- Joined
- Jul 13, 2011
- Messages
- 2,090
I joined BF last July (so it’s been exactly one year). Over the past year, I’ve learned a lot and evolved as a person and as a knife enthusiast. The sheer, overwhelming volume of knowledge and wisdom on BF on every imaginable topic--from knife maintenance to collecting to appraising--has put me on a journey of learning and self-discovery. I've only been serious into knives for about 2-3 years, but my knowledge didn't really expand much until I joined the BF community. Before that, I had a few customs and a few factory made knives, but joining BF took my passion for knives to a whole new level.
Spending
A lot of new members have been posting threads asking about spending habits, so I’ll address that part of my journey first. Since joining BF (exactly one year), I've spent about $2,000. The most I've ever spent on one knife is around $275 for a few custom knives (all users). A few of those I've used extensively and enjoyed a lot for their functionality and utilitarian beauty. A few I haven't even used yet (haven’t had the time/opportunity). The most I've spent on factory/semi-custom knives is about $170 for some Buck Custom Knife Shoppe offerings.
Evolving EDC
The biggest effect that joining BF has had on me has been on the subject of EDC. I’ve thought long and hard about what knife should be in my pocket, as I realize that that is a very personal choice. I've evolved my EDC a bit over the past year, reading about knives here on BF and just looking for something I really like that fits my lifestyle and needs. Of course, in order to find that, I’ve had to try to identify exactly what my lifestyle and needs are. That has been the journey. I’ve thought about it a lot. I carried a SAK classic for the longest time, but I eventually discovered that I didn’t like the tiny, non-locking blade. I tried a Buck Bantam Nano, but I discovered that it is a p.o.s. in every way.
I carried my 110 in S30V and Rams Horn for a while, but it quickly went out of rotation. It's still as beautiful as the day I bought it, lovingly cared for and sitting in its box. I doubt it will ever come out of its box again except to admire. It’s too big for EDC, and for woods chores I prefer my fixed blades. But I’m glad I own it and have no intention of selling it. My Spyderco Ladybug has spent the most time on my person (about a year), but recently I’ve come to the realization that I have the space in my pocket and the desire for a larger EDC knife. Not huge, but larger than the tiny Ladybug. So I tried a Delica4 FFG at the advice of forum members. I like it a lot, and with the STR custom clip I had made for it, it's very nice, works perfectly, and really disappears in the front pocket. Anything larger would just be too large for my needs.
But as I began to identify exactly what my lifestyle and needs are, I came to the understanding that I like the solid feel of a traditional lockback, and I don't mind the associated disadvantages (no one-handed opening, more weight, no clip, etc.). But I now know that those aren’t issues for me. I also don't mind a knife riding at the bottom of my pocket, as long as it's slim enough not to be uncomfortable. So after some research on the traditional forums, I started EDC'ing a Case Mini Copperlock, and I love it. In fact, I prefer it to the Delica. Who would have thought? Now I check the traditional forums here every day and regularly read what folks are carrying and using. For the first 10 months of my time as a BF member, I probably never visited the traditional forum one single time. So I’ve changed a few of my tastes on this journey. I'm currently waiting on a Buck Custom Knife Shoppe 501 in S30V and jigged Asian buffalo to arrive, which I tentatively plan to make my daily EDC. I'm basing that on the fact that I really like the heavy, solid feel of a traditional lockback; I love the look of the handle material I've selected; I know firsthand that the Buck CKS can make a heck of a beautiful and solid knife; and I've heard from enough testimonials on BF about how many people have EDC’d the 501 comfortably and happily for decades upon decades. It seems to really fill the “just right” size niche for EDC for me. I know that I’ll wear it on my person every day until it develops all the charm and character of an old friend. Kind of like my zippo armor in chrome, which is covered in rub marks and scratches from years of carry.
