New to knives.

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Aug 10, 2012
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I'm really interested in knives and I'm hoping that I'll be able to start a collection someday. I've been researching what I should do and not do and books that I should read and things like that. I was wondering if any of you had any suggestions on any books or general information and stuff like that. I have a big list of books that I should look at and I've wrote down some things that I should and shouldn't do. Some of the articles that I've read said to ask a lot of questions (even dumb ones) and to ask about things on knife forums. I was wondering if anybody had a suggestion on what knife I should start my collection on? Some of the articles I read also said to collect knives that I enjoy and appeal to me, but I like almost all kinds of knives like survival, fixed blades, hunting, and pocket knives. So, if anybody has any advice then please feel free to tell me it. Thank You.
 
My first "real" pocket knife was a Kershaw. Kershaw makes some great blades for great prices. I would check them out. I don't think you could go wrong with Kershaw as a first knife.
Spyderco is also good, you can pick up something from their Tenacious line, or even their Byrd line for cheap and they're very well made. You also can't go wrong with a Spyderco Delica, Endura, or Native. All are sub $60 and great knives. Just pick one you like, check out some reviews, see if there is a knife store anywhere near by so you can handle some knives, and see what really appeals to you as your first knife.
 
Welcome to BladeForums, you seem very enthusiastic....

What first knife to get? The one that makes you say "I want that one", no one can dictate your tastes for you.

Just ask questions, and Google really is your friend.

So is the "Enter" key.... ;)

Enjoy your time here, there's lots of good folk, loads of pics and information.

:D
 
Your off to the right start IMO. This sight contains a wealth of information. My advice would to be to not skip on quality. Quality while typically expensive bears some exceptions. You can have access to a plethora of quality knives is you have 50 or even 25 bucks ( heck even less than that if you do your homework). I often recommend more inexpensive traditional knives such as the opinel to new knife enthusiast. However as the others have stated there are some grand "entry level" modern folders out there as well. My favorites are the Byrd knives as well as CRKT ( the Drifter is a stellar value).
 
Thanks for the information and recommendations. I've researched Spyderco a little bit and they seem like a really nice company but their knives don't appeal to me that well. I'm sure if I held one and used then I'd be hooked on them but they just don't seem like the knife that I'd be interested in starting a collection with.
 
I felt the same way about spyderco at first. But the more I looked at them the more I liked them;)
 
I want to get to the point in collecting where I can set all my knives out and just look at them and enjoy them. I'm just sooo overwhelmed on how many different types of knives their are. I just don't know where to start. I was looking at some Kershaw knives and I really liked their Blackout but then I was looking some Ka-Bar Survival knives and I really liked those ones as well.
 
I'd recommend something that will serve you well without breaking the bank. Maybe a Griptilian or Mini-Grip from Benchmade or a Kershaw Blur or Buck Vantage if you're looking at folders. All those knives will serve you well and, if you end up losing interest in collecting, you A. Won't have $200 worth of regret and B. Will have an eminently usable pocket knife that won't let you donwn.
 
I'm really interested in knives and I'm hoping that I'll be able to start a collection someday. I've been researching what I should do and not do and books that I should read and things like that. I was wondering if any of you had any suggestions on any books or general information and stuff like that. I have a big list of books that I should look at and I've wrote down some things that I should and shouldn't do. Some of the articles that I've read said to ask a lot of questions (even dumb ones) and to ask about things on knife forums. I was wondering if anybody had a suggestion on what knife I should start my collection on? Some of the articles I read also said to collect knives that I enjoy and appeal to me, but I like almost all kinds of knives like survival, fixed blades, hunting, and pocket knives. So, if anybody has any advice then please feel free to tell me it. Thank You.

first ask yourself this:

1. do you plan on actually using the knives in your future collection?
2. are you worried about future value of the knives you buy?
 
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I don't plan on using the knives. I want to be able to have a collection that I can look at and be proud of. Also, I'm not worried at the future value of the knives although it would be nice to know that I kept that particular knife for a certain period of time and the values gone up on it.
 
