Too many- or not enough.

I didn't want to admit it but the Opinel 8 is the perfect Opinel size for Opinels BTW! I rotate that one a bit as well!

I really wish I had room for a nice musk rat or a laguiole right now but I fight the urges and try to get some use out of what I have now as in the winter not much happens with the knives in terms of yard work, making feather sticks, hiking etc...etc...
 
jc57 said:
I think based on both selection bias and survivor bias of the population of your audience, you are not going to find many one-knife-for-life people on a forum dedicated to knives, unless it is the person who is in the brief stage of doing research before buying the one knife, never to be seen again.

So, the contradiction: Yes, we value and even venerate the *idea* of someone using a trusty old pocket knife for many years, and it getting that well-worn character of an often-used tool. However, once you pick "the one" you are simultaneously foregoing all of the other ones out there. So that's the opportunity cost, and therein lies the paradox of choice.

Me, I'm just playing it by ear. Recently I haven't really changed up what I carry much, as I mentioned in my previous post. But I've got plenty I'd like to get some use out of that are sitting waiting, so some day they'll each get their time in the pocket, and eventually end up in the estate sale!
Click to expand...

Corry Hess was a one-knife man until—poor lamb—he fell among us wolves. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1196877-Looking-for-Validation?p=13704755#post13704755

Time will tell if he limits himself to his one new blade.
 
And my OP prob should have been condensed to the following:

Aren't old knives that show lots of gentle wear cool? And isn't it funny how the more knives we get, the less gentle wear we can put on any one of them? Lol
 
As the collection has grown and still having knives from the past that I have worn the steel off the blades from use and the scales are pocket worn from years of pocket time in blue jeans, I find this is something I miss. There's something about carrying a knife from new, working with it, putting wear on it, dings & dents and all. Leaving you mark on your EDC makes it yours over time, making a personal attachment with the knife to where it's a companion that travels with you everywhere you go.

Thinking this over after collecting more than can be carried or used in many lifetimes, I do less rotating of EDC's and carrying many of the same knives for weeks at a time. The wear and tear starts to show on them and to me this is part of the enjoyment of carrying a knife. I guess the memory of the old folks with their worn, carried for years knives, have brainwashed me into thinking this the way an EDC should be.
I still buy knives and still enjoy the less used or NIB knives. These just don't have the personality and warmth a knife you have worked with, show some wear, to where you have left your mark on it.
 
I need a case of Opinel 8 carbones, cchu518. They are fun to tinker with. I intend to make it a priority to get a 12 as well and cut it down so that it's easier to carry, but rooted in robustness.

cchu518 said:
I didn't want to admit it but the Opinel 8 is the perfect Opinel size for Opinels BTW! I rotate that one a bit as well!

I really wish I had room for a nice musk rat or a laguiole right now but I fight the urges and try to get some use out of what I have now as in the winter not much happens with the knives in terms of yard work, making feather sticks, hiking etc...etc...
Click to expand...
 
I feel the same way. Your post is more articulate than mine lol

555 said:
As the collection has grown and still having knives from the past that I have worn the steel off the blades from use and the scales are pocket worn from years of pocket time in blue jeans, I find this is something I miss. There's something about carrying a knife from new, working with it, putting wear on it, dings & dents and all. Leaving you mark on your EDC makes it yours over time, making a personal attachment with the knife to where it's a companion that travels with you everywhere you go.

Thinking this over after collecting more than can be carried or used in many lifetimes, I do less rotating of EDC's and carrying many of the same knives for weeks at a time. The wear and tear starts to show on them and to me this is part of the enjoyment of carrying a knife. I guess the memory of the old folks with their worn, carried for years knives, have brainwashed me into thinking this the way an EDC should be.
I still buy knives and still enjoy the less used or NIB knives. These just don't have the personality and warmth a knife you have worked with, show some wear, to where you have left your mark on it.
Click to expand...
 
pjackst said:
I need a case of Opinel 8 carbones, cchu518. They are fun to tinker with. I intend to make it a priority to get a 12 as well and cut it down so that it's easier to carry, but rooted in robustness.
Click to expand...
check out the Opinel 12 "slim" model!

5dbe44775b6507072f168ca718e1f61e.jpg
 
555 said:
Thinking this over after collecting more than can be carried or used in many lifetimes, I do less rotating of EDC's and carrying many of the same knives for weeks at a time. The wear and tear starts to show on them and to me this is part of the enjoyment of carrying a knife. I guess the memory of the old folks with their worn, carried for years knives, have brainwashed me into thinking this the way an EDC should be.
Click to expand...

That's just it isn't it? If you rotate between knives you don't have an EDC (Every Day Carry).

- Christian
 
I would much prefer to settle on one knife and carry it all the time and I probably will get there eventually, it can just take me a little while to cure my wandering eye.

I did the same thing with watches. Bought a nice watch, an Omega SMP, and then went through a long period of buying/selling/trading and trying all different things out. Went through a lot of really nice watches including a few more SMPs after that first one. Finally, settled down and went back to that first nice watch and I've been wearing my current SMP for about 8 years now.

