Is anybody tired of collecting Knives?

DWM said:
They are real pieces of art.

Saying they are just tools is pretty much like saying that a Picasso is the same as wall paint... Silly.
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Poor comparison, IMHO.

Paintings serve no other purpose, really, than to be viewed. That's their primary function. It's a visual medium.

The function of a knife, from the beginning of human history, is to CUT.

It's the difference between a utilitarian function and a visual function.

If people like "viewing" a knife, thereby turning its function from a utilitarian one to a visual one, hey, like I said, it's a free country! :)

And, as I originally said: I'll probably offend some people with that post. Looks like I already have. Not my intention at all, don't get me wrong. Just my honest opinion.
 
vjb.knife said:
I have been collecting knives since the late 1970's and I think I am just plain tired of it. I was wondering if any of you who are really big into it ever feel the same way?

I have probably owned three thousand knives in that time (seriously this is a very conservative estimate). I was a big fan of Gerbers to start with and then Benchmark, Cold Steel, Blackjack, Pacific Cutlery / Benchmade, Spyderco, etc. etc., and over the past few years have been most interested in custom knives. I have owned virtually every model made by Gerber from inception to mid 1980's and the same for Benchmark, Blackjack, and very close to that for a couple of others. I used to go to Knife Shows and set up tables for selling and trading, but have not done that in years (there just aren't any near me).

I have managed to get the collection down into the 200 range but have been thinking I would like to get rid of all but about 20 or so real users and just forget about buying many more.

I can't explain it but knife collecting just does not hold my interest any more like it used to, and I was wondering if anybody else has felt that way or is starting to?
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Yep, I felt that way for sure!

My knife hobby went from hobby to obsession to career and I then burned out. Until this x-mas I hadn't bought a knife in many years, and I just logged back on these forums for the first time in about 7 years 2 weeks ago as I am starting to feel the "itch" again.

IMO it's normal to go through this Vince. Take a break and after some time away you'll come back into it.

Regards,
 
The function of a knife, from the beginning of human history, is to CUT.
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Since the beginning of historic times human being have set aside many items (including knives) for decorative, artistic, ceremonial-religious, or other reasons. These are often items that, although often specifically made for a non-critical purpose, would also be completely task-functional.

The ability of human brain to find aesthetic value in ordinary objects, or to design ordinary objects with aesthetical considerations, is nothing new. And that ability is certainly not damaging to the knife industry.

Best Wishes,
-Bob
 
4 Ranges said:
Poor comparison, IMHO.

Paintings serve no other purpose, really, than to be viewed. That's their primary function. It's a visual medium.

The function of a knife, from the beginning of human history, is to CUT.

It's the difference between a utilitarian function and a visual function.

If people like "viewing" a knife, thereby turning its function from a utilitarian one to a visual one, hey, like I said, it's a free country! :)

And, as I originally said: I'll probably offend some people with that post. Looks like I already have. Not my intention at all, don't get me wrong. Just my honest opinion.
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Not offended at all. Like I said at the beginning of my post, I do not collect knives either. It just simply does nothing for me.

However, you know what I was trying to say with my comparison. It was good enough to bring the point across. There are countless other examples/comparisons, I'm sure. I'm sorry mine wasn't up to your standards. :rolleyes:

Artists choose their medium usually from a field they are interested in. There is so much that is considered art nowadays which makes no sense to me, but others get excited about it. Calling a knife a piece of art is downright normal compared to some stuff out there. :p

Also, craftsmen of any kind have pretty much always produced some items in their career that had no purpose but to showcase their skills as such a craftsman and not for use and I'm sure that there have always been people interested in collecting such pieces of artistic craftsmanship.


One way or another, you are entitled to your humble opinion though as everyone else is. You have yours and I have mine. :)
 
Bob W said:
Since the beginning of historic times human being have set aside many items (including knives) for decorative, artistic, ceremonial-religious, or other reasons. These are often items that, although often specifically made for a non-critical purpose, would also be completely task-functional.

The ability of human brain to find aesthetic value in ordinary objects, or to design ordinary objects with aesthetical considerations, is nothing new. And that ability is certainly not damaging to the knife industry.

Best Wishes,
-Bob
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I agree, but this isn't the point of my original post. For further clarification:

- My post wasn't addressing the buyers who buy a knife to enjoy it for aesthetics pleasure. It was addressing "speculators" who purchase a knife for the sole purpose of marking it up 50% on the secondary market at a later date.

- I simply don't view the knives I purchase that way. I buy them because I use them. Not for the purpose of keeping them "mint" and unused, so that I can sell them at a higher price later on. This is a pretty common occurrence that makes me wonder if it's at all healthy.

Sure, that's how the world works (e.g. housing bubble), I'm simply saying that this particular mindset ignores the original purpose of the tool. Not looking to offend. :)
 
- My post wasn't addressing the buyers who buy a knife to enjoy it for aesthetics pleasure. It was addressing "speculators" who purchase a knife for the sole purpose of marking it up 50% on the secondary market at a later date.
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Interesting clarification, a good bit different than it initially read. Some thoughts:

I expect that the number of knife "investors" or "speculators" is very low, an insignificant factor to most knife manufacturers.

