Use or Preserve

S

shudaizi

Joined
May 13, 2012
Messages
85
Well I never thought I'd be asking this as I buy knives with the intent to use them. But, here I am nonetheless ... On a whim, I decided to give a Fight'n Rooster (1st Gen) knife a try. A "Deuces Wild" arrived today and now, for some reason I can't explain, I'm not sure if I should sharpen and use it or not. (It is duller than a ruler.) It's in good shape, etch is clear, but there are some scratches on the shield side bolster and a spot of black pitting on the tang (shield side -- visible in the fourth pic), so it's not perfectly pristine.

I'm feeling bad for even being perplexed about this. Advice? :o


Below are pics -- some (on red) are seller's, others are quick scanner images.



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Excuse me the stupid question, but is that an engraving or an etching. It seems like an engraving - maybe that´s just because of the pics...

If so, any use won´t damage the collectors value on it. If it´s just etched - I would use it also (but just because I´m no collector) and the whole knife begs being used ;)
 
Preserve it!
It is hard to find a first Gen in near mint condition! Why erase history that has been entrusted to you??
 
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Thanks for the input fellas!

APF: he's dead, not sure he'll mind either way ;) More seriously, that was my original plan and I very well might, though this would be the first time I think I would actually be less than happy to see patina growing and that is my hiccup.
A.P.F. said:
Honor the maker by using and enjoying it.
Click to expand...

Humppa, not a stupid question at all! I'm pretty sure it's an etch -- not deep at all. So, use will wear it away, but to be honest I generally don't like etches much and can't wait to see them fade. And this one isn't really my cup of tea either -- so it's just the knowledge that once it fades, it's not "near mint" that is holding me back. And that's something I didn't expect. Probably if I'd use it, I would stop worrying about it completely however. :D
Humppa said:
Excuse me the stupid question, but is that an engraving or an etching. It seems like an engraving - maybe that´s just because of the pics...
If so, any use won´t damage the collectors value on it. If it´s just etched - I would use it also (but just because I´m no collector) and the whole knife begs being used ;)
Click to expand...


Waynorth, I did see your first post "offering" two or three users in exchange... made me chuckle! Since this is "only" 30 years old, I've used nearly pristine knives that are older than this (e.g., a Camillus 33 from 1946-50 that still had original blade polish) without any hesitation, but somehow I'm waffling now. My long-suppressed collector urge, I suppose. I'm scared of that slippery slope too though. :D
waynorth said:
Preserve it!
It is hard to find a first Gen in near mint condition! Why erase history that has been entrusted to you??
Click to expand...
 
For me that would be a safe queen, something to pull out and coon finger every once and a while, maybe open mail at the most
 
I would not be able to use such a knife myself...unless it was already broken in...I have wrestled with this same question about a gold etch knife that I own, which had previously been used. I carried it a bit, but just didn't feel right putting it to any serious use...I have many others for that...
 
Preserve it. 1 of 600 is truly hard to get. I would carry it when you go out but I wouldn't use it. There are other similar knives that you could purchase for hard use
 
Sharpen it. Oil the stag and joint. Carry and use it.
There are much more important things to stress about.
At least you'll have a cool knife in your pocket. :)
 
There's no real "correct" answer for you. It is a piece of history and preserving it has its place. But it is, after all, a functional knife and if you want to use it, then go ahead and use it. I suspect that you bought it not out of the burning need for a new user, so if that is the case, I recommend that you care for it, but keep it in the best, unused condition you can. If you can't, don't feel you want to do that, then maybe Charlie's offer makes some sense for you.

If it were mine, I'd put it away and keep it in good condition. ....maybe.

Ed J
 
There is another side of this also. I bought a nearly unused knife at a gun show for $10, and sold it 15 or so years later for $970!! It was a Marbles Dall d'Weese in its original sheath.
Today it has doubled again in value . . . .makes you think . . . . . .
 
waynorth said:
There is another side of this also. I bought a nearly unused knife at a gun show for $10, and sold it 15 or so years later for $970!! It was a Marbles Dall d'Weese in its original sheath.
Today it has doubled again in value . . . .makes you think . . . . . .
Click to expand...

There is another side of this also. If eventual resale value is of no concern and since you can't take 'em with you when you take that last ride to the graveyard, why not just enjoy the knife in whatever manner suits you?

Preserve?, fine. Use?, fine. Both are viable. If you feel that you are the knife's custodian, there's nothing wrong with that. On the other hand, if you would get great satisfaction out of sharpening, carrying and using the knife, whose subsequent pleasure down the road is more worthy than your own? Especially if you plunked down your hard earned cash for it.

