Underwhelmed with new knives

Comeuppance said:
I think that means your tastes are maturing, or that you don't quite actually know what you want out of a knife. If something meets all your criteria but doesn't satisfy you, it's the list of criteria that is flawed.
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That is a spectacular answer. I'd like to add 1 element to this. Interestingly enough, this was first really considered on a product level at Netflix. Netflix saw in their product algorhthms a interesting phenomenon. They saw that people wanted to like something, but in real situations, they actually watched something else. They found that people wanted to be the type of person that they envisioned would watch foregin films and heavy documentaries, but they ended up watching Ace Ventura 4 times instead. People essentially kept 2 queues - who they wanted to be, and who they actually are.

I tie this often to products. My personal example is -- I look at art knives, and they're incredible, and I buy them - and every time, I end up going back to my utility folders. I want to be the type of person that has a nice suit and carries a beautiful damascus blade, but in the end - I end up wearing t-shirts and baggy pants and reaching for a high quality but somewhat plain utility folder with a 3.4" blade. I'm just not that guy. I can't carry a damascus unique small sebenza or a damascus timascus ivory handled...whatever. I like bulky, kinda boring, high performing folders.

my simple add in is this: learn and buy what you like, not what you wished you liked.
 
Upon thinking about it briefly and holding all of my knives again, I think it may simply be these knives just don't fit my hands as well. I realized that all of the knives with the most "wow" factor for me fit into my hands better than all of the "this is nice but no wow" knives. I've known all along that fit in my hands is a HUGE factor for me, but I didn't realize it was so close to the "wow" factor for me too.

That combined with the above of buying a knife that is good for XYZ but not stepping back and looking at I just don't enjoy or perform XYZ that much.
 
I was in your shoes way back when. Couple of suggestions.

I don't know where you are located, but a big knife show might get you rolling. Blade show in Atlanta on one coast, Eugene show on the other, either of these can't help but get your juices flowing. You won't be underwhelmed at any rate.

Make a list of all of the things you do enjoy in your blades, what features strike a chord in you on a different sort of level, and find a custom maker that emphasizes those characteristics. Work with him/her to get your design right and let the creative process add that "WOW" factor to your knife. Something that is purpose built for you will definitely resonate with you.

Start picking out some pieces that you normally DON'T look for right away. I had stagnated for a while, and on a whim I picked out a balisong. Don't really know why, but I found myself on youtube trying crazy maneuvers and enjoying the hell out of it. This knife got me looking at features in other knives.... titanium handles, blade profiles... pretty soon I had added not one more element to my hobby, but a bunch of them.

Perhaps one of these suggestions might spark something, perhaps not.... but hey, mountain biking is a fun hobby too. :D
 
Perhaps not what the OP meant, but I've been feeling underwhelmed by the selection of new production models offered by manufacturers. Nothing really screams 'must have' to me. I reckon that just means I'm satisfied with my current inventory... :)

-Brett
 
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I’ve been EDCing my first-production-run Rukus for a long, long time. It never gets old for me. It’s a big knife that handles like a dream. It’s powerfully built, but not overbuilt. It handles grunt work or finesse work.

I recently added carbon fiber half scales, and it’s like the knife is brand new to me.

The fun of knife collecting for me is always trying to find a better knife — the perfect wave. I just happened to hit on the Rukus early on. I’ve had a lot of other knives that disappointed me, but they just make me appreciate my Rukus all the more.
 
Market saturation. If you can't find something you like right now i doubt you ever will.
 
Next time you have $250 to spend on a knife, don't. Wait till you have $400-500, and then buy yourself something nicer than you're used to.

Sometimes when you have (or have owned) every $250 knife you ever really wanted, it may be time to step up your game. You may find you'd rather have one $400-500 knife than two more $200-250 knives. And when you get that knife, you'll be like a kid on Christmas morning - totally worth it (if you do your homework).

And do some reading on blade steels and how they perform, sharpen, etc. You won't feel the same about those $30 knives anymore.
 
