My knife collection.

mwhich50 said:
These are my thoughts based on my experiences (300+ knives).
SLOW DOWN. You already have a good variety of starter knives to test, abuse (carefully), and learn how to sharpen.

Try to wait for Birthdays, and Christmas to purchase a higher quality knife. $30-$80.
I try to avoid serrations, and black blades because they seem to be much more difficult to trade/resell. I do like 'black-washed' blades a lot because they look great, and they show less wear and tear.
I also try to avoid buying a decent knife just because it is 'on sale'.
Now, I try to limit my purchases to knives that REALLY excite me.

Based on your choice of Mtech folders this Ontario Utilitac 2 would probably be a good start ($25-$35). It is big, rugged, and very smooth. I still have mine.
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Thank you for the advice! I am going to get the Kershaw Link 1776GRYBW, which is grey and has a black washed blade. I just am really excited to get it. Sure it costs over $45, but it’s worth it. :)
 
Planterz said:
Please understand I say this to educate, not to belittle you, but these are not good knives. The steel is poor, and I personally wouldn't trust the locks of these not to fail and send me to the ER for stitches.

The good thing is that you don't have to spend much more than you've spent on these for decent quality low-end knives. There's a number of Chinese companies that produce them, such as Civivi, Artisan, Kizer, Ruike, and Tangram, to name a few. Unfortunately there's also a number of unscrupulous Chinese companies that blatantly copy designs, trademarks, and patents of respectable companies. I'm not going to list the offenders, but any search for those names here should let you know if they're clone companies or not. And of course, you can always just ask us. Plus there's a number of American and European companies that have budget lines (again, made in China, most likely). Kershaw, Steel Will, Spyderco, Buck, Cold Steel, and others. Kabar has a few folding knives in AUS-8 (such as the Dozier) for about $20 that are very well respected for their value and quality.

Knives from those I listed above should run $25-45, depending on the company and materials. Most everyone here will agree that it's far, far better to save your money, however little it may be and how long it may take, so you can buy a single Kershaw in 8Cr13MoV or 14C28N for $30-45 rather than 2 or 3 $15 Mtechs, Tac Force, and the like. Quality is far better than quanity. You mentioned the Kershaw Link, and that's a good choice. $45 for a knife that will last you many years rather than a cheap knife that's essentially disposable with questionable safety. There's the old adage of "buy quality and cry only once", particularly apt when it comes to tools of most any kind. Plus, when it comes to knives, as I'm fond of saying, buying a more expensive knife will always be cheaper than stitches at the ER (not to mention the pain and possible permanent damage) because you saved money on a knife with an unsafe lock. The good news is that you don't have to spend a whole lot more money for a safe knife compared to a piece of junk.

Welcome to the addiction.

EDIT: The Parker might not be too bad, as eisman said.
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Thank you for the honest words! Yes, up till norm invest really haven’t been a hi priority, and I was just getting the ones that looked cool - no actually looking into the steel, etc.

Im still learning, so I will be asking a lot of noobs questions, lol. :)
 
Welcome to BF.

Buck has some good knives at very good prices and with decent steel. The USA made stuff is all BOS heat treated 420HC or better.

I say save up and get one or two knives you like. Then I'd implore you to switch and save up for a Norton JB8 combination sharpening stone. You can get some mineral oil at the grocery store for it, a marker, and we can walk you through a homemade strop. Learn to sharpen your knives and you will be forever grateful.
 
That was my other question... I have a sharpener, and it has workers in the past, but now I’m thinking it’s not so good.

Will you please tell me if it seems good? I’ll upload a photo later. :)
 
Just my few cents and hope you will enjoy the hobby like many of us do:

1) Buy affordable "value" knives.
Some well known names such as Victorinox, Opinel, Mora, Buck all have pretty decent values and qualities, and they will allow you a chance to test out and use various kind of blades without breaking the bank. Even if you 'exit' the hobby one day, these tools will continue to serve you well and you won't regret them.

2) Don't impulse buy and fall for spirit run.
One of the latest trends in the industry is to create 'spirit runs' and to "create" anxiety/demand by suggesting the supply is very limited. Some distributors would even designate time for the 'drop' and to remind buyers not to 'miss out' on the opportunity. Personally, these are just marketing schemes, and the reality is we live in the golden era of knife 'hobby' where choices are limitless. If you miss a 'run', it will not the end of the world.

3) Knives are not investment, unless you are professional reseller.
From time to time, I have seen people getting 'hurt' by 'investing' literally thousands (or even ten of thousands) of dollars in the hobby, pursuing certain 'custom' makers' works but eventually pricing plummeted, and they felt stuck and frustrated.
 
