Preferences, habits, and branching out

[Hickory n steel]

During the summer I walk my pitbull buttercup late in the evening to avoid the heat, especially more so now that she's getting old.
On the quiet summer evenings in my small rural town I take in the stars and often get to thinking.
This time I was thinking about my habits, my knife preferences, and how I may or may not stray from them.
I'm a creature of habit at heart, and am stubborn in my ways with a number of things.
before joining BF's and getting into traditionals I was pretty much a one user kind of guy, I had a couple other knives to tag along once in a while but the one main knife stayed every day for a number of years.
I now switch it up frequently if not every week most of the time and of course I often carry small slipjoints when before I never appreciated small knives or any kind of two handed or non locking blade as real user , but of course that is just part of maturing and evolving.

More recently I've broken a number of my habits or preferences.
I've tried knives or knife features I said weren't for me, and I either found I liked them or simply didn't hate them enough to give up on them.
Maybe I'm just giving them time to grow on me since I've spent the money, decisions eventually get made here and there but if I don't really hate it I'll " suck it up" and carry them as a change of pace once in a while.

Okay, so now my rambling is over and I've got a question to ask.

Are your preferences & habits set in stone or do you ever change the pace once in a while , and are you're standards for what you keep high or low ?

 

[Lansky1]

Yeah, I'm pretty opinionated. I've owned and tried most everything Case makes over the years. I've narrowed down my preferences to 6 or 8 patterns that I prefer and hunt those almost exclusively. I still listen to 70 & 80's hard rock ... so there ya go

 

[Rich S]

I've carried a SAK Tinker in my pocket for about 30 years when at home. When away, it's a Deluxe Tinker. Sometimes also have a smallish (3") flipper clip to my pocket. That's my EDC system. Of course I have boxed up about 100 or so other knives.
Rich

 

[joeradza]

During the summer I walk my pitbull buttercup late in the evening to avoid the heat, especially more so now that she's getting old.
On the quiet summer evenings in my small rural town I take in the stars and often get to thinking.
This time I was thinking about my habits, my knife preferences, and how I may or may not stray from them.
I'm a creature of habit at heart, and am stubborn in my ways with a number of things.
before joining BF's and getting into traditionals I was pretty much a one user kind of guy, I had a couple other knives to tag along once in a while but the one main knife stayed every day for a number of years.
I now switch it up frequently if not every week most of the time and of course I often carry small slipjoints when before I never appreciated small knives or any kind of two handed or non locking blade as real user , but of course that is just part of maturing and evolving.

More recently I've broken a number of my habits or preferences.
I've tried knives or knife features I said weren't for me, and I either found I liked them or simply didn't hate them enough to give up on them.
Maybe I'm just giving them time to grow on me since I've spent the money, decisions eventually get made here and there but if I don't really hate it I'll " suck it up" and carry them as a change of pace once in a while.

Okay, so now my rambling is over and I've got a question to ask.

Are your preferences & habits set in stone or do you ever change the pace once in a while , and are you're standards for what you keep high or low ?

The timing of your post is perfect. In the last several years I've bought, carried and used just about every traditional knife I could get my hands on. From the $5 specials up to my "man jewelry" customs. But nothing really hits the spot like a single blade user that feels like an old friend.
I'm in the midst of a momentous life change and that means most of the superfluous knives will be sold and outside of a few users and a few specials I know I will have everything I'll ever need.

 

[rbeggs]

I am finding as I get older there is a lot of changing of ideas. Things I used to be set in stone about now are not so much and other things I have finally made up my mind about now are imbedded into my brain and will probably be close minded about from now on. Been carrying a #15 for a couple months now which I thought before was too small but i bought it and chipped the ebony when I took out the bail so I'm carrying that sucker because some things just ain't that big of a deal anymore.
So yes I think I know what you mean Hickory n steel.

 

[Hickory n steel]

I am finding as I get older there is a lot of changing of ideas. Things I used to be set in stone about now are not so much and other things I have finally made up my mind about now are imbedded into my brain and will probably be close minded about from now on. Been carrying a #15 for a couple months now which I thought before was too small but i bought it and chipped the ebony when I took out the bail so I'm carrying that sucker because some things just ain't that big of a deal anymore.
So yes I think I know what you mean Hickory n steel.

