What is the most valuable info you have learned since acquiring your knife sickness??

Do NOT buy on credit that you cannot repay rather quickly. It can ruin your budget, your health, your marriage. And...I really mean it.
 
My answer is two fold but basically related :

1. How to make a Swiss Army Knife HOLD an edge. Sounds like no big deal but . . . The stock grind was so obtuse that once I got the thing so it would sort of cut stuff (back when I got my first ones / I was a teenager or twelvish) and this took for like freek'in ever because I didn't exactly GET sharpening but got lucky occasionally (made the edge sharp in spite of my self) . . . well . . . the stock SAK grind would stay "sharp" until I looked at it harshly and it would be dull again.

So

I finally learned out of blind fury one day to grind the piss out of the edge so it is MUCH shallower . . . and . . . the thing holds an edge and cuts stuff like a BIG-O-DOG. Wheeeuuuu FINALLY ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

and

2. From my work with woodworking tool edges and the high demands that seriously cantankerous wood species place on the fairly narrow range of geometry for particular situations (rowed grain, reversing grain, burl / bird's eye grain, spalted grain, super hard and chipout prone grain) all require some tweaking of the geometry or bad things happen to very expensive wood (the reason belt sanders are so popular)(I refuse to use sand paper on cabinet grade wood)

ALL
require seriously SHARP and well formed edges . . .
. . . I learned to make the edges precisely and as sharp as I want every single time with little effort.

BOTTOM LINE THE BEST THING I LEARNED WAS HOW TO GET CONSISTENTLY SHARP EDGES THAT HOLD UP TO VIGOROUS USE.

(and I am very thankful for the opportunity to learn that) (finally) (after banging my head on the wall for too long).
 
That my local knifemaker can get me awesome work for slightly more than big names, with better steel and to my specs (fixed blades). Buy local, support your local knifemaker, aim for unique pieces.
 
There is no "grail" knife that will end the search.
It never ends. :)

This.
In the end, get your hand on as many as you can, and buy what you like.
Also, don't carry something you're not wiling to use. Ive found myself in situations where I've needed to do something with my knife that I knew might scratch it or chip the blade, but because it was my 'user', I had no issue. I know even if I chipped or broke the blade on my Benchmade, I could pay $30 and get a replacement. If I had had a $500 knife, with a weak warranty and I was afraid to use it, it would have been one expensive paper weight in my pocket rather than a tool.
 
It is trial and error, when you are starting out to find out what YOU like & really want.

Honestly, THE most important things I have learned in the decades I have been collecting; the friendships I have made through my knife collecting, are far more valuable then any knife I have had.
 
Don't fall into the instant gratification trap. It gets real expensive real fast. You usually end up overpaying or buying stuff you really don't like. Patience was an expensive lesson for me.

These are wise words. It took me a few years to learn this skill :o
 
I was pretty comfortable when I first joined BF with my knives. Then I started reading and wanting.... Over a few years (trial & error), I learned what I like and I'm perfectly comfortable if someone likes something else. I also learned as time marches forward that my taste changed and I started buying more knives I would have passed on before. BUT I learned that my knife likes are pretty circular and come around again which is why I don't sell my unused knives.
 
Decide what you want from knives; is it a hobby, a collection of needed tools, or perhaps a learning experience. :confused: This may seem a bit esoteric, but we have different desires from this addict...I mean drive to find our ??? knife or knives. I, for example, just like finding something new and a bit different, then trying to find a good deal, then the dreaded waiting followed by the arrival and unveiling. :D Others find the actual usage of the knife most satisfactory and therefore tend to limit the number they have at any given time. What I have learned is not to judge why others buy what they buy since, although I may think they are nuts, they probably think I am. ;) BUT, aren't we all to some extent? :p Pardon the lack of coherence, too much 1800. :eek:
 
Think twice buy once.

Avoid the impulse buys and save for "the one" that you've been obsessing over. Smaller purchases add up quickly.
 
