Is a knife with character better than pristine

If you use them all, I have no problem with you. Some people rotate in more blades for EDC than do others.:D

In most of the unused collections in most of these type pictures on the internet, I tend to see only a lot of poorly parked money.
 
Boats said:
If you use them all, I have no problem with you. Some people rotate in more blades for EDC than do others.:D

In most of the unused collections in most of these type pictures on the internet, I tend to see only a lot of poorly parked money.
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I donot use them all I collect Buck Knives....I prefer to have them new in the box some of mine are from 1960 NIB....I use Buck 110's ,and 2.25 as my EDC
the fixed blade Bucks I use are Kalinga,Akonua,124,119,118,116,106,and 103.
The collecting bug is not for everyone.I have only sold one knife out of my collection.:D
 
I make a habit to roatate my edc in and out and on certain occasions I take diff ones. I usually carry 3 knives so if I wanted to I could carry 15 diff knives in my 5 day work week and 21 diff knives in a whole week. If i am camping I bring my usual trusted camp knives and a few for testing(usually new ones). Its really easy to go through alot of knives camping or just go in your backyard and go to work. .

I like a used knife it builds a bond between you and it that one that sits never could. You get the edge you want on it and know what it'll take. I love usin my knives and I like the look of used knives. Now some knives that are very ornate I dont use, I bought them because I like there damascus or inlay or pearl handles. They sit and I admire them as art because to me they most definatley are.
 
Hay earl I like bucks too I love the Kalinga and have 2 of em (one I use and one i dont:D ) a couple of older 19's and a few others on your list. I like bucks older fixed blades they came with good leather sheaths and had a real good feel to em. I dont feel the same about some of the new bucks.
 
Is that the difference here, whether you consider it a knife or a tool, is there really a distinction between the two, isn't a knife really just a tool, and any value whether emotional, due to who possesed it before you did,(Grandfather, Husband, Dad) or monetary, due to the artistic influence or who made the knife,(let's face it certain names command top dollar).

I have a very gentley used watch fob knife that I always remember my oldman carryin' when ever we went some place for dinner, pristine condition, no character but sentimentally it means alot to me, yet it still looks brand new.

Do we add another category, knives as jewelry, you don't add character to a nice watch or a ring by letting it get scratches.
 
I think we should add a category to knives a "Jewelry" section as it were. Some knives I buy and do consider them my "man jewelry" I wont use them I may never carry them.I bought them because of how beautiful a particular damascus pattern, handle material or combination of blade and handle came together to make that knife. I am sure I could use them and they would hold up but I never will.
 
So I guess that there just might be a difference. The only jewelry I ever wear daily is my wedding ring. At times I need a tie tack. The rest of my life, I ain't got any use for something to be around just to look pretty.

I like that balance in women too:

Pretty and useful=priceless.
Just pretty=maintenance drain and a continual headache.

One earns its keep and the other one ultimately doesn't in my book. Sure, one might one day turn a profit off of a collection, but it probably wouldn't begin to approach the magic of compound interest.
 
Boats said:
I hate collectors because they are antithetical to the purpose of having a knife in the first place. I can imagine some social outcast in the Neolithic Period, rummaging around a kill site and thinking to himself, "I am glad that the guy who flintknapped this excellent example of a hand axe never used it before the leopard got him. It will be worth something someday."
.
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Chew glass and pack sand, boat man.
There is a butt for every seat, be it big, little, fat or skinny.:mad:

STeven Garsson
 
I get joy out of the knives that sit because I like them, I enjoy the craftsmanship and time it took to make them. By some peoples account paintings are no good because they sit on a wall. Well I have a few knives in glass display casses to appreciate and take awe in. The rest I appreciate by how well they serve me in the field.

Character is in the eye of the beholder. if a car has dents in it it has character....but those same dents could also make it unappealing to others.
 
barrabas74 said:
....By some peoples account paintings are no good because they sit on a wall. Well I have a few knives in glass display casses to appreciate and take awe in. The rest I appreciate by how well they serve me in the field.....
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Thank you.

(I own several hundred custom knives and I use many of them, hard, but I don't feel an overwhelming urge to EDC a Josef Rusnak or Arpad Bojtos creation which I have purchased simply BECAUSE I considered it a piece of art.)
 
Hey Guys...

T...

Interesting topic...

First off,, all the knives I own are users, not one of them is a safe queen or what I would call pritine condition(Except for the ones that are planned for trading)..

Granted I'm not collecting "art pieces", and surely wouldn't use a Wolfgang or Tim Herman to gut deer with...

All of the knives I own get used at some point or another..

I have an old Sharade Little Finger that I've had since I was a kid..
not an expensive knife by any means,, however a knife that I used for many years before my addiction errupted. The knife was very well used,, a little rust, a little patina, some blood stains,some scratches and alot of memories..

One day I thought it was looking a little shabby, and decided to put the buffer to it..
It came out beautiful,, nice and shiny, scratches all but buffed away,,no more patina, blood stains almost gone.

However with that buffing ,erasing the patina, scratches and stains I also erased some of the memories that went along with the history of that knife...

Something that I regret doing and won't do to another knife unless the knife is in danger of rust.

I look at it this way..
If you can afford to have "art piece",, or just collect knives for the purpose of collecting them, even for investment,, then good on you.. However I collect knives,, because I love them,, and I fully intend to use most of the knives that I purchase and own...

