not another 'one knife' thread??!!

[bdws1975]

Yep, it sure is.

Let me explain: I've been really struggling lately with my knife addiction. I'm not in debt, I don't spend more than I can, and my wife isn't upset over my purchases.

'So?' you say, 'What's the big deal?'. Well, it's not easy to explain what is the big deal. Even I can't really say. What I do know is this: I haven't carried the same knife in my pocket for more than 1 or 2 days in the last 6 months.

furthermore, I haven't really enjoyed my knives since I started buying like crazy.

I don't like that. I LOVE knives and all they symbolize, but I'm to the point where I am thinking of giving them up, giving up the forums, and not carrying one. I don't really like that prospect. I've carried a knife since I was wee kid.

so, I'm going to try to carry 1 knife for a whole.........





two weeks.

Yep, you heard it right and I typed it right. I'm going to carry this knife for the next two weeks.

why this knife? Simply this: it's the most beat up, worn out knife I own. I just got it from a fellow forum member. it was dirty, gummed up, duller than a butter knife, and seriously gritty. I got it dirt cheap due to it's condition.

I cleaned it up, worked it over on my waterstones, and shined it up. it's not pretty, but it works perfect for any task I'll need it for.

so, in short, this will be my knife for two whole weeks. I'm hoping I can, in those two weeks, remind myself why I like knives, and simple, hardworking ones at that.

thanks for sharing my very short journey.

Best,
Brett

 

[jackknife]

You're a braver man than I, Gunga din!

I tried that, back when we had the 'experiment" going. I didn't last long. My Karen would wake in the wee hours of the morning to find me wondering the house with a vacant look in my eye, searching for something. Or I'd be in the closet with the old cigar box, carressing the old pocket knives while muttering under my breath, "My precious!" Just one knife, what a thought!

I know our fathers got by nicely with a single little pen knife, or such. But then, they didn't suffer from;

"The alffliction".

All of us here in this forum suffer from it in various degrees. Moderate to extreme, its in our blood. One knife? perish the very idea! I have to have my two at least. Three on some occasions.

Ah Brett, you've the courage of youth, I wish you well!:thumbup:

 

[bdws1975]

LOL! You crack me up JK.

Notice it's only for TWO weeks.....I know I can't last long....

but, I'm gonna give it a try....


thanks for the encouragement.

Brett

You're a braver man than I, Gunga din!

I tried that, back when we had the 'experiment" going. I didn't last long. My Karen would wake in the wee hours of the morning to find me wondering the house with a vacant look in my eye, searching for something. Or I'd be in the closet with the old cigar box, carressing the old pocket knives while muttering under my breath, "My precious!" Just one knife, what a thought!

I know our fathers got by nicely with a single little pen knife, or such. But then, they didn't suffer from;

"The alffliction".

All of us here in this forum suffer from it in various degrees. Moderate to extreme, its in our blood. One knife? perish the very idea! I have to have my two at least. Three on some occasions.

Ah Brett, you've the courage of youth, I wish you well!:thumbup:

 

[sunnyd]

Hey there Brett,

Did you ever consider the fact that you might be "obsessive compulsive"?.

I am kidding of coarse, because actually that is in fact what many of us here are and just won't admit it. I think in a way you hit a nerve here on a few points. Be careful though. There is such a thing as over reacting.

And honestly speaking for myself, I could not and would not ever stop EDC'n my favorite pocket knives and/or a sheath knives. Its in my blood since I was a teeny little cuss and I would not know how to walk out my door in the morning without a cutter on my person as my knives are useful to me on an hour by hour basis every day. Good luck to you my friend, I sure hope you find a happy medium.

Anthony

 

[bdws1975]

hey sunnyd,

I agree. It's definitely about balance. That's why it's only two weeks. I just wanna give myself a forced rest from the restless search for the perfect knife.

I really think that's it: I've been searching for the perfect knife fo so long. I get a knife and then immediately find what's wrong with it. I then sell it to finance the next candidate.

I'm just gonna rest for two weeks and enjoy USING a knife, even if it's not my ideal knife.

Thanks again!
Brett

EDIT: also, YES, I am a bit OCD. Ask my employees....they'll tell you...

Hey there Brett,

Did you ever consider the fact that you might be "obsessive compulsive"?.

I am kidding of coarse, because actually that is in fact what many of us here are and just won't admit it. I think in a way you hit a nerve here on a few points. Be careful though. There is such a thing as over reacting.

And honestly speaking for myself, I could not and would not ever stop EDC'n my favorite pocket knives and/or a sheath knives. Its in my blood since I was a teeny little cuss and I would not know how to walk out my door in the morning without a cutter on my person as my knives are useful to me on an hour by hour basis every day. Good luck to you my friend, I sure hope you find a happy medium.

Anthony

 

[338375]

Good Luck on your test...

Don't be hasty though and start gettin rid of stuff.

