Is it just me?

Sounds pretty overkill to me. At least you acted like a gentleman and let the guy keep up his silly behavior.

None of my knives are given the white-glove treatment. Then again, I don't own any customs. Even if I did, I couldn't see myself NOT using a custom for simple EDC chores. I tend to belong to the school of thought that a knife is designed to cut first and look pretty second.
 
Part of the issue is perspective. Many of you are looking at it from a knife collector point of view, but there is clearly another element in force. He may be combining two passions knives and music or actor memorabilia.

Good for him. He should have fun and enjoy what he is doing,

My dad had a grandfather clock that he loved dearly. It had a brass winding key and he would put on his gloves and wind the clock and make any adjustment needed. who is to say what another will enjoy.
 
As a member of such a niche population, as pocket knife admirers certainly are, I am glad to hear that there is another person out there who also appreciates pocket knives and derives pleasure from them via collecting. The majority of people do not.
 
Seals said:
Case XX loves this guy and SMKW has blue stag built for him.:DIm also glad there are many like him.I have some of that in behavior me also although im quite disorganized and cant understand neat freeks like this anymore than they understand my poor habits.I would have loved digging through his knives,but he would have booted me out of the room in five minutes im sure.The celebrity and ad knife handles and etches are a total turnoff for me.But i like all the different bone jigging and patterns.I do really love and miss ole Johnny Cash though.:)
Click to expand...

Interesting that I saw some of that blue stag being bid up to what I thought was pretty outrageous on the auction site yesterday. I just shook my head and moved on. But somebody must like it.

Ed
 
I agree with the earlier remark - it probably adds to the experience for him. The glove business is all part of (his idea of) a pleasant ritual; sort of like when the rest of us stuff a pipe, tune a motorcycle, or clean a favorite gun or something.
 
So what did he carry in his pocket and use every day ?
I think that is a polite enough question to ask a knife collector, right ?

I'm guessing that he had all the knife he needed, to get trough the day, in his pocket.

The "Working tool" aspect seeming more interesting to you.
What knife beat out all of the others for a place in the sun, with so many contenders ?
 
K'know, Snap-On tools were "da-kine" when I was working and I appreciated them as jewels for men, even when they were covered in grime and had a nick or two on them.

Naturally they resided in a Snap-On roll around chest between uses.

Taken to the next level, they could become icons of excellence for some.

They had Dale Earhardt boxes, NASCAR tribute motifs, the whole bit. Not for me mind you but Snap-On scratched an itch for somebody with that line.

For one guy (like me) a knife is a utilitarian tool: the most basic of all tools: and enjoyed in the using, whittling with grandsons, whatever.

But I could see that at some level they could be seen as "collectables" with market value. At that level, I'd be protecting my investments too.

I hope the guy finds what he's looking for and somebody appreciates the return on the investment. But I'd rather do some hands-on whittling with some youngster in the family I can teach to appreciate how not to abuse -in the using- a nice knife.
 
Knife as art vs. knife as tool.

Both are valid.

I have seen knife collections where the knives are years old & still look brand new. In some way I can justify it easier for the more expensive knives as there is a good resale value attached to them. Not my thing, but at least it is another person that likes knives & supports the industry.

Personally the knives I have that sit in the safe do so for sentimental reasons. A Lile #1 I bought from Mrs. Lile. 2 modern folders that I had in my pockets when my sons were born that they will get when they hit 21. My one "Pretty" knife with blued damascus, ebony, and nickle silver. Outside of those few, I use my knives. If I don't use one for a long time I start looking at it as trade material towards something I will use.
 
Hey jacknife - maybe you should write a story about the knife without a lick of use on it that sat in a display case for decades?;) I bet it would be a short one!



Seriously, to each his own. However, I think that signs of wear and use make a knife - or any implement - far more visually interesting.
 
that being said i wasnt graced with the willpower needed to not carry and use one, and to the average person this sounds strange when i show them my limited run 2010 forum knife thats been sharpened and shows the gnarly patina from cutting up lunches... "your using it? wont that ruin it?"
i think most "normal" people understand the case collector with the white gloves and the sea of flawless bone and steel, but us "users" with little regard for keepsake values are a mystery...
i'm comfortable being a user and an accumulator, and if it causes me undo stress or doesnt put a smile on my face then that'll be time to get out.
hopefully that day doesnt come
regards
gene
PS these collectors are probably why Case is able to stay afloat and thank goodness for that, given the state of things
 
It's not really different from comic book collectors keeping the issues in sealed bags, or knife/coin show dealers asking customers/viewers to put on cotton gloves to prevent getting hand oils on the metals. Having worked in a knife shop over the years I can assure you that blades do get damaged, and the damage isn't necessarily visible within any foreseeable time.

Perhaps the thing to do is broaden this man's interest: Thank him for sharing his collection, and give him a book on knife collecting; or, give him something he can EDC with no regrets, etc.

Fundamentally, his heart is in the right place. At the very least, this fellow may be one of those voices raised in our favor when we need it most.
 
The "Sams" of the world keep a lot of fine folks at Case employed. That's enough for me. (Though, truth be told, I don't have time for those beanie baby collectibles either.)

-- Mark
 
Until a few years ago, that's what I thought Case was all about- knives for collectors, not knives for users.

Having never been a serious collector, but someone who always had a pocket knife on me, it was only 4 or 5 years ago that I started to actually "study" the hobby of knife collecting. Until that time, I thought of Case knives and Zippos in exactly the same way- a functional tool primarily made for collectors. With seemingly infinite "limited production" and "branded" pieces to try to get collectors to buy the latest offering, they were almost like the Franklin Mint of knives to me.

But now that I have taken the time to learn, I realize that Case does make a good product, and I even have a few of them now! Their CV steel is excellent and they have a nice variety of traditional patterns made of traditional materials, at (mostly) reasonable prices. I suspect that someday they will offer a "collector's" piece that appeals to me, although none has called out to me so far.

If having them make these types of products helps them stay in business, I'm all for it. But I think that some of the knives I've seen would have been better if they had never gone into production, or had been produced with a private brand instead of having the Case logo.
 
I think that guy's silly. Totally suckered by brand loyalty and hype. Probably wouldn't know a good knife if it cut his thumb off.
 
My buddy is almost that bad but his aren't the ones that come in the display boxes and none of the Johnny Cash series stuff etc. I can't fully enjoy a knife unless I carry and use it! I guess that is just his and others like him, their way of knives and collecting. To each his own!
 
It's all good! everybody has his or her way of collecting some get enjoyment out of using the knife while others get enjoyment out of displaying them. I can see boths sides as I like to use my knives and I have some that are in a case for display, sometimes I'll take those out hiking or camping too. Main thing is the enjoyment you get out of your hobby. I would enjoy to see someones case collection.
 
At he very least they weren't Franklin mint knives. Maybe buy him a pair of real conservators gloves, you'll be his friend forever ;-))

Regards

Robin
 
Consider it a steppin' stone. A little education on "the world of knives" and he will most likely continue to move forward. The man likes knives.
I like Elvis and the Man in Black but preferably on CD's. Not knives.
Greg

I just had an idea. How about puttin' a picture of that Tee Bows fella on a knife !! Now that would be a hit and a half !!!
 
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