My problem with traditionals.

cchu518

cchu518

Joined
Mar 6, 2013
Messages
8,331
Its not a true problem but just commentary.

I dont know the history of every pattern out there but judging from the names of some of the most popular patterns they cant be very old. Maybe 150 years give or take.

It could be Darwinism in how the knives evolved - the more specialized ones died off and the ones that were more universally useful kept on being built.

But how do you guys get by as knife enthusiasts and buying all the patterns. I have to believe that even 75 years ago when folks would carry one slippie and just that one slippie until it could not be used anymore.

For me, the two traditional patterns that I own work so well for me and fit so nicely in the pocket and in hand that I cant picture getting more until the ones that I have get used up!
 
It's really simple, some folks only buy knives that they will actually use. They may have more then one knife, but none are collectors. Other folks collect knives, new and used, and perhaps some in that collection are true users. Then there are those who simply collect knives, never use them, and like coin or stamp collectors, take joy in the aesthetic and mechanical qualities of each knife.

I do both, I have users, and collect only Case and Case family knives, but not all patterns.
 
I got my first "better" traditional when I was around 9 or 10 years old (Case Barlow). I used that knife until it was worn out. Yes, you can wear them out especially if you have a father that likes grinding wheels and says, hey I'll sharpen up that knife for ya... ya know. Next Case was in college. That was really all that I considered buying at that point.

Went through the modern stage. Still use some of them. But going back to traditionals now and I'm very comfortable here. I'll still try out a modern if it catches my interest however. Got a new one a couple weeks ago. So, I like some variety.
 
Alnamvet68 said:
It's really simple, some folks only buy knives that they will actually use. They may have more then one knife, but none are collectors. Other folks collect knives, new and used, and perhaps some in that collection are true users. Then there are those who simply collect knives, never use them, and like coin or stamp collectors, take joy in the aesthetic and mechanical qualities of each knife.

I do both, I have users, and collect only Case and Case family knives, but not all patterns.
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See ... maybe that makes me rethink things....maybe I having tried enough patterns yet? I have to think long and hard about this any suggestions?

Maybe a single bladed traditional or a genetically "modified" peanut pattern, you know something that is maybe peanut-ish but on steroids? Im trying to be more careful about knife purchases now. I pretty much narrowed down what I like to use. But the want is a whole other side of things. Theres too much of the wants and not enougj need for me to justify getting them as i dont collect safe wueens only users. Pics welcome if you have a suggestion! I keep hearing/seeing this Pemberton model for instance.
 
cchu518, you're right at the dangerous edge of the "buy more knives" stage "just because". Look at it this way, if it was firearms, you'd be spending $500+ everytime you had an itch.
 
cchu518 said:
See ... maybe that makes me rethink things....maybe I having tried enough patterns yet? I have to think long and hard about this any suggestions?

Maybe a single bladed traditional or a genetically "modified" peanut pattern, you know something that is maybe peanut-ish but on steroids? Im trying to be more careful about knife purchases now. I pretty much narrowed down what I like to use. But the want is a whole other side of things. Theres too much of the wants and not enougj need for me to justify getting them as i dont collect safe wueens only users. Pics welcome if you have a suggestion! I keep hearing/seeing this Pemberton model for instance.
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I don't need all the knives I have. I just like them.
 
Don't get me started on that. I only have a cz. Trying to save up for an sp1 or a Sig right now lol...
 
I like a good roast dinner. Pork is my favourite, with good crackling, apple sauce, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, broccoli, cabbage, peas, carrots and of course gravy. Done properly and with good fresh ingredients it is nutritious and delicious.

Every meal for the rest of my life... Nah....

;)
 
What's need have to do with it? If I want a knife and I have the money for it I get it.

Do you ever spend money on alcohol? Buy a car with more options? Get the house that's too big? Go to a Yankee game? Life would be pretty boring without a few wants.
 
