What is your buying and owning knife philosophy?

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SBaker34

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Jun 16, 2010
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What are you general knife buying habits? For example, do you have a couple knives you actually use and pack the rest away in their boxes, or do you have at least a large percentage of knives that you actually rotate out carrying or using? Do you own only one brand primarily, lean towards one brand, or generally own a roughly equal amount of a few brands, same with using, do you use primarily one brand, or do a few brands end up in the rotation? Do you like to own a large variance in knife configurations. eg you own a frame lock large knife so you buy a small back lock. O rdo you primarily buy knives that suit your preference, eg most knives are frame locks if you prefer a framelock.

I'm just curious about all the reasons people buy knives and how they use them.
 
Half a dozen total, all custom and all are carried and used. They all follow the traditional Japanese aesthetic, some more than others. One folder and the rest are fixed blades in the 7-8" oal range. I find the IKBS framelock flipper to be the pinnacle of what a folder should be. I have an extremely well executed one and I don't feel the need for another. I also prefer carrying a pocket sized fixed over a folder.
 
All of mine are carried and used, smaller for work to cut paper and plastic while making cars I'm about to paint, usually rotate between 4"blades out of work for general cutting
 
I can never justify a purchase I don't think I'll use/carry. Price point/aesthetics/nerd-prestige factor(ie designer-maker/CF/steel) all weight evenly for me then overall value. Additionally I try not buy blades that are too similar to each other so as a broad rule it would to have at least 2 unique aspects. Model,blade shape/materials, lock type, pivot type, handle material all factor, tho color does not. It is highly unlikely that I will ever purchase a duplicate model.
 
Keep em coming, I almost feel weird for not wanting any safe queens when I see a guy selling 10 folders all new in box. glad I'm not the only one who wants knives to actually use.
 
I buy most knives to carry on and off or just to experience the knife. My collection of discontinued Golden, CO Spydies are mostly just safe queens. I have a custom by DFK that is also a true safe queen.
 
I'm at about a dozen folders by now, and something similar in variuous fixed blades.
All are bought as tools, meant to be used on a daily basis.
run a small business that does audiovisual installations towards the offshore industry amongst others, so a sharp and sturdy knife is vital in my everyday life.

So, seeing as I have gotten just about all the knives that I wanted, my buying days are more or less over.
There might still be the odd blade here and there, but for the bulk of it, I'm set.
 
I buy mostly Chinese budget level knives, Enlan, SanRenMu, Ganzo, Omuda. All my knives are used for a couple of weeks or a month or so until I buy something else but my "set" of knives always has an Enlan EL-01D, an EL-04MCT and an Enlan M08 together with an Omuda 3922 plus whatever is new to see how it fits the rota. At the moment I have four SanRenMu ball and detent slipjoints in the rota and very good they are too, not like the usual backspring type of slipjoints.
I buy anything that I think I can use and afford. Some go to the collection and if I like a particular knife a lot I will buy a "keeper" as well as a "user".
 
I own around 1000 knives, give or take 20. Most are either fixed blades or slip-joint folders that see no use. Most of my more modern style folders get carried or used a little. I have probably about 15 knives that see fairly regular use (mostly just get carried on occasion), and I have maybe 6 that get carried/used frequently. All of the frequently used ones are folders.

My collection is not limited to any particular brands or makers, so I consider myself more of an "accumulator" than a "collector." Though the majority of my knives never get carried, I would have no hesitation to carry any of them should the right set of circumstances arise, or if I just got a whim to carry a particular knife. In other words, I have no true safe queens, though most of my knives stay in a safe : }.
 
SBaker34 said:
So if i understand right most the people so far own and use multiple brands of knives?
Click to expand...

I hope so, just look at any one person on here and look at the various forums they post in. Read what they write, they own many, multiple, various folders, fixed blades, trinkets, etc. It's not something that should be vague or leave any question in one's mindThe hobby (to some a necessity) varies from one person to the next. I'd say 99.99999% of the people on here own or have owned more than 1 brandy/style of knife. Some folks collect only master bladesmith level knives, other people collect Chinese $10 folder stuff and everything in between. In other words, the answer should be more than obvious just by reading through.
 
Every knife I buy I carry for x amount of time. I don't keep any boxes because I'm never selling any of them. I buy a new knife and carry it until i get a new one, then the new one is in my pocket. I have over 60 knives and each one has been carried. They will all be handed down to my son when he turns 18, and ill keep a few.
 
After quite a bit of refinement I have 10 total; 5 modern and 5 traditional. I rotate through all of them.
 
Mostly kabar fixed blades, and everything cheap that one ought to have like opinel, Mora, svord peasant, ect.

Everything i have gets used. Except my favorite knife (just a belt knife there's not much call for) and my bk2(apocalyptic backup, lol)
 
^i should add that i have a tendency to give away blades/items or trade them after using for awhile, so I don't really have a large collection though I've owned a lot..
 
I have close to 100. Although I carry daily, I am more of a collector/fondler than a user. Less than 10 cost more than $100. My favorites are Spyderco and Cold Steel. I also like some value Ontario folders, Opinel, Mora, CRKT custom colaborations, lightweight/assisted Sogs, Case, and Kershaws with Sandvik metal. I have a smattering of other brands.
I rotate the cheaper ones (1/2 ?). I do have a few more costly users in my rotation that I aquired through trading. Most of my NIB stay in their boxes in case I want to trade or gift later on. If If it comes with a blemish, or I accidently ding it up, it goes into my user rotation. I like knives from Taiwan/Aus 8, but I avoid all Chinese knives except Spyderco's Tenacious line.
 
I buy whatever I like. Having said that I buy very few knives. I don't rotate my main EDC, carry my CF Sebenza every day so when I do buy a new knife it has to do for a very specific use, I have to have a reason to use it since my Sebenza is perfect for me.
 
I used to own 70+ knives split between BM and Spyderco and a few others. I now own about 12.

Here is what I do: I buy a knife I think I will like. If I like it, I carry it. If not, it gets sold. I don't keep knives I don't carry. Everything gets carried at some point or another. Most recently (in the last few years) I carry a knife for months and months and sometimes swap it out with another for a few months. Example: My BM 940 and my Paramilitary 2. Those two knives share about 80% of carry time.
 
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