New to this and new to Knife collecting

S

SilasTheGod

Joined
Apr 10, 2009
Messages
31
Hello, my name is Silas, and about three weeks ago I got my first Balisong/Butterfly Knife. Ever since, I've been flipping it, learning new tricks, and all around having fun with it.

While that's not all that relevant, it sort of sparked a passion for knives in general, and then I bought a 14-inch Gordon Survival knife. Before that, I'd gotten a Spyderco-like pocket knife with a sort of triangular blade, and a blue pocketknife. So, having all of these knives, I decided I wanted to be a knife collector.

With that said, my story told, I would like to know what sort of knives I should buy to begin my collection. I'm pretty sure I need to buy knives from Benchmade, Frost, Spyderco, and Buck, but I'm really not sure what to do or how to begin my collection! Any advice would be great!

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Hi Silas, Nice to have you here. As far as your collection goes, just hang out here for a while. Use the knives that you have now and see which give you the biggest thrill and that might be a place to start your real collection.
 
Welcome to Blade Forums!

First thing to be aware of is that the chances that your collection will actually appreciate and become very valuable, generally lies somewhere between nil and non existent.

Based on that, collect what you like, and enjoy them.

Certain knife brands, or models will be more likely to hold their value, increase in value, or perhaps lose less of their value than others.

As mentioned above, hang around the forums, and you will start to get an idea of what's what.

Kevin
 
Welcome to the forums. If possible, the best thing you could do is go to a local store and play with different knives to see which ones you like.
 
looks like you are off to a helluva a start there!
My only advice is Spend wisely, buy what you like and the best that you can afford!
Oh and read alot on here... lotsa knowledgeable people, some of them are nice too!
ivan
 
get yourself a spyderco delica and a benchmade mini-griptillian thats how i started and its a good way to keep things sharp
 
Welcome. Looks like you're mostly into folders or EDC (every day carry) stuff. In this case I suggest you familiarize yourself with knives offered by what I call the big 3 of folders: Benchmade, Spyderco, and Kershaw (not necessarily in that order). I see that you're also interested in multitools, so you should also look up Leatherman and Victorinox.

I believe in starting cheap. To start your collections, start with Kershaw Skyline and Spyderco Tenacious. Kershaw Skyline will show you G10 scales (handle material) and flipper opening mechanism. Spyderco Tenacious shows you the spyder hole, thumb stop/jimping and flat ground blade.

For multitool, you gotta have Leatherman Wave (or if you have the money, a Charge). To start cheap, get a SAK Victorinox Tinker.

Oh, and do look up reviews on youtube by nutnfancy and cutlerylover. It's a nice way of introducing yourself to the world of knives.
 
Welcome to BF. :)

I agree with Sep: Benchmade, Spyderco, and Kershaw are the big 3 for EDC folders in terms of quality for your money.

If you have deep pockets, well, you'll find custom folders up to $10k! :eek: I wouldn't recommend carrying one of those around tho'. :D

In addition to checking out local knife retailers to fondle and play with knives you have an interest in, look for online knife retailers, and start checking out other makers... Who knows, maybe Emersons or Bucks will float yer boat!! lol

Enjoy yer new addiction! :thumbup:
 
Sep said:
Welcome. Looks like you're mostly into folders or EDC (every day carry) stuff. In this case I suggest you familiarize yourself with knives offered by what I call the big 3 of folders: Benchmade, Spyderco, and Kershaw (not necessarily in that order). I see that you're also interested in multitools, so you should also look up Leatherman and Victorinox.

I believe in starting cheap. To start your collections, start with Kershaw Skyline and Spyderco Tenacious. Kershaw Skyline will show you G10 scales (handle material) and flipper opening mechanism. Spyderco Tenacious shows you the spyder hole, thumb stop/jimping and flat ground blade.

For multitool, you gotta have Leatherman Wave (or if you have the money, a Charge). To start cheap, get a SAK Victorinox Tinker.

Oh, and do look up reviews on youtube by nutnfancy and cutlerylover. It's a nice way of introducing yourself to the world of knives.
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I've been watching Jeff's videos for a long time! He's a genius with a Balisong and has the coolest collection of weapons i've seen a civilian have!

Also, I'm actually not completely into folders or EDCs, despite my first knives I got as a boy, the types of knives I really do like are flashy-open knives, such as switchblades, spring assist knives, and the Balisong, of course. I also really do enjoy big BIG knives, such as the 119 Buck Special that i've seen, generic bowies, oh, and the Ka-bar! And one dream knife I have is the Soviet Ballistic Knife, the one with the spring loaded handle. I know I might be pretty new at this but I think I might know what type I want, I was really looking for something more along the lines of quality and durability.
 
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SilasTheGod said:
I've been watching Jeff's videos for a long time! He's a genius with a Balisong and has the coolest collection of weapons i've seen a civilian have!

