The Bitter Irony of Knives...

Sharp Phil said:
Almost all of my knives are users. I figure life is short; there's no point in owning "safe queens" of any kind. I consider my pile of knives an "accumulation," not a collection.
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Accumulation!:thumbup: I love it! That's what I have: an accumulation of knives.:p

I would be perfectly happy at the end of my life to see every one of my high dollar knives worn down to little nubs like my grandmothers Old Hickory paring knife she used for 50 years. Sadly, I know there's no way I'll ever live that long---but I hope not to die before I can give all of them a pretty good workout.

You can't take them with you, so might as well enjoy them while you're here.
 
Note my "name," which is Practical Use. When I first came onto the forum, I wanted a name to express my feeling aboout using my knives.

My edc's:

Benchmade 710 M2
Emerson CQC 10
Benchmade 615
Benchmade 940 Limited Edition Ti
Spyerco Comforte
Spyderco Kiwi
Benchmade Benchmite 310
Benchmade AFCK M2

I use them for whatever I need - not super heavy use, but I don't worry about scratches, coating, or dings. Used at the office, in the yard, and at the shooting range.
 
If I only bought knives for the specific purpose of using, I would only need to purchase once every 10-20 years. And if everyone else did the same, the knife industry would completely collapse and BladeForums would cease to exist. :D
 
I use pretty much all of my high end production knives.

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The ones I dont use are the custom or limited number knives that I got just for my collection.
 

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I use most of my knives and try and rotate them in their use. I have different knives for different purposes. My fixed blades for hunting and camp use and my folders for EDC. I also have a couple Japanese chefs knives that I really enjoy using. I want to get a nice meat cleaver soon for cutting through bone and frozen foods. I don't ever use cheap knives at all. I try not to beat them up because they are made for cutting not prying. Good thread.:)
 
I use most all of my knives...at least once. I tend to buy the 'unusual' but not mall-ninja fantasy junk. Some of my unusual knives are just not good users, so I try them out...once...clean them up and then they get stored. Same-same for 'weapon only' knives, boot knives, daggers, stabbing weapons, autos, etc.

With all the excellent value EDC user-blades out there, it seems to me that any knife over, say, $100 is an 'investment' rather than a user. Just my opinion...
 
To me, the real irony is hard-use steels being coupled with premium handle materials and intricate workmanship to create a knife that is too expensive to use hard. What is the point of putting good steel into a piece of artwork that will never even open an envelope? Of course, the average buyer won't spend the extra money for good steel, much less the other premium materials, so I guess it doesn't really matter.

Like Phil, I'm an accumulator rather than a collector. I use a $180 S90V Military for drywall work.
 
Practical use, what is a Spy(d)erco Comforte? I'm not being a smarta__, as you have some excellent knives there that I like. I'm wondering if I'm missing something, or if it's a typo. Thanks, Joe
 
flashlife said:
I use most all of my knives...at least once. I tend to buy the 'unusual' but not mall-ninja fantasy junk. Some of my unusual knives are just not good users, so I try them out...once...clean them up and then they get stored. Same-same for 'weapon only' knives, boot knives, daggers, stabbing weapons, autos, etc.

With all the excellent value EDC user-blades out there, it seems to me that any knife over, say, $100 is an 'investment' rather than a user. Just my opinion...
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With a small market and unlikely appreciation -- is it really an "investment" though?
 
Flashlife said:
With all the excellent value EDC user-blades out there, it seems to me that any knife over, say, $100 is an 'investment' rather than a user. Just my opinion...
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Pshrynk said:
With a small market and unlikely appreciation -- is it really an "investment" though?
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It depends, anything that's "going to be in demand later" can be an investment...
HotWheels toy cars, Barbie dolls, cap guns, "odd" knives.

What I meant was, I can get a perfectly good "user" for <$100.
If I spend more than $100, it's because I hope to sell it higher in the future (or leave it to my kids to sell).
Or I just like the knife for the heck of it.

Your success in "investment collecting" is in being able to predict (or guess) what will be "hot" years from now.
For example, if I'd bought several Russell Sting's back around 1977 for ~$30 each, I could sell them now for ~$300 each. That's a good investment...if you're willing to wait 30 years to make 10X.
 
I have a fair "accumulation" of Busse clan blades and others and none are queens, but I do use some more than others.

When I first got into steel I wanted blades that could last and take it, if something happens in this world of ours I want to have something I can use the rest of my life because I may not be able to get more.

I even got rid of my cheapie kitchen knives and just use my Henckels.
 
IMO the nicer the knife the more it should be used. Unless they have a specific part to play in my knife collection, I'm starting to find that the extra's become gifts (to people who respect their tools).
 
As an avid cook, I certainly appreciate having good kitchen knifes. I've used a variety of different brands (Sabatier, Forshner, Mac, Global, Henckels). I choose Wusthof as my core set and supplement them with a Japanese sashimi knife and two Asian market cleavers. Despite being less expensive, I prefer asian style cleavers. I'm willing to spend more for kitchen knives, but reluctant to do so for outdoors ones. I recently asked for advice for a better yard work knife, yet don’t want one that’s too nice that I would fret over damaging it.
 
I love the 'show your users' thread that ends up full of pics of LNIB knives.

I don't doubt the blades are users, it just shows how little wear and tear many knives get.
 
I use my high end quality knives. If I have to do something where I need to get a cheap knife for fear of destruction, I get a different tool appropriate for the job.:thumbup:
 
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