What do you collect and why?

[BlindMouse2of3]

I seem to be collecting bills these days, lot of bills.

And a knife of every size up to a Bk9 so far. Will add a Skrama next and maybe a kizer Lieb after that for the 2.75" range. No specific brand or type, just a quality blade but normally nothing over $400. Everything is a user, I have no safe queens. I probably have 30 or so keepers in my collection. I've bought and sold or given away to many to keep track of over the years.

 

[Deino]

Knife collection

Sheet1 I have experience with other items not on this list, but I don't own them.,Most items I currently own, some special case in red,Folder,Fixed,Pliers,Other,Odd stuff / Special case Country,Brand,Model,Steel (HRC advertised),Full length,Folded length,Cutting edge length,Blade Thickness,Blade...

docs.google.com

The spreadsheet for my collection. Focused on inexpensive, simple and functional stuff, with a touch from different cultures, different blade steels, types of lock, size and handle materials and therefore each item still has a flavor of its own.

Edit: I don't like flippers.

 

[NYP]

I started about 2 months ago with a mini bugout. Liked the axis lock. Did a lot of looking around and thinking to try and zero in and what I liked. I knew right away that I loved beautiful handle materials like micarta, bone, mammoth molars etc over just titanium (made an exception for the waypoint). I like knives that look classy (to me)and not murdery (Re: Nick Shabazz) so I was leaning towards gentlemen's knives. I also like small, thin, lightweight and knives that disappear in the pocket. That brought me to a QC Waypoint which I absolutely love and will likely buy another one. I tried a small Sebenza, I liked the look of the metal with an inlay insert but learned mine had lock rock and returned it. I wanted to have a nice high end knife just to collect and keep which brought me to a Shiro Neon NL and I fell in love with the feel. My first flipper and it felt great opening and closing. That led me to buy 2 more, an f95 NL and a f95R 3M NL which I haven't received yet. I'm very fussy about what I like and it's easier to list what I don't like. I don't like finger choils, I don't want my finger to think it's a good habit to touch a blade, in case one day I forget what knife I'm holding. I don't like knives with scales that cover the entire handle, I like it framed. Nothing too murdery or tactical looking. Nothing too big, thick, heavy or clunky looking. Don't like plain Jane titanium handles, tanto blades or funky designed blades. I don't like plastic handles or colored plastic handles. Leaving out a lot but that's about the gist of it.

 

[chanvic]

Knife collection

Sheet1 I have experience with other items not on this list, but I don't own them.,Most items I currently own, some special case in red,Folder,Fixed,Pliers,Other,Odd stuff / Special case Country,Brand,Model,Steel (HRC advertised),Full length,Folded length,Cutting edge length,Blade Thickness,Blade...

docs.google.com

The spreadsheet for my collection. Focused on inexpensive, simple and functional stuff, with a touch from different cultures, different blade steels, types of lock, size and handle materials and therefore each item still has a flavor of its own.

Edit: I don't like flippers.

Nice! I do the same thing with the spreadsheet!

 

[Hal]

I accumulate knives.

I tend to favor cheap ones. Imperial used to be my favorite until my buddy Tom introduced me to Schrade Uncle Henry/Old Timer back around 1970-ish.

I stuck with them until the late 1990s, when the internet told me I should buy all new Benchmade knives and MicroTech and custom.

Here it is, the 20s and I've rediscovered the joys of Kershaw - which I also developed a fondness for in the early 1990s.

 

[1911bphil]

I don't collect, I accumulate. I like a lot of different types, but other priorities prevent me from being stupid and spending all my money on knives and guns.

 

[jstn]

I collect orange knives because they are relatively easy to find after I lose them out in a pasture. I collect neck knives because I can open carry them in any weather wearing any clothing. I sort of collect serrated knives, mostly non-kitchen, because they are the best at cutting baling twine, which is what I cut most often.

I have more Benchmade knives than any other brand because that's the only brand that is carried by all the local stores that sell knives over $100, and lemons are very rare among Benchmades (unlike Spydercos). But I am frustrated by the fact that Benchmade sells very few orange knives, neck knives, and fully-serrated knives. I have two orange Griptilians that are excellent, one with custom serrations. The only Benchmade neck knife that I am aware of is the Follow-up, which is the 3rd worst neck knife I have ever had, mainly because it has the most uncomfortable handle that I have ever encountered, with jimping apparently done by a maniac. I kept the Follow-up because it is just so weird. The two worst neck knives were both Bark River Harpoon Neckers, which also have very uncomfortable handles and--worse yet--sheaths with zero retention; I exchanged the first for the second, then sold the second after giving up on ever getting any warranty service.