Get a subscription to Knife World. Pick up a copy of Tactical Knives (yeah, I said it). Steven Dick, the editor of TK, has a fondness for all knives, but especially military knives. He has written a few articles on some slipjoints that appeared in recent issues of TK. Either him or another writer usually runs an article in TK on older military themed knives. Even though it is more heavily geared to the Tactical crowd, they do feature bushcraft blades sometimes and some traditional style knives. Knife World always has a cover article on a custom maker, and a cover article on some type of vintage cutlery. Their histories of these old knives, the people that made them, and the factories they came out of, are well worth a subscription. Best of all, a trial subscription is free. Just go to their website.

As for patterns, the Levines 4th Guide and the Blade Magazine guide to knives, have a very crude silhouette chart of knife patterns. There are so many variations out there, it still boggles my mind. For example, we have the stockman. You have three blades, four blades, five blades on some. You have the small, the large, the serpentine, the premium, the sowbelly, the cattleman. Some have two blades and a punch, some have three blades, some have three blades and a punch etc. One of the most recognizable knives out there, and it has multiple variations. Buck even does their arrangement of blades differently. Hang around here for a while, read Knife World, you'll learn a lot. The GEC 73 pattern hearkens back to the Remington 1173 pattern, same for the 23 and 1123 from Remington. These patterns have been around, it's just really cool to see the current cutlery houses bring them back. Don't get me started on shadow, barehead, equal end etc.

One of my favorite pasttimes is haunting junk shops and antique malls for old knives. I've found some old Remingtons, my favorite stockman an old Boker, and quite a few other pieces. Most from brands I've never heard of, but was able to identify through the Blade guide. Most of the fun is in the hunt, as I am a trader and move stuff on pretty quick. I definitely have too many knives, but enjoy the hobby and the friends made through it.
 
pmew said:
I like a good roast dinner. Pork is my favourite, with good crackling, apple sauce, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, broccoli, cabbage, peas, carrots and of course gravy. Done properly and with good fresh ingredients it is nutritious and delicious.

Every meal for the rest of my life... Nah....

;)
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I couldn't even do pizza every day, every meal for the rest of my life!
 
If your question is "how many does one need" then the answer is probably between 0 and 9, with two or three being typical.

I have found several that "satisfice" my needs. I.e., they suffice to satisfy my needs without being necessarily optimal. I could easily live the rest of my life just carrying any one out of that set of sufficient-for-my needs knives. In fact, I have been doing just that - carrying the same two knives every day so far this year.

You are on a knife enthusiast forum. The people who post here for any length of time are not the ones who found one or two knives that fit their needs and then used them exclusively for years. Those people either don't frequent knife forums, or if they do perhaps used them to research a specific purchase and moved on once they found what they wanted.

So your question is more along the lines of "why do some people collect things beyond the ones they need for basic use?" Which is more of a psychological question than a knife question, but would make for some interesting research.

If your actual issue is that you think you may be missing something, and that whatever you have today which makes you happy now isn't really enough, and that you need something else to make you happy, then you are as someone mentioned, on the edge of the precipice of always chasing that next knife. If what you have is working for you, and you don't want to spend a lot of money on knives, then keep what you have and be happy with them.

Here are the ones I have been carrying and that meet my needs fine:


Interesting article on satisficing (this'll do) versus optimizing (must find the perfect one) strategies:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satisficing

Also, some discussion of how sometimes having too many choices leads to unhappiness, since once you have made a choice, you have simulataneously not chosen all of the other alternatives, leaving you feeling uneasy about whether you chose well or not. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_choice
 
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SAK Guy said:
Woodrow speaks it plain and true! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Some of us do it because we can and some because, we can't stop! :D
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Yes, some have poor impulse control, some are just plain depressed. Others have coin to burn, and others eat canned Spam for a month after a purchase. The bottom line is, as a member of this forum, particularly this forum, are you a collector/connoisseur of traditional knives, are you exclusively a user of traditional knives, do you both collect and use traditional knives, or are you on the fence, and haven't a clue what you are?:D
 