I can't speak for others, but I suffer from a little problem as well...
I don't even kid myself about finding the perfect knife. There is just to many to choose from.
There in is the problem.. For me its almost more about the quest. Like most of us on here, I have way to many knives as it is.
I find a knife I like, buy it and then its off to find another one.
It never stops...
I did actually burn out a while back. Quit looking, and didn't spend much time on here. I decided it was time to step up and start buying some custom slippes, so I figured I would sell off a few of my other knives to help fund the new addiction... Now I don't know why I sold them. I liked all the ones I sold, and didn't really have to have the money for the new customs.

Anyway, it sounds to me like you are going through a similar thing that I went through, your burned out a little..
Give it a little break and in a while you will be right back to normal? like the rest of us on here

 

[bdws1975]

thank you for the wise advice. I appreciate it.

I think I am a bit burned out, as you say.

I'll see how the two weeks go and go from there.

thanks agian,
brett

 

[yablanowitz]

News flash: There is no one knife that is perfect for everything. Different knives do certain things better than others, but no single blade is best for every task. If there was a perfect knife, it would be the only one for sale anywhere.

I buy knives just because they look interesting. I try them out for a few days or weeks to see how they work for the things I do. Most don't get used enough to stay in the pocket for long, while others seem to take root there. Luckily, I've never been a minimalist, so I usually have a variety of blade shapes, steels and edge geometries handy to suit the blade to the job at hand.

I hope you can reclaim your joy at having a good sharp knife to do what has to be done.

 

[Bastid]

As JK noted your are a better man than I am. Yup, I could most likely get by with one pocket knife I just do not want to.

Problem is I am a mush head also. I have a knife twice as old as I am and I enjoy carrying it. Knives made by friends, knives previously owned by friends. Knives given to me by my dad and uncle. I guess I am saying I also enjoy the story and memories that many of my carry knives hold.

 

[Blues]

Be very careful.

The last time I came back from a hiatus that had lasted a good long while I came back with a vengeance and have hardly looked back!

Taking a breather every now and again isn't a bad thing. Especially if it helps you reconnect with the reason why you felt the passion to begin with. :thumbup:

 

[argel55]

Brett you've already messed up because you know "THE SHOW" is in two weeks. Let's see what you have in your pocket when you come to it. Mike

 

[bdws1975]

Brett you've already messed up because you know "THE SHOW" is in two weeks. Let's see what you have in your pocket when you come to it. Mike

I didn't say I couldn't BUY another knife......

I just can't carry it.....until the 2 weeks are over....

Thanks for the reminder
Brett

 

[myright]

Good luck with carrying the same knife for two weeks.

I am completely opposite. I buy a bunch of knives and don't carry them. I end up carrying the same knife every single day and never getting any of the other knives into the rotation.

 

[Will Power]

Taking a low-key knife that you've cleaned up yourself as your 2wk knife is the right approach! It will make you appreciate your knives as individuals and get you back in the knife groove. You could sell off some of your surplus collection or give them away here in a handout.....

On my desk I've got 19 knives and 2 in my pockets, if I were really honest only 3 of them I couldn't bear to part with but I like all the rest and the other few dozen stashed around the place.Knives are like wines,you go on and off them and then come back again. Family members can be like this sometimes.....especially those who keep questioning the need for more knives!

 

[orca8589]

The "one knife" for me has been a Case large 6.5 Stockman w/CV blades for about the last four or five months.

I did what you've decided to do, about four months ago. We were preparing to move, and I picked up my knife collection, and thought to myself that something was wrong; I thought my wife had just packed whatever loose stuff was around, in my box. Well, when I emptied it, I realized it was only my knives. My knife collection, in my six-drawer IKEA box, weighs around 21 lbs., not including the kukris and bayonets, and what's in my shop and my toolboxes. I'm a packrat - it's a part of my OCD.

I decided years ago I wouldn't own a knife I wouldn't carry, heirlooms excepted, of course. But, with all the deals out there, I had started to "compromise" - a lot. Like another member said, my collection owned me, I didn't own it.

Soooooo, I started purging (at least the ones that I usually didn't carry), and giving more of them away, especially to non-knife owning folks who would appreciate a little cutting tool. Everyone loves them. I've set aside several for our Bear scouts, and kept quite a few that were special (heirlooms, etc.), and also sent out a bunch to folks to check out; ironically, I ended up getting several new ones from some very kind forum folks here, three for the scouts, and a whittler for me to try. I've been making it a point to use as many as I can, more often, and I realized last week that I had gotten away from the "EDC rotation" theme that so many folks talk about here. Having a rotation is good, it's just not what I'm doing right now. That nice Case is handling all my cutting needs pretty well. And she's purty, too.

Giving a bunch of them away sure felt good, kinda makes you appreciate those special ones you've got left.

thx - cpr

 

[bdws1975]

well, it's the first day, and I have a funny story already.

The wife and I went to the club to go swimming, which we do most weekends.

I got done swimming, towelled off, and got dressed. I had my fenix light, my wallet, and my case fishtail knife (see above).

Well, I got to the car, and realized I didn't have my knife. My wife was still in taking a shower, as she usually does, so I was sitting in the car alone. I thought for sure that I had left the knife in the dressing room on the bench. I made a very weird decision NOT to go in after it.

Something in me was glad that I had 'lost' it, until I opened my swim bag and there it was. I was somewhere between disappointment and relief as I slipped it back into my pocket.

