Obsessive compulsive Knife buying

Sounds like MatthewVanitas hit it on the head. If you're running into personal or financial problems over buying knives then it's time to look for some help.

My guess is some folks who collect, collect, collect like crazy can be broadly (very broadly) categorized. They just love the item they're collecting; touching it, using it, appreciating the craftmanship.... that's what most would probably call 'normal' behaviour, and I don't think it matters 'how many versions or copies' of each individual item you have if you're in this boat. You're fine.

Then there could be the replacement kind of collector/'hobbyist', who perhaps used to gamble or drink or shoot too much smack in years gone by and now they need something else to 'focus' on to feel good, or to take their mind off of feeling bad. If you're in this camp, it's time to talk to a close friend, spouse, or counsellor about getting some help. You don't have to say "I'm a knife collecting nutjob and I need help", you're better off looking at what's causing the problem to begin with (talking childhood trauma or unhappy about yourself or something like that). This would be the sucky kind of problem to have as it's gonna mean some hard work on your part, but if you do it you'll be glad you did.

Then there's the mental disorder variety of knife nut. You can't help it, it's not your fault, but there's a doctor shaking a pill bottle out there that can. You need to see him before you collect yourself into the poorhouse. Simple as that.

Man, I hope most of us are in camp 'A'.

And for the record, I'm not saying you as in astxsniper; I mean 'everyone you'... more like you's. :D

In the worst event, whoever's got a serious collecting problem is at least involved in a community here where there's plenty of empathy and good comradery.
 
ashtx - I think you may have a "touch" but you are certainly using it to your advantage.

IMO you are wisely looking ahead and speculating, that is not to say that you do not "get caught up" in your speculation - I think THAT is what worries you. Also, you will have to sell some of "your precious" at some point in order to realize the benefit of being able to get into the next channel of your Search and Aquire. Sometimes thats where Trading is at its best, you share with someone else something you have treasured (and you know they really want it) for something you now desire more.

All and all, you are being smart about your aquisitions AND about realizing it could get out of hand. Just being aware is a good thing, now you can deal with it as you want. :thumbup:
 
read this with mixed emotions

first the good ones, i tawt i was bad and you guys are worse! :D

secondly the bad ones, i am jealous u got more knives! :p

but then again, i am fairly noob :)
 
So many copies, Ash? Sounds like WC Fields when he thought there was going to be a beer shortage, 'cept the beer spoiled before he could drink it all.

BTW, (LOL) there was an old hit from the 60's by Napoleon and Josephine called "They're Coming To Take Me Away." Enjoy the insanity.
 
Sniper, The next time you really want to buy a knife or two, could you buy one for me while you're at it?lol. Now I sell one to buy one. Had to do it.
Lycosa
 
I just tell myself the world is not going to run out of nice knives. There'll always be something new coming along. What's the point of hoarding? Thirty years from now you'll still be able to purchase a knife as good or better than anything made today. Thirty years from now people will probably be using mini pocket lasers, for chrissake. I figure the trick is not to have more than you can actually enjoy. Of course, the upshot to buying knives or other durable useful things is that, if they're taken care of, you can usually sell them and come close to getting your money back or make a few bucks if you're clever.
 
Im fighting a compulsion to buy a BM Instigator at the moment.

i NEED gasoline and beer....If i give in to my urge ill be stranded at home with nothing to drink.
 
I bought 3 Scrapyard Muttly's and 3 SwampWardens and a Strider ED last week.
The Wardens got here today and my first though "I only got 3 I should have got a black and OD one as well.
 
I sometimes feel myself suffering from this disorder. In the last month I've spent $2000 on customs more money then i should have spent in the last 4 months.
 
I know a guy who spent a lot of his life getting stuff the way you described, and now he has a full antique store with a sustainable, for now, inventory. Keep track of what you spent on each and every knife. So long as you never sell for less than what you paid, you can call it business, not manic behaviour.
 
I find this to be a most fascinating thread, especially since I just finished reading a similar thread titled "How many guns are enough" on another website. I suppose that there are similar threads on other sites catering to collectors of whatever.

