Noob mistakes

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Wayfarer

Joined
Jul 29, 2006
Messages
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So I have been using pocket knives for as long as I can remember, when I was 13 I proudly put a SAK through the palm of my hand in the backseat of my dad's car. Just recently have discovered the joy of owning multiple knives as well as some fixed blades. Now that I have been buying more knives, posting and reading here pretty much everyday, I have come to realize some mistakes I have made in the past.

1. I am done with Gerber, their customer service is surprisingly good, but the more I use their knives (i own 2, the Freeman Hunter and Fatty) the more I realize they aren't going to cut it anymore.

2. Cheap doesn't mean a good deal, it usually means cheap...in every way possible.

3. Even though I will continue to buy knives for the rest of my days, a good SAK and strong fixed blade (I use the Ranger RD7) will pretty much get any field job done.

At this point, regardless of bills that need to be paid I am hopelessly addicted to buying knives. Thanks to this forum I think I will be buying better knives.

Anyone else with knife regrets that they aren't afraid to share?

Thanks in advance, and thanks for all the advice I have gotten in the past.

Allan
 
My main mistake was to buy too many inexpensive (good, but not high-end) knives when I could have bought fewer but better knives.

There is nothing wrong with high-quality inexpensive knives like a Byrd, Native, SS Leek, etc.... but after buying so many of them I realized I could have spent the same money on a couple less expensive knives and a couple really good ones. After I started buying higher-end knives like the Sebenza, a Strider SMF, a JWS Framelock, a WHK etc... I realized that it was MUCH more enjoyable for me to spend $500 on one really good, special knife rather than 10 Byrds.

Your milage may vary, but for me the more expensive knives offer a better joy/price ratio.
 
Since I started buying knives, I've been passing through what I call "money limit" steps.

At first, buying a 30$ knife was like "OMG, that's a lot for a knife!". That step lasted for some months, and, after getting some others 30$ knives, I started to look at the 60$ ones.

Then, I got a 60$ knife and it became my new money limit for knives and it remained the same until I started to look at 100$ knives and so on...

I know that's not going to change, I'll always want more and better knives, but I', sure I'll keep passing through those steps.

I don't regret buying the cheaper knives, they have helped me to learn and aprecciate more what I buy, but know a 30$ knife wont get my attention easily.

Right know my limit is 160$... I'm starting to look at Busse's and probably will change again soon :)
 
and the "yep, it's the perfect knife for me" effect?:D

It's varying from knife to knife, but sometime you FEEL that you would never need any other knife than the last you just baught...
It last usually couple of days !:D
 
Yep, that is what I went through SanShou. It is a fun journey. I don't regret the less expensive knives I bought, but I think I hung around some of the lower price steps a little too long. I amassed to many knives that I just kept in a drawer and never used (once I got my better knives).

I recently sold pretty much my whole collection and converted it into a collection of Doziers. The main downside of the less expensive knives is that if you decide to sell them, it is very diffilcult to make it worth your time. My more valuable knives sold quickly and were worth my time to put for sale and ship. My less expensive knives were just given away because the time it takes to sell and ship many inexpensive knives just isn't worth it to me.

Also, in the long run, I miss my Sebenza. I miss my SMF. I miss my JWS. I don't really miss my RUKUS, my 710, my AFCK, my Manix, my Native, my SERE, etc... They are all fine knives, but they never had the same effect on my as my Sebenza, SMF, and JWS. Not every expensive knife is that good, though. Some are more forgettable than a Delica. I think the Sebenza, SMF, and JWS are really worth the money though, so I would recommend someone spend $385-475 on one of them rather than spending that same money on a few Manix/710/SERE caliber knives. If someone only has $120 to spend, then something like a Manix is fantastic. For me, though, if you are going to spend $500 on knives in a month it should be on one special knife that will really have an effect on you rather than 2 or 3 common $100-200 production knives, or more importantly, 10 common $50 knives.
 
yeah, my point exactly. Even though some of the knives I have work well and i still appreciate them, they just dont sit and have been seeing less and less use to their more expensive counterparts.
 
We all learn. I didn't start off with high end knives. As my knowledge grew, the less I wanted cheap knives!! I don't consider what I bought at the time mistakes, but more of a learning experience. I at one point had 200 knives, and sold or traded them off to get into customs. Then I started collecting Spydercos........I recently ended up trading off most of the production knives I had, and am refocusing on Chris Reeve Knives & Customs. I consider CR knives more custom than production.
 
Like Wayfarer, when I started getting addicted to knives, I thought Gerber and Buck were the best brands. After trial and error, I have found the niche of knives that really suit me and my tasks. I don't own any knives that cost more than my car payment, but I have many that cost more than $100. I love my knives, and they do what I need them to do. My biggest mistake was thinking that the current knife collection I own will stay the same size :D

What is great about knife collecting is that it never has to stop! I have four more knives to buy just this month/year!
 
I've come to realize that I'll probably never have a use for fixed blade or even a really big folder. I'm 37 and have camped and hiked and fished all over the States and I've bummed around Europe and Turkey, etc. etc. and not once have I ever needed a fixed blade knife. Not once have I ever looked down at the folding pocketknife in my hand and thought, "This is just not enough knife for this job."

In fact, the Endura4 I have been toting lately is probably more knife than I'll ever need, to be honest. Lately I've been eyeing Ebay for a Delica or Salt I frn to EDC in place of the larger Endura4. But don't tell my wife!
 
I don't buy knives because I need them. For the camp? I dont camp. For the rumble? Nope. dont go there.
For EDC? sure. for me. I got a 1911 for any bad guys. They respect 45acp more than knives anyway.

