My Plea To The Knife Community!

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ysakelaris

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Hello to all my fellow knife enthusiasts! I wanted to jump on here (this being my first post ive wrote since i just found out about blade forum yesterday) and say how muh i appreciate the knife community, and to also maybe ask for a little bit of help/advice. I recently, about 6 months ago, got into the knife community by watching a certain gentleman on youtube, and i originally watched his channel because he did unboxings of different survival gear monthly boxes. Along with those videos, he is also ex military and owns a knife shop on the east coast, he does videos on knifes and reviews them, and once watching those videos i truly understood what knives were about, and the art and functionality that they brought to the world as a whole. I started doing research and really paying attention to his videos, and then started following other people as well and i got a pretty good base understanding of what was going on, and from there my fascination in knives began. So without getting too long winded, i just want to ask some of you more experienced and long time members to shed any of your wisdom that you can on me and anyone else who might read this thread (although im not counting on a single soul listening to my plea lol) so that i can learn even more and grow to become the most knowledgable man i can be within the knife community. I have ammased some knives over the months, and whereas before i would get a knife because "it looked cool", i know make educated decisions based on blade steel, functionality, purpose, design, etc. And to pick something, no matter how big or small, while putting all that thought and effort into it truly makes what you pick a custom in its own sense. I say that because although there are other "customs" out there, to me a custom is something that you purchase not because of its eclusivity (although that never hurts lol), but because it brings you purpose and joy to your everyday life. And since everyones lives are different, or CUSTOM should we say, that knife therefore becomes a custom knife for that individual. So please knife enthusiasts/community, i implore you to shed your light down on me and teach me your ways!!! I truly love you people and you will forever have a special place in my heart, and because of that i thank you all! I look forward to hearing from you all soon!
 
ysakelaris said:
Hello to all my fellow knife enthusiasts! I wanted to jump on here (this being my first post ive wrote since i just found out about blade forum yesterday) and say how muh i appreciate the knife community, and to also maybe ask for a little bit of help/advice. I recently, about 6 months ago, got into the knife community by watching a certain gentleman on youtube, and i originally watched his channel because he did unboxings of different survival gear monthly boxes. Along with those videos, he is also ex military and owns a knife shop on the east coast, he does videos on knifes and reviews them, and once watching those videos i truly understood what knives were about, and the art and functionality that they brought to the world as a whole. I started doing research and really paying attention to his videos, and then started following other people as well and i got a pretty good base understanding of what was going on, and from there my fascination in knives began. So without getting too long winded, i just want to ask some of you more experienced and long time members to shed any of your wisdom that you can on me and anyone else who might read this thread (although im not counting on a single soul listening to my plea lol) so that i can learn even more and grow to become the most knowledgable man i can be within the knife community. I have ammased some knives over the months, and whereas before i would get a knife because "it looked cool", i know make educated decisions based on blade steel, functionality, purpose, design, etc. And to pick something, no matter how big or small, while putting all that thought and effort into it truly makes what you pick a custom in its own sense. I say that because although there are other "customs" out there, to me a custom is something that you purchase not because of its eclusivity (although that never hurts lol), but because it brings you purpose and joy to your everyday life. And since everyones lives are different, or CUSTOM should we say, that knife therefore becomes a custom knife for that individual. So please knife enthusiasts/community, i implore you to shed your light down on me and teach me your ways!!! I truly love you people and you will forever have a special place in my heart, and because of that i thank you all! I look forward to hearing from you all soon!
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Wow.... That's Alot.

First off, Welcome......

Second, you will gain more wisdom with clear, precise inquiry.
 
Welcome to the forum. Part of the knife journey is figuring out what you like and don't like in a knife. Everyone is going to like something different, with similarities here and there. Just remember, a $10 Opinel will cut just as good as a knife costing 10x as much.

Buy what you like and what you can afford, learn to sharpen, and enjoy your new knives!
 
The most knowledge can be gained by using your knives in many roles every day, year after year. Better yet, by making a few. But reading is also great: knifesteelnerds.com
Welcome to the forums!
 
Luckily for me, I finally found THE knife, what a relief !!!! but wait, no, I think this other one looks like a better fit, I will need to get THAT one and THAT one will be THE knife....I'm sure of that !

Now, how to pay for that really final one? Ok, I'll SELL the one that I thought was THE knife, which obviously is now not as favoured and must leave my collection to further fund the REALLY TRUE one that I Finally found...yet again...;)

The above scenario will play out for you over and over again, unless you actually do get lucky and find the perfect knife, or two that suits you.

There are so many many varied styles of knives out there that for any of us to guide you or anyone else for that matter, is a tough and almost impossible chore. As those above me stated, read and as you noted, watch some unboxing and testing of various knives.

