"Use it or lose it"

I've been culling the herd for a few yrs now.
I still keep a few cheapies for the kids if needed. Gave my neighbor's son his first blade this year.
 
Selling knives is really not "in me". The amount of money involved is way too small to have any impact what so ever if I did in fact sell them and that includes some that are valued over $500 (not that this number is that high). Just too damn much trouble from my point of view to sell.... then you get people wondering why you add a credit card or pay pal fee..... life is too short to deal with these things.

If I ever sold some, it would not be to get the money. Rather it would be to just get rid of them to what I hope is a "good home".
 
I've been all about upgrading the last few years. My weekday EDC rotation is approx $2850, weekend is approx $15250. I'm a man of very little financial means so anything that doesn't get used costs me money. I own approx 20 knives.
 
I enjoy rotating my knives so that I do use them, even if it's not a whole lot. The only knives I want to sell are ones that I don't use and think others would use, so that I can take the sale money and buy something I will use.

I do still have my early knives, cheapies that I probably couldn't sell. Just don't see the point in trashing them if they work.
 
Charlie Mike said:
I've been all about upgrading the last few years. My weekday EDC rotation is approx $2850, weekend is approx $15250. I'm a man of very little financial means so anything that doesn't get used costs me money. I own approx 20 knives.
Click to expand...
I still have trouble being willing to use knives that cost that much. This has been going on a long time, so I doubt things will ever change for me. But to each his own. If I sold a big chunk of my knife accumulation, I might have enough money in total to pay my home mortgage for a month. I'm assuming that I would have to discount them a bunch.
 
Most of my early purchases were to try a specific steel, lock type, handle mat'l or manufacturer etc. My bag looks very much like noodles drawer so no I seldom give one up due to infrequent carry. I can fondle and remember why I got that particular one and still appriciate it for what it was, an experiment. I carry them all everso often an so can justify hanging on to them even though I do sometimes gift them to someone whom nexpresses an interest.
 
Cow51 said:
My personal policy is I won't buy a knife I'm not going to use. If I get one that I don't use, I get rid of it.
Click to expand...

My personal policy is I won't buy a knife that I wouldn't use....

....if I needed to.

Then I buy them, and put them in the safe until I wear out my excellent users.

My grandchildren will be very well equipped.....
 
BK14 said:
I understand your feeling exactly. I know so many people who don’t even own one quality knife and I have more than I need. So when I don’t use one regularly, I start having the same feeling. I have sold and given a few knives to friends and have really enjoyed seeing the amount of good use that they’ve seen. In order to remedy this, I usually try to avoid getting knives that I realistically don’t see myself using. Also, I “make” myself carry knives every so often just for the sake of carrying them. My Spyderco PM2 and Benchmade 940 are the two biggest culprits of this need.
Click to expand...

Honestly most those people who don't have good knives are that way because they don't give a sh*t about knives. I've basically given up on giving knives to my friends because they don't know how to take care of a knife. So they'll pry with it chip the edge up and do god knows what, then bring it to me to sharpen. Most lay persons upon their knife developing blade play don't even think to tighten the pivot. It just never even occurs to them that blade play is a thing. If anything they think it is a flex feature for added comfort.
 
I have collected fixed blades of good makers, PM2's, Millies, CRK's and some special ZT's. Most of them are gone.
I always carry a large clipped Sebenza (just because) and a belted cross-draw fixed blade. Presently, I'm on a big kick to maximize the utility of my cross-draw fixed. I bought a lot of possibles to "compare" and then sold them. With any luck, I'll be happy and satisfied with my new fixed blade...once it gets modified to my specifications.
 
Last edited:
Sonnydaze said:
I have collected fixed blades of good makers, PM2's, Millies, CRK's and some special ZT's. Most of them are gone. I have gifted a bunch; I have sold most non-special knives.
I always carry a large clipped CRK and a belted cross-draw fixed blade. Presently, I'm on a big kick to maximize the utility of my cross-draw fixed. I bought a lot of possibles to "compare" and then sold them. With any luck, I'll be happy and satisfied with my new fixed blade...once it gets modified to my specifications.
Click to expand...

I'm sure you have probably tried the Guardian but have you tried the Spydie Street Beat? It is the most comfortable fixed blade of that size for me. I think how comfortable the sheath is to wear is as important as the knife when it comes to fixed blades. An excellent fixed blade with an uncomfortable sheath will bne rarely worn.

How small are you willing to go in that fixed blade and what are the intended uses?
 
Lapedog said:
Honestly most those people who don't have good knives are that way because they don't give a sh*t about knives. I've basically given up on giving knives to my friends because they don't know how to take care of a knife. So they'll pry with it chip the edge up and do god knows what, then bring it to me to sharpen. Most lay persons upon their knife developing blade play don't even think to tighten the pivot. It just never even occurs to them that blade play is a thing. If anything they think it is a flex feature for added comfort.
Click to expand...
I see what you’re saying. However most of my friends (close friends at least) are generally pretty good about it. They’ll do things with a knife I wouldn’t do, but realistically I know that I’m a bit over cautious, and I feel like we don’t give our knives enough credit sometimes. Just rarely though, someone will really appreciate the gift and cherish it, and to me, I like to see nothing more. About a year ago I gifted my then girlfriend a Benchmade Mini Griptilian. I wasn’t using it, and thought it would be nice for her to have a good knife from her home state (she lived about 15 minutes from the factory). I had never been particularly nice to that knife, but she treated it like it was made of gold. When it got dull, she meticulously sharpened it on a coffee mug like I taught her, and when it got dirty she used q-tips to clean it as best she could without taking it apart. Unfortunately we’ve since gone our separate ways, but I insisted she keep the knife, and I hope that it’s still being taken care of so well. So at least in my experience, gifting remains worth it. Plus, I like seeing what they can hold up to, almost like watching a torture test video. The use makes it even more fun to bring them back. I recently got a hold of my dad’s Kershaw Nura after a year and a half of carry in Afghanistan and wow was that a fun project!
 
