Is it normal to be fickle about the “next knife?”

I may plot and plan for several weeks before I buy anything. I spent months looking before I bought my Small 21.
Putting my Xmas purchase together took 6 weeks, so I do look around at what's out there.
 
I usually take a ridiculous amount of time before making a purchase and I way over analyze everything. I usually make myself annoyed about whatever I'm researching to where it puts the purchase off for several more months. If it sticks in my mind after all that then I usually end up getting it....
 
It depends. I usually have a "want" list. Usually a knife reaches the top of the list and gets purchased. BUUUUT, I have been known to take an instant liking to a knife and immediately buy it and ignore the list. The human heart is fickle and overrides the brain.
 
I keep a shortlist of knives that I plan to buy. Problems arose this year when a rapid succession of sprints and exclusives screamed for my attention. In the aftermath, I now have a handful of knives in the same pattern with different steels and scale colors. Hopefully I have learned my lesson and will exercise more restraint next year :)
 
I guess I'm a deal hunter. I have a long list of wants, but I end up buying secondary market when the price is too good to pass up. Which as of late I've wound up with a lot.
 
I have very specific qualifications/requirements, and I hem and haw. I'd finally made the decision to by a Pro-Tech Malibu. By the time I made the decision the blue ones were nowhere to be found!

Right now, I want a front flipper between 3.25" and 3.5" no G-10, carbon fiber or micarta, wharncliffe preferred. Under $200.
 
I'm usually pretty impulsive, or at least I used to be when I focused more on sub $100 knives. Now, I may do a bit more planning. I dont generally have 400 or 500 bucks just hanging around to spend.

My last four $100+ purchases were a mixture:
My local knife shop ran an add that they were a Microtech dealer last October. There is no way I would pay the prices they command without handling one first. Tried an Ultratech and was sold. I had a fee bucks socked away so I just bought it.

Last November I finally bought my first CRK. It was a reward I promised myself for reaching a hard earned goal. Just a basic PJ Inkosi I bought from Spark's shop. Hasn't left my pocket in a year. Worth every penny.

Next I stumbled across a review of a Combat Troodon. This was during the more hard-core shutdown in the spring. I have the number of the Local Knife Shop's owner, so I just texted him to see if he had one. He did, gave me a price, and we met safely for me to buy it from him using my stimulus money. Not a bad way to blow 500 bucks:) Big fan.

Finally, I just purchased a Kershaw Lucha at the LGS. Went in looking to buy some ammo. Didn't find any, but saw that balisong under the glass. $120? Why not.
 
I’ve realized that there is no “normalcy” when it comes to my obsession with knives. I go through phases where I desperately want a certain knife and I’m not even sure why exactly. I just have to have it. And often times , I’m obsessing over another knife before the first one is even delivered. Good times.
 
A lot of my purchases are spur-of-the-moment because something is not regularly available (sprints, exclusives, etc.). I have knives on my list for eventual purchase, but for the most part they're readily available any time (e.g. CRK Mnandi).

Example: I've never owned a Benchmade because of their spotty reputation for quality, but I've had the 940 Osborne on my list for a while. It's an evergreen model, so I haven't ever felt compelled to pull the trigger. But BHQ dropped an M4 with natural G10 exclusive last week, for a whopping $8 premium over the normal model with satin S30V and green aluminum (it's actually listed at $5 less than the coated base model). The new steel and different color scheme (not a huge fan of the classic green/purple), combined with the limited availability convinced me to buy it. I'm hoping it works out as a SuperFreek in a more pocketable form.

Benchmade-M4-940-Osborne-AXIS-Lock-Natural-G-10-Black-BHQ-114142-jr.webp
 
Budget does not allow me to buy what I want, when I want.

That being said, I’ve paid close attention to my desires for a few years now. There are just a few that stay on my list.

Folders:

LionSteel TM 1
CRK small Insingo

Fixed:

CPK EDC 2
Buck Froe

Others are added but after a while they don’t seem to hold my interest.

I waited two years before I picked up my D’Allara 3. Love the knife but, really dislike the pocket clip. Don’t trust it.

Maybe there is an aftermarket version. I hope so.
 
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