The first step is admitting you have a problem.

Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
854
Way back around February, 2011, I began to get a hankering for a good pocket knife after a friend of mine showed me a few of his muskrat skinners that he has had for a couple of decades. I used to carry a stockman on a daily basis and had somehow managed to misplace/lose the old one I had received from my grandfather.

When my quest for a new pocket knife began, I had the following knives:

1 Cheap piece of crap multi-tool
2 Very small knives of unknown make.
1 Small lock-back (Silver Eagle)
1 Smith & Wesson frame-lock
1 Wenger
1 Western brand lock-back
1 Gerber lock-back (small)

For fixed blades, I had the following:

1 PAL knife
8 Junk knives

In total I had 17 knives, most of which I was given or found. The Western (brand) lock-back was purchased back in the late 1970’s and I had traded for the PAL in the early to mid 1970’s. Both knives have seen extensive use, but I quit using the PAL knife when the friend (who traded it to me) died. It is now officially a keepsake in his memory.

Now I suppose I’m dating myself a bit here, but I was shocked (by the prices) when I went to the local hardware store and searched for a good pocket knife. I believe I paid something like $30 (or so) for a Buck hunting knife a couple of decades ago and when that knife disappeared I swore that I’d never pay that much for a knife again.:foot:

It’s probably a New Jersey thing, but the selection of knives was extremely limited; couple that with my sticker shock and we had a recipe for a learning moment.

About that time I had another one of those nights when I just couldn’t sleep, so I was channel surfing when I stumbled upon some knife show. I was mesmerized and made it a point to record the show on those nights that I wasn’t awake for it.

After a couple of weeks I decided to purchase several knives; figuring the prices were in line with what I was willing to pay and a knife was a knife.

I ordered the following:

2 Bear & Bull
2 Beaver Creek
4 Frost
2 Kissing Crane
6 Steel Warrior

I thought the Frost knives were usable junk and the Steel Warriors’ were fairly decent knives, but soon decided that something was missing

So off I went to buy something I could handle before I bought it. Around here Walmart seems to have the largest selection of pocket knives, so I found myself in the local store searching for something that would fit the now burning desire for a good pocket knife.

After careful consideration, I came home with the following:

1 Buck 371
1 Winchester stockman

I was used to carrying the Steel Warrior sodbuster, so I continued carrying it and left my new prizes to sit in their pristine condition. It’s funny now, but I really thought the Buck 371 was too nice to be used.

I was happy – for a short time.

Then I began thinking about a fixed blade, but this time I took some time to do a little bit of research on the Internet before I rushed out and bought something on price alone. It wasn’t long before I learned about Mora knives, so I researched a good seller (Ragweed Forge) and placed an order.

All hell broke lose when I received my first two Mora knives: I was hooked and I quickly ordered some more. I couldn’t believe how great the knives were and how inexpensive a great knife could be.

Soon I was ordering the more expensive Scandi (and Scandi-like) knives from Ragweed Forge: falling deeper and deeper into the knife-loving disease.

Before long, I had the following knives in my collection:

Folders

1 Okapi
2 Kissing Crane (carbon steel with wooden handles)

Fixed Blades

3 Ahti
1 French Trapper
4 Helle
3 Jarvenpaa
2 Lapin Puuko
11 Mora
1 Wood Jewel
1 Roselli
1 EKA
1 Enzo


About this time I read the results from the WSS bushcraft challenge and that got me to thinking about maybe ordering one custom knife – just to see if it could stack up to my Scandi knives.

That was probably a mistake on my part; since then I’ve added the following to my addiction:

Folders

7 Buck
1 Schrade Old timer (carbon steel)
1 Boker
1 Victorinox Farmer
6 AG Russell
5 Opinel


Fixed Blade

1 AA Forge
1 AG Russell
3 Bark River
3 Breeden
1 GL Drew
6 Gray Wolf
1 Grohmann
1 R. Murphy
1 Ka-Bar
2 Kellam
1 Koyote
1 Luke Smith
2 JK

I’ve also been given 6 more Winchester pocket knives (by friends who heard about my knife collection).

So that’s about it – unless you want to count the 7 knives I have on order with JK.

Since February of 2011, I’ve managed to buy 101 knives all because I set out to buy one good pocket knife.;)

I guess I should stop complaining about my wife’s shoes and purses now.:grumpy:

So I’m thinking that you guys/gals with more knives than me might have a problem – but I’m fine as long as I’m chasing you.:thumbup:

How did your addiction begin?
 
Mine began in the late 1950`s. My grandfather was chief of police here in my town. (truth is he was the only policeman at that time) He used to give me the old pocketknives he had taken from "criminals."
 
I think I was born with it. It started with a Kamp King when I was 8, then I added a Queen Country Cousin shortly after that. During my teen years it was mostly combat style knives and my early 20's were early tactical folders (Spyderco and Benchmade). As I have always loved to hunt and fish, the last 15 years have been mainly outdoors related patterns. Until I joined BF I only had two customs (a Chris Reeve and a Laci Szabo) but since then have bought or won 9 or 10 JKs and numerous Moras, Bucks, Rough Riders and old axes and hatchets.

I am not sure why I love knives so much as no one in my family is really a knifehead so it must be an illness I was born with!
 
Hi Tahts -

I have always loved shap and shiny metal things, having several pocket knives as a young boy, and later moving to Buck 110s and later 112's when I was in high school and shortly afterwards.

Later on, I started collecting trappers and mini-trappers, mostly Case, but my collection was always a natural handle material, and I did not buy what I perceived as cheap knives.

I backed out of the hobby for a while in the 2000's, and then picked up the bug again when I happened upon this web forum when someone on gunbroker mentioned the site.

I found that there was a custom knife maker that lived not too far from me in Illinois, and now I have several of Mr. K's creations in my possession.

best

mqqn
 
i started out around 10 years old with a bunch of little junkers my dad gave me to play with. i remember he use to make me go outside on the side walk and literally rub the blade on the concrete until they were so dull you couldn't cut anything lol. i bought a bunch of other cheap 10 dollar knives here and there as a kid with my allowance. then for christmas when i was about 14 years old dad gave me a blackjack mamba folder in stag. man was it pretty. it was the first one he didn't make me dull lol. i proceeded to open a box with it that morning and cut my finger all the way to the bone lol. never said a word just got up and went to the bathroom and washed it out. started wrapping it up and dad was standing there watching the whole time. needless to say we hid it from mom. i still have that knife and it is what set me off on my love for quality blades.

i stopped for a bit while in the army thinking my sog seal pup could handle it all. then got a nice camillus and it started again lol. my collection is pretty out of control these days and i love it :)
 
Back
Top