Knife collecting - a lonely experience?

schwep said:
I don't really consider myself as a true collector, as I almost only have beater knives and nothing in display cases - but still many more than I should have according to my wife... ;-)
It's mostly a lonely thing, not a social activity. Still, here in France at least people understand and appreciate one carrying a high-end Laguiole, and I even saw a tv commercial yesterday for a modernized Laguiole-type knife as a popular Christmas gift. Then there are Opinels, Le Thiers and generally some traditional knife makers and 'knife towns' throughout the country. There are one or two traditional knife makers at most rural village fairs, too.
My personal Laguiole was a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law 30 years ago, during my first ever visit to the family, and I have a nice custom hunting knife I got for a birthday from an uncle of my wife, who has some interest in blades, including katanas as he used to be a master aikido instructor at some astronomically elevated level, and the knife maker was one of his students. The guy is still a friend of my in-laws so I would have a place to go to to get a really unique knife if I wanted to and could afford it - but the blade I got from him is one I never use because it's too nice and too specialized. I could talk knives and steels etc. with him if he weren't
in a whole other part of the country. The closest I get is following him on Facebook...
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Very nice Laguiole you have: Arbalète G. David, carbon steel, blonde horn, brass bolsters, corkscrew, punch (seen it elsewhere here).
 
On top of everything else, we have a modern day communications problem where the younger generations have a hard time diverting their attention from their electronic devices. It would seem the only way some of them are aware that knives exist is if some knife is featured on a popular video game or film. Real life and real items don't always get through to this group. So we are confronted with a fantasy portrayal of a real world item, which may be nowhere near correct; and a willful ignorance from a population group which distances itself from real world interaction.

n2s
 
not2sharp said:
On top of everything else, we have a modern day communications problem where the younger generations have a hard time diverting their attention from their electronic devices. It would seem the only way some of them are aware that knives exist is if some knife is featured on a popular video game or film. Real life and real items don't always get through to this group. So we are confronted with a fantasy portrayal of a real world item, which may be nowhere near correct; and a willful ignorance from a population group which distances itself from real world interaction.

n2s
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Very true, just look at some of the ungodly amounts of money they will pay for knives in counter strike, a video game. Basically they buy a skin which changes the look of their standard knife:

Most Expensive CS:GO Knife
  • Bayonet Night $650-$700. ...
  • Talon Knife Fade $700-$800. ...
  • Bayonet Autotronic $700-$750. ...
  • Stiletto Knife Case Hardened $800-$850. ...
  • Butterfly Knife Ultraviolet $800-$900. ...
  • Talon Knife Slaughter $850-$950. ...
  • Ursus Knife Slaughter $900-$950. ...
  • M9 Bayonet Autotronic $950-$1050.

Remember, these are DIGITAL items
 
abcdef said:
I am

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& I am...

The Classy...Gassy Iguana.
 
I show them to a few family members. (Dad and older brother who both love in my town).

Growing up, my uncle Glenn Hornby was a custom maker out of California. Every family reunion entailed a custom knife roll, which we were allowed to Google, and fondle, and if we had planned ahead in our lawn mowing jobs, buy one. I bought my first custom knife from my Uncle. My father and brother each have one or two (I helped to procure another for my older brother).



A few co workers ask to see my knives, but the real fun stuff gets left at home, mostly.

Now, I have two sons who I give knives to. They have Opinel, A matching Buck 110/120 combo, Cold Steel neck knives, and a few GEC made folders, S&M and Case (that grandpa and pappa are holding for them......springs too stiff for them at the moment).

My wife is not indifferent to the hobby. I often refer to her as my "Knife Buddy". She has purchased many knives for me. Often, encouraging me to buy a custom, or high end production).

She was kind enough to attend Blade Show West in Oregon with me on our anniversary last year. As we were driving home, I was flush wirh the fun of the weekend selling, buying and looking at knives. She asked me a few questions and we engaged in a long conversation about knives, steels, makers, etc. At a certain point I realized I had far out paced her interest in the minutiae of blade steels, heat treat, construction and forging methods. I let her know I realized I was boring her...and she squeezed my arm and laughed. I told her, from now on, she was my knife buddy!!


I have met other collectors in person. Forming friendships with knife makers and collectors!!

I have a handful of in person maker and collector friendships and more online.

I've been able to meet sheath makers and more online (great advice for making my own sheaths and holsters).

Bladeforums has been integral in these friendships. People I otherwise never would have made. I have been invited to visit several Master Smith's, and custom makers.

It is one of the reasons I have continued to enjoy this forum.
 
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Well I'm lucky to have people who appreciate a good knife, and who themself own or even carry knives.
But sad truth is that till today I only had 1 knife, so even today I don't have much to show.
And both of my knives together cost jusy under 100€.
And both of the knives are bought for use.

But 2 of my friends decided to buy a first knife themself and they also want my advice/reccomendation.
I only know one person who has a collection.
 