I think I've found my knife, my stag Ken Erickson spear point in my avatar, so I'm holding onto that one for sure...but my wandering eye does mean a few others find themselves into my pocket and into my hands. That's okay, I like trying out new things and I'm pretty sure once I get that out of my system I'll settle into a true EDC just like I did with watches.

I'm going to let myself enjoy the experimentation that leads up to it though...such as the Charlow and #78 I have arriving today :)
 
I don't think we should enslave ourselves to an acronym (EDC). Also, I choose to view the term as "everyday carry" rather than "every day carry." Everyday is an actual word, which just means normal, routine, ordinary, nothing special.

So with respect to pocket knives, the term means to me, "a general purpose knife carried for those little daily cutting tasks you routinely encounter." As opposed to a special purpose knife that is suited better to specific tasks. A hunting or fishing knife, for example, or the myriads of special purpose kitchen knives.

You don't have to carry the same knife every single day for it to be an "everyday" knife.

So, now that I have defined my terms :p, I get where the OP is coming from. He is in that self-analytical angst stage of knife ownership where he has perceived the irreconcilable conundrum of wanting to carry the same knife all of the time, and yet wanting to have lots of knives.

There are a few ways to resolve the cognitive dissonance:

1 - Pick one, stick with it, quit buying new ones, quit reading knife forums.
2 - Go ahead and carry lots of knives, accepting that you will never get to have the one-knife bonding experience.
3 - Realize that you are actually, in fact, a knife collector. Have a small pool of users, and buy display cabinets for the others.

Or you can go in cycles of acquisition, realization, sell-off, regret, and then start the cycle again with a fresh acquisition phase. At some point in one of the cycles you will pick one of the stable conditions, or you may keep cycling through until change of financial situation, relationship factors, or your death will end the cycle.

I am personally trying for a middle ground, along the lines of option 3. I have one knife that I do truly carry every day, and I supplement it with other knives from a small pool of users. So that means I carry 2 knives most days. One of the benefits of traditional knives is that they are small and easy to carry, so having two is not an issue for me.

In the #2 slot, I have so far this year been picking one and sticking with it for months at a time, before switching out to something else. So far that has meant I have only regularly carried 3 knives this year (other than for occasional specific purposes): The #1 knife carried always (Vic Alox Cadet) and two others in slot 2. At that rate, I might be able to actually give every knife I currently own one turn in my pocket in my hoped-for lifespan. So eventually I am going to need to get some display cabinets, or go through a sell-off phase. Or let the estate sale take care of it for me. :)
 
pjackst said:
And my OP prob should have been condensed to the following:

Aren't old knives that show lots of gentle wear cool? And isn't it funny how the more knives we get, the less gentle wear we can put on any one of them? Lol
Click to expand...

YES! I love old worn knives that show many years of carry and use. I find them fascinating :)
 
jc57 said:
There are a few ways to resolve the cognitive dissonance:

1 - Pick one, stick with it, quit buying new ones, quit reading knife forums.
Click to expand...

Uh, excuse me, but did you know that heretics used to be burned at the stake?:eek:

:D
 
Did you snoop into my cell phone bill or something? Because YOU, SIR, have got my number ;)
jc57 said:
He is in that self-analytical angst stage of knife ownership where he has perceived the irreconcilable conundrum of wanting to carry the same knife all of the time, and yet wanting to have lots of knives.
Click to expand...
 
Hello All,

I have been messing around with pocket knives for more than 50 years, looking for "THE ONE", --I have not found it yet.

I suppose the closest that I have ever got to finding "THE ONE" would have been an old IXL stag handled 3 bladed Stockman, which sadly was stolen.

I try to make do with what I have now, and try not to purchase more, but this is difficult

Cheers.
 
jc57 said:
I don't think we should enslave ourselves to an acronym (EDC). Also, I choose to view the term as "everyday carry" rather than "every day carry." Everyday is an actual word, which just means normal, routine, ordinary, nothing special.

So with respect to pocket knives, the term means to me, "a general purpose knife carried for those little daily cutting tasks you routinely encounter." As opposed to a special purpose knife that is suited better to specific tasks. A hunting or fishing knife, for example, or the myriads of special purpose kitchen knives.

You don't have to carry the same knife every single day for it to be an "everyday" knife.
Click to expand...

Eh. We're going to have to agree to disagree on this one. Nothing wrong with calling the knife in your pocket simply "my knife." You are on a forum for knife enthusiasts, we understand. You don't need to try and give your carry knife added importance by caliing it something it's not.

I think the term EDC should actually have something to do with everyday. Having a rotation or selection precludes that.

Maybe the term has become popular simply because it sounds better than mundane or quotidian carry? ;)

- Christian
 
I generally don't use the abbreviation EDC myself. I was just pointing out that it does not necessarily have to mean "365 days a year, I carry this thing" when others use it.

I am on board with a new acronym of QK for "quotidian knife." :)
 
Quotidian knife. I like that. Much better than quotidian carry.

:thumbup:
 
kamagong- you just coined a good one. QK gets me away from the militaristic root of EDC as well- which is good since I am not a military person.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top