High-end knives
I’ve talked many times here on BF about how I am not very keen on the whole high-end folder scene. Of course, the immediate reaction when you bring this up is that you must secretly be jealous of those who have them… or you’re broke. Well, let me state right now that I am not broke. I’m not a millionaire, but I get by. And I’m not jealous. So, why won’t I buy a high-end folder? Two reasons. One: I don’t see the value (I realize that others do see the value). Two: the thick, tactical geometry that most of them have is not ideal for my actual daily cutting needs. Regardless of whether or not they are well-built and worth every penny, the geometries of most of these high-end, tactical-style knives are a bit much for me. They’ll do the job, but not as well as a thinner, more traditional blade style. I can afford to drop $1,000 on a knife if I want to. But I don’t see the value. I’ve looked at it from every angle. Still can’t see it. I can’t even see the value in dropping $500 for a knife. $500 is a lot of dough. $1,000 is even more dough. Even though I can afford it, the value isn’t there for me. I’m not a collector, either. I do own knives that I love and never use, but I still don’t consider myself a collector. I don’t own anything you could call a safe queen.
My collection
So what happened to the “collection” acquired over the course of this journey? Well, I’m keeping them all. I don't plan to sell any of my knives. Every knife I’ve ever bought--even the ones I don’t currently use--are keepers. I don't understand the mindset of buying knives and then selling/trading them; it just doesn’t compute with me. My knives are personal. A lot of thought went into buying each one of them. They are mine, and they aren't going to get sold. I can still take them out occasionally and admire them, clean and sharpen them, maybe even rotate them in my daily use. But for now, I’ve got two knives that have settled themselves into my routine. These are knives I “grab for.” These are the knives that “keep working their way into my pocket” as it were: one for the woods and one for EDC.
My woods knife is a custom Kephart. Cost me less than $200 new. At some point, I’m going to send it out for a custom Kydex sheath with Tek Lok, since I like Kydex sheaths. I’m probably done buying fixed blades since I’ve found what I was looking for. The Kephart has acquired an interesting patina and marks of use; I’ve made it mine, and it has character now. And it performs very, very well at all kinds of bushcraft tasks. I’ll keep the rest and appreciate them, but the Kepphie is everything I need.
For EDC purposes, it's the Case Mini Copperlock, but when my 501 gets here, I’m pretty sure that’s going to be it for my EDC needs. I’ll keep the rest; not selling anything. But I’ll probably stop looking at that point. I’ve identified my lifestyle and needs through the past year of experience. I’ll still keep learning new things, and I might change my mind later. Currently, my knife-buying has slowed down to a crawl lately and might even stop completely when my 501 gets here. At that point, I’ll have plenty of personal, well-loved knives to enjoy… and I’ll have one knife for EDC and one knife for the woods that are of such excellent quality and construction that they will last a lifetime with proper care, developing character and charm over time and becoming ever more familiar to me with each passing day.
Addiction
Finally, let’s talk about addiction. Most knife enthusiasts develop an addiction at some point on their journey. Some people are terminal cases. Some can control the addiction. The temptation bug is still there. Heck. I’d like to get a Benchmade Osborne. I’d like to get more Case Mini Copperlocks in every imaginable variation of jigged bone. I’d like to get some pocketworns and specials from Case. I’d like to get a Buck Vantage Force Pro. I’d like to order a custom spearpoint Gossman Tusker. I’d like to get a Klotzi folder. Etc., etc., etc. The point is that there’s a lot of knives I feel the urge to buy, but I am consciously restraining myself. I have financial and retirement goals I want to hit, and I never was keen on spending money needlessly. We’re talking about thousands of dollars here if I buy all those knives I mentioned, and so I have to control myself. So I’m keeping my spending under control. I am an addict. And I realize that addicts must fight their addiction. Because if you are not controlling your addiction, then it is controlling you.
The journey ahead
But that’s not to say that I’ve stopped learning or spending money.
Of course not. Right now, I still have a great passion and curiosity about learning about knife-making and sharpening. I don’t plan on becoming a knife maker; I’ve never made a knife and probably never will. I just want to understand better how it works, so I can appreciate my own knives better. I’ve been reading voraciously and watching lots of fascinating videos. I just bought the DVDs from Johnson, Osborn, and Caffrey on knife-making, and I’m really looking forward to watching them. As for sharpening, I’ve been freehand sharpening for years now, but I’m still learning and still improving. I just watched the Murray Carter DVDs, and I’m still catching up on all the YouTube vids by all the sharpening gurus. I’ve always used diamond stones, but I’ve got a real interest in Japanese water stones now. I will probably eventually get a set and start learning to do that, too! I’m excited about improving as a sharpener. So there’s still a few hundred bucks left to spend on high-quality Japanese water stones and associated gear.
