Vacillating Between Knife Types

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fatehbajwa

Joined
Jun 3, 2010
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I hope I am posting this in the right forum coz I also thought it would fit in just fine in Whine & Cheese forum too.

I have been hanging around here for a few months now and my Credit Card company is happy because of it.

Initially, I bought knives left, right and center.............any folder that looked good. Later, after starting on the learning curve, I started buying some better quality folders......mostly tacticals but a few others like Fallkniven PXL thrown in......and mean looking ones at that......then further along I understood that folders were not as tough as fixed blades and bought a few....mostly users from the flea bay and a couple of customs from here on the forum(not that I was going to put them to use where I needed a tough knife.........the maximum I have done is cut a few apples!!!!:D)

Somewhere along the line, I got to know about the types of steels and their properties........so it was time again to try out (as in buy and look) some carbon steel models.I did the forced patina on a custom fixed I bought and quite liked it.I have another beautiful knife in 1/4" tool steel on the way from Eddie at shadowknives.

All this while, I hadnt payed any attention to the traditional designs at all.......just never got around to it............and then I saw a few custom folders by Ken Erickson and they floored me. This was followed by much drooling and salivating at Arizonacustomknives .......Mike Alsdorf,Tony Bose,Frank Centofante,Jess Horn are a few knife makers that particularly had me messing up my laptops keyboard with saliva and :jerkit:

Cant really afford to buy these custom folders now, so went ahead and bought a few other folders.....Boker Tree Gentleman, Boker Tree Andrey Klotzli, Queen Mountain man in honey amber stag bone,Winchester Coke Bottle 1920 hunter to name a few.

But guess what, yesterday I realized that I was missing out on a very important thing in life:confused: I didnt have a framelock.......checked a XM 18, a couple of Sebenzas but kept my cool:cool: and bought a Kershaw JYD.

I have realized that I am by now addicted to this forum and knives (my other addiction is fountain pens and I had a similar learning/curve there also). The only difference this time is that I am still not sure what I really want even after buying so much stuff. The practical side of me says that I should just get rid of all the knives I have bought till now ( except the two boker trees, Fallkniven PXL,a couple of fixed knives,the Gayle Bradley,the Eickhorn and :confused:.............there I go again)..........anyways cut them down to a few and then buy one top of the line custom traditional slipjoint folder.......and take my time to decide upon it.

The other side says that I stay away from the more expensive ones >$300.....and then buy the inexpensive ones as and when they really appeal to me............no matter if they are folders/fixed/costom/production/traditional/tactical or whatever.

:o There...........I finally got what has been troubling me for a while, out and in the open and am already feeling relieved :D

I wonder if there are others here who go through similar trials and tribulations ???:foot:

Any comments are welcome.I am sure there are a few who would have been there and done that.

Fateh still:confused:
 
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I've been where you are. I've used the common sense approach and sold off much of my collection and only kept a few I really liked, only to discover that I then begin to buy other knives I had never had, and then start the whole process over again.

I have also done the production/custom thing, but now find that the higher end production knives are probably my niche. Don't get me wrong as I would/will buy a custom folder when it comes time! I also have found that there are a lot of fixed blades in the mid end range that really appeal to me and I buy those.

I just want to add that I also have an Eddie White, aka Shadow Knives, customized model XIII arriving next week. This knife promises to be worth every cent it cost me, and is not as high priced as many might think.

So, just hang in there and if you go through certain stages of collecting don't worry. Just use the experience as a learning tool!:D
 
This behavior is perfectly normal.
 
We've all done it. You know you are doomed when you buy the knife to beat all other knives ... and then turn around and buy an ordinary production folder because, well, um, because you like that one, too.
 
heck i sold off two or three hundred knives about 6 yrs. back & i'm into the same ole s--- once again. guess it's like that filipano [marcos] she ended up with 2000 prs. of shoes.
dennis
 
I've found the perfect knife! I still have progects going on and more knives to come, this Demko is everything I wanted in my dream knife.

l_88bc4153280140f399a3e248b2816062.jpg
 
The knife cycle...

1. Admiration

2. Appropriation

3. The wait

4. Admiration

5. Resale
 
Sounds normal but how are you sharpening your knives :)
 
knifenut1013 said:
Sounds normal but how are you sharpening your knives :)
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That was going to be the next step..............till now I have not needed to sharpen any............too many to use...............would appreciate your suggestions and I am also reading up about it.
 
fatehbajwa said:
And what is the cure for this ?:confused:

Or maybe, I don't want the cure.....:D
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My prescription for this condition is...more knives! :D

Like many others who have found their way to a site called BladeForums ( ;) ), I can relate to your experience. The view I've taken is that the things you describe -- figuring out what you like, deciding how to balance your collection (multiple production knives vs. one custom, focusing on a particular type of knife versus more variety, etc.), the quest for the ideal knife (a.k.a. "the one"), and so forth -- are all part of the joy and process of collecting knives, rather than obstacles to overcome or things to worry about. Regarding what you describe as vacillating between knife types, although all of us eventually develop preferences for certain knives and features, we can still collect and enjoy others, and appreciate them for different reasons or combinations thereof (utility, art/craftsmanship, as engineering feats, etc.).
 
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fatehbajwa said:
That was going to be the next step..............till now I have not needed to sharpen any............too many to use...............would appreciate your suggestions and I am also reading up about it.
Click to expand...

The best choice as your first sharpener is one that might become your only sharpener; the Spyderco Sharpmaker. It comes with medium stones and fine stones, and it has a DVD that goes through the whole process of sharpening. This is an excellent system to keep your knives sharp, but not the best if you have to resharpen from dead dull.
 
cutter17 said:
The best choice as your first sharpener is one that might become your only sharpener; the Spyderco Sharpmaker. It comes with medium stones and fine stones, and it has a DVD that goes through the whole process of sharpening. This is an excellent system to keep your knives sharp, but not the best if you have to resharpen from dead dull.
Click to expand...

I just received a Fallkniven Diamond Whetstone that I ordered................is that any good ?

Will look up the Spyderco Sharpmaker and put it down in my to buy list .:)
 
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