Just carry it I suppose

Wil, you have written exactly how I have felt at times.
It gets to the point where you are just satisfied with the knives you have and whats the point in getting another one? So, you slow down a while.
I have packed up all my knives and put them away more than a few times, I would leave my Buck 301, or Case Peanut out and I would carry them, but I always come back to the rest.

I don't know that I will ever be satisfied with my collection, but I'll never know why.
I am blessed beyond belief, but I always look for that extra special one, the one I can really connect with, it hasn't happened yet, so I continue my search.
 
I'm kind of jealous of you folks who are able to just sell or get rid of the knives you haven't a need for. Mine just keep piling up in drawers and knife rolls LOL. I do like to pull them out from time to time and just admire the uniqueness of particular models, materials, etc.. As for my EDC's I find myself deciding the night before what will be pocketed the next day. For about ten years when working in a warehouse I carried ONE knife only...Every day. It was not a traditional but served its purposes well. Now I have been on a " binge of change"...perhaps there is hope that one day I will find that one knife that just fits my hand,and personality...perhaps.....
 
Johnny I would say that about covers it. I am kind of satisfied where I am at. I guess a lot of it is that I am not sure I collect with the same intent as other folks... it kind of lends itself to buying in spurts. I knew damned well I did not have the patience to track down a really large collection of knives that defined a certain pattern or manufacturer etc. What I wanted was something that offered a sampling of where my knife tastes ran at certain time periods. I have 3 distinct sections and that kind of shows where I was at at 3 time periods. I'll be content to nibble a bit at the edges until my taste changes again.

Maybe it comes down to what you are trying to showcase in your collection?

sitflyer that sounds like a tough job. I am lucky in that I know exactly what features I like in a knife. Gotta admit that if I was starting out from scratch or with no preferences or intense likes and dislikes that the array of stuff out there could be downright dizzying. There is just so much ground that can be covered and so many ways it gets done.

Will
 
I am truly envious of anyone who has (and is able to embrace) minimalism in knives-- a few to use and maybe 4 or 5 more to put away and fondle. I want to be there and I just can't; there is always the lure of unknown treasure out there, all of it traditional, of course. I must say that my collecting is constantly evolving. It changes directions, splits into new areas, closes off old ones. It has become more focused; I was fortunate enough when I began accumulating knives to enjoy the shotgun approach of testing every genre of traditional blades. I say fortunate, but perhaps that is not correct. Because now I have at least 200 knives I really need to send to new owners. I am not looking forward to that job at all. If I ever get going with it I know I will lose money on most of them. I love to buy on the you-know-what site, but I am really put off by the prospect of selling there. My every day carrying habit has matured to about 5 knives that I will ever actually use, not counting knives for kitchen use and processing game. The rest are all safe queens. If anyone is looking for something I might just have it.
 
Paraphrasing Pirsig, "Quality" is that which produces peace of mind. Different minds find peace in different ways. That's why collecting is so highly personal. Or, as through hikers on the Appalachian Trail say, "Hike Your Own Hike". So, all I can do is testify to how things work for me.

My knife collecting is shaped by my bike collecting. I'm a fan of an old style of bike called a sport touring bike. Roughly speaking, a sport touring bike is an all rounder, capable of long distance touring while being light and fast enough for some forms of racing (sort of). Point being, the ideal is one bike for all roads.

In ski touring, there is a similar ideal. Toute neige, toute terrain - Any snow, any terrain. But, the fact of the matter is that there *are* differences between bikes and skis and knives and differences show themselves when doing different things. So, I'm stuck between an aesthetic commitment to simplicity and minimalism but am forced to admit that I need more than one.

I *could* make do with only 2, I guess. Maybe 3 when you count hunting. But, I can't quite get there. What bugs me personally though is things that I own that I don't ever use. If the bike sits unridden, it needs to go. An unskied pair of skis needs to go.

I while back I got a Buck 112. Personally, I think it's among the most beautiful production knives made. The length and size is better than the 110 for EDC use but.... It's still too heavy. The Buck 500 and 3 other knives are in the EDC rotation and the 112 has fallen out of it. It takes up about 4" of real estate on my dresser. I look at it. I carry it for a day or two, get reminded that I don't care for the thickness and bulk and put it back on the dresser. It has become a sticky problem for me. I don't like unused stuff in my life but it's too beautiful to part with.