I suppose that if one were to get into any type of collecting, knives aren't a bad way to go considering that:

1. They are relatively inexpensive compared to other hobbies such as collecting guns, cars, faberge eggs, etc.

2. They are easy to maintain (think cars again).

3. They take up very little space.

4. They are easy to dispose of on ebay or trading forums if one feels to desire to lighten up on or "adjust" his collection.

I personally have just gotten into knives and am experiencing the same desires to buy, buy, buy. Realizing this, I am now trying to set specific parameters acquisitions. I don't know what they are yet, but they will probably involve limiting my purchases to a certain number of knives per year or a certain dollar amount per year, or more likely, a combination of both.
 
since my memory is as short as my attention span, every knife I buy is always the first.

so, no, I don't have your problem.....
 
In life, you are either buying or selling. Places like internet forums underscore the notions that heavy addictions (of all sorts) are well documented and popular. A 200 piece knife collection is not bizarre IF the collection is not controlling you. Ask yourself if your knife collecting is having a deleterious effect on your life. Also, bear in mind that some theorists have concluded that one can never really get rid of an addiction: that predilection would simply undergo a 'transfer' into a beneficial or more positive 'addictive' behavior as a result of changing buying/thinking habits. Next time you consult your doc, ask him if knife collecting is, in fact, a notable addiction that can be treated.

Where you run into a burden of magnum proportions is when you go into heavy debt to acquire tools that you don't need or use. Many folk have snagged 'deals' over the years, others have paid premium prices. Part of the fun here is in the dealing with the vendor or the delight of the search. When the hunting stops being fun or your bank account has been drained, it is time to pause for a moment of thought. The good thing here is that you can always find an outlet to dump your cutlery when you've decided that enough is enough. Change isn't change until you make the change.
 
Man I have the same problem I just ordered 5 red farmers. Good thing they were really cheap.when I was single I would spend $2,000 a month on flashlights knives and guns. Now that Iam married with kids I get $15 a week for mad money and I get to recycle cans and bottles so I saved up $80 and bought the 5 red farmers. Just give youreself a buget and if you need money find a fun way to earn it.
 
what i do at this point is make sure the new knife i;m looking at equals or surpasses what i have now, or i wont buy it. good way to weed out something you may wind up selling a few months down the road.
 
All my adult life, and even as a teen, I have bought as many knives as I could afford to. Lots of them are huge Bowies and choppers that I will likely never need. I just naturally assumed that most folks on this forum had the same disorder.
 
rifon2 said:
It sounds more like manic behavior than OCD.

One characteristic symptom of mania is spending a lot of money that one
does not have; borrowing it, using credit unwisely, using savings unwisely...

OCD is an anxiety disorder.
One who's afflicted with the disorder has obsessions (thoughts which cause extreme
discomfort; even panic) - and then compulsively acts to quell the thoughts.
If they cannot perform the compulsive act to quell the obsession, the person
can become extremely distraught and confused to the point of actual disability.
It is treatable, however. As is mania (the "up" side in manic depression.)

True "Obsessive Compulsive" behavior is extremely serious shit; unfortunately the phrase has found
its way into pop culture and become almost meaningless.

Sorry to get a little heavy where there's a nice jocular tone happening,
but I've worked with this stuff and it is in fact pretty heavy.
Click to expand...

You mean that we are looking into our feminine side? I have seriously reduced my buying to specials on good names and only on really bad office days. My cure was decided by my wife, make them yourself.
 
When the wife mentions that I have too much STUFF, guns, knives, bows, fishing rods. I tell her that were are hunter gathers by nature and these are the tools of our trade. Not sure she buys that one, but sounds good. On a serious note, it seems that hoarding is part of the American culture. The next time you ride down the road, count how many self storage units have popped up in the last year or so. Why would we need so much stuff that we need to rent space in order to store it? I have been to a few of the auctions at the storage units and what is inside is barely worth what the rental fees are.
 
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