To edc or not to edc, that is the question.

B

Billybobshouse

Joined
Jul 2, 2014
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I'm new to this forum, but have been an avid gun and knife collector since I was old enough to know what they were. My question is one that every collector must ask themselves in the face of temptation, should I carry this awesome new toy and enjoy it or keep it pristine and hope fate smiles on my decision to abstain from indulgence and bless me with...something I still cannot carry for fear of scratching it but man is it worth more than I paid for it. Here are the two knives in question...please do not give a value, that is not my intention.

A first production run benchmade 62(486/500), no box and the lock was removed and lost. Otherwise the knife is in excellent shape. I did sharpen it, but I took my time and I feel that my edge was a massive improvement over factory.

A brand spankin new in the box only fired a few times microtech venomtech vt-1t with the black glass breaker. I bought it to keep in my safe with my halo 3 I never use or carry either.

Here is a little background on why I am starting this thread. I bought a benchmade 44 in 1996, carried it til the hinges were too lose to trust, and shortly after I got it I hack sawed the t-lock off to keep the blade from getting dinged up apparently a latch gate was too much to ask for at the time .. Little did anybody know how valuable this knife would become in good shape. Also on the edc list was an original benchmade Emerson CQC-7 I acquired in 97 or 98, same story without the hacksaw bit. I have no idea what that knife would be worth today if it was like new in box and I really don't want to know, might make me sick to find out. Anyways, my sarcasm is in no way me beating myself up, I enjoyed every minute of having the best knife on the block and I still do. I appreciate any and all input, thanks, billybob
 
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The way I look at it is this. If you like your knives and enjoy carrying them, carry them without hesitation. If you are too hung up on knife values and possible resale, then make them safe queens. I carry and use all my knives, regardless of value. Personally, I don't have any safe queens and if I'm too afraid to carry and use a knife I sell it.
 
never got any thrill out of collecting. Six of these in different colors, 4 of those in different steels, that sort of thing. I DO however, acquire knives. No real criteria, just whatever trips my trigger at the time.
Everything I have is a user. Period. No safe queens.
 
All my knives are so nice when I get them new. I think for 2 or 3 days about how lovely they are and how they should stay that way forever.

Then I look at one of my older knives and see how awesome it looks used lots. Dings, scratches in the right places, earned patinas.

Then I start using my new knife a lot and fully enjoy it.
 
I don't look at any of my knifes as an investment; and have no safe queens. Some will get used more than other and I'll keep what I like. Sell if it doesn't tickle my fancy. Some make a profit, some break even, and some loose value.

My biased view is use your knifes. In the nicest way possible, I don't think the benchmade has collector value at this point. Might as well carry it if it's legal in your area.
 
The most babied knife I have is a Kershaw Leek; that's pretty much because one time on a quick hike I wanted to see if it could do heavier work than just whittling sticks.... the mighty-thin blade bent a bit at the tip. So my "city-use" knife is justified in it's spoiled upbringing cause it's never going to be a workhorse. That can stay pretty as long as it wants but I still EDC it.

Now my woods knife is about 3 weeks old and I've managed to start wearing out the coating. I'm so proud of this thing :D My favorite hands down. *I don't think I'll ever sell any of my knives*

22days.jpg
 
You only live once, mine as well enjoy it instead of worrying about what may or may not be valuable in the future. Money is money, it doesn't equal happiness, trying to guess what might make money on a thing such as knives when it comes to normal production knives is pointless in my opinion. Use the knife if it brings you enjoyment. If you're one of the people who likes to make safe queens buy 2, one user and one safe queen in case it might become valuable which is unlikely.
 
I have a solution for you. Buy at least one of each knife manufactured and put them in a safe. Just maybe, some will increase in value and you can tell everyone how lucky you were to choose that particular knife. Then carry a $10 Frost Cutlery knife to use. But who knows? They might become collectable in 30 years too.

If this kind of thing makes you happy, go for it and enjoy. Me, I buy knives to use mostly, but some never get used for one reason or another. The same is true of firearms. Yeah. I have firearms that are valued 5-8x what I paid for them.

