State of the collection

Jakeywax31

Jakeywax31

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After a great vacation and unplugging from social media and the internet for a week and a half I had a thought. I have made a 100 percent switch to traditional knives and don't see myself going back to moderns. However I have accrued a fairly large number of knives and don't use over half of them.

I am going to cut my collection down to 10 and every knife I buy another has to go. Only exception is gifts from friends and family.

Have any of you tried this approach? I feel it is going to work great as I will be using the knives more often. I love buying and trying but will only keep it if it can knock one of ten out of my rotation.

Here is a picture of what I am keeping for now.
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I like the approach. I’m doing something very similar with my collection right now. I’m down to my 10 favorite GECs, plus a couple of Bucks. Each of them has something unique about it from the others. I have a final few more I’d like to sell off at the beginning of next year (PayPal G&S limitations and all), but I’d like to get it down to around 10 traditionals that I can reasonably rotate carry.
 
I couldn't do it. I only have 60 odd knives.
Aside from four "RIDERS OF THE SILVER SCREEN" Rough Rider Moose pattern, that I mainly bought for display (tho I have carried and used two of them) I carry and use all my knives. Some may not get carried very often, others only get carried when I know I will need that particular pattern, for example, a pruning knife, an a Marlin Spike, for what I'll be doing that day.
Those not being used are on display.
All have been used. Aside from the aforementioned Rough Rider Moose, when I get a new knife it goes into my pocket or on my belt, for at least a week.
I may not use some of them for a year or more, but it's there should I decide to mix things up a bit. In the mean time, I can look at them.
A couple have sentimental value. For example, the Western Demo Knife the Army Reserves issued me in 1975, prior to sending me to Basic Training. I still have it. I very, very rarely carry it. I have an near identical Marbles MR278 for when I want to carry a demo knife.
A few of my knives were a gift. A couple I won in a GAW. I very much appreciate them, but don't carry them as often as I "should". Most are irreplaceable, even if the funds were available.
 
I have far too many knives as I have been in an accumulation phase for several years now trying different manufacturers, steels, patterns, sizes, grinds, etc. etc.
I has been like a running experiment for years looking for “the one” After trying so many I have started understanding my personal preferences but I am not any closer to finding “the one” and I have come to the realization that there is not one but probably could be effectively reduced to 10 or so.
Some knives get carried a lot, some not at all, but honestly I learned a long time ago that if I sell or get rid anything, at some point down the road I find myself regretting it and saying “I wish I still had that” and usually I end up going out and buying another (at a higher price). Seeing as how the knives aren’t eating anything or consuming electricity or other resources, I will keep what I have.
Speaking of regretting the one that got away, back in the early 90’s I traded an Olsen boot knife with a hollow ground blade for a handmade knife that I ultimately sold years later at a yard sale. The handmade knife I don’t miss so much, but I still kick myself for trading that Olsen 😞
 
I've EDC a fixed or modern with a traditional for years and I doubt very much I could do this
I select the knife size and weight to carry depending on if I'm wearing shorts, jeans, jacket, coat or dress and 10 knives wouldn't cut it
Depending on my funds I do sell a knife to help with another knife purchase and sometimes that's hard to do
Good luck with your strategy hope it works for you
 
Good for you, I've often felt dropping the collection to about a dozen would make all the knives much more special.
I try to keep my collection down to 40 knives. But that's getting very difficult with the gifts and GAWs that I can't get rid of... I could never do 10 for that reason.
 
JohnDF said:
Good for you, I've often felt dropping the collection to about a dozen would make all the knives much more special.
I try to keep my collection down to 40 knives. But that's getting very difficult with the gifts and GAWs that I can't get rid of... I could never do 10 for that reason.
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Hopefully it works out. Gifts are allowed to go over for me.
 