Yep that's pretty much it.
I finally decided to give a Vic Cadet a chance and while it's still second to my recruit I have found myself quite pleased with it.
Alox just has a good balance of utilitarian and classy, I can now look past the awful concept of spending more on a knife that's no better only to loose capability.

 

[kamagong]

If anything my preferences are becoming more marked as I get older, not less. I have all the knives I need, making each one I get from here on out pure luxury. I have little patience for the things I dislike (i.e., synthetic covers, glued-in shields, and cover sinkholes) and don't give a knife with these features a second glance.

Does that make me more picky or less picky? I don't require nor even expect perfection. The knives I've bought in the past year have run the gamut -- from the yeoman Aitor Castor to the highly desirable waynorth lamb foot -- and I like them all. As expected the craftsmanship varies with the prices paid. But they share one thing in common, none of these knives have any of my irritations.

That probably makes me a bit inflexible. I had a chance to get the ebony lamb foot in addition to my chestnut bone user. I passed. I just can't stand those sinkholes. Oh well.

I like what I like.

 

[JohnDF]

I have always been a small knife guy and would carry them in my watch pocket. Because I like to stand around with my hands in my pockets, the knife needed to be small and thin so It wasn't a bother as I slid my hand in or out of my pocket. So just about everything I carried was a small single blade.

Comfort of carry has always been my biggest concern when it comes to the knife I have on me.

Then I tried the safety pin idea, pinning off a section of the main pocket so that a knife will ride vertically and not fall over. This has opened the door to carrying bigger knives or a knife with more blades. Some days I'll have a small knife in my watch pocket, other days a bigger knife in my front pocket, and some days a knife in both pockets.

So I guess I started as a creature of habit but now I'm branching out. It has given me the opportunity to try some different patterns that I would have passed over before.

 

[jackknife]

I have always been a creature of habit, and I found that as I got old, this trait got stronger. I have lost a bit of patience for things that don't work for me. Add in that my needs changed with the advancing stages of life in general, and my knife carry has changed a bit.

I started out with a scout knife, went to a army issue 'demo' knife, used a stockman for a couple decades. After my dad passed away and I started to carry his old Case peanut, my knife carry went down in size. The 3/7.8 stockman and 3 1/2 SAK went down to 3 1/4 SAK and coin pocket size jack or pen knife. Moving to Texas changed my knife carrying, as now I conceal carry a firearm and my right hand pocket is where that happens. I want be able to slip a hand casually into the right hand pocket to grasp my handgun easy if things look hincky, so the coin pocket knife has to be small and unobtrusive and not interfere.

In my old age, I've taken my dad's mantra to heart; "It doesn't have to be big, just sharp."

Where once I scorned small knives like the peanut, now it's very very rare for me to carry anything over a peanut size knife. Anything bigger than a Boker pen knife, Buck 309 companion, or Victorinox executive doesn't get carried. If I go in the woods or fishing, there will be a Buck fixed blade hanging on the belt on my right hip. Otherwise the coin pocketknife is enough to get through my day.

 

[gaj999]

I'm kind of a knife slut ... I have such a hard time saying no when something shiny and pretty comes along. But I have this weird point of pride - I use all of my knives. So there's a lot of rotating going on all the time. Along the way I've learned a lot about what I like and don't like. Things I don't like have to go because otherwise I have to carry them and be annoyed about something. Life is too short. I started with a Stockman, 50+ years ago. Got a couple of Buck lockbacks. Then I went and got a job working with electronics. SAK time, for decades. I used every tool and even wore some out. It was after I retired that the lure of shiny pretty hardware hooked me. If you forced me to get rid of everything I don't actually need, I'd keep three. A Vic Electrician for EDC, an FRN modern with stainless and a clip for running, and a Puukko for the woods. But those aren't the ones I EDC. I EDC the pocket jewellery. And I really enjoy it.

 

[afishhunter]

Set in stone:
Traditional

Preferences:
Slipjoint with multipul blades
Buck/Schrade lockback
Fixed blade like a Mora #1 or Western L66
(though I am looking for a good Sgian Dubh preferrably with a carbon steel blade.)

