What has collecting taught you about yourself?

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vanadium

vanadium

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I've been a knife nut since I was a teenager, but I never accumulated more than a handful knives until a few years ago. Never having been a collector of anything before, I've been surprised by the 'mirror' that it provides: observing my own changing tastes, etc.

I'm wondering: What are the lessons people have learned from collecting knives? Or collecting anything else?

This topic has been brought up before, and I think the most common answer is, "I learned that my tastes change all the time!" But what else have people learned about themselves?

Here's mine:

I've become totally fascinated with a couple of knives in the past, which I didn't wind up buying. Now when I consider those knives again months/years later, I feel nostalgia in remembering the time that I wanted the knife! And this makes me want to finally buy it, although I'm not sure it's actually about the knife any more. :eek: So I learned something about just how damned nostalgic I am.

Your turn! ;)
 
1. That I usually enjoy a 150€ knife more than three 50€ knives but usually don't enjoy a 300€ knife twice as much as a 150€ knife.

2. That my personal price limit for a knife that I'd carry apparently is 300€ (although I probably will "stretch" it a little for the Lionsteel ROK Ti).

3. That I don't carry fixed blades (I don't own/ buy that many but they still get practically no pocket time).

4. That I am an idiot when it comes to size: I have a tendency of loving knifes about the size of a Mini Griptillian (about 7cm or 2,8 INCH Blade) when I read about them or see videos of them online. I have thoughts like "that a great size for an edc", "7cm is plenty of blade", "it's so light that I can carry it without problems" and buy knives. E.g. the Lionsteel TRE, the Benchmade Northfork Folder, the Extrema Ratio BF1. But as soon as I take them in my hand I realize that I have very big hands and that the knives look/ feel small. I am a fullsize folder guy. 90% of the knives I carry a lot have a 9cm or 3.5" blade.
But I will fall for this again and again despite knowing better.

By the way: My next knife most probably is a Fox TUR Folder. :|

5. My personal limit of weight for a folder is somewhere between 120g and 160g. Best below ~140g (~5oz). I own two Lionsteel Big Daghetta. One has Ti handles, the other one has G10 handles. And despite my love for the look and feel of the Ti one I mostly carry the G10 version because of the weight difference (Ti: 165g, G10:130g).
 
Do not know where to begin...

1) being beautifull does not mean being good

2) expensive Is bad because I Will not use it because I care too much

3) vivid colors help non knife people digest it

4) carbon fiber Is cool ,to Watch

5) frn Is king if super hard use Is not needed and super hard use Is never needed

6) large knives scare people

7) otf are good as long as you do not use for food

8) cleaning Is always a good option

9) nick shabazz has small hands( I am medium)

10) the lighter the better above 5oz knife stays home

11) i like more thumb,hole etc than flipper. Flipper Is overrated.

12) slipjoint are for knife hipsters

13) I regret the purchase if It Is too expensive

14) sharpening brings joy of use

15) coatings are usefull as long as you do not use the knife. Heavy stonewash hides all

16) 400 USD for a knife Is too much. A 1200 knife Is art and should be' valued as such.

17) warncliffe and full flat are lovable things allthough unused

18)vg10 Is my minimum steel.

19) non knife people are just knife people before realizing how helpfull in normal Life Is a small tool

This is what I learned,what I learned about me Is that I am too attached to things and I love order.
 
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vanadium said:
What are the lessons people have learned from collecting knives? Or collecting anything else?
Click to expand...

  1. It's not that I like knives, it's that I like tools.
  2. Knives ARE tools.
  3. I keep trying to find the right tool for the job, so I keep buying knives.
  4. I'm less concerned about fit and finish and polish and man jewelry, and more concerned with a knife's ability to do work.
  5. Every job has some sort of specialized tools but general purpose tools usually do well enough.
  6. I buy a lot of knives (things) just to see if I like using it, only to find out I don't, and then never sell them.
  7. Lots of people do real work with simple knives that most of the people here would deem wholly inadequate, if they can make do then so can I.
  8. I don't need a locking knife for EDC.
  9. I don't need a big knife for EDC.
  10. I like flippers.
  11. I like thumbholes.
  12. I'm okay with thumbdiscs.
  13. I hate thumb studs.
  14. I dislike framelocks.
  15. I really dislike linerlocks.
 
1) I learned that I'm not a collector and that owning things I don't use rubs me the wrong way.

2) I need to use a knife for a year or so before I have any idea if it really works for me. Sometimes longer.
 
Collecting..... there are limits beyond which I refuse to tread regardless of wanting something.

Nostalgia does come into play with knives. Been looking for a modestly priced Case Barlow like the one I had when I ws a kid. Also, I purchased a Schrade USA 250T (similar to Buck 110 but with two blades) purely because I carried one for years working in the field. Life has changed but the nostalgia remains for the past. I don't collect knives. Prefer to just get what I think I will like to use or what intrigues me.

With guns, yeah, there is the nostalgia thing. I have pretty much fulfilled all of those wants years ago and settled down to what I will use beyond what I collect.
 
1. I want all of the knives.
2. I prefer everyday folders with a handle length no less than 4”. Ideal blade length 3-3.5” with a high flat grind that can slice.
2. Big beefy folders are awesome but I rarely carry them.
3. I get most enjoyment from knives with good fidget factor.
4. My ocd around small finishing details has gone away (but I still want my blades centered).
 
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