I enjoy good knives. good comes in inexpensive and more expensive. A good knife is always a deal. A bad knife isnt whatever the cost.

What makes a good knife? THAT is the zen of the journey and I will always learn more as time goes by.

$300 for a pocket knife is not too much if I like the knife. $20 is too much for something I dont like.

I cannot afford a bently to drive. But I can afford a great blade. We all can!
 
a223cat said:
I cannot afford a bently to drive. But I can afford a great blade. We all can!
Click to expand...

That's a great point. An excellent knife is one of the few things almost anyone with a job can afford. Guitars, guns, cars etc. all run into thousands of dollars REAL quick, whereas $500 will get you just about any kind of knife you can dream up, if you shop around a bit. Especially with all the great independent knifemakers out there now. I'm going to stick my neck out and say, there are more individuals making very fine custom knives today, than there has ever been before. And there are dang sure a lot of sweet production knives, too.

Wayfarer said:
Anyone else with knife regrets that they aren't afraid to share?
Click to expand...

Other than nearly cutting my thumb off a couple times? :D Like others I regret buying more cheap knives instead of fewer, nicer ones... but then again, I now have good little knives stashed all over the house and I'm not going to wet myself if one turns up missing. I kind of regret buying my first "outdoorsy" type knife, a USAF pilot's knife. Stout as a crowbar but no way could I get a decent edge on that thing, lol.
 
my regret is the gerber paraframe. The worst part is I got three one for me and two for a couple of my friends. I could of gotten the Camillus EDCs.:grumpy:
 
I would count all my purchases as learning experiences. What I learned was that you usually get what you pay for. Quality is more important to me than quanity but it took having a quanity of knives and then realizing the quality of knife I could have had, had I been more patient........a learning experience, no doubt! So now I have begun to slowly accumulate more quality pieces; high-end production and custom. Even though I could buy more knives for the money, I would simply be very much dissatisfied with those.
 
I guess my experience tends to lean the other way from alot here. I've been learning more recently that you don't have to dish out alot of money to get a heckuva decent knife. I've had Spydies, BM's, Microtechs, Chris Reeves, etc. since the time I could afford 'em. Now I'm starting to look back through time and considering what I really need a knife for.

Obviously the vast majority of knives out of China are truly garbage. However Opinels, Douk-Douks, EKA, SAK's, Frost Moras, Helle's, etc. offer a tremendous amount of bang for the buck. I've come to realize that I, as small town blue collar white trash that just does a bit of huntin', fishin' and general woodloafin' now and then do not need the latest 3/8 inch spined synthetic handled cryo treated combatarized super chopper, and infact my life tends to be much easier without most of 'em.

I guess in short, I've learned to be honest enough with myself to truly assess my own needs and anticipate my own uses.
 
After reading HAIR's post :thumbup: , I realize I'm pretty much in the spot where he was: purchasing several good quality production folders (Spyderco, Benchmade, etc) and accumulating more as time goes on.
However, at this point, I dont see myself spending more for higher end knives anytime soon because I end up carrying & using most of the knives I own, half the time carrying for work, and the thought of losing a $300-400 CRK or Busse would be too frustrating (not to mention expensive). :grumpy: That being said, if I did purchase one- I'm sure there would be no going back... which is a scary thought.
One of things I do enjoy is finding a less expensive knife that really surprises me: good value, cuts well, solid feel, and useful (#8 Opinel, for example)...
What I dont enjoy is buying a knife without doing the research (Camillus CQB2 ugh)- you know you should've been smarter instead of ending up with something you dont like and wouldnt give away to a friend...:thumbdn:
Eventually, I will end up paring down the collection... simplify things. But right now I still havent found the "one"...
 
When i started buying knifes I bought whatever seems to be useful or nice to have. I changed my criteria by getting knowledge form forums and using my knifes. So I’m ending up whit a lot of knifes I never use and only 3 or 4 I use daily.

The other then those 3 till 4 knifes are just laying around. I think about selling but it all are knifes with lil value (like some used SAK’s and a Glock Field Knife). Maybe I will give them to my buddies or trade them for a nice fixed knife.

I also like to use my less expensive knifes over my more expensive ones. For example my Opinel over my Delica4 for EDC and a Mora over my TAK. IMO you only need a multitool, small SAK, a cheap EDC folder, a more expansive EDC folder, a 4inch and a 7inch fixed field knife.
 
GobsonFan- Good point about knives versus other hobbies. A point I have echoed in the past. I cannot afford a Ferrari (I am a car guy), but I can afford a Sebenza/Busse/Dozier/Strider etc... One of the things I like about knives is that I can buy pretty high-end stuff on my budget. No, I can't afford a Walker or a Moran, but they are more like the million-dollar collector cars of the car collector world, and I am more of a driver, so I'd prefer a Ferrari 355 for under $120K, which is more like a Dozier or Sebenza in the knife world. I also play guitar and own several guitars that cost more than a grand. And they aren't anything that special at all. In the knife world, a grand can get you something really special.

eug2120- If you don't feel the need to get a Sebenza, or a Busse, or whatever, don't. And don't feel left out or like you haven't lived until you have owned one. I just bought some of the higher-end knives because knives are all I am *really* into right now, and I had the money to start buying higher-end knives. Like you said, it is hard to go back. However, I think it is more fun to buy high-end knives, so maybe you wouldn't want to go back even if you could. But a nice Spyderco or BM is nothing to be ashamed of and will cut as well as a Sebenza, so just buy what makes you happy and don't feel pressured into buying anything else.
 
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