Using expensive knives

Morosale

Morosale

Joined
Jul 24, 2010
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20
So I have recently started collecting knives. I have a total of five knives so far, I have four bench mades: 556, 32, 1520, 950-91 and I also have unique graphic large Sebenza 21. I have noticed that my two most expensive knives, the 590-91 Rift and the Sebenza, do not get carried that much (The Sebenza gets carried more, but the 950 hardly ever). So knives are tool that are supposed to be used, but mentally I cannot justify using an expensive knife and risk getting it ruined. Then again what is the point of having something you will not get utility out of, this is what my mother did with her fancy china when I was growing up and it always bothered me. I am sure a lot of you guys do collect knives just to collect, but when I bought my first benchmade i said to myself that i would only buy knives i will use. Anyone else having the same problem with their high end knives?
 
I use most of my expensive knives except for a few that I got to be safe queens or to sell later.
 
Yep I know whats on your mind. Its hard to use some knives that look like art, and most are great art. It takes alot of skill and thought to make a great blade. But all the makers I know make them to be used. Makers are proud of how they can make the steel hard and tough.! So go and enjoy the other art that great knifes are made for, Cutting. Don't worry these art forms can be cleaned up:D So have some fun. Try cutting up some old leather into strips (if you have some?) and see how small of little curls you can make, or wack a branch off a tree with one swing. Knives are art, a tool, protection, or 100 other things I could think of. So Have some fun. Enjoy your art. edgy:thumbup:
 
I've had my small sebenza for around a couple weeks now.
It's been in my pocket every single day. i don't think that's going to change, at least not for a while. perfectly sized, completely sheeple friendly, unobtrusive knife.
 
Put some use on those knives. A little wear and tear will actually show you just how good they are and the result will be that you'll like them even better. Or, you'll find that a particular knife isn't really 'you'. That one you'll flip, take that money and put it into a backup for the knife that proved to be a trusted friend and real user.
 
the day my umnumzaan arrived, i was in awe. certainly id used expensive knives before, but this seemed different. lucky for me, i was silly enough to put it in the same coat pocket as my flashlight. scratched up the handles a bit, and using it became way easier. nowadays ive learned to just use em, no matter what.
 
I have the same problem, but I came up with a philosophy that allows me to use them. Most high end knives will have a good warranty, and if not you can send them back to be refinished. So you can use the knife all you want then just send it back to be returned to its original condition. Its gonna cost some $$$ but I think usually it's a right price to pay in order to use the knife.

Also some knifes appreciate in price after you buy them, so you can beat on them and sell 'em for what you paid for them.

My biggest problem is, using the knives I'm not going to use often. That way if I just put one scratch on it and never carry it again, I'd be annoyed by that little scratch. Therefore my folders don't get ussed that often, and only on delicate jobs. My Busse are different story, I just ordered B11 with black coating, which is the easiest to come of, I want it to grow character after the first time I go camping.
 
I use my expensive knives. If I didn't plan on using them I wouldn't have

bought them. They're a tool meant to be used not fondled and looked at.
 
I think most people go through that phase.

For myself, it is most acute when the knife did not quite live up to my expectations and in the back of my mind I am wanting to get the most trade or sale value out of it.

Of interest is the fact that once I went away from tactical folders, the issue passed. I collect slipjoints for the most part now and drop just about all of them in my pocket and the most epensive is my edc.
 
it's more about what works for me. i have a lot of knives that i don't use mostly b/c they just don't fit my needs as good as xyz does. it took me a long time to discover what works and what i like. i expect exspensive knive to somehow be more than what they are. bottom line is they do the same thing as some value added knives or should i say 'ordinary'.

i dislike the fact that i have knives that i don't use but it's hard to completely disregard them. some are getting close to 40 years old now and have never touched a stone. by the same token most of the knives that get regular use cost less than 1/10th of what would or could be noted as expensive on this forum yet they never seem to go out of fassion. if it works use it. if not then try another.
 
I use my small Sebenza 21 daily.
All of my blades have had at least one good workout, but the Seb seems to have my fancy.
I probably have more reason to not carry an expensive folder than most (work on the water most of the time, dropped tools can be lost forever and divers aren't always thrilled to dig around in the muck for something that's as sharp as a razor), but the Seb always is the one my hand seems to grab when I'm getting dressed.
The Seb was made for work, I highly suggest putting that bugger to work. If you like looking at it you'll love using it.
It's stouter than most, isn't flashy, doesn't seem to scare people like my other folders do, stays firmly clipped where I put it and performs like a champ.
I love all my blades, but I'd have been a much wiser man to have just bought the small Seb 21 and put the rest towards a truck.
Come to think of it, didn't Busse just come out with the Zilla 2....?
Hmmmm.......
 
I bought each knife with the intention that it would fit well in a "collection." But I can't stand not using them! I use them all!


Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
Morosale said:
So knives are tool that are supposed to be used, but mentally I cannot justify using an expensive knife and risk getting it ruined. Then again what is the point of having something you will not get utility out of
Click to expand...

I have quite a few knives that I don't use.
Just about all of them are slipjoints, and most are new or nearly so.
Perhaps I'll sell them at some point, or gift them, or pass them on to the next generation.

I have a variety of slipjoints for use and carry.
Enough to keep me happy.

So I have no issue with having some that I don't use.

It's sort of like having two different collections, for two different purposes.
I keep adding to both, of course. ;)
 
Sure, knives are utilitarian tools that are meant to be used, but they can also be preserved in mint condition as art objects, sentimental heirlooms or collectibles. You can only use so many different knives before your accumulation of "tools" becomes hopelessly redundant. Even the most dedicated carpenter has only so many hammers or saws, etc. to get the job done.

Once the object turns into an obsessively acquisitive hobby, you're eventually going to end up with more "tools" than any rational person needs. At that point, why not squirrel away your favorite or most valuable knives in order to preserve and enjoy their minty-freshness for a while? A collector's taste often changes over time, and a mint knife is always more desirable and valuable when you decide to exchange it in favor of a new favorite.

Preservation can be an enjoyable part of collecting, too. You don't necessarily have to burn through everything you get your greasy mitts on as quickly as possible.
 
i'll happily drop ~AUD$200 on a knife.

but that knife is going to be used.

that said, in a potentially knife damaging scenario, i'll destroy a Mora before abusing my Fallkniven.
 
I was into collecting and not using, but I sold or traded all... one left, but it's gonna go too. I got a bunch of ESEE's and a couple of Emerson's which I love to hammer on!! The benefit of ESEE is that when you buy one of those, it's a lifetime contract! You can cut in in half, send it back and they'll actually replace it! That's what I call value. As edc, I usually swap between a Spyderco Meerkat, Delica 4, or one of the Emerson's, depending on my mood or where I'm going! One or two shelf Queens are cool, but knives are meant to be used!
 
I don't have a problem carrying my expensive knives, but I don't carry the ones that I know I can't replace or ones that will cost me an arm and a leg to replace. I have a couple of Brend ground Microtechs that I just won't use because the grinds and finish are just too pretty. I have plenty of other knives to carry. I don't need to carry and use those hard to replace ones.
 
I have a few production slippies, but the most I use is a custom Barlow from R.L. Smith.
 
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