The best thing about neck knives is they can be carried wearing any clothing or no clothing? Nudist? A neck knife still works. Taking a shower? Neck knife. Forgot to put on clothes today? Neck knife.

 

[Monofletch]

I seem to like the ones most guys don’t.

 

[Dav1]

I don't collect as others have said my "motivation" to buy is driven by how useful a blade is for a particular job/task.

Although I do have a reasonable number of Scandinavian knives from small carvers through cheaper Moras, puukkos and Leukus and a Brisa Nessmuk and now their Bigmuk.

I also have a reasonable collection of GF and Hultafors Axes, again all used predominately for green woodworking.

 

[Boattale]

I like a variety of knives in good to very good examples from mostly USA but some European makers. Not one to really focus on any particular, make, model, cover or really anything other than I like the knife. I'm low numbers compared to any real collector - 60 or so total including fixed blades and folders.

 

[SimplyMinded]

I started as a teenager in the 80s, balisongs, "rambo" knives, all the usual a teenage kid would want. When I raised my kids I put knives on the back burner although I'd buy a few here and there. Now I look for good ones at flea markets, auctions, yard sales etc. more than anywhere else. It used to be easier to buy good ones used before the internet, now everybody googles the values but you can still find some deals. I'll buy new sometimes if it really strikes my fancy. I'd rather spend $400 on one quality folder like CRK than $100 on four okay folders.

 

[Alberta Ed]

I appreciate good tools that feature simple, functional designs and materials. Knives offer endless possibilities.

 

[chevyrulez1]

My approach to knives is I like try out and experiment with everything. My collection is all over the place, different patterns, steels, manufacturers, modern, traditional, folding, fixed, expensive, cheap, different country of origin, etc. etc.
I must say over the years and hundreds of knives I have learned a lot about what I like and what I don’t like, but I still haven’t found the perfect one yet. Somehow I have a stubborn habit of finding something that I just don’t like about most of them. Either weight, how it fits my hand, how it rides in the pocket, grind, steel, ease of sharpening, blade too long, blade too short, shape, profiles, creating hotspots, etc.
I have reached a point now where I want to stop buying stuff because I have accumulated a ton of junk and most of it I don’t really like that much. I have too many choices now and will sometimes change out my knife in my pocket several times in the course of one day, and generally won’t carry one longer than 2 days (unless I am out of town)
Maybe I just need to grab my peanut or one of my stockmans and force myself to carry it for a month or so (but that sounds so boring )
I don’t have a problem, really, ok, maybe a small one...

 

[Knives&Lint]

I gravitate towards, well, what gravitates towards me I reckon. I'm all over the place, I just collect knives that I like. More often than not the ones I go after just call to me when I first see them and give me that must have feeling. I typically don't focus on having complete collections of anything, and even on the occasions when I've went in that direction with something I usually end up distilling it down to the couple that suit me the best and part with the others.

I guess you could say that I do have a small collection of Spyderco knives in interesting steels. Whenever they come out with a knife in a steel that intrigues me I tend to pick one up in a model I haven't tried yet (often LW) for variety. It's kind of what I love about Spyderco. I also have a hard time resisting Case knives and SAK's when they pique my interest. They are like the candy of the hobby for me, satiating me between larger purchases.

I often find the gear nut in me at odds with the minimalist in me, with bouts of purchases followed by the honing down of the collection to what I feel suits me best, only to be sparked again by the impulse of "ME WANT SHINY NEW THING!" when I see something compelling. I do like the idea of having a few ideal tools that serve me well in the long term and become cherished companions, but I also get bored and like to experience new stuff .

 

[calm]

I "invest" in knives - one day I expect someone will sell them for 1/4 of what I paid for them

 

[Glenn Goodlett]

I collect folding knives, 3.5 inch and larger and rarely anything smaller. I prefer flippers and synthetic materials like CF but, do have a few in natural materials like mammoth, wood, meteorite, and titanium.

Sort It! Apps is now iCollect Everything

 

[stipe82]

I like to collect traditional knives. I've collected since I was young. I love stag because each knife is unique. When it comes to and EDC, I like a locking blade. I have quite a few different brands, but majority of my collection is Case or GEC

 

[GatorFlash1]

I focus on limited edition knives.

 

[Slice O Life]

I wouldn't call it collecting, but nowadays I only buy CRK. The main reasons being, the very deep hardware, the warranty, and the ease of taking apart and putting back together again. My job tends to make the knives we use for utility pretty dirty. Not nonfunctional, but in need of being cleaned. For the most part, CRK are easy to take apart, clean and put back together, and they are built for it as one of the main design focuses.

 

[shane45-1911]

I don't limit myself to what I own or collect, but for the last few years I am finding myself drawn more and more towards big and long.

Example: