What I've learned in 6 months of knife collecting

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Ferrous Blader

Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
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My rookie thoughts after 6 months of knife collecting [in no particular order]

[1] Most knife reviews appear to be overwhelmingly positive only because most people
justify hard earned purchases than debase them.
[2] Knife companies,being no different than car companies, are first and for most profit driven and will
sell you ice cicles wrapped in micarta only because the general public will Always look for
the next best thing.
[3] speaking of the next best thing, the whole 'super steel' school of thought [while I'm sure is based on scientific fact...I don't
know because I'm not a scientist] appears to me as nothing more than a sales pitch turned into hyperbole
by the general public. Steel -in it's infinite varieties- is not some rare thing.....is it? I mean,someone makes it rare by choice
rather than by supposed scarcity/availability. Diamonds for instance are usually expensive while being in fact very,very common and
thus paradoxically exclusive.
[4] Almost all of the knives discussed here on B.F are just sharp pieces of pointy metal. No matter how you dress it up, it comes down
to that simple fact. We -the public- gestate the demand and the companies supply the drug. I'll go out on a limb after having
only dived into the knife pool 6 months ago by saying any fixed blade over 130 bucks is an absolute waste of money as a tool.
I wouldnt stoop so low as to begrudge anyone who collects art objects but I guess it comes down to
use it or shelf it?
[5] I really don't see any reason to ever buy a new knife when you can almost always get a used one in pristine condition
for a Whole Lot Less.
[6] These are my opinions. I expect to be both congratulated and ridiculed! That's ok! Yes I can afford to spend 500 dollars on a knife.
No I have not and never will...even though I LOVE the Lionsteel titanium folders. Yummy.
[7] Have a great day and be safe with your knives
 
Six months of COLLECTING and you're a self proclaimed "expert"? Some people have spent a lifetime here USING knives and they still don't claim to know everything. :thumbdn:

More reading and less posting for the moment might open your eyes. ;)
 
From a commonsensical standpoint your observations make a point.
But why then would anyone buy a Ferrari if they can get a second-hand Hyundai for 1/20th the price?
To understand that, you would have to be a car enthusiast.
 
singularity35 said:
Six months of COLLECTING and you're a self proclaimed "expert"? Some people have spent a lifetime here USING knives and they still don't claim to know everything. :thumbdn:

More reading and less posting for the moment might open your eyes. ;)
Click to expand...

umm, dude? he has 2 posts. he doesn't post a lot.

to the OP, you are probably right. there probably no point, and you can try to get into the mind of a knife nerd all day, but you will always get the same result. we, like other nerds, love the thing that we love and are passionate about it. you really can't rationalize that, becuase if we were totally rational we would only use what worked, not what excelled becuase it worked and was easier to obtain. however, this is something we choose to splurge on becuase we are passionate about our hobby. it really doesn't get any more irrational than that.

now that i have stopped rambling, please continue on your path of strictly rational expenditures.
 
Ferrous Blader said:
...Yes I can afford to spend 500 dollars on a knife.
No I have not and never will...even though I LOVE the Lionsteel titanium folders. Yummy.
[7] Have a great day and be safe with your knives
Click to expand...

singularity35 said:
Six months of COLLECTING and you're a self proclaimed "expert"? Some people have spent a lifetime here USING knives and they still don't claim to know everything. :thumbdn:

More reading and less posting for the moment might open your eyes. ;)
Click to expand...

In his defense, he never claimed to be an expert and he did say that everything was in his opinion; many of which were my thoughts when I first started collecting and using knives. Opinions will change over time as one experiences different things. I can almost guarantee your thinking will change another few years into the hobby. Welcome to the addiction.
Never say never, my friend ;)
 
Question for the OP, how much was your vehicle, ever buy a NEW vehicle, how long does a vehicle last you. Using your logic you should only be driving say used honda civics and keeping them until the wheels fall off. A vehicle after all is really only a motorized piece of metal that one uses to get from point A to point B. Moreover I bet if your married you have knick knacks and paintings in your home. Since you claim you an afford a $500.00 I bet some of that "art" is very expensive and all it does is sit, hang, stand, etc. in the last place someone put it in, and again it can only be looked at, what about all those minutes no one is around to look at it? Is is still enjoyable or even "art" if no one is around to see it? I could go on, but I think you get the point.

You've been here since April, posted twice with your second post being the most subjective post I've seen here in a while so congrats on that given some of the members we have, that is really saying something. Additionally you went on to insult everyone on a knife forum web site who ever bought a NEW knife, every spent over $130.00 on a fixed blade, and even found time to side swipe the knife companies themselves by effectively labeling them as PUSHERS. If the knife companies are the pushers/dealers, oh I get it, were the crack heads. Your off to a running start there Mr. Iron Blader, let me be the first to congratulate you on that fine post there. Way to really win over the home crowd.
 
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Haha you crack me up because first off somone who buys a extremely expensive knife and then find it dissapointing will not sit there and pretend that they like. They will let you know and the whole world know what a piece of junk they think it is. Also most knife companies were founded bye true knife lovers who want to see their knives used and loved(i am only guesing here because selling a couple knives doesn't seem like a very money-maky business). Also the knifers in this world who you say will always look for the next best is also complete bullshit because the knife business trends dont change like that of clothes or cars that are out of fashion in 1 year. Knife people who find a great knife will probably always be fond of that knife for the rest of thier life. You don't stop liking a knife over the years because it is not used. People love antique knives and love to tell you of a knife that they have relied upon for the past ten years. A knife is also i thing of beauty to me. I love to make knives in the forge and look at knives on line. Buying an old or new knife is a lot of fun to me.

P.S. - You get what you pay for
 
Ferrous Blader said:
I really don't see any reason to ever buy a new knife when you can almost always get a used one in pristine condition
for a Whole Lot Less.
Click to expand...

That I believe, to a degree, is not true. You may never find the certain knife you are looking for, in unused condition, being sold by whomever. Or, that certain knife can be had readily.

Also, tell me where you buy your used knives, in pristine condition. I'm curious. (Seems odd, used, but in pristine condition. Never heard that one. That like saying I want to sell a brand new car, but in used condition, am I right?)
 
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After 56 years of knife collecting:

Would you go to a wine forum and tell them MD 20/20 is just as good as Chateau XXX Prime Reserve? To what end? Trolling?

If you are sincere, which is entirely possible, never try to convince the "other side." Try to convince neutrals - or yourself.

Who do you expect on this forum? Neutrals?

I will concede that MOST of the children are above average, but a tiny bit more study will disclose violent denunciations.

Wholesale denigrating of any knife over $130 is prejudice. It does not reflect well on your objectivity or reason. Now $140 I could understand.
 
The OP doesn't seem to be getting much pleasure out of knife "collecting", which could explain why only 2 posts and one very depressing overview.

This thread would probably be more entertaining in W&C.
 
I'd like to know if the OP has actually used any "super steels" at all, or if his opinion is just speculative. I'm no expert in steels, but in using various steels I have an opinon based on experience, not speculation. According to you, they are all just sharpened steel. You have dismissed thousands of years of metalurgy, precision of heat treating and hardening and it's variations. So I can just sharpen any piece of steel and have a great knife? It will probably hold it's edge just as much as properly heat treated modern steel, right?
Please sir, tell us what you use your knives for. Do you hunt, camp, fish, or just admire them? If you actually used knives, you might notice a difference in quality of edge retention, handle ergos, and how the knife actually cuts.
 
Ferrous Blader said:
[3] speaking of the next best thing, the whole 'super steel' school of thought [while I'm sure is based on scientific fact...I don't
know because I'm not a scientist] appears to me as nothing more than a sales pitch turned into hyperbole
by the general public. Steel -in it's infinite varieties- is not some rare thing.....is it?
Click to expand...
Different steels have different purposes. I am not so sure I understand where does rarity come in play, some alloys are hard/expensive to make/work with and that's pretty much all to it. Also, before you put down the 'whole super steel school of though' it'd help if you have learned how to sharpen and use a knife properly, you'll get the better understanding why super steels are super.


Ferrous Blader said:
...Yes I can afford to spend 500 dollars on a knife.
No I have not and never will...even though I LOVE the Lionsteel titanium folders. Yummy.
Click to expand...
:) Your loss. If you really like something and can afford it, why hold back? As they say, he who dies richer is still dead..
 
Spoken like an economist and not a materials engineer. Steel is not an artificially rarified commodity. There are noticeable differences between steels in actual use, and factors that explain the price supersteels command. Many supersteels are imported, which adds to the cost. Furthermore, machining highly wear resistant steels is more difficult, and wears down the equipment faster (the cost of tooling is always a big concern). And it's not like these steels are just a few elements thrown together; some pricey research and development, as well as refining of industrial processes is a part of any high end steel. You can put together a steel using traditional methods that will work fine, but a more advanced manufacturing process like particle metallurgy will improve the toughness, ease of sharpening, and fineness of the edge. All these costs are distributed over a small market; there aren't very many applications that justify the cost of a steel like S90V or Böhler M390 (Even critical high strength fighter jet components use cheap by cutlery standards steels like 420 series. Steels that have been around a long time and are used widely are cheaper). So yes, there is hype about supersteels, but the cost doesn't come from knife companies gouging their customers. The amount of work that goes into formulating a new steel for the limited market of specialized industry components and a tiny fraction of the cutlery world is very significant.
 
