I've lost that lovin' feelin'.....

[pitdog]

Moose buddy for me the magic isn't in the value of the knives which is good because I still can't afford to get any unless it's my Birthday or Christmas !

I still find it special when I get a knife from any maker as it makes me feel closer to that person and I get some real satisfaction in using their work and posting about it on the forums for them to see......does that make sense ? I was a welder for 20 years and know how a little positive feedback goes a long way.
The same also applies to mass produced blades in that it gives me a bond to the people who also favour that particular brand such as Swamprat knives or in your case Becker ( Yeah I'm still determined to get one of the Crewman when they come out, LOL !)
The other thing is that I still haven't yet found my ' perfect knife ', although I am getting closer !

If I am ever feeling a little low on the magic I find checking out some of the great posts on here soon has me topped back back up, I can't read any of Mistwalkers without wanting a new knife, LOL !

Anyways keep you pecker up Moose, that magic will soon come back buddy !

 

[Rotte]

I have more knives than I need. Worse yet, more than I use! Still, the prospect of trying a new one is still exciting. Learning a new blade is a new adventure. Although I don't order many anymore, each new blade still brings that thrill, fresh steel!

 

[Dirtknap]

I'm pretty much done collecting, but I still have a few I cherish including my first purchase as a very young boy more than 35 years ago - a Schrade 15OT. You should have seen the look on my folks faces

 

[RescueRiley]

I feel you Moose, Christmas is coming and I quickly filled my Wishlist with sundry different knives, only to pull them off shortly there after. the fact is I use a mora or a sak for about 99%o f everything I do. and though I like other knives when ever I really think about getting one it I ask myself what is it really gonna do for me? and what Iam I really going to do with it? The answer is always the same, Cut things. Since I came to that realization surfing through the net or the like doesn;t hold the same magic for me. There is no grail blade for me I fear.. and sasquatch has been debunked.
Even when I get new Moras as back ups or what have you... I unbox them strop them up and throw them in the drawer.. No need for me to caress or swoon over them I know what they are. SO in that sense the pleasure of getting new knives is in many ways gone for me. However there is something to be said when the contour of a handle finds its way into your hand every time, like it was meant to be there. something to be said when every dark patina spot on a blade is a memory, when pressing your thumb on the spine and feeling where it is chewed up in spots from striking a ferro or a piece of chert. these things are magic in of themselves in my mind. the older I get the more I realize the only things that truly change are my waist line and my perspective.

 

[dewingrm]

I feel you Moose, Christmas is coming and I quickly filled my Wishlist with sundry different knives, only to pull them off shortly there after. the fact is I use a mora or a sak for about 99%o f everything I do. and though I like other knives when ever I really think about getting one it I ask myself what is it really gonna do for me? and what Iam I really going to do with it? The answer is always the same, Cut things. Since I came to that realization surfing through the net or the like doesn;t hold the same magic for me. There is no grail blade for me I fear.. and sasquatch has been debunked.
Even when I get new Moras as back ups or what have you... I unbox them strop them up and throw them in the drawer.. No need for me to caress or swoon over them I know what they are. SO in that sense the pleasure of getting new knives is in many ways gone for me. However there is something to be said when the contour of a handle finds its way into your hand every time, like it was meant to be there. something to be said when every dark patina spot on a blade is a memory, when pressing your thumb on the spine and feeling where it is chewed up in spots from striking a ferro or a piece of chert. these things are magic in of themselves in my mind. the older I get the more I realize the only things that truly change are my waist line and my perspective.

That sounds exactly like me. I put a bunch of knives on my wishlist only to remove them. I carry a Mora Craftline more than any other knife when hiking or hunting. It does everything that I need a knife to do. It's also easy to sharpen, lightweight, and comes with a useable sheath.

I do get that pleasure of getting a new knife sometimes. I guess it just depends. I did get a lot of pleasure when I opened my birthday present from my wife last year. She bought me a Wetterling hunters axe. I could not believe that she would buy me such a nice axe. It is a great axe and I enjoy using it. I make sure to tell her how much I like it everytime I use it.

 

[OwenM]

Anyone else feel this way? Has growing up and older makin' you lose that feeling?

Moose

It's not just knives. After I got some injuries straightened out enough that I could start doing the things I wanted to a few years ago, "stuff" hasn't mattered any more, unless it contributes to those things. The passion is all in the doing. I don't have "hobbies" any more; I have activities.

 

[sodak]

I think I can relate

In the past few weeks I have been going through sealed containers of stuff I bought over the last ten years..some are jumbled boxes of stuff that I packed when I left at the begining of my least divorce almost 4 years ago. It took me until last April to have a good solid home so I am just now getting to unpacking "non essential" boxes.