Second, most knives in the secondary markets barely sell for their original msrp values. Trying to predict which knives will increase in value over the next twenty years? It'd be easier to predict next month's weather...
 
I've learned a long time ago never to try to comprehend or analyze why people collect things.

I've never been a big collector or accumulator of anything in my life. My interests have come and gone over the years. I have about 12 knives and will unload some as I add others. Still looking for the perfect knife I guess. After 30+ years of collecting, I can understand that it doesn't hold your interest anymore. Rather then unload everything, maybe just take a break and see if the desire returns. Some folks unload things too quickly only to regret it later.
 
I used to buy for volume. Now I buy only what I can see myself carrying/using. My standards are unrealisticly high at times (another characteristic of the alcoholic) but it keeps my number of knives down (and sometimes the prices up). I see myself buying more custom framelock folders. I have a DDR 4" DLC Maxx with pearl inlays on order ($1350:eek:) but that will be my EDC/user. Mainly the folders I consider buying are ones that I can easily alter (or have someone else alter) with a wave opener. I'm not collecting for an investment so I'm not afraid to cut into a knife I have paid $600+ for.

Kinda like the day I bought my Rolex Sea Dweller. After the store sized it, I took out my folding karambit and put a good deep scratch into one of the links in the band. Now I can EDC it and not worry about it picking up any scuffs or scratches. It will age like me, picking up scars here and there... aging gracefully.
 
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Bob W said:
Interesting clarification, a good bit different than it initially read. Some thoughts:

I expect that the number of knife "investors" or "speculators" is very low, an insignificant factor to most knife manufacturers.

Second, most knives in the secondary markets barely sell for their original msrp values. Trying to predict which knives will increase in value over the next twenty years? It'd be easier to predict next month's weather...
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I've seen a good share of speculators on this board, so I won't go so far as to say it's a "low" number. Pretty high actually, for some brands.

As for predicting, I think some brands/makers it's pretty predictable.

On a separate note, personally, my way of enjoying a knife for visual and aesthetic pleasure: I look at them on the internet. Knife porn, basically. If I'm only gonna look, why buy if looking is free?
 
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If you wanna see speculators, go to microholics....
 
It goes in cycles for me. I'll go through a spell where I will buy, sell and trade like crazy for a couple of months, and then once I get what I'm content with that seems to hold me over for a year or more. Then I start getting bored with the current rotation or see something else that catches my interest and I'm back trading again. I actually envy the person who can find one knife to buy and carry and be perfectly content.
 
I think I'm tired of it being such a drain. Always looking for/finding/wanting the next best thing. I haven't been REALLY satisfied with a knife in a while unfortunately. I'll definitely buy some more knives in the future but I'm trying to slow down with it and buy more of what I NEED and will USE than what's cool.
 
I'll stop buying knives when I stop finding ones that speak to me. I hope that day never comes.

I do not own a single knife (save some antiques) that I have not used, even it has only been on occasion. For instance, I have a MOP coke-bottle Case that I only carry and use in formal situations (i.e. suit/tie).
 
when I got back into knives a couple years ago I started collecting quite a few but I found that I didnt want to use my new ones. This not only was a waste of money IMHO but I started not liking knives at all. At that point I decided to stop buying and only using. I havent got a new knife in over a year and just recently purchased a fixed blade for camping. Don't plan on buying another until I break or dislike my main knives.
 
Ah yes,............ the hole within cannot be filled by the things of this world. Been there, done that, and in the end its all chaseing the wind, amen. I still own 15 or so knives, but now they are just tools i will shed soon enough.
 
No material object will make a person happy for long term. That comes from within.
All I collect now is Spyderco, because I can afford to buy them and they can be resold down the road to the hordes of Spyderco fanatics without losing anything. Often they even go up a good bit.
I had a lot of other brands and the just don't seem to go up in value as consistently as the higher end Spydercos will when they are discontinued and the sprint runs do.
In case you haven't noticed the more successful knife companies are onto us and keep coming out with new stuff and discontinuing the old, because they know we will snap it up. A new model will be released and everybody will have to have it. Then time passes and it's mostly forgotten besides by the collectors that drive the price way up and even then it's only way up on some.
It's just a hobby, not all that harmful (maybe even mentally beneficial) and if you play it right you don't always get hurt finacally.
 
Excellent thread started.just like with many hobbies, sometimes it or you run out of gas; get bored; take a break;hit a dead end.i used to buy many many knives,anything i thought was cool.ive had many many knives since i started this over 30 years ago.over the last 4 years i started thinning out any cheaper knives,or ones i didnt carry or couldnt carry(auto's especially). & concentrated on just better quality production & some nice customs,too. i am at the point now where ive thinned out all i could,except for the ones i like the most(still about 75 or 80) kept about 14 customs as well.now i only try to buy something that is as good or better than i have now,which is very hard.as far as customs, i like them, but i am tired of spending 350-500$+ every time i want one.its just getting to be a burden.ill only buy a custom if i could get it at a real good price(like my ddr mad maxx for 250!).theres not much new out there that interests me now anyway, the only one im waiting on is a bm 710 in m4......
 
While I have not bought a knife since about September but I just did buy a Leatherman XTi but I do have on order a D2 Para Military so I am not done collecting but I have just hit a slow point.
 
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