I'll probably never own an "art piece" knife, because I personally find it useless to own something that I will never use..

ttyle

Eric...
O/ST
 
I have a Schrade Old Timer Middleman. I handpicked it from a huge pile Middlemans (Middlemen?), many years ago, in an attempt that get that perfect sample. I then preceded to convex the edges, just to my linking. This knife has been used on many whittling projects, over the years. It has a few dings, and has developed a beautiful patina. This Middleman has been with me on countless camping and backpacking trips, and has been an ongoing source of enjoyment for me.

By all accounts, my Middleman is now worth less than the price of a brand new one, which is probably less than $20.00. I have knives that cost me 25 times that much, but have nowhere near the personal value of this cheap little Schrade. I'd be willing to sell some of my far more expensive knives, but nobody touches my Middleman..... until my daughter grows up and wants a pocket knife.
 
Buzzbait said:
....nobody touches my Middleman..... until my daughter grows up and wants a pocket knife.
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My daughter has dibs on all my knives now:eek: , and she has good taste, she picks all my favorites:grumpy: , and when I ask her why she picked the ones she did, she said because they remind her of me, they're the ones she always sees me with:) , and so some more heirlooms are born.:D
 
Normark said:
...I personally find it useless to own something that I will never use....
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Geez, Eric, if I felt that way I'd have all my zippers welded shut. ;)

Back to the topic: I stopped getting involved in threads like this a long time ago because I'm just got tired of reading the disparaging remarks between those hard-ass "knife users" and us sissy "collectors". Fact is, I own lots of knives that have "history" and personal "meaning" and I continue to use them; I own lots of knives that I use HARD (even very expensive customs); I have lots of knives that I never use - they're just pieces of art that happen to be in the shape of knives. I guess when you have a dozen or so knives, you might be hard-pressed to justify NOT using them all, but when the collection runs in the hundreds, why make me feel "guilty" about it?

RANT OFF

(now I am going to walk around the house and tear all the paintings off the walls...damn useless things! ;) ;) ;) )
 
Hey CRF...

LOL...

As an artist myself I can understand people collecting for the sheer enjoyment of having a fine handcrafted knife... I have many beautiful handmade knives that I use on a regular basis..

I personally rather use my knives I collect...

I watched Jeff Diotte last year clean several black bear, deer and turkey with a gold inlay mother of pearl damasteel Bud Weston folder... Beautiful knife and it got the job done quite well...

ttyle

Eric...
 
Boats said:
I hate collectors because they are antithetical to the purpose of having a knife in the first place. I can imagine some social outcast in the Neolithic Period, rummaging around a kill site and thinking to himself, "I am glad that the guy who flintknapped this excellent example of a hand axe never used it before the leopard got him. It will be worth something someday."
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I'm the same way. All my knives are users and I've never gotten into the collectors things.

I can see admiring a knife for artistic purposes. I have myself. But I think by not using it you're robbing yourself of the majority of pleasure a knife is capable of giving the user. If I only held and looked at my Opinel, I'd like the feel of the wood handle and admire the simple craftsmanship, but until I use it I wouldn't realise how it shaves the skin off apples and carrots, or makes some of the finest wood shavings out of any knife I own. That to me is the most satisfying part of using a knife...putting your own edge on it suited to what you use a knife for, then seeing how well it performs. Modifying parts of the knife you know you could make better so it's more personalized to YOU.

I think it's kind of silly how worked up some people here are about scratches on the blades, patina's, centered blades, minor scuffing on handles or anything small and cosmetic that's "wrong" with a knife. I agree with the japanese, things build character as you use them. Just look at my leather belt and my shoes, both have some serious wear from riding (And falling off of, in the belt's case) my skateboard. My belt looks unique now and it has a story to it. You can also see where I always loop it and how the weaving has spread out over time.

People are different and I can accept that, but I think collectors are putting themselves at a loss in more ways than one. Their time and their money though.

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A lot of people see the holes and the mismatched lace I replaced the old one with and think it looks bad. I tell them function over fashion man. If I never beat the hell out of my shoes, I wouldn't of known how comfortable they are during 8 hour skate sessions, how well they hold up to the sandpaper-like material on skateboards, how good they cushion landing from 6 feet up in the air. I got more pleasure out of destroying my shoes than I ever could of by putting them on a pedastel and admiring them.
 
I dont think this post will really go any farther. I mean I like to use most of my knives and look at some. Some believe you should use them all. I understand where Vivi and others are comin from and I understand where cockroachfarm is coming from. Its really just preferance whether you enjoy a knife more beating the hell out of it or whether you enjoy looking at the sometimes countless hrs put into some of the knives people own. Its just preference and peoples finances and life views shape how they feel and you cant really change the view of the other side. I feel I am kinda in the middle of the two but hay thats up to debate.
 
Barrabas, I just look at it that if I look at and admire a knife, I can get some enjoyment out of it, but if I use it I get more enjoyment than the former could bring and I understand the craftsmanship of it more as well. I build a deeper appreciation that way, which is why I feel collectors are shooting themselves in the foot in a sense. But like you say, people will all have their views and preferences, and likely all think they're right too. :P

I can buy a custom framelock knife and admire how stout the lock seems. Or I can use it for a decade and see that the lock still holds up great and keeps the blade scure, and I would be far more admiring of the knife in such a case.
 
It's like bein' a biker, a real biker is just happy to be ridin', it doesn't matter what your ridin', just as long as your ridin'.

Doesn't matter why ya collect the knives, it's just the fact that you collect them.

Besides, isn't better to have one more pro knife person on our side no matter why he collects them, that' one less antiknife person I have to try to convert.
 
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