A couple of guys at work always seem to notice when I've got a new knife on me, but it's nothing more than a little look and maybe a bit of handling it.
I had high hopes this summer when another buddy bought a Kershaw Nura, and then followed it up with a Spyderco Millitary within a week, but he doesn't seem to be as bitten with the sickness as I had hoped :D


No, BF is my main place to talk about it.
But you know, it's okay. I buy them for me.
 
It's rare enough to meet another person who is into knives to be memorable when it does happen. I've given knives away as gifts to many people, but have never converted anyone to the hobby. The only real collector I've ever met by chance out in public was from Switzerland, and very into Victorinox. I showed him my GEC 25 and he said it wasn't really his style. The building manager where I work carries a sheath on his belt with a 30 year old Spartan in it, but he doesn't 'collect' in the same way I do. He only needs the one and it does everything he needs.
The best experience/reaction I've had was camping a few summers ago, striking up a conversation with the guy in the next site who happened to be a materials engineer. He got very happy and excited when I could name a few different types of tool steel and was interested in what he had to say about the same. I don't think he had too many opportunities to talk shop. He asked how I knew about 5160, D2, 52-100, A2, M4, etc., and I told him I was into knives. I handed him a Bark River Rising Wolf, and he sliced his index finger open pulling it out of the sheath. So then we got to compare 1st aid kits in the cars.

Anyway, aside from childhood friends I've not met more than 5 others with the same interest.
 
I am fortunate that I have met several members of the forums who live close to my home town, and they are all great people.

My experience is if you know someone who has an interest in knives, maybe not at OUR level ;) but an interest, and you have the skill, sharpen one of their knives for them. I find that spurs more interest and questions about our hobby, when someone can experience a sharper-than-factory edge for the first time.
 
I mostly wish I had a buddy or two to google over new knives when they come in.

When a super cool knife arrives or I get one from a store the experience of first getting to know the knife would be WAY more fun if I wasn’t by myself.

Conversely, it would be a lot of fun to see knives that others have purchased and mess around with the knife together.

Plus, it only seems right that every Medford owner has a least one chum to give them a hard time about their knife choices (I own three).

YouTube is good but not the same as a real person. Bladeforums is the closest to the real thing.
 
It’s interesting and refreshing to hear everyone’s stories about how they connect with knives and how their passion stands strong even when enjoyed alone.

My father and grandfather were heavily into knives. I grew up around ninja stars, katanas and all sorts of cutlery. My dad not so much anymore as he’s sold most of his and has old valuable ones in storage.

Regarding new and younger generations not appreciating real world items (and the real world to expand on that) I find that to be the most depressing part of being a “millennial” who enjoys knives and other weaponry. Lots of guys and girls aren’t into that type of thing but I do hold out hope that more will as we realize how insane our addiction to blinking squares has gotten.
 
My best friend since high school is as into knives as I am.

It's funny, we hadn't talked knives in probably 10 years, but at a certain point about 5 years ago I started looking at higher-end knives (>$100) for the first time, and ended up buying a ZT 0350. He and his wife came down for a backyard BBQ and I pulled it out of my pocket as we chatted while grilling. After pouring over the details for a few minutes he hollers over at his wife "hey, he bought one of those knives I was talking about yesterday!" ; It turned out we both were simultaneously diving back into the knife world at about the same time, and it's almost all we've talked about since then.

My brother followed my footsteps to a degree, and he's got a few, but probably less than 10, respectable pieces that he will carry and occasionally use, but he doesn't have the same fever.

My other brother, same story, but only about 2-3 good knives.

Another good friend of many years loves knives; his budget tops out at about $100, but we have many good conversations about knives all the time

I also have a very understanding wife who has a few nice knives of her own.

All in all, I can't complain - in fact I'm very lucky now that I take a step back and really contemplate it. :)
 
I sort of know the feeling... I collect rare vintage mechanical pencils, mostly made by Japanese brands. I don't know a single person in "real life" that does this. My friends think I'm... weird, when I take out a mechanical pencil to write something. "Uh, you know your smart phone has an app for notes, right?" o_O
 
Prester John said:
Very nice Laguiole you have: Arbalète G. David, carbon steel, blonde horn, brass bolsters, corkscrew, punch (seen it elsewhere here).
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Wow, my knife is becoming famous... ;-)
Honestly, it's a great user knife. And a surprising gift from one's future mother-in-law during the very first visit to the family. According to the tradition, I gave her a franc coin in return (these days that would be a euro, talk about inflation...). That way the knife doesn't cut the friendship. It did cut my finger the first time I opened it, but we're still friends. And more Laguioles followed over the years - steak knives, butter knife, sommelier's knife... But having family who sometimes know to give you a big-brand good pocket/steak etc. knife is still far from being fellow knife hobbyists.
At least, in case of an 'knife emergency' there is that aikido guy/part time knife maker I could go to. Olivier Brier, BK Knives, in northern France. He made it into the European Blades magazine a few times and participates in some important French knife shows, but for face-to-face meetings a day's driving (at least) is a bit far. OTOH, maybe better for my wallet. See his FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/Couteaux-BK-573936662771312/ . Um. 18 cm camp knife in O1 with Damascus micarta handle scales, or an EDC in Niolox with ironwood handle, anyone ? Or a wootz dagger with ivory handle ? I'm pretty sure he considers himself just a passionate amateur. Or 'micro business'. OK...
 