The joy is not in the accumulation of things, but in learning about those things and using them.
 
I'm also new to the forum and have made the step up into a "collector'ish" situation I guess. I've had knives for a long time, all were users and beaters even though to me they might have been a bit expensive. But now I have some disposable income and wanted to take advantage of some of the higher end production / customs. It's a slow going process with a very steep learning curve.......... I look at sites, read threads, watch videos and check out the makers websites if they have one.

But in the end everything I have is considered an EDC blade to me. It doesn't matter if it's a $35 Zippo pocket knife or the $1425 Praetorian Ti I just bought as a gift for my wife and everything else in between. If I buy it it'll get carried.
 
The knives I designate as safe queens are ones that I just want them to stay nice looking. They're display/show pieces, like artwork. I can't imagine I'll make any money off of them. They're just because I feel like having a 50th anniversary Buck 110 displayed on the bookshelf. Kind of like how I like displaying some old school Plomb WF tools in the garage.

As for users, the first scratch on the blade annoys me. The first scratch on the handle makes me think about buying a sheath. And the first chip on the blade makes me anxious because it makes me wonder if I need to sharpen. After I pass those 3 events, the knife is finally a worry free user.
 
Mora2013 said:
As for users, the first scratch on the blade annoys me. The first scratch on the handle makes me think about buying a sheath. And the first chip on the blade makes me anxious because it makes me wonder if I need to sharpen. After I pass those 3 events, the knife is finally a worry free user.
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Just loan your knives to people and you can accelerate this process. :D
 
Use them. Knives make crappy investments. Even if a knife you bought for $100 turns out to be worth $200 or even $300, it's usually after sitting in a drawer for 10 years. You could have been using it for those 10 years, and should have, because in the scheme of things you have only made $100 - $200. It would be worth it to me to take the loss and use the knife!
 
If you really want to invest in knives I imagine you'd have to get in contact with people close to the company. Find out what companies are new, up and coming. You need the knife to be rare in the future. A knife from today bought from an established company won't fluctuate in value too much, not up anyways, unless the company goes bust and supply is cut off.

I'm not an investor. I take everything I own and fiddle with it to suit me more personally and use it until it breaks. I lost a 120gb ipod I had for about 5 years. But it was a good 5 years sitting as the only source of music to come out of my car stereo. I miss it but it was enjoyed right through the eventual glitches until the bitter end. I averaged around 32k miles a year so you can imagine how often it was on.
 
I find joy in using good tools. Maybe not the "best" tools, but still good tools. Knives are no different. Use them. Save a few that interest you for later. But they don't make particularly good investments just like firearms for the most part are not good investments. They have poor liquidity.
 
I use / carry everything I own. I also am not a collector, and I do not see knives as an investment.

Life is short - my kids will inherit a well used knife collection.
 
Silvanus said:
The way I look at it is this. If you like your knives and enjoy carrying them, carry them without hesitation. If you are too hung up on knife values and possible resale, then make them safe queens. I carry and use all my knives, regardless of value. Personally, I don't have any safe queens and if I'm too afraid to carry and use a knife I sell it.
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I totally agree. My knives are tools and when I buy them I have this in mind. I'm not saying I am not anal about how I care for them, just because it's a tool, doesn't mean I abuse them. I even consider some works of art, but still, in the end, a tool. I am saving for a Sebby, my grail knife, and when I can afford one I will carry it everyday as a tool. Sure when I get my first ding from dropping it I will be pissed, but then continue to carry it as a user. Damn I hate that first ding though! 😩
 
I say do whatever you want. If you are genuinely scared to use it then dont! Down the line the new knife magic may ware off of it and you will be more inclined to use it. When I first got bit by the knife knut bug I bought a BM 940 that I was scared to carry and use. At 16 years old the 170 dollars I spent on it felt like too much to keep in my pocket. But after a few months it found its way in my edc rotation and hasn't left. I'd just play it by ear and go with whatever you were inclined to do first. You can always pull it out of the safe to use down the road!
 
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