Knife Use

Do you purchase knives with no real intention of using them much?

  • Yes

    Votes: 30 27.5%

  • No

    Votes: 79 72.5%
  • Total voters
    109
J

JA5544

Joined
Apr 1, 2016
Messages
72
After seeing a lot of you guy’s gorgeous pictures of your knives it got me to wondering. I feel like I don’t see a lot of knives with much patina or wear, except on the older knives. What I am curious about is do most people just take care of their knives better than I do, or are they just not getting used as much? Maybe a lot of knives I’m seeing are bought just to have, but not with any real intention of using them much. Just to be clear, I am not judging either way. I have hobbies myself where I like to just collect things. I just haven’t got to that point with knives. Every knife I purchase is destined to be a user. So what do you guys think?
 
I buy knives that catch my fancy and picking one to use is like grabbing a vegetable or fruit out of a garden. My excitement stems from looking at the collection and peaks from knowing I have the right tool for the job. Have I used _every_ knife I own? Nah, not yet...Not Yet. What fun it will be when I do??!!
 
7175A198-6B50-4F26-A804-F2080E4B6AB8.jpeg 10C59585-C1ED-4226-8B02-2D0D29728A1A.jpeg E7CC0780-0A57-45FE-9756-6E0BD3B2509D.jpeg 723AE6C9-6890-429D-80A5-6289BD5D9677.jpeg

I know a lot of people just rotate through a bunch of their knives so they all get used but since their using a new one everyday it may not look like it. Also some people carry a beater knife and a non beater. I however find I’m just really hard on all my stuff and recently haven’t been rotating as much. So it don’t take long for my stuff to look like above.
 
I carry and use some knives more than others, but all get used. To me knives are more than anything tools meant to be used, and it's in their use that fulfills their purpose. Even my fanciest custom knives get duty cutting rope or fixing lunch.
 
Not all my knives get used equally. But those that do, show it.

42945275224_a3775ac6e2_c.jpg


42766400552_d569d96ed5_c.jpg


37086378601_e94c7b4f94_c.jpg


26405590353_7f08b09a98_c.jpg


31989185127_b379da7561_c.jpg
 
Same here. I buy knives to use. Like my watches and firearms. Different functions suit a particular purpose. I try (though don’t always succeed) to not have redundancies.

On the other hand, I respect people who collect things as objects of art. It’s their prerogative to spend their money as they wish.
 
I can't afford "safe queens" ... and I don't own or have access to a safe ...
If I buy a knife it is to use. I may not have a specific particular use for it in mind (example: when I get a duplicate of a pattern I already have and use regularly, like a Canoe, Stockman, and Barlow)
 
I only have a couple non-users, oddly both are Case. I did answer no the poll, but that's not 100% accurate. I have a 5 blade Case medium stockman that I got a smoking deal on. It didn't come in a box but it has never been used. I did buy it just to have, mostly because of the novelty of it, and I got such a good deal. I have other stockman knives to use, the additional pen and awl doesn't add that much to the usefulness of it really. Plus I have a 5 blade Parker sowbelly user that scratches that itch lol. The other is a Kentucky commemorative sodbuster, and that one I just dont want to mess up the colored blade etch. But I got it in a package deal,so I didn't buy it specifically not to use;)
 
A lot of my knives don’t get used for fresh goods, so most of them likely won’t cut something that will patina them, though I may get peppering or light patina spots from carrying them all day in my pocket. I’m not adverse to patina at all, I just don’t force ‘em. I let them occur naturally so some just take a while.
 
My intention ALWAYS is to use the knife I buy. :confused: REALLY! The truth is though some knives just are too nice in hand and so I may use them lightly for a while - for the experience - but then move them on through the exchange. You can see from my sig line that I encounter some ambivalence. o_O

Still, some very fine customs are definitely users and keepers. I am approaching my end of knife buying days :rolleyes: but there will be a core group of 6 to 8 knives that will stay with me to the end. Someday I'll create a thread on those. ;)

Here a few user/keepers ->







Best laid plans ... :D

Ray
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top