So how do you know you are a REAL knife collector?

golok

golok

Joined
Oct 20, 2000
Messages
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Buying lots of knives doesn't really mean you are a bonafide knife collector.

I have been told that a man can be collecting knives for years and yet cannot be described as a real knife collector. A real knife collector apparently knows all about good knives and bad blades.

He knows what kind of grind works best on achieving what kinds of cuts. He knows the thickness of the blade very often has no bearing on the overall quality of the knife.

He also knows a quality knife comes from a maker's long and hard years of work, hard-earned knowledge through trials and errors, friendship that has led to a wonderful fruit of his labour and other intangibles.

He also knows knives are not just shape, steel and materials. They are much more and it takes more than a pair of eyes to see the rest.

Have I missed out anything? :)
 
garbage
I don't buy it golog.
What I see happen a lot is elitism if there is such a word.
Snobbishness. I have a lot of money and a lot of knives so I'm a REAl knife collector when the high school kid that owns a struggling spyderco collection isn't.
I really don't go for the labels.
You're not a real fisherman because you don't think the way I do.
You're not a real sailor becuse your boat isn't as expensive or classy as mine. Real marinas have a guard at the gate. Whew! geez I've actually heard somebody say that
Real golfer- ????? What the hell is real about golf :-) drop that one
Well a spyderco collector is as REAL as a Loveless collector
probably more so.
yes and I do realize that I went wild when your intent was actually the factor of real being one of knowledge rather than just accumulating.
It's just that when I see an eltitst tone to a post, either real or only existing in my own mind,it disturbs me.
 
To quote the Pope, "I may not know much about art, but I know what I like!"
 
No one starts out as a knife collector. We all start by accumulating those things that we like, and eventually, from the accummulation we discover that we have amassed the seed for a few good collections. Perhaps at that point we begin to consciously seek out knives that we not only like, but which also fit one of our collections. That is when you can begin to call yourself a collector.

n2s
 
I think that even if you just like knives and not own any, and read the periodicals to stay current, then you are a collector.

I sold my Mustang 5.0 and I still follow the sport.

Don't let the snobs derail you. But then, I have feedback. My wife always says over the credit card bill, "Your knife COLLECTING has broken the budget yet again."

Confirmation.
 
A real knife collector apparently knows all about good knives and bad blades.
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If this is true, then there are no real knife collectors. We may have to settle for wanna-be-real-knife-collectors, and dellusional arrogant wanna-be-real-knife-collectors. :rolleyes:

n2s
 
I'm a delusional collector! I have some kerambits that aren't top quality, but I really enjoy the pictures of pterodactyls and other dinosaurs on the box.
 
I think it is just a passion (addiction) for accumulating knives.
 
Actually I am inclined to agree with Bastid. When you have the passion, you really don't need any other reason, or anyone's approval. :)
 
I believe you cross over when you can carry on an intelligent conversation with like like minded people, when you've become educated enough to tell if you might be getting a fake.

But than again there are people who collect by handle materials, by patterns, or by maker, is any one of them less a collector than the other?
 
I am not a knife collector,I am a knife user.Plain and simple the word "Collector" would be the key.There is no hidden meaning behind this word, to collect or keep. I don't keep many knives to long but I always have 10 or 20 that I use. You gentleman/ladies who have your knives in the closet or storage area and keep them for many years ARE collectors and thats that. You may not know a heck of a lot about the steel or the quality but it doesn't matter, you are a collector.If you are just reading books and learning about something then you are NOT a collector but have an interest in knowledge of that subject. Many knife dealers as well as knife makers are not collectors, just knife dealers and knife makers.
 
When any member of your family gives you a "you should have known better than to waste your money" look when you tell them you've just bought a new knife. :(
Ain't it obvious?
 
Once again I default to the term Accumulator, penned by someone on this forum. I accumulate knives, have knowledge of knives,(different patterns, different steels, edge geometries, different locks, scale materials , history. What would you call me?

Also I use the hell out of my knives, as a mechanic I get to test how long an edge will last.
 
A collector is someone who supports the livelihood of a maker or a dealer by purchasing two knives when just one would do the job. ;)

I too agree that there's a big difference between being a knife "collector" and a knife "snob". Has nothing to do with the number of knives you own, how valuable they are, or the depth of your technical knowledge. I consider the high school kid with three Spydercos and a couple of Bucks as much of a fellow collector as anyone.
 