You have enough knives for now. Pick one use it and learn to maintain it. Remember, that cutting should be done with the main edge only. Putting pressure on the point or the back of the blade is dangerous and should be avoided; and it doesn't matter if you have a $10,000 knife from the "best" custom maker - they all fail, that is what fixed blades are for. Also, never cut towards yourself. Make sure that you are always pushing the blade edge in a safe direction; if the blade cuts through or slips off, it should stop on something that you wouldn't mind cutting - for most people that usually excludes your hands, legs and other bodily parts, so be mindful of your back stop. Also, always treat your knife with respect. It is a cutting tool, you don't need to pretend to be a gorilla to use it. If it is not cutting with moderate pressure, sharpen it, or consider using a more appropriate tool. Pushing too hard can break the knife and potentially hurt you...there is no need to go there, that ER money is better put to use buying better knives.

Welcome to the forums.

n2s
 
PheonixKingZ said:
This is my VERY humble knife collection. I don’t have much fancy/expensive stuff like you guys, because I’m young and just getting into the hobby.
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Welcome to Bladeforums. We all started pretty much the same way. I wish there had been Bladeforums when I started collecting. It would have saved me a ton of cash.;)
 
If you see a knife you like. First check it out. Look at youtube reviews ( some of them are ok, and they all show it in hand ), check with the people here on the forum. Get an idea of whether its worth it or not, or if it has something about it you know you wont like.

Then, if you still want it, save your money, bit by bit, until you can afford to buy it. You may get an instant fix buying "cool" looking cheap knives, but you will enjoy a better quality knife a lot more . . . . just my thoughts on the subject :)

Saying that, not all cheap knives are bad. Case in point. Mora, Hultafors and Opinel.
 
PheonixKingZ said:
I have a sharpener, and it has worked in the past, but now I’m thinking it’s not so good.
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Part of the problem you're going to have sharpening your collection is that you have some blade shapes that are quite difficult to sharpen correctly. Re-curves and serrations don't lend themselves to constant sharpening. And when an edge makes a drastic change in angle (such as in your M Tech or tantos) you have to change your position between the blade and the stone while keeping a consistent angle, and that's not simple. Take a look at knives which get heavy use, like professional kitchen knives, and you'll see that the easiest way to maintain a sharp edge is to have just one single line.

As others have pointed out, there's a lot of choice in the market. Don't be worried about trying new things, but doing a little research into this hobby can be very rewarding. Believe me when I say there's no mistake that someone on this board hasn't made (some of us more than one).
 
Lot of great advice so far. I'll echo the quality over quantity. I would also stay away from serrations. My wife and I were having dinner and she mentioned our steaks knives aren't good since they are serrated they can't be sharpened. I took that for permission to buy more knives and picked up a wusthof classic ikon block.

I wouldn't call it hand held but a lot of people love the spyderco sharpmaker. I started here before jumping up to the wicked edge.
 
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I have the same issue with some of my steak knives, that’s why I got these:
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The sharpener you mentioned looks good, but is WAY to expensive for me. I’ll upload a photo of the one I have been using, so you guys can tell me if it’s good or not. :)
 
Welcome to Blade Forums, PheonixKingZ! And thank you for sharing your knife collection with us. I agree with those making the quality-over-quantity recommendation, but don't be afraid to buy a knife now and again just because you like its looks. That's part of what makes the hobby fun!

Your lockback knife actually is not a Parker Cutlery knife, and it may or may not have been made in Japan. It's an inexpensive, mediocre-quality "limited edition" knife advertised for sale by the American International Mint in various magazines (most of them not knife magazines, where the readers would recognize it for what it was) in the early 1980s. It's worth probably about as much as you paid for it.

These aren't my photos, but they show how the knife was packaged originally.

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I know about your knife because I have one just like it that I wouldn't sell at any price. It was a gift from dear friends who knew that I liked knives and bought it for me as a surprise. They are long dead now, but I remember them fondly and smile every time I look at it. See how subjective value can be?

Enjoy your knives!

-Steve
 
Thank you T The Whip !

Yes, my lock back isn’t worth that much (as I payed a mere $5 for it at a garage sale, lol). But, I like it, it keeps a nice blade, and I know it won’t fail me.

Thanks for the photos!
 
Ok, I lied. This is my whole collection:
98e1c511-77af-4d0f-8ed5-a9ea23ada005-jpeg.113127

(Plus a GoPro HERO6 Black and a G-Shock GD350 3403. ;))

I am also missing a few inexpensive folder. (And the OldTimer) But as I said all these are cheap.

I am going to talk to my parents tonight, (I know I said I would do it like 3 days ago - it’s been busy...) and see if I can get the Leek. :)
 
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