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

marcinek said:
Either:

1) Buy a knife because you think its the sexiest thing ever; or
2) Buy a knife because you have thought about what you want to do with it, the knife is designed to do that, and you understand how the knife is designed to do that.

But don't confuse the two, or kid yourself one is the other. That's a waste of time and money.
Click to expand...

IMO, this is particularly sage advice. I own a Busse TGLB in INFI because it's a nice looking toy that makes me happy, not because it can outperform a $30 Schrade in 1095 in any meaningful way (pro tip: it doesn't). I own any number of expensive small fixed blades because I like the way they look and they make me happy, but none of them really outperforms a $10 Mora when you get down to it. I have folders I paid over a thousand dollars for because they're nice to look at and fondle and make great pocket toys/jewelry, but most of them don't cut as well as a $25 Cold Steel Tuff Lite. I spend on knives as luxury items, but I never kid myself that paying more equates to any sort of performance return.

I find it half hilarious and half sad how many people on these forums buy into one cult or another, like the folks that believe a Rockstead knife can cut better than any other knife because mystical Asian heritage reasons or whatever (e.g. a CS-style bamboo whacking video), as if high-hardness steels or convex edges were somehow new or unique.

People should buy whatever they want to buy and enjoy their purchases, of course, but imagining a knife from CRK or Busse or Rockstead or < insert sexy custom maker of your choice > somehow outperforms (for actual cutting tasks) "lesser" knives is just silly.
 
I have spent way north of $20.000 on CRK,ZT,Emerson,Bencmade,Coldsteel,and of course the latest greatest Spyderco's.
I have come to the conclusion,all I really needed, was a Delica. &#128580;
 
dc50 said:
I have spent way north of $20.000 on CRK,ZT,Emerson,Bencmade,Coldsteel,and of course the latest greatest Spyderco's.
I have come to the conclusion,all I really needed, was a Delica. &#55357;&#56900;
Click to expand...

I haven't spent quite that much but I have come to the same conclusion.
 
1. I learned how to sharpen. I still have a long way to go but I can put a usable edge on pretty much anything. And I have very basic / weak equipment compared to most on this forum.
2. I am a user and NOT a collector. no desire to buy something I am hesitant to use. I have very few knives compared to most around here.
3. Blade steels. I learned a bit about some of the more common steels. I appreciate the difference between toughness and hardness as it relates to the type of knife and use one has in mind.
4. Blade shape and grind styles and how they relate to a knife's intended use.
5. Baton'ing and chopping are every bit as fun ... and completely unnecessary as I always thought.
 
luke86 said:
I haven't spent quite that much but I have come to the same conclusion.
Click to expand...

Luke, your a wise man! You caught on early enough to save yourself some money. :p Although I must say the hunt for the perfect knife was part of the fun.
 
I don't need the latest wiz bang steels to have a fine time making a camp fire.
 
Buy what you like, and to heck with considerations to resale value.
 
It’s all about the journey, not the destination. Slow down and enjoy it.
 
I learned that there's such a thing as a junk knife, and I learned that all of the cool knives that I wanted as a kid were crap .
The next thing I learned is that the best knives for me are inexpensive high quality knives from companies like buck, case, Victorinox, and vintage imperials.
Lastly I learned that I don't need an ultra fast ultra tactical folder, and while visiting my brother I don't need to feel bad when his latest flea market assisted opener is faster than my buck 110 or vic tinker because my knives are always better and sharper.
 
This is a cool thread, here's what I've learned

1. Having a bunch of inexpensive knives that you were mildly interested in is not super fun (can be mildly fun) when you run out of storage
2. Flagship models are usually very good knives (Spyderco Endura, Benchmade Griptilian, Rat1, Cold Steel Recon)
3. What's true for someone else may not be true for you. You may just be a carbon steel guy/gal/zir. You may just not see the performance gains of buying zdp-189 or other super steels that others do. You may be that 1 person that gets the bad heat treat or poor design, you don't have to apologize or overthink not liking something...
4. ...but be open to feedback. I've learned so many cool knife tips from this website from vinegar bathing carbon steels, to backyard forge techniques, to how cool boiled linseed oil is, and the various sharpening aparatus' (aparati?) that work best for me.
5. You will probably like knives that you think look cool better than knives you think don't. Sad superficial truth.
6. Steels that you see a lot of are generally pretty good. 4116 is EVERYWHERE and in my opinion it performs, d2 performs, 8cr13mov performs. Mind you they perform to varying levels but if they didn't to a base level, no one would buy them. "Good enough" is generally good enough.

Great thread topic.
 
Hackenslash said:
4. Sleep on any knife purchase over $100. Sleep twice on any knife purchase over $500. Get drunk before any knife purchase over $1000.
Click to expand...

That is very solid advice. Thank you! Hope you don't mind if I quote you on that in the future.
 
Dont buy something because other people want it or its popular and hard to get. Unless you're really into owning it, you'll just end up selling it.
 
Great thread. This bit applies to knives and anything else- Quality is a matter of fact. Taste is a matter of opinion. Apply that as you see fit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top