I have gone from having a 200 dollar limit to having a 2000 dollar limit. I recently traded 6 knives for one and I couldn't be happier. I am going to try and limit my purchase to what I really want.
 
fp627 said:
Recently acquired several new knives. I was underwhelmed with most of them (although not disappointed in any way). They are all great on paper and if I were to make a checklist with what I wanted out of them, the boxes would be all or mostly checked off. Yet, these knives don't bring the "wow" factor to me that many of my previous (and unfortunately often more expensive) purchases did. I don't think it's a $ or luxury thing either, I don't find my more "expensive" (still under $250) knives that much nicer than my $30 knives.

Am I the only one?
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Hello everyone! New here.

I feel what you are saying. I've done the expensive spyderco, benchmade and other brands in the past and none of them last any longer than the better built knives in the $30.00 range today. Knives like the RAT1-2, Avispa, Zancudo, Dozier and the likes.

I have been carrying a Buck Vantage in 420HC and when we are working together my sons RAT 1 doing the same jobs the Buck Bo's heat treated 420HC is lasting longer between sharpenings. Might be the grind as well but the buck Bos heat treated 420HC holds an edge, or cuts longer than more expensive blades in 154CM and ATS34. It even lasts longer than AUS8 I have used.

The construction of the Buck is as durable as the more expensive brands as well. I've have found paying less in this case has given me a better knife. All I do is cut stuff with mine so I like to use what is best. If I had to spend $250.00, and I have in the past then I will. When Buck does their entry level knives so good, I do not see a need to waste that much money. I will wear it out in a few years anyway.
 
fp627 said:
Upon thinking about it briefly and holding all of my knives again, I think it may simply be these knives just don't fit my hands as well. I realized that all of the knives with the most "wow" factor for me fit into my hands better than all of the "this is nice but no wow" knives. I've known all along that fit in my hands is a HUGE factor for me, but I didn't realize it was so close to the "wow" factor for me too.
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This is HUGE for me. I've got a pile of knives that I love everything about...except how they feel in my hand. They're great, and I hate to get rid of them; but I don't carry them, either. I carried a ZT0200 for over 2 yrs, almost exclusively, because it fit perfectly (I did grind down the texturing because it was eating my pants). Some of the aforementioned knives are in that pile only because they couldn't compete with the way the 0200 fit my hands. When ZT discontinued it, I bought another one; just in case I lost (or screwed up) this one.
I've got a Kershaw that I've had for probably 18 yrs - I think I paid about $35 for it, brand new - not a high quality knife; but it just feels right. Periodically, I come across it in a pack or jacket, or actually search it out; and get impressed with it all over again.
 
Capolan said:
I tie this often to products. My personal example is -- I look at art knives, and they're incredible, and I buy them - and every time, I end up going back to my utility folders. I want to be the type of person that has a nice suit and carries a beautiful damascus blade, but in the end - I end up wearing t-shirts and baggy pants and reaching for a high quality but somewhat plain utility folder with a 3.4" blade. I'm just not that guy. I can't carry a damascus unique small sebenza or a damascus timascus ivory handled...whatever. I like bulky, kinda boring, high performing folders.
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It is simply a matter of maturation and accepting who and what you are. I constantly struggle with this kind of thing..... I like Vic SAKs now and carry one everyday. For years, I viewed them as "kids knives" and finally accepted the reality that I carry a knife to cut stuff. But, I see myself with a better higher end knife (or what I consider to be such). So, I carry two knives and frankly the SAK gets 99% of the use. So, why do I do this? I certainly do not feel "knife-less" with only a SAK on me. I guess I like a little variety.

I dress to fit the occasion. But as I grow older, I am wearing fewer jeans and more khaki type pants that are cut slim even to mow the grass.
 