Alnamvet68 said:
Yes, some have poor impulse control, some are just plain depressed. Others have coin to burn, and others eat canned Spam for a month after a purchase. The bottom line is, as a member of this forum, particularly this forum, are you a collector/connoisseur of traditional knives, are you exclusively a user of traditional knives, do you both collect and use traditional knives, or are you on the fence, and haven't a clue what you are?
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I suspect I am all of the above except for the very last statement (the clue part).
 
cchu518 said:
For me, the two traditional patterns that I own work so well for me and fit so nicely in the pocket and in hand that I cant picture getting more until the ones that I have get used up!
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I'm curious as to what those two are?
 
It continually goes back to consumerism for me. So for work, I work in and around Wall Street. I have done so for the past 15 years. Stuff like Rolexes and Mercedes are not status symbols in this arena as the low level sales guys have these toys. Anyhow I'll tell you guys a story without naming names. There was a certain publicly listed Company from Scotland that was a darling stock in the US from 1997-2004.

The CEO was so wealthy from being CEO, that he would only come into NYC to do a non deal roadshow (NDR). An NDR is when you take a public Company to go see the people at places who control investments at an investment firm like a mutual fund. Anyhow the guy wouldn't come into NYC unless he got to stay at the President Suite at the Plaza hotel. At the time it was $12,000 night. He one time needed to be in NYC and paid off the people who were staying there so that he could get the room. The people hadn't checked in yet, but they were bumped. The hotel bent over backwards for the guy. So I've been a little mentally damaged by being around this excess.

I also had a really bad paintball gun addiction at some point. I would buy guns that I didnt' even bother to take out of the box. The same with watches to a degree. As soon as I discovered knives about a year ago, I knew exactly what was happening in my mind, serotonin and endorphin began firing off signals like crazy in my brain. Just trying to keep the knife enthusiasm sane. So I guess what I'm asking, with traditional patterns being so well thought out, do you guys ever feel a little guilty for having too many in your collection when there are people starving in China? I know it must seem like a bloody idiotic question and I'm a tree hugger or something but in all seriousness has these thoughts ever floated through your mind?
 
It continually goes back to consumerism for me. So for work, I work in and around Wall Street. I have done so for the past 15 years. Stuff like Rolexes and Mercedes are not status symbols in this arena as the low level sales guys have these toys. Anyhow I'll tell you guys a story without naming names. There was a certain publicly listed Company from Scotland that was a darling stock in the US from 1997-2004.

The CEO was so wealthy from being CEO, that he would only come into NYC to do a non deal roadshow (NDR). An NDR is when you take a public Company to go see the people at places who control investments at an investment firm like a mutual fund. Anyhow the guy wouldn't come into NYC unless he got to stay at the President Suite at the Plaza hotel. At the time it was $12,000 night. He one time needed to be in NYC and paid off the people who were staying there so that he could get the room. The people hadn't checked in yet, but they were bumped. The hotel bent over backwards for the guy. So I've been a little mentally damaged by being around this excess.

I also had a really bad paintball gun addiction at some point. I would buy guns that I didnt' even bother to take out of the box. The same with watches to a degree. As soon as I discovered knives about a year ago, I knew exactly what was happening in my mind, serotonin and endorphin began firing off signals like crazy in my brain. Just trying to keep the knife enthusiasm sane. So I guess what I'm asking, with traditional patterns being so well thought out, do you guys ever feel a little guilty for having too many in your collection when there are people starving in China? I know it must seem like a bloody idiotic question and I'm a tree hugger or something but in all seriousness has these thoughts ever floated through your mind?
 
I think we should leave the economic and political discussions out of this thread, please. There are places for those discussions. Not here in the Traditional Knife forum though.
 
Good call Peregrin think I'm going to lock this down. I was having some guilt from picking up a few new knives just because I wanted them.
 
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