Use or Collect?

K

KenHash

Joined
Sep 11, 2014
Messages
4,682
How do people balance between "Using" their knives and "Collecting" their knives?
Sometimes I get excited about a knife because I want to use it, and take into account all the "use" factors,
but after I buy it and hold it a few times I decide to make it a "safe queen". For this reason I seem to find
myself constantly buying more knives. Do people decide "use" or "collect" before they buy? Should I buy two of everything? LOL Or should I just use it and not worry about future condition?
 
They all get used at one time or another, I have 3 knives that are mint and those were bought to resell down the road someday
 
I'm one who appreciates a good knife. That I have ended up with 'several' can define me as a collector. I don't purchase knives thinking about "adding to my collection." I buy a knife when I see one that appeals to me. Over time I happen to have accumulated a lot of good knives. I'm a 'collector' by definition but not by intent.

Only bottom line for me is that It's nice to have different types and varieties of knives to select from for daily carry.
 
If I don't use a knife in a few weeks it goes. Most of the time I know if I'll keep a knife by the way it feels --the weight--the grip-- looks don't really matter to me anymore.

I am a user. I don't worry about scratching or taking away from resale or trade value.
 
Why not do both? No need to pigeonhole yourself into one or the other.
 
Some I use, some I collect, I don't worry about balancing them. If I get a new folder, I'll carry it at least a few times. If I get a new machete, I may or may not use it in my yard. I don't hunt, and I'm not neither an Indian fighter, a ninja, a commando, or an assassin, so if If I get a new dagger, or stiletto, or karambit, or big Bowie knife or whatnot, I get it cause I like it, and will most likely never do anything with it other than maybe break down the box it shipped in.
 
"I collect users!"

I like that! Honestly, at my age, I'll never wear out my common users. I just like well engineered and constructed knives. I know I am not a hoarder... I am missing the requisite stack of delivery pizza boxes!

Stainz

PS You make your own rules re collecting or using your knives.
 
I buy knives that I like...that have good blade-steel or design or reputation or pretty wood or inlay grips...whatever appeals to me at the time. I even buy knives that are too small for my hand, but they are so "nice," such as Small Sebenzas...inlaid woods, calf-leather, etc.
However, I sell these soon after... as they are essentially useless to me.
I love the Sage and Caly series of Spyderco and have six NIB Sage models...maybe three Calys in good steels. I look at them; I don't use or carry them. I love the way they feel in my hand, but I never put one in my pocket, although I used to carry a Caly 3 for several yrs when I was working.
I carry a CRK Zaan every day for the past several yrs. I have carried a Large Sebbie also which is a great knife, but sold it like an idiot.
I think there are tons of great knives to be had, at reasonable prices, ($100-$200), but I cannot find anything up through $700 which has yet to kick the Zaan out of my pocket. Anything else is just fluff.
I accept that CRK is "my" standard and I don't argue with it much any more. Once perfection is achieved...why worry?
 
Part of my fixation with EDC items of all sorts is the usefulness component. The wear that develops naturally through use is part of the sexy factor for me. My LEAST favorite blade is one of my sexiest-- an Al Mar Payara that was gifted to me. Because it was a gift, I have a compulsion to NOT use it, which I can't get around. So it sits, stays immaculate, and bugs me. On the other hand, I carried a Spyderco Persistence every single day for well over a year. There are a couple drop dings in the G-10, the blade is off center (it came centered) and it's a budget blade, but I keep it hair popping sharp and I fondle it about 3 times each week.

Similarly, I love the holster wear on the G19 Gen 4 that I carry every day. I love the corner wear on the Inova XS that I used to carry, and I love the wear on the Streamlight Microstream in my pocket. These items that serve me, and have proven their worth to me... I love them.

My particular fascination requires use. I can't get satisfaction from safe queens. I've gotten rid of them.
 
No safe queens here. I keep and use knives I like, and trade away those I don't.

I've gotten much better about making a judgement before buying, these days, and haven't traded much at all, for several years. As you experience more knives and actually USE them, you'll find your niche style, or styles.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your collecting preference, the knives I've ended up keeping tend to be those that would have been worth much more than original purchase price, if in NIB condition, rather than used. I can't imagine trying to collect knives with prospects of selling for profit. Too hard to predict anything. I just buy what I like, and use the heck out of them. Ideally, I'd buy 2 of each, and keep one pristine, but that's not an efficient use of my money.

I say, if you have the means, buy 2 of each. Use the one, and keep the other for whatever future purpose you want. Otherwise, live life to it's fullest, and experience all that you can. Much more joy to be had from using a knife than from fondling.
 
As a couple others already mentioned, collecting and using are not mutually exclusive activities. For the most part, I collect knives that I want to use. There may be the odd knife that I won't use much or at all due to its scarcity, cost, or whatever. But so far the vast majority of my collecting is targeted to knives that I plan to use on a regular basis. Carrying and using them is how I derive enjoyment from my collection.

While some knives are arguably works of art, I can't see myself displaying a collection of knives and enjoying it exclusively for its aesthetics. So - to me - buying or collecting knives that you are not going to use equates to an investment. With few exceptions, I don't view knives as a particularly good investment. Or at least I don't view myself as knowledgeable enough to choose knives that have a reasonable likelihood to appreciate in value.
 
I do both :) if i find a knife i really like, then i definitely buy two of em! For example my sage 1 and bm 940
 
I prefer to use my knives, but some I find I just can't bring myself to use for one reason or another. Those knives usually end up sold, and that's honestly why I'm down to less than a dozen folders and only 6 fixed blades at this point. Used to be way worse...
I have one or two knives I still don't use, but there are reasons for that, other than collecting them.

EDIT: I do agree with the plan to buy one to use and another to admire/keep for later. It's the reason I did not object to having 2 Diskin Fires. Bit on the expensive side but at least I'm not trying to buy 2 Shirogorovs...that would hurt. Definitely sticking to one of those.
 
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I buy users for function, which means that size, weight, blade length and ease of use are major factors. Looks don't really matter if the design allows for unobtrusive pocket carry. I like high quality steel as much as the next person, but something in the 8Cr/AUS8/440C range is quite sufficient. I buy a user knowing it could easily be damaged or lost, so I'm not (usually) going to spend more than $50 on one . . . and half that if possible. I have an EDC rotation made up mostly of knives that cost $25 or less, but today is an exception in that I'm carrying one of my most expensive knives.

Knives I buy for collecting purposes have to appeal to me aesthetically first and foremost. I collect based on design, not function. I have a number of fairly inexpensive tactical fixed blades (Gerber, Ontario, CRKT, etc.) that I would use without hesitation, but they were bought because I liked their designs, whether as a classic example of a fighting knife or some other characteristic. I have a number of variations of some, such as the Buck Nighthawk and CRKT SOTFB. The same goes for folders (Kershaw Cyclone series, Boker Plus Kalashnikov, etc.) that I could carry for various purposes but probably never will. The steel on some of them is pretty vanilla, sometimes as "meh" as 440A, but on the flip side, several were chosen because of a combination of appearance and materials. I don't care for most Spyderco knives, for instance, but I love the look of the Ulize and was further compelled to buy one because VG-10 is at the very least a respectable steel if not top of the line. Likewise, I'll pay more for a ZT than the nearest Kershaw equivalent to get Elmax.
 
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