My modern folder user collection has been pared down to about 10 knives over the past few years, and most of the new stuff that's been hitting the market hasn't sparked any interest (one can only see so many titanium framelock flippers with whatever the popular steel of the month is before getting bored). I've found what I like, what I don't like, and everything in between - non-users or pocket jewelry need not apply.

I've moved to buying older knives off eBay and restoring them. I have found that spending $20 on a well-used slipjoint, running it through an ultrasonic cleaner, re-sharpening, and oiling it before it goes back into my pocket more satisfying than plunking down $200 on something that will probably spend most of its life in a box.
 
leghog said:
That's why I buy old knives.
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That is very true too.

My old and probably used Mikov that was cheap as dirt gave me more satisfaction when I got it than a new Fallkniven A1 that I use for everything.

Same for other discontinued knives. Or knives with a history.
 
Its not about price so much for me. I purchase a large bocote sebenza on the exchange Friday, and was quite underwhelmed. In both its price range and lower, I have found more joy in other knives.

My biggest reason for owning knives comes in the ability to play with them. I have anxiety and adhd issues, and flicking/flipping knives calms me down. I carried the seb today and my anxiety has been through the roof. Its even worse when I realize I have no knife at all on me. Hell I even carry a knife clipped to my boxers when walking around the house in the middle of the night.

Tomorrow it will be evicted from the collection.

Like I said, money is not the issue for me. Its all about enjoyment. Normally I shy away from spending more than $350, but I'm having a special knife made by Alan Davis for roughly $1000, but it will be a very special and meaningful knife which will be worth it tenfold.

Back to the topic at hand. I enjoy playing with my $220 Southern Grind ten times more than the sebenza, and my Kizer Ki423 five times more than the monkey. But the monkey is still my favorite knife.

I'm just rambling now and have no idea what my point was. Thanks for reading. I'm an idiotic buffoon.
 
K.O.D. said:
Its not about price so much for me. I purchase a large bocote sebenza on the exchange Friday, and was quite underwhelmed. In both its price range and lower, I have found more joy in other knives.

My biggest reason for owning knives comes in the ability to play with them. I have anxiety and adhd issues, and flicking/flipping knives calms me down. I carried the seb today and my anxiety has been through the roof. Its even worse when I realize I have no knife at all on me. Hell I even carry a knife clipped to my boxers when walking around the house in the middle of the night.

Tomorrow it will be evicted from the collection.

Like I said, money is not the issue for me. Its all about enjoyment. Normally I shy away from spending more than $350, but I'm having a special knife made by Alan Davis for roughly $1000, but it will be a very special and meaningful knife which will be worth it tenfold.

Back to the topic at hand. I enjoy playing with my $220 Southern Grind ten times more than the sebenza, and my Kizer Ki423 five times more than the monkey. But the monkey is still my favorite knife.

I'm just rambling now and have no idea what my point was. Thanks for reading. I'm an idiotic buffoon.
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I've found a lot more joy with my $40 Kershaw-Emerson 4KXL than I ever did carrying a CF-inlaid large insingo Sebenza, or a 0560CBCF, or a 0777M390, or a Field Grade Bodega, or a... There's something about just finding the "right knife". I think it really transcends price, because, once you find it, it's priceless. My Protech Maple Burl Godfather could have cost me 4x as much and I would still love it all the same. I would be just as upset emotionally if I lost it or my 4KXL - reason would set it afterwards, and I'd be more upset practically because of the cost of the Protech, but I would feel the same kind of loss.

Then I would just buy another one. That's why I like factory knives - you can buy your soulmate again if you lose it!
 
Burnout...yup happens to me twice a month, then I get paid and its back after it! Seriously, consider what you expect from your knives, for me its the experience some knives fall short, but many exceed my expectations. I just got my first GEC and I don't think I'll buy another modern folder, but I'll never get rid of my Sebenza, SNG, or my Dragonfly. My fixed blades are now mostly forged and/or carbon steel, but really want to experience CPM 110v...if I don't like it, it goes back in to the ecosystem that is BF...enjoy.
 
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