The more I read lines like "knives are supposed to be carried and used" or "if I don't plan to use a knife, I dont buy it," the more I feel guilt for spending multiple grands on knives.

On the one hand, there are just that few opportunities to use a knife everyday. On the other hand, I just like knives for whatever reasons.

Should I shame myself?
 
sharp_edge said:
Should I shame myself?
Click to expand...

giphy.gif

:D

If I had G's to spend on knives, I probably would too.
 
powernoodle said:
I acknowledge my hoarding instinct, and embrace it. Every other area of my life is under control, so I allow myself this obsession. So no, I feel no compulsion to send them to a better place. They are happy right where they are.

v02uRHm.jpg

My Precious.
Click to expand...
Good man. I have some of the same tendencies myself.
I may infrequently have feelings of guilt about something, but certainly not about my possessions. If I can afford them , and don t deprive my family or my future security with my knife acquisitions, why would I want them to go to a better home? I think my knives like being where they are. Most of my expensive ones are nice and relaxed. (They don t get used much.) But they are appreciated for what they are.
Most people wouldn't appreciate my knives the way I do.
Anyway, I m keeping them until I need the money. ;)
 
sharp_edge said:
The more I read lines like "knives are supposed to be carried and used" or "if I don't plan to use a knife, I dont buy it," the more I feel guilt for spending multiple grands on knives.

On the one hand, there are just that few opportunities to use a knife everyday. On the other hand, I just like knives for whatever reasons.

Should I shame myself?
Click to expand...
Hey, if there weren’t people buying nice, expensive knives, there couldn’t be people making nice, expensive knives. No one “needs” a thousand dollar knife, but I’m sure glad they exist! We should all be thanking the collectors of more expensive blades for keeping this cool world afloat in my opinion.
 
Lapedog said:
I'm sure you have probably tried the Guardian but have you tried the Spydie Street Beat? It is the most comfortable fixed blade of that size for me. I think how comfortable the sheath is to wear is as important as the knife when it comes to fixed blades. An excellent fixed blade with an uncomfortable sheath will bne rarely worn.

How small are you willing to go in that fixed blade and what are the intended uses?
Click to expand...
I've been carrying the Guardian 3 for nearly a year and it's the best I've tried...so far. I've had six Guardian 3's; sold one or two...gifted a couple...wearing one and have one nib in the safe. The Guardian 3 has a 0.140" thick blade...which is MUCH too thick to use in the kitchen for slicing veggies...my "HARD USE" of a fixed blade. :) For my cross-draw fixed, I want no thicker than 3/32" spine and a high hollow grind. The simple fact that my large Sebenza, with high hollow grind, decisively slices an apple much more efficiently than any of my fixed blades with similar spine thickness, has taught me what is important in my small belted fixed blade.
My cross-draw knife specs include an approx 3" blade of 3/32" spine, high hollow grind, and a total knife length of 6 1/2 to 7 inches. This means that it doesn't print under my t-shirt (worn outside my belt) and never bothers me with being in that horizontal position all day long. I never notice the Bradford Guardian 3 until I need to use it. Note that my use is very casual contrasted with many folks here. I do NOT get into the woods; I don't carve wood.
Have NOT tried the Street Beat...yet, although the 0.156" spine thickness seems contrary to my casual use.
 
Sonnydaze said:
I've been carrying the Guardian 3 for nearly a year and it's the best I've tried...so far. I've had six Guardian 3's; sold one or two...gifted a couple...wearing one and have one nib in the safe. The Guardian 3 has a 0.140" thick blade...which is MUCH too thick to use in the kitchen for slicing veggies...my "HARD USE" of a fixed blade. :) For my cross-draw fixed, I want no thicker than 3/32" spine and a high hollow grind. The simple fact that my large Sebenza, with high hollow grind, decisively slices an apple much more efficiently than any of my fixed blades with similar spine thickness, has taught me what is important in my small belted fixed blade.
My cross-draw knife specs include an approx 3" blade of 3/32" spine, high hollow grind, and a total knife length of 6 1/2 to 7 inches. This means that it doesn't print under my t-shirt (worn outside my belt) and never bothers me with being in that horizontal position all day long. I never notice the Bradford Guardian 3 until I need to use it. Note that my use is very casual contrasted with many folks here. I do NOT get into the woods; I don't carve wood.
Have NOT tried the Street Beat...yet, although the 0.156" spine thickness seems contrary to my casual use.
Click to expand...

If you like a particularly thin fixed blade the little skeletonized Fred Perrin Le Bowie are awesome. the Spartan Enyo is badass too, but not as thin.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top