New to knives

G

Gunslinger04

Joined
Apr 24, 2014
Messages
4
So recently I thought it would be cool to start a new hobby so I thought why not knife collecting?

I'm entirely new to knives and don't know much about them. Would anyone be able to point me in the right direction of what series of knives to start with, ones which aren't too much in price.

Thanks :)
 
Wow, that's a wide open question. Can you narrow your interest at all? Fixed blades or folders? "Tactical" or traditional? Do you own any knives now? How much money do you want to spend over what period of time? Cheap but decent includes Moras, Opinals, Rough Riders, Douk Douks. Google those or use the search feature here.
 
Other than the good suggestions by Coyote, look at Victorinox aka Swiss Army Knives. Relatively inexpensive, tons of options, constantly putting out limited models, and highly collectible with a huge following.
 
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Whichever direction you head in, BRING MONEY. Even the less expensive knives will make you want more. Also, the rule of thumb around here when deciding between two good options is to buy both.
 
If you want to learn free hand sharpening, start with Moras. For folders Svord?? I think has a Scandi grind. Opinels are inexpensive with fairly simple modifications if you like modifying things. They are a little more difficult to free hand but will get very sharp. I have not seen many collections of the old Green River patterns if you are looking for a nitch. Many more options.
 
I agree that's too broad a question. Do you have a local knife shop? If so you should go visit it and get familiar with the field. Find out what you like and dislike as far as style, size, price range, etc. If no local shop is available then start exploring some of the major online dealers and get familiar with their products.

One thing you need to decide is why you are collecting? Will you be using them or just displaying them? I wouldn't necessarily recommend collecting for investment purposes. There are many better investment options than knives. Another question to decide is how much of your budget you are willing to commit. This can be an expensive hobby. In that same vein, how naturally inclined are you to always want to "step up" in quality as you develop a hobby? You'll find many folks here whose "price ceiling" continually rose as they continued to collect. Will you be that type?

Most folks start out collecting by the "shotgun approach", that is buying anything that falls within their budget with no specific direction or purpose. What you end up with is a bunch of low-end knives that will become less valuable to you as your tastes develop and evolve. Nothing wrong with that (after all, you can always sell them) but you might be better off to decide on a specific direction and goal and work towards it. Do you prefer hunter/skinners? Focus on them first. Tactical military knifes, traditional folders, new and fancy steels, knives of a particular handle material, knives from a certain country or era... the possibilities are endless.

Good luck in your adventure. Lots of good knowledge here if you know what questions to ask. There's also a lot of nay-sayers, elitists, and contrarians. Learn to weed them out.
 
I recently got bitten by the knife collecting bug (a couple of months ago) so I'm a novice but here is my advice from being in a similar situation as you.

1. Determine your budget ahead of time... and even then don't be surprised if you go over it. I've found it helpful to put this in terms of $/month. Like anything else, don't let the budget get out of control.

2. Decide what you like and initially focus on only 1-3 fairly narrow areas. By doing this you'll learn more about what you do and don't like and more about knives in general (steels, design, quality, etc.). For example, I am focused on small EDC folders (about 3" blade size), mid-sized EDC folders (3.5-4" blade size), and smaller camping fixed blades.

3. Think about the purpose of each knife you consider buying. Are you going to carry it as a "user" or are you going to keep it in new condition as a collector's item. For me, more rare or expensive the knife the more likely I am to keep it like new and not use it.

4. Determine your "sweet spot" when it comes to quality vs. quantity. Are you interested in having a large number of cheaper knives or a smaller number of higher quality ones? I've gone with the latter since quality is important to me.

5. Look for good deals rather than buying everything retail. I've found several great deals on new or like-new knives on this web site's for sale & trade forums. There are some deals on online auctions sites but also some high prices. Don't be afraid to buy or trade for "users" if you are going to carry the knife. You can get great deals if you can tolerate a little wear on the knife.

6. Don't concentrate on a single manufacturer too early. Sample all of the different makers in the styles you're concentrating on (see #2). I have a bias towards knives made in the USA from makers such as Benchmade, Kershaw, Spyderco, and Bark River Knives.

7. Invest early on a quality knife sharpener system and learn to use it. There are many good ones around but I went with a Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker and an inexpensive leather strop.

Good luck and enjoy!
 
Start collecting Kershaw Leeks, that will keep you entertained for a GOOD while.
 
I would narrow or limit my buying and acquisitions to ones that I like and have an interest in. I use modern folders, but I seem to be turning into a traditional knife collector as I acquire more way beyond what I can reasonably use. I just like them. That is about all I can say about that. I vary my EDC knife somewhat, but almost always have a Swiss Army Knife (SAK) in my pocket as a user. I rotate the other blade.

Are you going to be using these knives or will you keep them in factory as-new condition?

As far as a budget, my budget keeps growing. But interest has increased from casual interest to something more.

I am very attracted to fixed blades, but I seldom use them on a regular basis.

I think that many people consider "collecting" just an accumulation of knives or whatever you tend to be interested in. A collection normally has a focus or limiting factor so that when you think about buying the next one, there are 1000 choices.

Good luck with new endevor. I doubt you will make any money at it, but you could make a little here and there if you buy and sell.
 
It's such a personal choice that research and other peoples opinions are ultimately going to mean very little. YOU will like what YOU like, and that's where the enjoyment of a hobby comes from, let alone the collecting of anything.