schwep said:
Wow, my knife is becoming famous... ;-)
Honestly, it's a great user knife. And a surprising gift from one's future mother-in-law during the very first visit to the family. According to the tradition, I gave her a franc coin in return (these days that would be a euro, talk about inflation...). That way the knife doesn't cut the friendship. It did cut my finger the first time I opened it, but we're still friends. And more Laguioles followed over the years - steak knives, butter knife, sommelier's knife... But having family who sometimes know to give you a big-brand good pocket/steak etc. knife is still far from being fellow knife hobbyists.
At least, in case of an 'knife emergency' there is that aikido guy/part time knife maker I could go to. Olivier Brier, BK Knives, in northern France. He made it into the European Blades magazine a few times and participates in some important French knife shows, but for face-to-face meetings a day's driving (at least) is a bit far. OTOH, maybe better for my wallet. See his FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/Couteaux-BK-573936662771312/ . Um. 18 cm camp knife in O1 with Damascus micarta handle scales, or an EDC in Niolox with ironwood handle, anyone ? Or a wootz dagger with ivory handle ? I'm pretty sure he considers himself just a passionate amateur. Or 'micro business'. OK...
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Beautiful knives by M. Brier.

And a very nice gift from your mother-in-law. I plan to get one like it (but maybe in stainless), probably for my birthday next year. In the meantime, I am enjoying my Laguiole Honoré Durand with olive wood handle. My most carried knife. But I want that corkscrew!
 
I have 4 friends (all converted by me) which I consider “down to talk knives”. Out of those 4, 2 are happy with what they have after I recommended them knives but are not actively interested in blades. 1 is actively interested and down to chat about knives but probably buys once a year and only on need. And 1 is what I would say full on interested about knives, he doesn’t buy as much as I do but definitely has a diagnosed case of the sickness. My FIL is into guns and knives but doesn't nerd out like me, so while we can have base level conversations and ohhh and ahhh about things we like, I wouldn't say he's "into knives".

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I don’t know anyone else into knives like I am. I don’t buy many knives anymore, though I used to. I’m pretty good at socializing when I choose to, or am with other like-minded people, but am more of a loner anyway, so I’m used to having interests that fall outside of the norm, and appeal to a smaller number of people. So I never bring up the subject of knives. Now, it could be that I’m talking to another knife person and don’t know it because neither one of us broaches the subject or even thinks to. But I never feel lonely about it.

There are some of the more militant knife people who seem to feel that they as knife enthusiasts are a type of “oppressed minority,” which is ridiculous, IMO.

I have other positive interests I’m passionate about that I’m fairly certain nobody else (or almost nobody else) here on BF would have any interest in whatsoever. But I won’t know that either, for the most part, because I probably won’t talk about them. Some things mentioned in passing have gotten ridiculed even here on BF, but that’s okay, too. I’m sure that most of us have varied interests outside of knives.

Jim
 
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The culture we live in today has come to accept that if you like knives or guns then you're some kind of demented whacko. I also have noticed that most people think I'm a freak because I only play vinyl records on my stereo. There will never be digital music in my home. I love the look you get when someone is valiantly struggling with an "easy open" package and I pull out a knife and cut it open for them and say "Now THAT'S "easy open".
 
My older brother was visiting from out of state and were talking guns recently out in my driveway when my brother mentioned that he had a couple of knives that he keeps in his truck. I decided to pull from my pocket my Hinderer XM-18 3.5 Spanto w/ a stonewashed finish and show it to him. I thought he would appreciate the build quality, but instead he reached in his truck and whipped out his knives that he had picked up at convenience stores. They were cheaply made with "horrible everything" and his reaction was "I just want something that cuts". Now mind you, my brother lives very comfortably and can afford to support a small war arsenal of weapons and high end flashlights, but a decent knife just isn't a part o his mindset.
My adult son loves to work with his hands and stays busy doing something other than sitting in front of a TV. Yet he too has no interest in my knives. When I tried showing him the beautiful simplicity and build quality of my Sebenza 21, he whipped out a disposable razor box cutter and said "This is all I use" with a sense of satisfaction.
Even my wife diverts her attention when I talk about knives, which isn't that often. Hell, I can't even find a co-worker that admires knives!
So I stand alone in my family as the only knife enthusiast.
 
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