- Joined
- Nov 6, 1999
- Messages
- 2,639
AllenC, let me try to explain this in another way. When I first became interested in custom knives, I was drawn to forged fixed blades. I dunno why exactly, thats another thread. I only use two or three of these on any regular basis, the rest are potential users, but mostly just artwork.
Anyway, I collected almost 20 one-of-a-kind forged fixed blades over 5 years or so. I spent lots more than $400 on some of these. I found out pretty quickly that you can only carry and use so many fixed blades, but my desire to have More was unstaunched. Pretty soon I had a lot of nice custom knives, but because I work in an office in the city, I rarely get the chance or have cause to carry fixed blade knives.
During most of this time, I carried a Gerber LST lockback that my brother gave me more than a decade ago. It was not the nicest knife in the world, but it went everywhere with me, but performed by small daily cutting tasks just fine. Just two years ago, another brother asked me what my daily carry was. I was embarassed. So I went out and purchased three very nice production blades for daily carry purposes (I am an office worker, and that influences my choice of blades): a BM 850, a Spyderco Centofante, and a Kershaw Ken Onion mini-task knife. I like all of these knives and they served me well for about a year.
But then I realized that there was No reason that I should not be able to also enjoy the thrill of carrying and using a much nicer custom folder. suddenly custom folders became a lot more interesting to me. My comfort level, income level, and sense of aesthetics don't allow me to purchase and carry a $1200 user knife (yet). However, my last three knife purchases were made for the specific purpose of carry and use. The money I paid for them is really unimportant. The money is gone. I have the knives. I hope to not ever have to exchange these knives for money again. I spent money to buy tools that I plan to keep the rest of my life. It gives me great pleasure to open mail with my PJ Tomes pearl handled gents folder with a 420V blade. It is even more fun to tear up boxes and whittle with my new, larger Tomes Remington folder with its more economical but much larger Sandvik 12C27 blade.
I get a thrill out of taking one of these out of my pocket, and doing something as mundane as peeling an orange. It is just plain fun.
So I guess I buy some knives for collecting, and some knives for using, but for me, there is no good reason why I should not carry and use a $600 custom instead of a $100 Spyderco. I do not carry a 'beater' knife, anywhere. I carry my favorite tools, selected daily based on where I am going to be and what I plan to do. But for the most part, my production knives never make it out the house anymore.
I do not think this attitude is elitist, or snobbish, or ridiculous, or any other adjective or invective you may wish to call my habit. I am 42 years old, I can afford nice cars but drive a 12 year old Mazda, and I carry knives that cost more than $400. So what.
I can understand how this all seems unfair, or weird, or silly to someone who may not have even $100 to spend something that combines utility and aesthetics so perfectly as the art form of knifemaking does. I can afford it, I enjoy it, and I where cheap watches, use cheap pens, and drive cheap cars and have been faithful to the same woman for more than twenty years. It's my life. And that's the way I like it
Para
Anyway, I collected almost 20 one-of-a-kind forged fixed blades over 5 years or so. I spent lots more than $400 on some of these. I found out pretty quickly that you can only carry and use so many fixed blades, but my desire to have More was unstaunched. Pretty soon I had a lot of nice custom knives, but because I work in an office in the city, I rarely get the chance or have cause to carry fixed blade knives.
During most of this time, I carried a Gerber LST lockback that my brother gave me more than a decade ago. It was not the nicest knife in the world, but it went everywhere with me, but performed by small daily cutting tasks just fine. Just two years ago, another brother asked me what my daily carry was. I was embarassed. So I went out and purchased three very nice production blades for daily carry purposes (I am an office worker, and that influences my choice of blades): a BM 850, a Spyderco Centofante, and a Kershaw Ken Onion mini-task knife. I like all of these knives and they served me well for about a year.
But then I realized that there was No reason that I should not be able to also enjoy the thrill of carrying and using a much nicer custom folder. suddenly custom folders became a lot more interesting to me. My comfort level, income level, and sense of aesthetics don't allow me to purchase and carry a $1200 user knife (yet). However, my last three knife purchases were made for the specific purpose of carry and use. The money I paid for them is really unimportant. The money is gone. I have the knives. I hope to not ever have to exchange these knives for money again. I spent money to buy tools that I plan to keep the rest of my life. It gives me great pleasure to open mail with my PJ Tomes pearl handled gents folder with a 420V blade. It is even more fun to tear up boxes and whittle with my new, larger Tomes Remington folder with its more economical but much larger Sandvik 12C27 blade.
I get a thrill out of taking one of these out of my pocket, and doing something as mundane as peeling an orange. It is just plain fun.
So I guess I buy some knives for collecting, and some knives for using, but for me, there is no good reason why I should not carry and use a $600 custom instead of a $100 Spyderco. I do not carry a 'beater' knife, anywhere. I carry my favorite tools, selected daily based on where I am going to be and what I plan to do. But for the most part, my production knives never make it out the house anymore.
I do not think this attitude is elitist, or snobbish, or ridiculous, or any other adjective or invective you may wish to call my habit. I am 42 years old, I can afford nice cars but drive a 12 year old Mazda, and I carry knives that cost more than $400. So what.
I can understand how this all seems unfair, or weird, or silly to someone who may not have even $100 to spend something that combines utility and aesthetics so perfectly as the art form of knifemaking does. I can afford it, I enjoy it, and I where cheap watches, use cheap pens, and drive cheap cars and have been faithful to the same woman for more than twenty years. It's my life. And that's the way I like it
Para
