I've come to the conclusion

I

Invoice

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Dec 3, 2006
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I've come to the conclusion I'm a user and not a collector. I may have a large rotation but most of them get at least carried and sometimes used. So I'm about to really thin the herd. I know I'll probably regret selling them later but I just can't see having a bunch of knives that don't get used. There will be a few that will not go but won't be used. So what do you guys consider yourselves?
Users or collectors?
Now off to agonize about what to let go.:eek:
 
Well I like to use all of them but after a point takes a while to get back to the front of the line :) have a similar fetish for mechanical pencils have a few dozen
 
Although I don't have many knives, compared to many here, I am at peace with being both. I just enjoy knives and see no real reason to limit myself. I have some I carry rarely, some almost never others almost daily, I am good with that.

Chris
 
A little purge in the morning is good for the soul ;)

Collecting is great fun, I've done my share!

I hope this takes you to a new place in your knife life :)
G2
 
I swing all the times, guess when I feel too much invested I suddenly become a user, else with free funds I am indeed a collector! :-)
 
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I struggle with this distinction often. I think myself a user, but often find that I have blades that go unused. I often justify a knife purchase with the potential uses and why I need it vs why I just want it.

I love the utility of a knife as a tool and the variety of types and shapes and sizes, in the end I think I am a user with a slight collector tendency.

For me, I find that I often buy knives to try something new whether it is steel, style, or shape.

Great thought provoking thread!
 
My general rule is that if I'm not using a knife, it goes go up for sale. But as with all rules, there are exceptions. ;)

I have a few which are so beautiful (to my eyes anyway) that I just like to have them around to look at and handle occasionally. A few others took so much effort to find and acquire that I can't stand to turn them loose! And a few have sentimental value or a strong association with a certain happy place and time.

Andrew
 
I am a user. I use all of my knives occasional at the least (I have about 30 currently) except my gec 38 whittler and I literally am distressed about wanting to use it but not being able to bring myself to muck it up. I think I might have to sell it because of this...

knives that you use are so much more personal and tell the story of your life. They have nostalgia.
 
I am definitely both a user and a collector. In the past I've been a pattern chaser, having to try everything that was out there. Recently my buying habits have slowed down, now I concentrate on just a few patterns I like the best. I have at least 3 dozen knives that I carry from time to time, but rarely carry the same knife for more than 3-4 days in a row. For everyday carry I prefer slender knives, serpentine stockmen, eureka jacks, mostly multi-blade knives. The only thing that stays the same is my changing tastes!

Bonedemonium_zpsef276416.jpg~original
 
I actually have about 6 or 8 in my carry rotation. Most of them some customs, but a couple alox Vics and standard production models too. A few may get put away for awhile in favor of something else, but not to often.

I enjoy collecting the old EO models and a few other oldies that catch my eye. I just really like the history behind them, and they're just pretty dang cool to me. I always wonder about the path they've been in before they get to me. I seem to get on a particular model kick, like whittlers or stockmen for instance, trying to broaden my knowledge and lessen my pp account. Usually due to this forum piquing my curiosity.

My kids aren't really into knives like I am, but I'm hoping someday down the road after I'm gone, they may come to appreciate the old mans accumulation. Lol. Or, it'll be a pretty good estate sale. That factors into me just going ahead and using a knife, regardless of the cost or rarity, so I can appreciate it while I'm here. Very few just get put away not to be used.
 
I'll add something I haven't seen so far. I am both a collector and user but for different reasons. I use them because they are tools and my lifestyle at home, work, and in the outdoors in my free time dictates that I need a knife quite often and need different knives for different tasks.
I tend to keep knives I use and get rid of a few when they seem to be laying around in the safe too long. Sometimes I buy a particular model just to see it, hold it, evaluate it, then realize it's not for me for one reason or the other. Often times there is a buzz about a model or brand that gets my attention (Busse for example, and Survive!Knives).
Those knives get bought, used sometimes, and then either they become the tool in the stable for a time, or get sold off for something else.

The 'collector' knives fall into two categories. Users and safe queens. The safe queens are just there for whatever reason. They may see me to my grave or get sold/traded tomorrow. The users are a different story. I use them constantly but they are called 'collectors' because they will never be sold/traded. the reason is that most were gifts from loved ones and/or family, mainly my sons. There is no value that can be placed on them and the thought always occurs to me that they will return to my sons some day. I would prefer they are used and have some of my 'soul' in them, rather than just be another knife in a box that 'dad used to own'.
 
I am a collector with a small EDC rotation. Many of the pieces in my collection are vintage and hard to find. I love the hunt for these rare knives with their history. I have built a small resource library to help with the vintage collecting.
I also have some custom pieces and have gotten to know a few makers which is another part of the joy of collecting for me.

Charles
 
I'm with Invoice, I'm a user and I have knives that I need to let go because I spent too much money on them and they just aren't me. Even though I'm still kind of feeling my way around traditional knives I have two regular users. They are just simple honest straight forward working knives. I'm very fond of my Yellow Delrin Medium Stockman and my OD linen Micarta Bullnose from GEC. I find myself drawn toward Sodbusters.
 
I like to think of myself as a User with a Selection (as coined by Humppa), but have much more of a collection now than I purposed to assemble.

I love having a variety of knives to compare and think about, but definitely bond more with the knives I actually use.

So: Both!

~ P.


Invoice said:
So I'm about to really thin the herd.
Click to expand...
(( Starts following Invoice around
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))​
 
I have, no kidding, truly wrestled with this. I feel guilty when I buy a new knife, because I have enough knives to last several normal people their entire lives, from a use standpoint. But I don't feel guilty about my music collection or art, books, or many other indulgences. Figure that out if you can.I can't.
 
Collector with a smaller and smaller rotation pool....I suppose my health is moving me that direction. :(
 
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