Oh.. and don't hand over your new shiney blade to a friend or co-workers unless you're ok with it being scratched, chipped, broken or wrist flicked.

Not really a big issue in my past, but I've heard some horror stories.
 
1) the realisation that I am going to die one day so I need to use all those expensive safe queens.
2) collecting doesn't bring meaning to your life, it should just be fun - not an obsession.
 
Don't accept most of the technical "knowledge" from most people on this forum without having a good reason to listen. The more you know through first hand experience the more ludicrous and asinine a lot of it sounds.

Other than that, usually you will find more effective use out of thinner blades than you can comprehend right now. Doesn't matter the steel. Unless you absolutely need a big honking prybar go for as thin as you can get within reason. With a little bit of experience you'll learn what that is. You almost most definitely DON'T need any kind of folding knife designated as "hard use" unless you simply want that type of knife for no genuine reason and just want it for the sake of wanting it.

And arm hair shaving should be the bare (no pun intended) minimum for sharpness. Like you were just feeling lazy when you sharpened that day. When you get to that point you can really start assessing steels. If you keep them less than that who cares about steels. Buy a cold Steel in AUS8 or a Spyderco tenacious or Ontario rat or Kershaw blur and call it good. When you can really sharpen and maintain your stuff then go into the higher end stuff where you can make informed decisions that YOU know will work for you.

And you'll find yourself coming to this forum for a lot of knife knowledge. Don't let the trolls and rabid fanboys dissuade you from coming here. There are a lot of good people willing to help minus those guys.
 
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Several things I've learned in my time with knives:

1) Know yourself, pay attention when cutting, and learn which knife attributes matter to YOU. This has saved me from many foolish purchases.

2) Geometry is what determines cutting performance. Metallurgy plus usage habits determine how long performance lasts between sharpenings.

3) When sharpening, don't proceed to finer grit until you apex at coarser grit.

4) Never lend a knife to a stranger or unqualified user. Either they or the knife could get hurt.

3)
 
I'm personally more of a collector than a user and over the course of my 5 year knife craze, here is what I have to share:

1. You should never "hoard" knives. Let me explain, working with a decently big budget that is at the same time limited, buy knives that don't drop in value right after you purchase them (most big brand standard model knives like ZT and BM) if you want to experience as many knives as possible without going broke. I tend to get either mid-tech/custom knives or limited edition knives if you can get a hold of them and try to flip them for some more profit so that you can buy more standard models without having your overall budget tank too much. At the very least, most mid-techs/custom knives retain their original value even if they are slightly used. Imho, spend 500 on a dope ass knife rather than 500 on 10 mediocre 50 dollar knife. 500 dollar knives really do feel different than 50 dollars knives.

2. Buy off forums like bladeforum. You can get LNIB knives which are practically off the shelf condition with a huge discount (for example, Chris Reeves knives are often 20~% off LNIB condition off forums). Definitely helps with the whole "experiencing as many knives as possible without hurting the budget pool" thing.

3. Trade knives as often as possible. You'd be surprised how much you can make profit wise if you find the right trade deal. My biggest swoop was being able to trade and make a profit in the triple digits, of course trades like these happen very rarely, but finding the right knives and the right collector who's looking for that knife is worthwhile. But the real purpose of trading is so that you can expose yourself to makers that you might have never considered. For example, I would have never tried a Jason Guthrie knife if it weren't for a trade. And boy was I missing out. It also helps with getting rid of knives that don't necessarily retain their value but are still sought after.

4. No matter what you read about knives and hear people saying about knives, nothing beats handling the knife in person.

5. With all that said, knife collecting is still a hobby and sometimes the budget pool is just gona have to take a hit when the right knife comes around. That's why you try scraping up profit where ever you can during the down season.

6. fk boker knives. (<- clearly my very bias opinion ;D)

Hope this helps I guess.
 
I have always been into knives, but until recently, I thought I knew more than I actually did. I learned a ton about blade steels, sharpening, manufacturers, and I learned a little bit about myself in the process.
 
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