Boy, I guess I am screwed up.

I need this little experiment more than I thought.....



Brett

 

[jackknife]

Something in me was glad that I had 'lost' it, until I opened my swim bag and there it was. I was somewhere between disappointment and relief as I slipped it back into my pocket.

Boy, I guess I am screwed up.

I need this little experiment more than I thought....



Brett

Brett, it seems like you're feeling alot of the same type of feelings I had a few years back. Sometimes we can get overloaded, and need to thin out and start over. When I got like that, that, thats when I called the kids and grandkids over gave away all but the few I couldn't do without. Afterwards, it felt good, like a liberation from an anchor to things.

Then you get to start over again. Acumulation in a new direction.

 

[bdws1975]

thanks for the advice JK. I've done pretty much that. I've gotten rid of almost all my knives. I still have my old schrades, a nessie that I love, this case, and a few small pocket fixed blades.

I'm thinning out the herd in hopes of coming to grips with my addiction. I don't mind buying knives, I just want to make sure it's in the right spirit.

thanks,
brett

Brett, it seems like you're feeling alot of the same type of feelings I had a few years back. Sometimes we can get overloaded, and need to thin out and start over. When I got like that, that, thats when I called the kids and grandkids over gave away all but the few I couldn't do without. Afterwards, it felt good, like a liberation from an anchor to things.

Then you get to start over again. Acumulation in a new direction.

 

[kgd]

Hey Brett - I know you are already into this experiment of yours - but wouldn't it have been easier to carry out your test using that little Gossman PSK of yours? (Okay I know that is a little cruel......well maybe it is really, really cruel.....) but I think it would have made your task so much easier.....

Good luck and sorry to hear that you are going through your mid-knife crisis (this is much better than a mid-wife crisis or as a huge-tract land owner going through a mid-fife crisis) but I think it gets to us all at some point in time.

Why do we keep buying and buying and buying. It really becomes a futile exorcise trying to rationalize with yourself that you are are just buying users or looking for the best knife overall. I tried that line on myself and then noticed I kept buying knives of about the same length and function. On the other hand, like yourself, I don't really consider myself a collector. No 'safe queens' has always been my thought before purchase. So guys like us will always come to a point where we find the 'user' mentality inherently conflicting with the collector/art investor mentality and yet our collection matches neither camp.

Perhaps you are doing the right thing. I had to travel quite a bit this year doing a lot of plane hops and ended up for a number of weeks completely knifeless + in circumstances where I felt personally vulnerable (new cities, trails and even a bit of jungle walks). While it wasn't my preferred situation, it did break up some of the paranoia we harbor so frequently here on the forums. Sometimes you just gotta behave like sheeple and in doing so you can objectively look at our hobby....wait wait....hobby - not obsession, not a weird mental disorder spawned by a not so loving father....just a hobby. Much less expensive and obsessive then the typical vinyl collector I might add.

Sorry I'm rambling - if it means anything I think I know what you are going through. Also want to see the humorous side of you pop back out!

 

[bdws1975]

thank you for your post. I really think you've hit it on the head.

I'm not a collector. Never have been. I'm a user.

It's funny, but I started to acquire knives that I'd never use. fixed blades galor. I don't hunt, camp (which I do want to change), fish, etc, yet I've been collecting bigger and bigger fb's.

My real love is in old, used, pocket knives. I love them because I can use them in most situations and they are perfect for my lifestyle. however, I got roped into feeling like I had to buy fb's.

anyway, I really appreciate your post. I really do love knives, but I want it to be a healthy, non-codependent love.

take care,
brett

Hey Brett - I know you are already into this experiment of yours - but wouldn't it have been easier to carry out your test using that little Gossman PSK of yours? (Okay I know that is a little cruel......well maybe it is really, really cruel.....) but I think it would have made your task so much easier.....

Good luck and sorry to hear that you are going through your mid-knife crisis (this is much better than a mid-wife crisis or as a huge-tract land owner going through a mid-fife crisis) but I think it gets to us all at some point in time.

Why do we keep buying and buying and buying. It really becomes a futile exorcise trying to rationalize with yourself that you are are just buying users or looking for the best knife overall. I tried that line on myself and then noticed I kept buying knives of about the same length and function. On the other hand, like yourself, I don't really consider myself a collector. No 'safe queens' has always been my thought before purchase. So guys like us will always come to a point where we find the 'user' mentality inherently conflicting with the collector/art investor mentality and yet our collection matches neither camp.

Perhaps you are doing the right thing. I had to travel quite a bit this year doing a lot of plane hops and ended up for a number of weeks completely knifeless + in circumstances where I felt personally vulnerable (new cities, trails and even a bit of jungle walks). While it wasn't my preferred situation, it did break up some of the paranoia we harbor so frequently here on the forums. Sometimes you just gotta behave like sheeple and in doing so you can objectively look at our hobby....wait wait....hobby - not obsession, not a weird mental disorder spawned by a not so loving father....just a hobby. Much less expensive and obsessive then the typical vinyl collector I might add.

Sorry I'm rambling - if it means anything I think I know what you are going through. Also want to see the humorous side of you pop back out!