So that’s my first year on BF.
Spending
A lot of new members have been posting threads asking about spending habits, so I’ll address that part of my journey first. Since joining BF (exactly one year), I've spent about $2,000. The most I've ever spent on one knife is around $275 for a few custom knives (all users). A few of those I've used extensively and enjoyed a lot for their functionality and utilitarian beauty. A few I haven't even used yet (haven’t had the time/opportunity). The most I've spent on factory/semi-custom knives is about $170 for some Buck Custom Knife Shoppe offerings.
Evolving EDC
The biggest effect that joining BF has had on me has been on the subject of EDC. I’ve thought long and hard about what knife should be in my pocket, as I realize that that is a very personal choice. I've evolved my EDC a bit over the past year, reading about knives here on BF and just looking for something I really like that fits my lifestyle and needs. Of course, in order to find that, I’ve had to try to identify exactly what my lifestyle and needs are. That has been the journey. I’ve thought about it a lot. I carried a SAK classic for the longest time, but I eventually discovered that I didn’t like the tiny, non-locking blade. I tried a Buck Bantam Nano, but I discovered that it is a p.o.s. in every way.
I carried my 110 in S30V and Rams Horn for a while, but it quickly went out of rotation. It's still as beautiful as the day I bought it, lovingly cared for and sitting in its box. I doubt it will ever come out of its box again except to admire. It’s too big for EDC, and for woods chores I prefer my fixed blades. But I’m glad I own it and have no intention of selling it. My Spyderco Ladybug has spent the most time on my person (about a year), but recently I’ve come to the realization that I have the space in my pocket and the desire for a larger EDC knife. Not huge, but larger than the tiny Ladybug. So I tried a Delica4 FFG at the advice of forum members. I like it a lot, and with the STR custom clip I had made for it, it's very nice, works perfectly, and really disappears in the front pocket. Anything larger would just be too large for my needs.But as I began to identify exactly what my lifestyle and needs are, I came to the understanding that I like the solid feel of a traditional lockback, and I don't mind the associated disadvantages (no one-handed opening, more weight, no clip, etc.). But I now know that those aren’t issues for me. I also don't mind a knife riding at the bottom of my pocket, as long as it's slim enough not to be uncomfortable. So after some research on the traditional forums, I started EDC'ing a Case Mini Copperlock, and I love it. In fact, I prefer it to the Delica. Who would have thought? Now I check the traditional forums here every day and regularly read what folks are carrying and using. For the first 10 months of my time as a BF member, I probably never visited the traditional forum one single time. So I’ve changed a few of my tastes on this journey. I'm currently waiting on a Buck Custom Knife Shoppe 501 in S30V and jigged Asian buffalo to arrive, which I tentatively plan to make my daily EDC. I'm basing that on the fact that I really like the heavy, solid feel of a traditional lockback; I love the look of the handle material I've selected; I know firsthand that the Buck CKS can make a heck of a beautiful and solid knife; and I've heard from enough testimonials on BF about how many people have EDC’d the 501 comfortably and happily for decades upon decades. It seems to really fill the “just right” size niche for EDC for me. I know that I’ll wear it on my person every day until it develops all the charm and character of an old friend. Kind of like my zippo armor in chrome, which is covered in rub marks and scratches from years of carry.
High-end knives
I’ve talked many times here on BF about how I am not very keen on the whole high-end folder scene. Of course, the immediate reaction when you bring this up is that you must secretly be jealous of those who have them… or you’re broke. Well, let me state right now that I am not broke. I’m not a millionaire, but I get by. And I’m not jealous. So, why won’t I buy a high-end folder? Two reasons. One: I don’t see the value (I realize that others do see the value). Two: the thick, tactical geometry that most of them have is not ideal for my actual daily cutting needs. Regardless of whether or not they are well-built and worth every penny, the geometries of most of these high-end, tactical-style knives are a bit much for me. They’ll do the job, but not as well as a thinner, more traditional blade style. I can afford to drop $1,000 on a knife if I want to. But I don’t see the value. I’ve looked at it from every angle. Still can’t see it. I can’t even see the value in dropping $500 for a knife. $500 is a lot of dough. $1,000 is even more dough. Even though I can afford it, the value isn’t there for me. I’m not a collector, either. I do own knives that I love and never use, but I still don’t consider myself a collector. I don’t own anything you could call a safe queen.
