellow knife-nuts. So when I do meet someone who shares our interest there is a special pleasure to be had in the fellowship as we discuss our likes and dislikes. There we’ll be handling each other’s edc just like our ancestors did 30 000 years ago around the campfire as they examined each other’s flint knife with awe, sensual pleasure and perhaps a little envy. Not much has changed. And I like that.
 
Toyz said:
Better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.

Life is unpredictable - always best to be prepared.
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Agreed!

I have a tough-as-nails diving flashlight from Intova and I don't even go diving. It's still a solid torch and if I ever find myself in a wet environment or at sea at night I will know what to have with me;)
 
Hi, my name's Leek_Freak and I'm a Leekaholic.
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It's been said so many times before yet people still don't get this:

You can drive a Volvo or Saab from A to B and get there just fine;
or, you can drive there in a Ferrari, Porsche, Bentley or Rolls etc. and really enjoy the trip.
 
I assure you that the same story exists in most other hobbies and pastimes.
The guy who thinks I'm nuts to have these knives, or flashlights, or guns, is the same guy who's lusting after another outboard motor with 5 more horsepower for his bass boat that he keeps parked alongside his house, and uses about once a year. Or the guy who dumps his set of expensive golf clubs, just to get this year's latest technology, when he's a duffer who hardly ever even golfs.

Personally, I think it is a waste of time to watch TV, and I don't have a TV or any cable or dish to pay for either.
But, some people think it's perfectly normal to buy $2500 TV sets and pay $150/month for TV service.
And they might say to me, "Why do you spend so much money on knives?"


It's just something that people do.
I wouldn't worry about it. If it makes you happy and you can afford it, then have fun.
 
Interesting question! I invite you (on some rainy day) to review my previous posts on addiction. From there you can make your own decision whether you are addicted or not. The exercise should be an amusing, if not informative journey.
 
My daily carry includes a quality locking folder, usually a Spyderco, as well as a SAK. I love both kinds of knife. But while I use a knife for one reason or another pretty much every day, it's almost always the SAK. For one reason, I can use it in the office without being perceived as a "mall ninja." For another, the SAK is a much cheaper blade, and I'd rather scratch up an inexpensive blade than an expensive one. And the SAK blades are easy to resharpen ... plus I'm less picky about razor sharpness on a SAK.

So my quandry is a bit like the original post. I have a lot of money invested in quality blades, but most often use a ~$20 (or less) SAK. Seems like I'm a bit over-knifed for what I really need.
 
Very interesting thread for sure .

Carrying a knife was something instilled in me by my father at a very young age "Nothing more handy to have in your pocket than a sharp knife" he would tell me . He made sure that as soon as I was old enough not to cut myself up TOO baddly that I had one . I've carried a knife on me my whole life now and find those words he told me to be true . Truth is , if you have one decent folder and maybe one decent fixed blade you have all the kinfe that "most" people would ever need . But it's not always about needs .

I don't collect kinves per say , although I have a few . I buy each one more for a purpose . However that doesn't mean I don't feel that excitment of the hunt for each one . I also find myself working my way through many as I buy them , try them and sometimes sell them and move on to look for a better replacement and higher quality knife . So...... some people collect to have more knives or all of a certain type of knife . Others get caught up in wanting the "best" or "toughest" knife . I try to use my knives as much as I can in today's world , even though I don't spend as much time hunting , fishing , camping or hiking in the mountains as I'd like . They remind me of simpler times and my father who has long passed away . Adiction ? Obsession ? One thing I see in all these replies is pleasure that each person enjoys from his own idea of what knives are about .
 
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