(Personally, I think this discussion, which comes up pretty regularly, has no right answer except for the answer which is right for the individual.)

Respectfully submitted for your consideration, of course.
 
Thanks to everyone sharing their thoughts and "if it were me ..."-s. I'm quoting waynorth and elliot, but I appreciate all the comments, really -- especially as this issue is a tired one on this board.

I'm conscious of the fact that there is no "right" answer -- or, perhaps better, there's only a "right" answer for each person, not in the abstract or universal sense. I guess more than anything it is the suddenness and unexpectedness of my own hesitation that has me perplexed. On one level it's not about the money at all -- it actually wasn't that expensive (one-third less than either of the GEC knives I purchased) -- but much more about the irrevocableness: if I sharpen it, it's no longer preserved and there is something beautiful about the pristine condition that I would be sorry to lose. I'm a historian, so perhaps that is where this is coming from, but it still took me completely by surprise as I do not approach knives as a "collector" at all.

I think for a little while I will just wait and let my decision come slowly. Besides, that's a good excuse to pick up another knife or two -- ones I know will be users. :) Thanks all, again!

waynorth said:
There is another side of this also. I bought a nearly unused knife at a gun show for $10, and sold it 15 or so years later for $970!! It was a Marbles Dall d'Weese in its original sheath.
Today it has doubled again in value . . . .makes you think . . . . . .
Click to expand...

Blues said:
There is another side of this also. If eventual resale value is of no concern and since you can't take 'em with you when you take that last ride to the graveyard, why not just enjoy the knife in whatever manner suits you?

Preserve?, fine. Use?, fine. Both are viable. If you feel that you are the knife's custodian, there's nothing wrong with that. On the other hand, if you would get great satisfaction out of sharpening, carrying and using the knife, whose subsequent pleasure down the road is more worthy than your own? Especially if you plunked down your hard earned cash for it.

(Personally, I think this discussion, which comes up pretty regularly, has no right answer except for the answer which is right for the individual.)

Respectfully submitted for your consideration, of course.
Click to expand...
 
Nice knife! And now, some random (and very personal) thoughts...
I can't say I know much about this knife...so I have no idea of what would be its place in the history of cutlery, and if it's rare enough to deserve preservation (as a collector item) or not.
But, of course, Elliott is right. So my question is: when you bought this knife, why did you do it? to carry it? to preserve it? it all comes down to that. Carrying and using it without being fully convinced that you're doing the "right" (for you) thing might cause you regrets someday. On the other hand, keeping it in a safe could leave your mouth dry every time you see it.
Personally, if I buy a knife, it's because I want to carry and use it. that's also why, probably, I will never really get a "rare" or collector knife. If it came into my hands, and unless I'm convinced that it's really something worth preserving for the sake of the history of cutlery, I would go with Mike and Corey and put it in my pocket.

Fausto
:cool:
 
I've already bored the board with my "caretaker obligation" spiel regarding the preservation of old mint knives, so I'll spare you the tedium.

Personally, I'm on the fence regarding the status of Kickin' Chickens. On the one hand, the 1st gens are getting up there in age, and they do have a fairly solid collector following. I have a few treasured pearl lockback whittlers that I consider safe queens.

One the other hand, unlike the highly collectable oldies from Case and Remington, etc. that were made before knife collecting became popular in the '70s, these F'n R knives were made specifically for collectors, and ironically, as a general rule of thumb, items made for collectors don't seem to be particularly desirable as serious long-term collectables, but time will tell. I like 'em well enough, but they always struck me as somewhat kitsch and insubstantial, like an early version of modern Case "collectables"--Elvis and John Wayne commemoratives, anyone?--as opposed to robust no-nonsense working tools (no offence intended).

On a practical (and ironic) note, the Kickin' Chicken carbon steel formula has a reputation for being unusually prone to corrosion if not carefully protected. I don't know if that's true, but it might bear on your decision. I have a small 1st gen F'n R EDC that hasn't given me any problems in that department, but I keep it well-oiled.
 
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One thing, it has some decent looking stag on board, and that always improves with age related use not just keeping.
 
If you decide to carry it, first ask yourself if your desire to carry it will be long term or short term. I say this because I have made the decision to carry knives that I was on the fence about only to discover after a few weeks or months that I grew tired of the knife. At that point, I found myself wishing I hadn't buggered it up.
 
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