 

[Lansky1]

I'm kind of a knife slut ... I have such a hard time saying no when something shiny and pretty comes along. But I have this weird point of pride - I use all of my knives. So there's a lot of rotating going on all the time. Along the way I've learned a lot about what I like and don't like. Things I don't like have to go because otherwise I have to carry them and be annoyed about something. Life is too short. I started with a Stockman, 50+ years ago. Got a couple of Buck lockbacks. Then I went and got a job working with electronics. SAK time, for decades. I used every tool and even wore some out. It was after I retired that the lure of shiny pretty hardware hooked me. If you forced me to get rid of everything I don't actually need, I'd keep three. A Vic Electrician for EDC, an FRN modern with stainless and a clip for running, and a Puukko for the woods. But those aren't the ones I EDC. I EDC the pocket jewellery. And I really enjoy it.

Same here - I use all the knives I own - not a collector bone in my body !

 

[sXePhenomenal]

I feel like my taste evolves when I have mostly what I like and want. So my mind starts liking other things like recently I’ve started really wanting a Vintage Case Texas Jack despite never owning a regular not trapper jack knife bc I didnt like the way they looked but now I love the looks of several jack knives.

 

[JB in LV]

At this point I’d say I know what I like and don’t see that changing much (now get off my lawn...nah, just kidding, pull up a chair). I am also fortunate to have a little variety in the knives I enjoy and that serve my needs. I have turned to reducing that number by a lot lately.

I posted this pic recently, it reflects a few that I quite like. Cost does not always equate, great knives at all price points - while there is some expensive garbage out there; last years Buck Forum Knife is a gem, and an Alox SAK is “absolutely marvelous”.

 

[Hickory n steel]

I think I may need to take a good look at my knives because I know of a few preferences I have but I realized I'm not actually sure what my knives have in common or how they differ.

My larger 4 - 5" folders


The favorites of my medium 3-1/4 - 3-1/2 " folders.

And the favorites of my smaller 3-3/4 - 3-1/4" folders.


I only have 5 larger folders with the number growing as the size goes down.

I have 13 clip bladed folders, 11 spear bladed folders, and as much as I like it only 8 happen to be in carbon steel with 16 being in stainless.
Only 6 in natural covers , 14 in synthetic, and I've got 4 favored folders with metal covers / sides. I'm just not very picky in this regard.
What I have gathered from this assortment of the knives that actually see frequent csrry is that there are some things I just don't like but beyond that I don't limit myself to knives with the things I like most of all.
I feel it's easy to get too picky and I'd have a rough time if I let this happen.

 

[CelloDan]

I think I may need to take a good look at my knives because I know of a few preferences I have but I realized I'm not actually sure what my knives have in common or how they differ.

My larger 4 - 5" folders


The favorites of my medium 3-1/4 - 3-1/2 " folders.

And the favorites of my smaller 3-3/4 - 3-1/4" folders.


I only have 5 larger folders with the number growing as the size goes down.

I have 13 clip bladed folders, 11 spear bladed folders, and as much as I like it only 8 happen to be in carbon steel with 16 being in stainless.
Only 6 in natural covers , 14 in synthetic, and I've got 4 favored folders with metal covers / sides. I'm just not very picky in this regard.
What I have gathered from this assortment of the knives that actually see frequent csrry is that there are some things I just don't like but beyond that I don't limit myself to knives with the things I like most of all.
I feel it's easy to get too picky and I'd have a rough time if I let this happen.

My collection is very small ( about 25, a few being opinels and saks) .
I am not sure exactly what my knives have in common.
Interesting that we share 5 knives in common
I am not alone

 

[CelloDan]

Looking more in detail my case is a stockman, what is yours ? My grohmann is clip point too ... still very similar

 

[Hickory n steel]

Looking more in detail my case is a stockman, what is yours ? My grohmann is clip point too ... still very similar

Not case is a Texas jack , I modified the secondary into another clip.

My assortment total is about 40 folders, but those pictures are the ones that carried more than just a rare occasion.

 

[Ramrodmb]

............ I had a chance to get the ebony lamb foot in addition to my chestnut bone user. I passed. I just can't stand those sinkholes. Oh well.

I like what I like.

"Sinkholes" seems a bit harsh.
The pins on my Ebony WCLF are done very well .

 

[kamagong]

That's exactly what they look like on smooth cover materials like wood and micarta. On uneven surfaces the effect is less noticeable, which is why I prefer my GECs with jigged bone and stag.