Second-hand or used knives

Joined
Oct 20, 2000
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I know some people are particular about second-hand knives. That means they don't collect knives that have been used by others.

Only mint condition or unused knives for these folks.

Frankly, I don't mind second-hand knives if I find them interesting or belonging to the rare category.

It's true that most second-hand knives do show some wear and tear signs. Some blades on these knives have been sharpened so often over the years that they are slightly misshapened.

I have a second-hand knife which belonged to my grand-father who died about 50 years ago. It is an ordinary penknife made in Germany. I believe the brand is Tokapi or something that sounds like that.

My grand-father was a hunter. Even though the knife is worn and sad-looking, it holds a lot of memories for me. Before I was born, my grand-father had already gone over to the other side.

That is one reason why I don't mind second-hand knives.
 
Golok, I think your attitude toward life is great. From the quote at the end of your posts and from your words, I can tell you are a person at peace with the world (or soon to be at that state). You can find the beauty in second hand knives, and doubtless other things as well, that elude most people. It was a pleasure to read your post.

I recently bought the book Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh. It's wonderful; it's helping me restore a spiritual balance to the frenzy of my everyday life.

Johnny
 
Myself I'm not crazy about second-hand production knives.

If it has sentimental value or is from a certain era then yes but for the types of knives I'm into these days I prefer them new.

Although I just did a sort of trade deal with Rumble and I got his BM 722 which was in immaculate condition.
 
personally i try to buy all my knives used (in good condition) if possible. im a user so there is no need for me to pay for a new knife when a used one will do the exact same thing for less. appearance means very little and ive found 'wear and tear' to be of very little consequence for well made knives.
 
Hey I once bought a CS Magnum Tanto for 5bux and a CS SRK for 10$ at a pawn shop cause they didnt know anything about cold steel. The only thing wroung with tanto was it needed to be sharpened and the srk was slightly rusted on the edge. If all a knife needs is a little tlc to make it good to go and it saves me a bundle then I have no problems with used knives. I'm a user not a collector.
 
I don't mind buying used knives at all as long as they function well. You usually get a good deal on them and I don't hesitate using them since they have already been broken in.
 
I don't require a knife thats new in the box, I prefer to buy used knives my only requirement is that some numb skull hasn't used it as a screwdriver and/or tried to sharpen it with a electric knife sharpener. you all know the ones I'm talking about; a deluxe model can opener, that has a "special" feature for housewives/(husbands) to sharpen up their kitchen cutlery. God I hate those things!
 
I prefer new, because I sleep with the things next to me! I fondle them! Of course they have to be in a virgin state. :)
 
Alphalpha,
I find fondling knives in the bed to be a risky proposition.;)
I'm one of those who prefers a well taken care of used knife. I don't have to worry about getting that first scratch and I save a few bucks. I have knives in mint condition, and they tend to stay that way, which is why I have to buy the used ones so I have something to cut with.:rolleyes:
G.
 
I prefer knives that are new-in-box. However, I do occasionally pick up a used blade, if it's in good condition and the price is reasonable. ;)
 
sometimes, you pick a winner in used knives! I had a worn Spyderco Worker which is numbered..

Sam
 
Originally posted by Lady Colt
I don't require a knife thats new in the box, I prefer to buy used knives my only requirement is that some numb skull hasn't used it as a screwdriver and/or tried to sharpen it with a electric knife sharpener. you all know the ones I'm talking about; a deluxe model can opener, that has a "special" feature for housewives/(husbands) to sharpen up their kitchen cutlery. God I hate those things!


At last, a woman after my own heart!! :D


I couldn't agree more, Lady Colt. Though the only thing worse than those electric sharpeners is the old onion sharpener, such as the one my parents still use. Those give me shudders.


I have absolutely no problem acquiring second-hand knives provided that they are structurally sound and have not been abused. An excellent example would be the purchase a few years back of my first fixed blade Cold Steel knife. A seller on e-Bay was looking to raise some quick cash by selling some of his camping/outdoors gear and among it was this Cold Steel Carbon V Trailmaster Bowie complete with Cordura sheath. (The new models come with the leather) After the close of the $150 auction (there were no bidders) I negotiated a deal for $130 flat, including shipping. He'd used the knife, but not abused it. Sure, there were some sap stains on the blade where he'd chopped wood (to his credit he offered to have a bladesmith friend buff them out, but I declined) as well as a ding where he'd hammered in a nail, but apart from these cosmetic blemishes the knife was rock solid and in excellent condition. No problems there. In fact it's become my constant camping companion and has never failed me yet.

