Should I retire my knife?

I am at the same point with an older S30V Ritter Griptilian. It has (maybe Putnam?) G10 scales and has been in my edc rotation for a long time but is still in good shape.

I have been seeing them for sale for $250-300 in similar condition with similar scales which is way more than I payed for it 10-20 years ago. I have a Hogue Ritter I could happily carry if I sold this one or put it in the heirloom section of my knife drawer.

Fwiw, you can buy a new Blur in S30v for $60 now if you sold or retired that one.
 
I’ve retired a couple of long use knives and I’m glad I did. They now represent some of the times of my life. I occasionally break them out and they bring me back..which I like.

Retire that knife and see what else is out there. You will find another knife that works like you need it to and you may have some fun in the search.
 
“How do you convince yourself to retire a knife from everyday carry after it becomes too valuable or sentimental?”

Tried, not because it was to valuable, but knife was sentimental. 1961 my first knife purchase with my own hard earned $ a Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett. When the celluloid scales cracked tried a replacement knife, not the same, then another, nope, a third, nada. Decided it’s sentimental value, mostly had sentimental value carrying it. So it gets carried and used. Currently on its third set of homemade scales. Carry it in my change pocket, with a newer “backup” blade.
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BossMaverick said:
How do you convince yourself to retire a knife from everyday carry after it becomes too valuable or sentimental?

That’s where I’m at. I joined this forum a long, long time ago. A Kershaw (KAI) company rep was very active in this forum back then, and there was a ton of Kershaw fans. They were doing limited production runs back then of exotic blade materials. I was looking for a good knife and listened to the hive, so I asked for a limited production Blur SG2 for Christmas on year and got one. Now, 14(?) years later, I’m still carrying that knife daily and it has wear to prove it. Google searches come up empty for current values. There’s one I saw on eBay for $250, but the dollar value doesn’t bother me too much. For me, it’s the sentimental value of it being a gift and being with me for so long.

I’ve carried this knife long enough that I don’t want to stop, but I know if I break the blade, there’s no replacing it now. I’m at the point that I know I should stop carrying it but I keep doing it because it’s been my go-to knife for so long. I go on rescue calls so I know that there may come a day that I may have to abuse the blade again.

So I need the hive’s help to convince me to retire the knife and move on, or just to keep carrying it. Perhaps hearing stories of others will help.
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the good news is you have 14 years of proof that the Blur is the right knife, and the Blur is still in production. maybe ask Santa for a fresh Blur in a still-available blade steel to use for work, and save the SG2 version as your bathrobe/pajamas/lazy-weekend knife?
 
I understand both sides..
Personally I use my knives no matter what I've done with it or carry it for, I like them and in my pocket it goes.

I have a few knives that are in permanent storage but they are fixed blades that have never been used.
They were gifts or hand me downs.

Personally I would use it till the blade is sharpened to a splinter. No shame in trying out another knife that catches your eye.
 
The only knives that get retired in my world are the knives I get bored with. Those I enjoy, get used for times, and times, and times over.
 
I thought I'd go ahead and post a pic of the two knives I referenced in my first post.

The top is a Wilson Tactical model 25, semi-custom. You probably have a better chance of seeing Bigfoot than seeing another one. I've searched for pics several times but haven't seen any since WT was still in business many years ago. I carried and used that knife for several years. The knife last saw regular use on construction sites.

The other knife is a Master brand "Alpha Team" model MU1132 (heavily modified in this pic).

There were a few incidents that made me reconsider carrying the WT, one involved a serious motorcycle accident I had while wearing it, but to avoid an excessively long post I'll relate the last, and perhaps most decisive incident-

I was on a job site, using my knife to hack through some old drywall following electrical wires. And between hacking and then stopping to pull away chunks of drywall with both hands I would place the dust covered knife on top of a nearby stepladder. Someone came by and bumped the ladder causing my knife to fall about 5 feet onto the cement floor. It landed with a loud assortment of clanks which sent a shiver of dread throughout my body.

I feared what I would find when I picked it up. It's a somewhat heavy knife (almost 1/4" thick, full tang) so it landed pretty hard. Luckily it didn't land tip down, and only experienced some minor "bruising".