It does boil down to what you like and what sparks your interests, many years ago I was enamored with damascus chiseledged tanto's which I did finally find a folder like that and it even had stag scales ! But I've moved on now and my preference leans more towards modified wharncliff bladed folders that are under 3" blade, just a more practical knife overall for me, emphasis on for me, it can never be said that it is for everyone.

This is an MKM Root folder, very nice slip joint, no clip, I carry it in a vertical leather sheath that I made, works and cuts great!

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Good luck in your search and learning!
G2
 
Welcome to the forum
Read-There is likely everything you would ever want to know already posted here.
Pick a subject and do a search. I often use outside search engines also(that link me to BF threads)
a great way to start is to read the rules of the forum and the exchange
 
Welcome to BF:)

Only thing I can suggest is: "Don't overlook the versatility of the multi-bladed traditional slipjoints."
Sad(?) Fortunate(?) Fact of "Life": No one blade is "ideal" for every task.

It is a lot easier (also more discrete, not to mention a hole bunch cheaper) to carry a 2 to 5 blade slipjoint or three, than it is the number of single blade knives to get the same blade selection -- presuming a single blade one hand opening knife is available with the blade you want.

BTW: No need to "fear" a slipjoint (or friction folder, for that matter) closing on your fingers while using it. Unless you're doing something stupit, like stabbing something, or trying to cut something with the blade spine, the normal cutting action forces the blade open, not closed.
 
Welcome. Spend a bunch of money on knives reviewed by YT experts and use them to open boxes containing additional knives you impulse bought from hawking the knife exchange here. Then learn to take great photos of knives, post said pics to the internet so others take you seriously. Then start selling these knives to buy other knives that look better than what you already have. This goes on for years. Some knives continue to stay in the collection, get used, and maybe even sharpened. Those are the knives you learn the most from. The knives that help you make your own best decisions on what tools best suit the needs and desires of your specific collection.
 
Welcome to the Forum, enjoy learning about knives and steels and everything related. (And BTW get in a good stock of Band-Aids if you're anything like me;).)
 
welcome. yeah please paragraphs. on phone comes across as a wall of text...hard to read.

use the search function about any question ya can think of has been talked about multiple times. wealth of info archived on this site....well worth the time spent hunting and reading
 
This suggestion is primarily for when you're looking at something that's expensive, or more expensive than any knife you've bought before. When you're about to pull the trigger on it, don't. At least, not right away. Give yourself a day or so to consider the purchase. Look at a bunch of reviews from different places, specifically paying attention to flaws pointed out by the reviewers. Look for dealbreakers. Even if you end up buying it, the point is that you sussed out all the negatives and decided whether or not you could live with them before you were stuck with it, or at least stuck paying return shipping. I've been in that spot, and it's not great. It also helps to remember that there are probably going to be other nice knives that you're going to buy, potentially ones that end up being better than the one you're looking at. Your first expensive knife is not going to be your last.

Familiarize yourself with the general quality of the different materials used in the construction of a knife, especially the steel. This will go a long way in terms of being able to find a good deal. BladeHQ has a decent breakdown/tierlist of a lot of the most common blade steels out there, and it'll work to start off with. That said, blade geometry and heat treat are both more relevant factors when it comes to cutting performance than the steel, but again, it's good to know the most what you're buying. The more people there are out there that at least scoff at paying $250+ for D2 or 154cm, the better it is for everyone.

Also, when most people say 'custom', they're referring to the way it was made. A custom is usually something made by one guy (or a small group) in a workshop with power tools, not an assembly line. As opposed to 'production', which is your run-of-the-mill factory produced product. A production knife could be customIZED, but it still wouldn't be a 'custom', if that makes any sense.
 
Tip #1: Wall of text bad. Hard (or at least tedious) to read. You’ll get better responses on the forum with concise, structured paragraphs—especially if there’s a lot to say.

Tip #2: Youtube good and bad. Some of my favorite knives were blasted by Shabazz. The YT community went absolutely orgasmic over the initial runs of MassDrop branded knives. I fell victim the the hype but thought the knives were only “meh.” I’ll sometimes watch for information, but its influence on my purchases is limited.

Tip #3: Learn to sharpen. You’ll use your knives more and enjoy them more. Now that I can get a knife screaming sharp, I’m working on getting the edge perfect….reliably.

Tip #4: One nice knife is better than three cheap knives. Of course “nice” and “cheap” are subjective, and may even change over time for any given individual. That’s ok.

Tip #5: Inexpensive and cheap are not synonyms. If in doubt, err on the side of rule #4.
 
Welcome to BF. Try to avoid buying online if possible, especially if it is a brand your not familiar with. You are much better off handling the knives first, because a knife can look good online, or even get great reviews, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll float YOUR boat.
 
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