As for keeping blades for sentimental reasons, I know where golok is coming from because an uncle of mine passed away back in 95' and after his death I came into possession of his Buck model 704 folder. I've maintained it carefully and carry it daily, though I rely primarily on my CS Voyager Tanto for heavy-duty tasks.
 
Most of my collection is older than I am, and some of it is old enough to have traveled through 20 or more owners, so I am comfortable buying second hand knives. Generally if the knife is still in production, or for as long as it is readilly available from new (old) stock, collectors are going to demand NIB or Mint knives for their display. After a while these knives begin to disappear and knives in increasing lesser condition will begin to develop collector demand.

If you are on the market for a knife to use, it doesn't really matter. Most knives of recent manufacture will never be used significantly enough to wear them away. Well, at least not for a long time. By, buying a knife in a condition somewhat below what collectors are intrested in, you can save some dollars and acquire a proven tool.

n2s
 
Not2sharp, How old are you anyway? well since you brought this into the discusion about age and all I must add a few more of the requirements I have when buying used. 1. If its a current mass produced knife I don't want it, a few exceptions of course. I love those 5.00 made in china knives because I don't have to worry about wrecking it either on a monetary basis nor screwing up some high quality steel. I always refer to these types as trash knives, which will never lead to breaking my heart if it is dmaged, unlike some of my other knives which would if they got so much as a flake chipped of a handle or a nick on the blade.
 
I love used knives, although most of my slipjoints, close to 200 are used in excellent to near mint, I usually don't buy worn or abused used knives, unless it's for parts.

Most of my used knives are 40 years or older, I believe alot of the knives made between the 20's and 50's represented some of the best examples of the cutlers trade. Some of these knives had more hand work done than some of the better made production knives have today.

Used knives have character, and if your lucky a known history, if not, it's nice to try to imagine what the previous owner might have used it for.

One of my favorites is a very old German Timber Scribe/Raze Knife, this knife has the initials EB carved into the handle. I have to wonder how many shipping crates were marked with this knife, where it's been, what ports of call, ya gotta remember that these knives haven't been used in probably 50 years.

The other nice thing about used knives, is that most people know I collect knives, sometimes I wind up with their grandpa's knife, or a knife that might have belonged to a brother, or whatever.

To me it's history, one of my favorite knives right now is a Spyderco/Centofante that was used in a pass around started by Dave H., this knife bounced back and forth between the country and was used by a bunch of people on this forum. This knife has history, and replaced a knife that was broken by me, and was irreplaceable through Spyderco.:D

All in all, I'll always be looking for that near mint, used, folder in the fleamarkets, and yardsale boxes. :)
 
If I'm buying a knife for my collection, I want new and unused condition. If I'm buying something for my personal use, I would still like new, but am willing to buy slightly used knives. As long as they have not been abused. I like to do my own abusing, thank you.
 
Sometimes they are great.

One of my early posts in the forums was a request to buy used and abused knives. I was able to get several knives that would have been out of my reach at the time had I bought them new.

I learned about the knives from this. For example the LAWKS safety from CRKT can get very loose. Benchmades lifesharp extends to second owners and is pretty darn cool. You can't hurt a spyderco.

In any event, it was a way to check the feild and has shaped some of my buying since.

My 2cents.

Ed T
 
I'm not a collector. I'm an accumulator of user knives. Every knife I keep becomes a user or I trade it. Those that I buy NIB are sometimes sold or traded without using them. I can usually tell if a knife is a "keeper" by handling it long enough to see if it fits me in the way it looks, the way it feels in my hand, and the way it carries.

I prefer to buy used knives through Blade Forum. I find that people here are honest about the condition. Most used knives I've gotten through Blade Forum people have been in better condition than they claim. Since I intend to use the knives, the lower prices of used knives are an attraction to me.
 
Not2sharp, How old are you anyway?

I am pushing 40, but since some of these knives date from the 16th-19th century, it is a pretty safe bet they older than most of us. :rolleyes:

n2s

(PIC: 19th century pearl handled dirk)
 

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