My collection
So what happened to the “collection” acquired over the course of this journey? Well, I’m keeping them all. I don't plan to sell any of my knives. Every knife I’ve ever bought--even the ones I don’t currently use--are keepers. I don't understand the mindset of buying knives and then selling/trading them; it just doesn’t compute with me. My knives are personal. A lot of thought went into buying each one of them. They are mine, and they aren't going to get sold. I can still take them out occasionally and admire them, clean and sharpen them, maybe even rotate them in my daily use. But for now, I’ve got two knives that have settled themselves into my routine. These are knives I “grab for.” These are the knives that “keep working their way into my pocket” as it were: one for the woods and one for EDC.
My woods knife is a custom Kephart. Cost me less than $200 new. At some point, I’m going to send it out for a custom Kydex sheath with Tek Lok, since I like Kydex sheaths. I’m probably done buying fixed blades since I’ve found what I was looking for. The Kephart has acquired an interesting patina and marks of use; I’ve made it mine, and it has character now. And it performs very, very well at all kinds of bushcraft tasks. I’ll keep the rest and appreciate them, but the Kepphie is everything I need.
For EDC purposes, it's the Case Mini Copperlock, but when my 501 gets here, I’m pretty sure that’s going to be it for my EDC needs. I’ll keep the rest; not selling anything. But I’ll probably stop looking at that point. I’ve identified my lifestyle and needs through the past year of experience. I’ll still keep learning new things, and I might change my mind later. Currently, my knife-buying has slowed down to a crawl lately and might even stop completely when my 501 gets here. At that point, I’ll have plenty of personal, well-loved knives to enjoy… and I’ll have one knife for EDC and one knife for the woods that are of such excellent quality and construction that they will last a lifetime with proper care, developing character and charm over time and becoming ever more familiar to me with each passing day.
Addiction
Finally, let’s talk about addiction. Most knife enthusiasts develop an addiction at some point on their journey. Some people are terminal cases. Some can control the addiction. The temptation bug is still there. Heck. I’d like to get a Benchmade Osborne. I’d like to get more Case Mini Copperlocks in every imaginable variation of jigged bone. I’d like to get some pocketworns and specials from Case. I’d like to get a Buck Vantage Force Pro. I’d like to order a custom spearpoint Gossman Tusker. I’d like to get a Klotzi folder. Etc., etc., etc. The point is that there’s a lot of knives I feel the urge to buy, but I am consciously restraining myself. I have financial and retirement goals I want to hit, and I never was keen on spending money needlessly. We’re talking about thousands of dollars here if I buy all those knives I mentioned, and so I have to control myself. So I’m keeping my spending under control. I am an addict. And I realize that addicts must fight their addiction. Because if you are not controlling your addiction, then it is controlling you.
The journey ahead
But that’s not to say that I’ve stopped learning or spending money.
Of course not. Right now, I still have a great passion and curiosity about learning about knife-making and sharpening. I don’t plan on becoming a knife maker; I’ve never made a knife and probably never will. I just want to understand better how it works, so I can appreciate my own knives better. I’ve been reading voraciously and watching lots of fascinating videos. I just bought the DVDs from Johnson, Osborn, and Caffrey on knife-making, and I’m really looking forward to watching them. As for sharpening, I’ve been freehand sharpening for years now, but I’m still learning and still improving. I just watched the Murray Carter DVDs, and I’m still catching up on all the YouTube vids by all the sharpening gurus. I’ve always used diamond stones, but I’ve got a real interest in Japanese water stones now. I will probably eventually get a set and start learning to do that, too! I’m excited about improving as a sharpener. So there’s still a few hundred bucks left to spend on high-quality Japanese water stones and associated gear.So that’s my first year on BF.
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