I'd recommend something that will serve you well without breaking the bank. Maybe a Griptilian or Mini-Grip from Benchmade or a Kershaw Blur or Buck Vantage if you're looking at folders. All those knives will serve you well and, if you end up losing interest in collecting, you A. Won't have $200 worth of regret and B. Will have an eminently usable pocket knife that won't let you donwn.

I understand what you're saying. I know that I'll always have a knife on me that I'll use for a various amount of things. I want to be able to have a collection that I look at some day and be proud of.
 
Gotcha. As knives to admire, I might suggest Mcusta or Seki Cut. They're both reasonably priced and offer some very attractive options. Also, both are well made and useful if you do want to pull them out of the case.
 
And as you try more knives and read more here, your tastes and interests will evolve. If you had told me one year again that I'd be EDCing a traditional, I would have said you're crazy. :D
 
Gotcha. As knives to admire, I might suggest Mcusta or Seki Cut. They're both reasonably priced and offer some very attractive options. Also, both are well made and useful if you do want to pull them out of the case.

Thanks for the suggestion. I checked both of them out and their knives look fabulous. I'll be sure to buy one of those some-day.
 
And as you try more knives and read more here, your tastes and interests will evolve. If you had told me one year again that I'd be EDCing a traditional, I would have said you're crazy. :D

Yeah, I know what you're saying. My tastes have definetly changed since I started reading and asking questions.
 
I'm really interested in knives and I'm hoping that I'll be able to start a collection someday. I've been researching what I should do and not do and books that I should read and things like that. I was wondering if any of you had any suggestions on any books or general information and stuff like that. I have a big list of books that I should look at and I've wrote down some things that I should and shouldn't do. Some of the articles that I've read said to ask a lot of questions (even dumb ones) and to ask about things on knife forums. I was wondering if anybody had a suggestion on what knife I should start my collection on? Some of the articles I read also said to collect knives that I enjoy and appeal to me, but I like almost all kinds of knives like survival, fixed blades, hunting, and pocket knives. So, if anybody has any advice then please feel free to tell me it. Thank You.

Look no further, young fella! BladeForums is a vast treasure trove of knife knowledge (with pics!)

Happy reading and welcome aboard!
 
I like almost all kinds of knives like survival, fixed blades, hunting, and pocket knives.
:) Sounds like me.

I don't plan on using the knives. I want to be able to have a collection that I can look at and be proud of. Also, I'm not worried at the future value of the knives although it would be nice to know that I kept that particular knife for a certain period of time and the values gone up on it.

There's no way to predict what knives will go up in value over time. But your odds are improved if you keep an eye out for closeouts and sales, while being mindful of quality (low quality items rarely increase in value).
After some time and experience you may want to focus your collection to knives from a particular style/brand/age/materials/etc. In the meantime, buy the widest variety of knives that interests you.

I just don't know where to start. I was looking at some Kershaw knives and I really liked their Blackout but then I was looking some Ka-Bar Survival knives and I really liked those ones as well.
Those sound like an excellent start. :thumbup:
 
Look no further, young fella! BladeForums is a vast treasure trove of knife knowledge (with pics!)

Happy reading and welcome aboard!

Yeah, I've read quite a few forums and they've been very informative. I've looked at some pictures and the knives in those pictures make me think in my mind "I need that knife."
 
:) Sounds like me.



There's no way to predict what knives will go up in value over time. But your odds are improved if you keep an eye out for closeouts and sales, while being mindful of quality (low quality items rarely increase in value).
After some time and experience you may want to focus your collection to knives from a particular style/brand/age/materials/etc. In the meantime, buy the widest variety of knives that interests you.


Those sound like an excellent start. :thumbup:

Yeah, I'm hoping that I don't make a mistake down the road and purchase a couterfeit or lower quality knife, although I'm sure that it'll happen sometime but hopefully I can keep those mistakes down. I'll have to be sure to take my time and understand what I'm looking at. For now I plan on buying the knives that I enjoy more and just have fun with them.
 
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