Find a local knife store, walk around and buy whatever you like, and enjoy it. That will at least get you started.
 
Beyond anything else, buy what you like whether it be a $25 knife or $1000 knife. Tastes evolve, but as they change, at least you know that you liked these choices. It is about learning and enjoying your choices.
 
Run,Run away. I started 2 years ago and now if have to beat my wife home to get the credit card bills out of the mailbox,and she doesn't even know about my Paypal account!
 
I'd say start with a spyderco endura in frn. You get a great one hand opening knife with a pocket clip, very usefull bladeshape, and it's lightweight. Don't pay more then $65 for it. Once you have it practice opening and closing it one handed while watching TV or relaxing. Within a day or two it'll be second nature. Then clip it in your pocket and take it everywhere it's legal. You'll be amazed at how often you use it. And then a few months from now you can wonder where all the new ones came from lol
 
My advice (learned the hard way) would be to avoid any of the cheap Chinese knives that catch your eye because of a familiar name, whether it's that of a TV "survivalist" or a famous gun brand or movie franchise . . . or anything else with no actual tie-in to knife manufacturing. Likewise, unless there is some specific significance to you, skip anything that has "China" stamped on the blade but a highly patriotic military/police/firefighter logo on the handle. Most of these, with the exception of some legit commemorative knives from Ka-Bar and other reputable manufacturers, are strictly novelty knives; in general, someone from such an occupation isn't going to actually use a knife that sells for $10 and looks like a billboard.

If you want to get some practical working knives, look at brands like Mora (Sweden) or Condor (El Salvador) who have earned their reputations making affordable purpose-built products. For something with military significance, Ka-Bar and Ontario are among a few that are household names for a reason. As others have already mentioned, Kershaw makes some (but not all) of their knives in the US that sell for very reasonable prices and are highly regarded for EDC purposes. "Classic" brands like Buck and Gerber still make some decent knives, but some pretty questionable ones as well.

Although some people definitely take potential resale value into account when buying knives, I personally start with designs that I like and then give preference to country of manufacture, materials used, etc. I have very few knives that wouldn't actually be useful cutting tools if needed.
 
addylo said:
I agree that's too broad a question. Do you have a local knife shop? If so you should go visit it and get familiar with the field. Find out what you like and dislike as far as style, size, price range, etc. If no local shop is available then start exploring some of the major online dealers and get familiar with their products.

One thing you need to decide is why you are collecting? Will you be using them or just displaying them? I wouldn't necessarily recommend collecting for investment purposes. There are many better investment options than knives. Another question to decide is how much of your budget you are willing to commit. This can be an expensive hobby. In that same vein, how naturally inclined are you to always want to "step up" in quality as you develop a hobby? You'll find many folks here whose "price ceiling" continually rose as they continued to collect. Will you be that type?

Most folks start out collecting by the "shotgun approach", that is buying anything that falls within their budget with no specific direction or purpose. What you end up with is a bunch of low-end knives that will become less valuable to you as your tastes develop and evolve. Nothing wrong with that (after all, you can always sell them) but you might be better off to decide on a specific direction and goal and work towards it. Do you prefer hunter/skinners? Focus on them first. Tactical military knifes, traditional folders, new and fancy steels, knives of a particular handle material, knives from a certain country or era... the possibilities are endless.

Good luck in your adventure. Lots of good knowledge here if you know what questions to ask. There's also a lot of nay-sayers, elitists, and contrarians. Learn to weed them out.
Click to expand...

Well I strongly disagree with that especially if he likes knives. Hey maybe stamp collecting (for me boring) is more profitable but hell I don't care about stamps so guess what I will be collecting ? You got it knives! :rolleyes: Not everything is about money...
 
It's not worth our time to argue about this, and I don't intend to, but I stand behind what I said.

Again, the important point is that it all comes down to the motivation of the individual "collector". Someone just breaking into the sport needs to examine why they would like to collect. If they simply love knives then great! Bon appetit. But if their purpose is to collect knives as an investment then they need to know what they are doing. Simply collecting a bunch of knives willy-nilly is not going to yield a high return. There are many more lucrative fields of investment. Classic cars, maybe? ;)
 
To answer any thing that I didn't specify..

My budget is around £30-50, which isn't a lot but i'm not wanting to spend a lot right now.

I'm not looking for a specific brand, just what ever seems good to start with.

Out of everything I would prefer folding blades rather than fixed blades.

I did read every reply on here so far, so for any more answers to this thread I hope this will help narrow down the choices and selections.
 
Go to www.BladeHQ.com and click on "Folding Knives"
then change the drop-down menu for Items to "100" and then change Sort to "Price: Low to High"
And then start looking for your price range.
Find a handful of knives, hell, let's call it a dozen or so that tickle your fancy.
Then come back here with that list of knives and ask us for help narrowing it down.

Using this process, we can help you get started in the fabulous world of knife collecting / ownership :)
 
Rasco said:
Go to www.BladeHQ.com and click on "Folding Knives"
then change the drop-down menu for Items to "100" and then change Sort to "Price: Low to High"
And then start looking for your price range.
Find a handful of knives, hell, let's call it a dozen or so that tickle your fancy.
Then come back here with that list of knives and ask us for help narrowing it down.

Using this process, we can help you get started in the fabulous world of knife collecting / ownership :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link to the website, I will start having a nosey around it and see what I like.
 
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