Knife hobby and our perceptions of materials

EngrSorenson said:
You're saying this, but I don't care.
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Many of you know that I sell knives at gun shows, mostly as a hobby. While I've seen many different kinds of knife fanciers, the ones that take the prize are those who know absolutely everything there is to know about knives and can't wait to prove it to all and sundry. That includes steels, obviously.

[Bringing the curtain down on this scene....🫤 :mad: :thumbsdown: ]
 
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What I learned from window shopping on dlt and bhq, mostly looking, are the trends of what's being offered and what's being sold. Dlts new release section is usually a lot of medfords and a bunch of other knives in that semi comparable price range including XM-24s which will be all gone in 30 minutes. I got to thinking that either big retailers are buying only the most expensive of a knife company's offerings and not tapping into their budget lines, or more and more knife companies are just pushing more expensive knives until they appear to flood the market. I realized that knife companies want you to collect, they make money off of collectors, which is why you see so many flavors of the same type of knife. Companies won't make money off of someone who buys one 400 dollar knife then disappear never to resurface --- no they want you to keep buying those 400 dollar knives, so they keep making them with different etch designs, colors and different blade shapes, etc - to make them appear different [enough] but in essence still the same knife
 
oldmanwilly said:
I generally concur with @Lorien. There's room for all types in this hobby. I love my cheap European folders in 420/4116/12c27n as much as my PM2 in 15V or my DEKA in Magnacut, with great knives at varying price points in between in AUS-8/AUS-10/AEB-L/1095/etc. Variety is fun.
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Well said. There's room for all types, and as a hobby, it can be fun to nerd on the materials and going well past the point of diminishing returns. It's like that with any gear hobby. It's also fun to find the cheapskate heroes, and all points in between. The "fun" part is what keeps me engaged, because if it ever turns into something that isn't, that's when I'll move on to something else.

One of my favorite knives is a $28 Cold-Steel Tuff-Lite. One of my other favorite knives is a Magnacut Sebenza 31 in Magnacut. Both of them make me smile when I pull them out of my pocket, and that's what I enjoy about this hobby.

I think the more I get into it, the more I find myself appreciating design. Figuring out why I like the knives I like, and narrowing down that field to find the ones that meet those criteria the best.
 
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ShaiHulud said:
What I learned from window shopping on dlt and bhq, mostly looking, are the trends of what's being offered and what's being sold. Dlts new release section is usually a lot of medfords and a bunch of other knives in that semi comparable price range including XM-24s which will be all gone in 30 minutes. I got to thinking that either big retailers are buying only the most expensive of a knife company's offerings and not tapping into their budget lines, or more and more knife companies are just pushing more expensive knives until they appear to flood the market. I realized that knife companies want you to collect, they make money off of collectors, which is why you see so many flavors of the same type of knife. Companies won't make money off of someone who buys one 400 dollar knife then disappear never to resurface --- no they want you to keep buying those 400 dollar knives, so they keep making them with different etch designs, colors and different blade shapes, etc - to make them appear different [enough] but in essence still the same knife
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I don’t like this notion that I am somehow being exploited by some greedy industry. If my own personal level of OCD demands I have every knife design variant in a series in order to be the best collector I can be, then so be it! 🤪😅🤓
 
Eliteone2383 said:
I think I've become too concerned about steel and handle materials to a point the hobby has become less fun for me. I think up until recently I took a vacation from the forum for around 2 years. Let me give an example of what I'm talking about. I want a beater paramilitary 2 but look at blade steels like s30v and g10 and just turn my nose up at it. Then I look at 20cv and again immediately think not good enough. If a knife is not exactly how I want it I view it as subpar ( This is a me problem I know) That's only one example of 1 knife from 1 company. This is a ongoing problem for me across the board. And I need to admit to myself that when I show someone a knife I don't want their immediate thought to be "oh its only s30v with g10, nothing special there" So others perceptions I have started to care about in this hobby. Thanks to this forum and content creators like Nick Shabazz and Metal Complex my outlook on the hobby isn't as relaxed and modest as it once was. I did some ribbing in the shirogorov thread but it wasn't serious as I fully understand the desire to have the best possible and I think maybe in my case it's become a unhealthy obsession and egotistical. Am I alone in this?
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Well, youre certainly alone when it comes to listening/watching that idiot mental complex blather on.


But no, ive found those outside the hobby give absolutely zero damns about the knife, let alone the particulars of it. Those in the hobby realize s30 and g10 is perfectly serviceable. But, its your money, and your hobby. Collect/buy/use what ya want.
 
I'll update when I decide on which "lower end" knife/steel I choose. Leaning towards a civivi Nox.
 
You can't get caught up in the marketing of the latest and greatest and have to be happy with what you have. Now the rage is Magnacut from many makers and it will be something else soon. This site is great because so many people get caught up in this and sell great knives at a discount to fund their latest need. Try to get over that and you will enjoy your knives again. You have to have knives you really like for that to happen.
 
The real problem is that there's lots of steel out there, but relatively little reliable hard data.
Larrin Larrin has done a great job trying to fix that, but I'm sure even after his exhaustive investigation into the subject, there's still a need for more data.

The truth is, knife steels aren't sold with data; they're sold with marketing and perception.
We have thoughts about what is notionally better or worse, or steels that we favor over others, but there's usually bias inherent in that.
Deep down I believe that companies would always produce knives in other steels, even if there was a definitive best solution.
The ability to choose a steel has become a fundamental part of the process for knife buyers, as if by selecting the steel the buyer imbues the knife with mystical powers.
I would guess knife manufacturers are more than happy to accommodate, because now they can sell you 3 of the same model in different steels!

Personally, I use a lot of simple 1095-type steels, with full knowledge that there are definitively better options.
It works, it's a known quantity, and companies have perfected the manufacturing process.
But if Opinel/Victorinox/Mora/GEC produced something I wanted in Magnacut, you bet I would buy one.
 
jjg6319 said:
You can't get caught up in the marketing of the latest and greatest and have to be happy with what you have. Now the rage is Magnacut from many makers and it will be something else soon. This site is great because so many people get caught up in this and sell great knives at a discount to fund their latest need. Try to get over that and you will enjoy your knives again. You have to have knives you really like for that to happen.
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Yep, I'm loving all the "inferior" S45VN SHFs that are being sold as Spartan shifts to Magnacut.
 
You should google "the hedonic tredmill" I think this is probably the root of your problem. It applies to alot of areas in life. No matter what knife, steel, handle you get eventually it won't satify you anymore. It's probably best to try to find contentment with what you have. I think most guys here have this problem including me.
 
MrStabby7 said:
You should google "the hedonic tredmill" I think this is probably the root of your problem. It applies to alot of areas in life. No matter what knife, steel, handle you get eventually it won't satify you anymore. It's probably best to try to find contentment with what you have. I think most guys here have this problem including me.
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That's kind of depressing not gonna lie lol
 
For handle materials, embrace the Spyderco lightweight. For your perception of steels, check out some traditional knives. You may just find out that neither the perfect cutting tool nor the knife that brings you the most enjoyment to own require premium materials.
 
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