Almost without exception I have always regretted culling collections. Go through the collection and try to remember why you acquired each of them, what were you doing, where were you in your life, what makes the knife unique? Then sleep on it a few days to a week. If you can not lose too much money on it and still feel the need to get rid of it then go for it. That advice goes towards acquisition as well, get knives to help remember important events or celebrate accomplishments, the memories associated with them will make them all that much more valuable. :)
 
Nebuchadnezzar said:
Almost without exception I have always regretted culling collections. Go through the collection and try to remember why you acquired each of them, what were you doing, where were you in your life, what makes the knife unique? Then sleep on it a few days to a week. If you can not lose too much money on it and still feel the need to get rid of it then go for it. That advice goes towards acquisition as well, get knives to help remember important events or celebrate accomplishments, the memories associated with them will make them all that much more valuable. :)
Click to expand...
I totally get what you are saying. My wife and I are going through a less is more phase at the moment. Not necessarily a financial thing but more of getting consumed by your stuff thing. Over the last year we have simplified our life and It feels great. Need and want are a fickle thing as most of you know. I am already happier since I started trimming my collection down.
 
I've been doing something similar for the past year or so. Not quite as rigorous -- I admire your dedication!

I keep my modern folders, traditional slipjoints, and SAKs in separate drawers. That's more or or less how much space each part of my collection gets. When a drawer is full, it's time to clear some out, stop buying them, or both.

It's really nice to spend more time carrying and using each knife. That's the best part. :)
 
I probably have about 20 that are good knives I use.

I have another 20 that are either junk or otherwise undesirable.

An example, a mora companion with serrated blade. My wife got it for me. I don’t need a dive knife for cutting rope and that’s about all its good for.

Then there are several case knives that need to go back. They will be in the good category if they are repaired to suit me. They may end up on ebay of not. I’ll take a loss if that happens. Then there’s a mini copperlock I just don’t care for. It could be better and will go back. Then it’ll probably be the wife’s as she loves hers and needs a spare.

Then I have 3 modern knives with pocket clips. One being a buck 345 I modded by removing the flipper and tuning it to lock up tight. But I haven’t used it in 2 years. I have a Milwaukee button release knife I got at the pawn shop for $3. Cleaned up real nice, no abuse with full blade. I like flipping it but I don’t ever use it.

I have been thinking about culling the ones I don’t care for and buying a decent one I do care for. Maybe a case ridgeback. Had one and sold it and it’s haunted me ever since. Or that case Buffalo hunting knife I been eyeing. I developed a desire for a tribal lock over the last few months too.
 
I cut my collection significantly from around 120 traditional knives down to 40. I wanted to get it down to 25 for no real reason but I'm now dealing with the best of the best in my collection so it's a slow process. Knowing your preferences is key. For example, although I like the look of a single spear blade, I'd rather carry a 93mm Victorinox for the additional functionality. I noticed that I only used the sheepsfoot blade whenever I carried a stockman so those had to go. I've also moved the money I recouped into other hobbies that are more fulfilling personally vs. the buying/selling or the chase of the next knife.
 
Earlier this year I did a purge down to the knives that I couldn’t do without. The ones that stayed for the ones I really love carrying or the ones that had a story. Now I’m slowly growing the crew back. Every time I get a new knife I take through a honeymoon phase before I commit in my mind to make it a keeper. I can’t seem to make myself carry stag and I can’t get rid of the two GEC stags I have. They may just hang out in the knife pouch as the only safe queens. I keep my current users in this tray that was a watch storage box that I cut the top off of. They are in a drawer with my keys and wallet and such. The knife pouch is in a cabinet right above so they aren’t far away if I get a whim.

The 59 acrylic comes in today. Let the honeymoon begin!

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Jakeywax31 said:
… Not necessarily a financial thing but more of getting consumed by your stuff thing… I am already happier since I started trimming my collection down.
Click to expand...

This is it for me as well.

Buying traditional knives got to be a rush for me, like winning the lottery to find a drop and purchase a GEC in the first minute before they were gone. Then after that rush it started to become sort of an “ugh, another knife” thing because I really just wanted the rush of the chase and had no real want for the actual knife, and that behavior pattern kind of took over for a while. Now I just want a manageable collection of traditional users that mean something special to me. I’ll still buy a traditional, modern, or fixed if it really interests me as something different, but that’s become much less frequent as I’ve started really considering the value-add.
 
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