Now What?

sabre cat

sabre cat

Joined
Jul 4, 2014
Messages
6,191
Good morning everyone. I was thinking earlier today about where I am in my knife collecting and such.

I have been recently scaling back on how many knives I own. Getting rid of blades that don't meet my lifestyle or that I no longer need, etc. and I found that I am at a crossroads.

Here's the problem. There are a few knives that I still want but, very little that I can truly justify in the way of future purchases. For example, I'd like to find a Ritter Griptilian but my 551 in D2 serves me just fine so I don't really need the Ritter. Or, I'd like to find a CPK EDC or EDC2 but the fixed blades I currently own serve me quite well.

Much of my knife purchasing over the past five years has been to fill in gaps in my collection and I am pretty much finished doing that. Sure, I can see some areas to improve but realistically I could stop here and be happy with the blades I currently own.

I have knives for hiking, camping, and hunting. My needs for EDC, work, dress, and travel are all covered. I even have dedicated blades for emergency preparedness. Other than an axe and some sort of machete, my needs are covered.

So, how do you continue to enjoy the hobby even though your "needs" have been fulfilled?
 
sabre cat said:
... my needs are covered.

So, how do you continue to enjoy the hobby even though your "needs" have been fulfilled?
Click to expand...

Your needs may have been covered,
But have you learnt all there is to know about having knives as a hobby?
It has been said that education is a life long process.
Should one wish to get more out from their knives
perhaps one ought to take the time to study what constitutes joy.
And then make plans with a direction that would help create
the necessary zeal or drive in getting more out of your interest.
Don't take the life out of anything prematurely,
otherwise retirement or old age could be a death sentence...
Consider investing in books or written materials on knives.
Join a knife related club.
Visit a knife show or factory.
Make your hobby pay - learn how to pimp, repair or sell.
It is in giving that we receive - nothing beats the joy of habitually giving away knives....
 
I'm not sure if you look at knives as a hobby (I think not) but, if you do, fulfilling your needs is only the first part. ;) If you don't enjoy the hobby of collecting then, as mentioned, perhaps it is time to find new ways to enjoy what you have and/or find a new area of interest. Having NO hobby seems rather dull to me. :eek: My .02
 
My needs are more than filled and I have even been doing some reducing, but I still find knives that I want to try. Just not as many as I once did. In the meantime you can read and participate in the forum in other ways. Each person is different. Some enjoy a huge collection, but myself I like a tight well thought out(IMO) one. I have been working on upgrading where appropriate. You don't have to have 100+ knives to enjoy collecting or be considered a collector.
 
There are knives that you still need in your collection. You just don’t know it yet! :D
 
sabre cat said:
Good morning everyone. I was thinking earlier today about where I am in my knife collecting and such.

I have been recently scaling back on how many knives I own. Getting rid of blades that don't meet my lifestyle or that I no longer need, etc. and I found that I am at a crossroads.

Here's the problem. There are a few knives that I still want but, very little that I can truly justify in the way of future purchases. For example, I'd like to find a Ritter Griptilian but my 551 in D2 serves me just fine so I don't really need the Ritter. Or, I'd like to find a CPK EDC or EDC2 but the fixed blades I currently own serve me quite well.

Much of my knife purchasing over the past five years has been to fill in gaps in my collection and I am pretty much finished doing that. Sure, I can see some areas to improve but realistically I could stop here and be happy with the blades I currently own.

I have knives for hiking, camping, and hunting. My needs for EDC, work, dress, and travel are all covered. I even have dedicated blades for emergency preparedness. Other than an axe and some sort of machete, my needs are covered.

So, how do you continue to enjoy the hobby even though your "needs" have been fulfilled?
Click to expand...

Basically, as I got older and my lifestyle changed, and my needs changed, I got rid of knives I no longer had a use for. By late middle age, I had sold off/given away most of the knives I thought were irreplaceable in my 20's and 30's. By age 50, my lifestyle and needs changed yet again. Now as a genuine old fart, my needs have changed to a much slimmed down smaller collection.

As we go though life, it all changes. Ten or fifteen years from now you may well look back on all the stuff you have now and think "What the hell am I doing with all this stuff!?" I know I did. With age comes a new pragmatic outlook on life. Toys mean way less than the people in your life. I've had a ton of fun giving the stuff to my grandkids and seeing them enjoy it while I'm still here to see it.

Now, all I need is some kind of pocket knife and I'm happy. I find myself way less picky than in my younger day. I find myself keeping in mind of just who, and what I am, how I live my life, and what do I really need.
 
Sak on keychain covers most needs for most people.I like knives and have many but never use most of them.now its saks,opinels and kitchen knives.Everithing else sits on shelf,all the tacticals etc are never used or needed
 
Im getting couple of buck slimline 110 and 112 (mostly for collecting purposes)with thumbstuds and clip,and are way lighter then originals.Sak covers all my needs together with a mora and hatchet that i have in car at all times.My other knives collect dust on shelves mostly except Opinels that i rotate with sak and other victorinox paring ,kitchen-butcher knives.Sak spartan specifically is the one i carryand use,is sheeple driendly and can be used in public anywhere.Bottom of a plate or mug is enough to resharpen it to razor sharp.Few days ago i used at a party to cut a piece of smoked beef tenderloin to very thin pieces for my friends along with some italian cheese.All the knives in my friends house were very dull so i had to use my spartan and it did the job better than expected.I use opinels often,have about 6-7 both inox and carbon and they are excellent for cutting smoked meats and sausages to paper thin slices and i enjoj doing it,especially with opinel12 in carbon thats very thin.Also i forgot about large saks.They are amazing along with tools on them and longer blades,flat grinds and very good steel make it a bargain for what you get.I love large saks and often have carried them for edc and also as sd blade,i know some will laugh but they are more than capable if you know what to do with them.
 
I have been fortunate enough to have a few edged tools, each with a category of work that justifies the reason for owning it. Only a couple see use every day, but that is only because the rest are for jobs I don't do every day. But when I need to do those jobs, I have the right tools. So far, that has been the extent of my collecting. I see all kinds of stuff I want. Some of it I need for something. Some of it I just want. If I need it, I get it. If I want it, I ask myself if it will do a particular job better than something else I already have. If I make that purchase, the item it replaces goes to a relative or friend that needs it. So far, that system has worked for me.
But please don't ask me about all the other junk that collects in my house...
 
For me it has never been about my "needs". I only need a kitchen knife. My knife hobby has been much more about my "wants". Becoming a member of the knife community has been an extremely satisfying experience for me as well.
 
Sometimes you just need a break. I havent purchased a new knife in over 2 months. Thats a long stretch. I just dont see any that are of interest at the moment because I also have more than I need, and I'm really enjoying my current rotation.

But... my eyes are open and I'm browsing the sales forums regularily because I know one is out there trying to make its way to me. I just dont know what it is yet.

So relax, don't overthink it, and when it's time to pull the trigger you'll know.
 
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