I just found an old Schrade 2 blade folding knife- large model, I do not know its name. But the story goes- when I was 13yr old, I saw it at a neighborhood yard sale and run/walked 2 miles home to ask my Da for the money. I remember it being around 20.00. My birthday was coming so Da gave me the money and put the knife away until my birthday. I spent hours honing that knife ot a razor and used it in skinning quite a few deer we killed together. Two weeks ago I opened a box and found the belt sheath but not the knife, I was sure it got left behind and I would not see it again. Just a few days ago I opened a box and found it at the bottom, still a light coat of oil on the blade and still shaving sharp!!
Da died 11/21/2011, just a skosk over one year ago and finding that knife brought back all those memories. That knife is priceless.

I have plenty of higher value knives but nothing will replace the value that one has.

Bill

Right on. I love all of my knives, but the ONLY ones that are in a safe place are the ones my Dad carried in WW2, and the very first knife he bought for me. The rest, while I really like them, are ALL replaceable. My Dad's are not.

 

[numberthree]

it's the danger of having too much stuff. I have pared my blades down heavily and now really appreciate the ones I have; also, I have a greater justification for the infrequent new knife purchase...

 

[Joezilla]

But I don't feel that magic that I did as a kid. Perhaps its the hard work, or the waiting, or the special feeling I got walking across the threshold of the local feed and seed.

Anyone else feel this way? Has growing up and older makin' you lose that feeling?

Moose

Everything looks different when you are a kid. The mysticism in something as mundane as a creek in the backyard is enough for a kid to imagine a vast frontier where only they are the ones that discover it. With that, comes the tools of the trade, and the ways one has acquired it, be the hand-me-down buck from the father, or the first swiss army knife that you whittled part of your finger off, with. When I got the knife, I thought "This is it, now I am ready for anything." And with that precognitive thought, I would rush out to the creeks and woods surrounding the house to use it once or twice, while stomping around scrambling for frogs and toads.

There will be those times though, where the pings come back, at least for me. I have one movie to thank for helping steer me on the path I am today. Crocodile Dundee, in all its entirety, helped me get hooked on big knives, reptiles, outdoor skills, and living out in the bush. I whittled a bowie knife out of a branch and kept it on my side for ages. I watched a VHS copied version of Crocodiles Dundee 1 + 2 so many times I broke the tape in the spool. The movie still holds a huge place in my heart, and recently, I had a chance to review the "Outback" Bowie from Down Under Knives, for a submission to Tactical Knives magazine. It was the closest I've ever seen to the actual movie knife.

When I opened the box, it was like the energy of being young again flooded me, and I felt "This is it, this is awesome." I used that knife, but still keep it pretty. I think I'm going to buy another one and really really use this blade, and frame the good one as one of the most whimsical inspiring pieces of metal. It was wonderful to revisit that feeling.

 

[upnorth]

it's the danger of having too much stuff. I have pared my blades down heavily and now really appreciate the ones I have; also, I have a greater justification for the infrequent new knife purchase...

Interesting. I have felt blade saturated for a while now. I never did collect but admit to being lustful. I have been thinking lately that I have way more knives than necessary considering that I am outdoor use oriented. Recently got a couple of stainless Companions and I'm waiting for a couple of carbon heavy duties to arrive. I probably have more knives than I could use in this lifetime, along with machetes and axes. To hell with it. I'll stop buying and increase using. I have friggin knives that I don't touch from one year to the next.

 

[bored2deth]

It's hard work and anticipation, that builds up that magical feeling. I know what it feels like. Hell, I used my grandfather's old axe to trim trees and split wood for folks as an odd-job, which eventually resulted in me doing so professionally. After about a dozen jobs, and I mean some dangerous, hardwork. I'd saved up enough for a True-Temper axe...it was a fine tool. -_- Was. It's when you feel like there is no work, no earning in the item itself, that the magic disappears. The wait, the anticpation is what makes it's value..not how much is paid for it. It's nice that you can buy yourself things much more easily than you could then, though I'm thinking it's the anticipation, the dreaming of the knife, the sweat and hardwork and knowing when it's done you get your reward--that is what you miss, I'm betting.

 

[pinnah]

Nice post.

For me, I've found that "that lovin' feelin'" is mostly about learning something new. While I'm in learning mode, I'm like a fly on honey, asking questions, seeking advice and hunting for the right piece of equipment. But eventually, I figure out the new thing, or least enough so that my interest shifts. It's not a bad thing, but my appreciation changes away from the "thrill of acquisition" towards "deep respect for things that have earned my loyalty".

I move towards having less interest in the things I own and more interest and focus the activities they allow me to pursue and more deep respect for the few things that have earned their keep in my pack.