About 16 years ago I realized I had knives freaking EVERYWHERE, and decided to buy a display case at the flea market that weekend instead of a new knife. My girlfriend (who has been my wife for the last 15 years) picked it out, and glued felt in it for me while I was at work the next day. I got them all in and lo and behold, I had 97 knives! 15 years later, I have maybe 25 of those original 97, but have somewhere around 350-400 now. Collector, obsessor, whatever. I just got a Mini-Griptilian, Swamp Rat Battle Rat, and a Cold Steel SRK for my birthday last week, and I think it might be time to count again. To me, a collector is the guy who tells his buddy to drop the Chinese folder at the flea market and hands over his Gerber E-Z out, so that his friend will have a good piece of steel on his side. A collector lives for his Smoky Mountain Knife Works catalog every month, a collector loves to coach his nephews on the difference between ATS34, VG10, and the evils of 440A. A collector sleeps good at night knowing that as long as he has a paycheck coming in, he will always have new knives...
 
Originally posted by jim n
.... a collector is the guy who tells his buddy to drop the Chinese folder at the flea market and hands over his Gerber E-Z out, so that his friend will have a good piece of steel on his side. A collector lives for his Smoky Mountain Knife Works catalog every month, a collector loves to coach his nephews on the difference between ATS34, VG10, and the evils of 440A. A collector sleeps good at night knowing that as long as he has a paycheck coming in, he will always have new knives...
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Jim are we related?:D

You just described the past 25 years of my life.:eek:

Pretty freaky, sounds like a coast to coast parallel we musta had the same parents 'cept one of us was adopted.
 
Simple. You know you are a real knife collector when you're not trying to prove it to anyone or adhere to anyone's foolish notions of what a real knife collector ought to be ;)
 
Originally posted by YoungCutter
Simple. You know you are a real knife collector when you're not trying to prove it to anyone or adhere to anyone's foolish notions of what a real knife collector ought to be ;)
Click to expand...

I think that sums it up pretty well.
 
And those subsequent posts, good sentiments all...

Yet, with regards to n2s's comment "No one starts out as a knife collector." Hmmm...disagreeing a bit there, we 'started out' finishing a friend's collection(s) after he passed away some 3 years ago...

Finishing a 'one of each model' collection of Al Mar SERE's, Applegate/Fairbairn's 'Fighting Knife', and the bane of my existence, Randall Made Knives (RMK's), has been both rewarding and frustrating, not to mention horrendously expensive! (If we'd only known then what we were getting into…lol)

A AMK-3004B, a Boker Damascus A/F, RMK model's #21 & 24, and these three collections 'should' be complete, minus a few odd-ball prototypes, variants, etc...needless to say, it's been a long hard road!

I've gone hungry, gone in debt, sold inherited knives and guns, personal knives and guns, bought a safe, paid for an insurance rider, and finally gotten a large safe deposit box at the bank...

Started a knife business, bought and refinished display cases, had placards made up for each of the display knives, paid money to go to knife shows, and now to display at knife shows...

Written knife articles for magazines, written a reference guide on RMK's; am now writing a book on RMK's, and another on A/F's...not to mention spending a few hours a day here and on other knife forums learning about the steel, grinds, makers, models, and the all important historical context/content that is 'knives'...

Purchased over time, read, tagged, and cross-referenced over 200 knife related books, subscribed to a half-dozen knife magazine's, purchased and read at least 500 magazine back issues...

Made friends, made enemies, and helped out every single 'man-jack' that ever asked for help...given away knives, taken knives as gifts, bought and sold knives, and learned a lot about myself in the process.

Yet, all of this was made possible with the help of my loving wife Edna (who collects old Gerber knives and Jess Horn made folders btw), and all my good friends here in the knife community...

Finally, after all of this 'wheeling & dealing', we're in the black, have put our regrets behind us, and are ready to rock on with 'heads held high!'…Yeah, 'What a long, strange trip' this has been; now, it's time to play! :)

I 'am' a knife collector, as is my wife, and we'll be displaying part of our collection at the Bay Area Knife Collector's Association (BAKCA) show in San Jose, CA. on August 16-17th of this year...hope to see ya there!

Mel, a knife collector ;)
 
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