The way I felt when I heard that knife hit concrete, and how I felt as I retrieved it, fearing what damage I would see, and the relief I felt upon seeing it was all right, made it clear to me that I valued the knife as more than just a tool- something to be used until it was worn out.

I decided that evening to find a suitable replacement. I had seen a pic of the Master here on BF, it had appealed to me, so I went searching online. The specs were near perfect for me (5-1/4" long blade, 3/16ths" thick, full tang, guard, micarta handles). Heck, it even bears a vague resemblance to the Wilson.

I searched around for the cheapest price, found it on sale at Amazon for $8., and decided I had nothing to lose. The knife ended up really surprising me, both in it's strength, and ability to take and hold an edge. It was the knife I carried and used at work, and away from work for the rest of my working days.

There are three ways in which I value the Wilson- 1. It's a great knife. 2. I just think it's damn cool. and 3. I like how unique and rare it is. Like I mentioned earlier, you're probably never going to see another one.

I'm retired now. And I probably have no actual need for a fixed-blade anymore. But the fact that my fixed-blades might never be used again doesn't cause me to value them any less.


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Semi-retire it. Buy several other knives that grab your attention, use them on a daily/weekly basis. Rotate them including the beloved blur. That way you’re extending the life of all the knives in your rotation.
You just find one that’ll make it easier to retire the blur. You won’t know until you try a different flavor.
Here’s a good thread to look at and see what peaks your interest.

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/kershaw-zt-picture-thread-lets-see-em.1160094/
 
To me it wouldn't be the blade that I would worry about. It would be if the lock has worn out after 14 years.
 
I'd retire it. If you are asking the question, then it's time .
 
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eveled said:
That knife has been with you for half of your career. I think it would be sad to retire it. Unless it becomes unsafe, It retires when you do.

Stay safe out there.
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That’s my dilemma. It’s the one tool that’s been with me for the longest. I want to keep carrying it until retirement, but I also want it survive. The edge already has a few chips and the blade sides have a few deep gouges.

As much as I can pretend and hope that I won’t abuse the knife, things happen and it’s just a tool in the big picture of life. I just don’t want it to be this knife that gets destroyed, so I think I’ve came to the conclusion that I’ll probably just start carrying two knives. It’s over redundancy but I won’t mind sacrificing a replaceable knife if need be. Perhaps that will led me being more ok with giving my SG2 an early retirement from EDC.
 
Lots of us carry two knives. I’ve carried the same knife to work since the early 80’s. I’d be afraid to go to work without it.

You’ll figure it out. I have a Benchmade Triage I like a lot.
 
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Good thread. I'm actually in the same boat, only with an axe. I recently had an axe stolen, but thankfully I got it back, thank God. That axe is sentimental to me. I used to keep it in my truck. After having it stolen from my truck, I am keeping it in the house now. So I need a truck axe I don't care about losing.

But my point is I came to the same bridge as you. I decided to retire something sentimental to me.
 
I don't understand the problem. If you're worried about breaking it, don't carry it, or carry a second knife to use for harder tasks. Myself I'd use it until it croaked. That would be a fitting end to a useful tool.
 
BossMaverick said:
That’s my dilemma. It’s the one tool that’s been with me for the longest. I want to keep carrying it until retirement, but I also want it survive. The edge already has a few chips and the blade sides have a few deep gouges.

As much as I can pretend and hope that I won’t abuse the knife, things happen and it’s just a tool in the big picture of life. I just don’t want it to be this knife that gets destroyed, so I think I’ve came to the conclusion that I’ll probably just start carrying two knives. It’s over redundancy but I won’t mind sacrificing a replaceable knife if need be. Perhaps that will led me being more ok with giving my SG2 an early retirement from EDC.
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I had - the operative word here being "had" - a Snap-On screwdriver. Fantastic tool. A gift from a co-worker that I used for years as a computer repair tech. I would have loved to have kept that tool and used it until I retired, but, somehow it ended up at a customer's location.
At least a broken tool can be kept and framed and hung on the wall as a memento of good times at work.
A lost tool is just someone else's good fortune & you can usually count on it being abused since the price was right.
 
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