Sit, if I can get to the other side of some financial stuff, we may need to talk more about fixing it. I have a donor 482.
 
It would be an interesting thing to study the habits of knife collectors across their other hobbies. I know I would show some consistencies across them too. Maybe it is the same personality traits showing up in different hobbies.

In hunting I know I went a little gizmo mad after graduating and getting my first real taste of making a decent living. New rifles, new scopes, new merino wool underwear, new superfabrics... well you know that kind of thing never has an end to it, you can spend until you drop over in a few decades. Eventually I noticed that all this... well a polite word for it is junk, was robbing me of the fun of just going into the woods and enjoying myself. I felt like that scene in 'Running Man' where Captain Freedom (Jesse Ventura) is complaining about all of the goofy junk he was forced to wear... "I won't do it! Ten years ago I was killing guys like this with my bare hands!" :p

I do have one more knife buy that I have to make this year and I am dreading it. My hunting knife broke again. That is twice the backspring on it has broken and I have only owned it maybe 5 or 6 years. I love the knife but I don't trust it anymore. I have gotten to where I don't like going into the woods with new unproven equipment but I guess this year I'll have to. I'm tempted to get a good fixed blade that will last a lifetime and be done with it.

Will
 
Will, I understand what you are saying. I've bought a few traditionals in the last year. While I like them all, 1 of 4 seem to usually go in my pocket. So, for now, not promising anything in months to come, I am content with the ones I have. In the near future, it would be just a matter of replacing something I lost :eek: .
I still like looking at the other guy's knives here, and learning more about different patterns and makers. Can always appreciate a nice looking knife. I remember when I was much younger an older gentleman told me, "When a man stops noticing the turn of a pretty ankle, there is something wrong.".
 
You're not alone; I also "collect" in spurts. These days, I'm really into the vintage Italian stiletto-style knives (autos and manuals, both), whereas I still carry & use my favorite slipjoints no matter what new ones I acquire.
Also, my knife interest is starting to lean toward the "mangling" side of things. I have a couple project knives that I'm tinkering with: minor restorations, scale replacements, etc. Working my way up to a from-scratch custom, but that may be awhile. ;)
 
I thought I was done when I got my first Becker. You know how those things laugh in the face of any and all cutting tasks you throw at them. But then I saw a Case trapper, and the monkey decided to take another screeching ride on my back.

At first it was a distant admiration, of the fine bone scales, the sleek modesty of the blades. Then it evolved into yearning. Then I was looking for prices online, although I was still telling myself, "You've enough knives. Let it go. You've enough knives." Of course, then I decided I wanted CV over stainless, so I chose a different scale set to admire. Then I decided I wanted clover bone. Then I decided I wanted amber.

The knife arrived two days ago. I haven't thought about the $48 lost dollars once since I got it.

That's the thing about hobbies: it wasn't intended as one. I'd just bought a decent American knife to serve me better than my Swiss Armies have in the past. And then I wanted another, and another... I once heard someone say that knives are a better investment than any sum of dollars put in a bank, and I cannot really agree more, but when I'm honest with myself it's little more than justification for an addiction. "I can quit any time I want!"

I don't know how much time will pass before I begin to covet something else but God knows it's inevitable. I'm just waiting for that right traditional bowie to come along, I suppose.
 
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I've heard that from a lot of folks, even experienced just a bit of it myself though not often. Must be some kind of hoarding gene that kicks in when it comes to tools or whatever.

One of the biggest bonuses I get from having a single edc knife is that I like the aging process in action. One of the biggest drawbacks for me of buying a new knife, if I intend to carry it, is the whole sharpen/get a patina started/iron out rough edges routine. It can be a real bore. Once I find one I really like I don't want to have to start over again. Like I mentioned earlier in the thread though I am uncertain that ebony will age at all. I always liked the look of real pocket worn knives and I might have let one slip into my pocket that just isn't going to get that. I do know that the little knife has gained a nice start on the patina in the month or so I've carried it and that it matches up to the ebony scales very nicely.

Will
 
I feel the exact same way. I've never been one for flashy things. I'm a low-tech man and I prefer the same in my knives. I mostly look for another everyday carry every time I come across a knife. The most valuable knives I own have sentimental value and I couldn't ever see myself selling them. The hunt comes and goes, but it seems you're getting the most out of your knife purchases. I reckon that's more important than having a ton of diversity or the latest gizmos in your collection.
 
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