Also, I'm actually not completely into folders or EDCs, despite my first knives I got as a boy, the types of knives I really do like are flashy-open knives, such as switchblades, spring assist knives, and the Balisong, of course. I also really do enjoy big BIG knives, such as the 119 Buck Special that i've seen, generic bowies, oh, and the Ka-bar! And one dream knife I have is the Soviet Ballistic Knife, the one with the spring loaded handle. I know I might be pretty new at this but I think I might know what type I want, I was really looking for something more along the lines of quality and durability.
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Well, if your knives are mostly gonna be collectibles that never leave your home, then autos and balisongs are ok. You do realize that civilians can't legally carry autos and balisongs, right? (unless you're disabled and you only have 1 hand).

There are assisted opening (AO) folders that open virtually as fast as autos, yet legal for civilians to carry around. Kershaw has many AOs. Try the Leek.
 
Actually, there are quite a few states that allow Bailisong carry, and a few that allow auto's.
 
welcome to bladeforums!

i think what you will find here is that tastes vary quite a bit, due in large part to budgets.

i typically fall in to the "higher spending" category. for me, an inexpensive knife is a spyderco military. for others, the military is on the upper end of what they are willing to spend.

in general, i say buy what you like, and enjoy what you buy.

the companies mentioned are definitely good places to start. companies that make great products and have great reputations. personally, i recommend spyderco as a "gateway" in to collecting. not because kershaw and benchmade are bad, but mainly because their designs typically don't appeal to me.

start looking around the custom and manufacturer forums here. you will get a good sense of the community as well as the knives.
 
Sep said:
Well, if your knives are mostly gonna be collectibles that never leave your home, then autos and balisongs are ok. You do realize that civilians can't legally carry autos and balisongs, right? (unless you're disabled and you only have 1 hand).

There are assisted opening (AO) folders that open virtually as fast as autos, yet legal for civilians to carry around. Kershaw has many AOs. Try the Leek.
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Yeah I just want the autos as collectibles, never to leave my home. I live in Texas, and I'm not sure about the laws on EDC knives here, but I don't have an EDC and, again, I can't stress enough, I just want any knife I get to be a collectible.
 
SilasTheGod said:
Yeah I just want the autos as collectibles, never to leave my home. I live in Texas, and I'm not sure about the laws on EDC knives here, but I don't have an EDC and, again, I can't stress enough, I just want any knife I get to be a collectible.
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You have gotten some good advice.
Get a spyderco endura or a kershaw JunkYardDog I or II. FWIW, it is really hard to beat spyderco or kershaw for the money.
 
knife laws are not universal,,might ask in knife laws for relevant laws for your area about switchblades and assisted openers..if i recall correctly assisted openers have been considered the same as switchblades in texas..
 
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Silas, I'm also new to both the forums and knife collecting. I'm going through the process of buying what I can afford in order to see what I like...the only knife I have right now that's worth its salt is a Buck 110, but I've got two more Bucks (a 301 and a MiniBuck) and a Spyderco Ladybug on the way.

My thought process right now is, "Okay, next week I'll buy a Kershaw or two...a KA-BAR the week after...a Benchmade the week after...and if I'm thrilled with any of those knifemakers, I'll keep ordering their products."

I hope you have as much fun learning about knives as I'm having. :D
 
Sep said:
Welcome. Looks like you're mostly into folders or EDC (every day carry) stuff. In this case I suggest you familiarize yourself with knives offered by what I call the big 3 of folders: Benchmade, Spyderco, and Kershaw (not necessarily in that order). I see that you're also interested in multitools, so you should also look up Leatherman and Victorinox.

I believe in starting cheap. To start your collections, start with Kershaw Skyline and Spyderco Tenacious. Kershaw Skyline will show you G10 scales (handle material) and flipper opening mechanism. Spyderco Tenacious shows you the spyder hole, thumb stop/jimping and flat ground blade.

For multitool, you gotta have Leatherman Wave (or if you have the money, a Charge). To start cheap, get a SAK Victorinox Tinker.

Oh, and do look up reviews on youtube by nutnfancy and cutlerylover. It's a nice way of introducing yourself to the world of knives.
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Agreed. Instead of a Kershaw skyline I personally say an Od-1 for $40 at walmart, it's a screaming deal. Way more knife than you pay for, but get used to that with Kershaw. :D
 
What some consider inexpensive others may not. I read a lot of times Benchmade and Spyderco offer inexpensive knives. I myself do not consider over $50 inexpensive, especially for someone just starting out. And then you get the really entry level knives of those brands with cheap handles.

If you want inexpensive knives (less then $40) but good quality (for the money) check out the Böker Plus line, Kershaw knives, Victorinox and Buck knives. Also the Byrd line from Spyderco is considered to be good quality for the price.
 
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Slippies man, it is all about traditional slippies.:p Just kidding, welcome to BF! You will be amazed at how your taste/wants in knives will change as you learn more. Keep it fun and enjoyable, and remember to get off the internet enough to enjoy the knives. :o I need to learn to listen to my own advice....
 
Buy the knives you like, the more you collect the more your tastes and interests will change. My main concern is in harder to find vintage production knives, but I've collected some custom and current production also. Heck I've even got some rough riders.
 
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