OP, excellent post you are too down to earth for this crowd. The members here are way too sensitive.
 
Ferrous Blader said:
My rookie thoughts after 6 months of knife collecting [in no particular order]

[1] Most knife reviews appear to be overwhelmingly positive only because most people
justify hard earned purchases than debase them.
[2] Knife companies,being no different than car companies, are first and for most profit driven and will
sell you ice cicles wrapped in micarta only because the general public will Always look for
the next best thing.
[3] speaking of the next best thing, the whole 'super steel' school of thought [while I'm sure is based on scientific fact...I don't
know because I'm not a scientist] appears to me as nothing more than a sales pitch turned into hyperbole
by the general public. Steel -in it's infinite varieties- is not some rare thing.....is it? I mean,someone makes it rare by choice
rather than by supposed scarcity/availability. Diamonds for instance are usually expensive while being in fact very,very common and
thus paradoxically exclusive.
[4] Almost all of the knives discussed here on B.F are just sharp pieces of pointy metal. No matter how you dress it up, it comes down
to that simple fact. We -the public- gestate the demand and the companies supply the drug. I'll go out on a limb after having
only dived into the knife pool 6 months ago by saying any fixed blade over 130 bucks is an absolute waste of money as a tool.
I wouldnt stoop so low as to begrudge anyone who collects art objects but I guess it comes down to
use it or shelf it?
[5] I really don't see any reason to ever buy a new knife when you can almost always get a used one in pristine condition
for a Whole Lot Less.
[6] These are my opinions. I expect to be both congratulated and ridiculed! That's ok! Yes I can afford to spend 500 dollars on a knife.
No I have not and never will...even though I LOVE the Lionsteel titanium folders. Yummy.
[7] Have a great day and be safe with your knives
Click to expand...

The same could be said of cars, guns, watches, etc. Wait a minute! Come to think of it, the same thing could be said about anything you have to pay for! You could buy a used Honda and it will get you from point A to B just as well as some fancy 50k+ dollar sports car. You can get a HI-point firearm and it will go bang just as much as some 3k+ dollar Wilson Combat 1911. You can buy a dollar store watch and it will tell time just like a Rolex would.

What was the point of your post again?

I think people here realize that knives are nothing but sharp things meant for cutting.
 
I agree with some things you say. If you dont like a knife then dont buy it. Not everyone in this world is practical. I try to be, but i still seem like a crazy person to most folks i meet.
 
While I'm not here to talk for the OP, I see some of his points.
Ferrous Blader said:
[1] Most knife reviews appear to be overwhelmingly positive only because most people
justify hard earned purchases than debase them.
[2] Knife companies,being no different than car companies, are first and for most profit driven and will
sell you ice cicles wrapped in micarta only because the general public will Always look for
the next best thing.
[3] speaking of the next best thing, the whole 'super steel' school of thought [while I'm sure is based on scientific fact...I don't
know because I'm not a scientist] appears to me as nothing more than a sales pitch turned into hyperbole
by the general public. Steel -in it's infinite varieties- is not some rare thing.....is it? I mean,someone makes it rare by choice
rather than by supposed scarcity/availability. Diamonds for instance are usually expensive while being in fact very,very common and
thus paradoxically exclusive.
[4] Almost all of the knives discussed here on B.F are just sharp pieces of pointy metal. No matter how you dress it up, it comes down
to that simple fact. We -the public- gestate the demand and the companies supply the drug. I'll go out on a limb after having
only dived into the knife pool 6 months ago by saying any fixed blade over 130 bucks is an absolute waste of money as a tool.
I wouldnt stoop so low as to begrudge anyone who collects art objects but I guess it comes down to
use it or shelf it?
[5] I really don't see any reason to ever buy a new knife when you can almost always get a used one in pristine condition
for a Whole Lot Less.
[6] These are my opinions. I expect to be both congratulated and ridiculed! That's ok! Yes I can afford to spend 500 dollars on a knife.
No I have not and never will...even though I LOVE the Lionsteel titanium folders. Yummy.
[7] Have a great day and be safe with your knives
Click to expand...
1. I have no bloody clue, but quite likely if the blade is NIB and the owner hasn't used it or one like it.
2. Companies will make what people want, just ask a Beckerhead.
3. Hasn't used super steel where it excels.
4. Yes, tons of 'sharp and pointys'. Yes a part of the consumer base demands more. You went on the limb and the limb broke.
5. Used knives can be cheaper, however your use of the word pristine is at odds with its definition, though for you I think that it's a knife that is still serviceable despite cosmetic flaws, kinda like a hail damaged car, runs great, looks like crap.
6. They are your opinions, I congratulate you on your frugality:thumbup: and ridicule you for not buying something you say you can easily afford.:thumbdn:
7. You too man, keep 'em sharp.
 
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