Here's an example. I could talk on and on and on and on about the merits of different camp stoves. But I don't spend any time collecting them or hunting down information about them. This is *my* stove.

Svea 123 by Pinnah, on Flickr

In terms of knives, I've found my interest in acquiring new knives has tapered off. Still a few I would like to get, but honestly, this is the combo I carry 90% of the time. Things are more or less settled in my mind as I've come to learn what I like and don't like.

Every Day Carry Pairing by Pinnah, on Flickr

I don't think of it as loosin' that lovin' feelin'. More like being at peace with or confidence in what I have. And that's a good thing.

BTW, I hope you get coal in your stocking this year for using a thread title that has put a lousy Hall and Oates song in my head. Lousy, horrible ear-worm.

 

[SubaruSTi]

If you could have any knife what would it be?

Moose buddy for me the magic isn't in the value of the knives which is good because I still can't afford to get any unless it's my Birthday or Christmas !

I still find it special when I get a knife from any maker as it makes me feel closer to that person and I get some real satisfaction in using their work and posting about it on the forums for them to see......does that make sense ? I was a welder for 20 years and know how a little positive feedback goes a long way.
The same also applies to mass produced blades in that it gives me a bond to the people who also favour that particular brand such as Swamprat knives or in your case Becker ( Yeah I'm still determined to get one of the Crewman when they come out, LOL !)
The other thing is that I still haven't yet found my ' perfect knife ', although I am getting closer !

If I am ever feeling a little low on the magic I find checking out some of the great posts on here soon has me topped back back up, I can't read any of Mistwalkers without wanting a new knife, LOL !

Anyways keep you pecker up Moose, that magic will soon come back buddy !

 

[fmajor007]

I just took a trip to the cabinet that I keep my knives in. As I often do, I looked on in admiration, plucked a few choices from the cabinet, and took them to the bench for a quick edge touch up.

It got me to thinking about being a kid again. I spent quite a bit of my youth in the woods, and I came from a rather poor and humble beginnings. We's jus' po' hillbillies, ya'll.

I worked odd jobs to get the money to buy my gear, or at least the gear I couldn't make myself. The most enjoyable of those endeavors was finding a blade I wanted, that fit my needs, and nailing that price down. Then the work began.

Mowing yards, washing cars, sweeping up sidewalks/parking lots of gas stations, even collecting cans, whatever it took to get the dough to buy the knife.

And then, there was the moment when walking into the hardware store (that's where knives were bought when I was a kid, teh internets didn't exist), watching them take the knife out of the case, open up the box, checking it out, the slapping the money down on the counter, and walking out with my new, hard earned blade.

That first trip to the woods, be it hunting, fishing or camping, was magical. Using that new steel, seeing how all that hard work had paid off.

It was magical, and one of the things that endear me to knives.

Now, I buy at shows, internet, or from various places. My hard work is done in a factory, and "saving" up, isn't much of a chore anymore. I have a lot of knives, and I love them all. All are great examples of quality work, and do their job very well.

But I don't feel that magic that I did as a kid. Perhaps its the hard work, or the waiting, or the special feeling I got walking across the threshold of the local feed and seed.

Anyone else feel this way? Has growing up and older makin' you lose that feeling?

Moose

Ya know, i'm sorta there too..... I had a great time getting a Custom knife w/Bryan Breeden from here - that was soooo much fun. Otherwise, the occasional odd, new bit of gear i'm able to buy brings smiles and 'play' for a couple days, but that wears off until i get to really "play" with it in the field. Once i'm able to put it (whatever "it" is) into use, evaluate it and determine if it actually makes sense for its intended purpose does it become a part of my "kit" (whichever kit it's intended for).

This happens with outdoors gear (everything from knives, saws, tents, gators, crampons, ice tools, ascenders, hiking poles, compasses, fire-starting supplies, medical kit components, boots, etc) to photography gear (which is usually *much* more expensive than outdoors gear.......).

For me, the greater 'thrill' is again coming from *using* what i've bought. Another source of joy is coming from buying gear (and seeing it used!!!!) for my loved ones - whether my own children to some close friends' children. I'm hoping my brother-in-law loosens up a little so i can teach his daughter field-craft (i've led several backpacking trips and taught seminars for his organization in the past so he's acquainted with these skills, but hasn't implemented them himself).

Honestly, for the "new year" resolution sorta thing I'm committing to photograph these events more frequently so i can look back on them in the years to come and enjoy the experiences again. One day my kids and nephews/nieces will hopefully teach their children/neices/nephews and what a deeper joy that will bring.... Ahhhhh, the "Legacy Building" has begun......