What we consider relevant...

Will Power said:
Curiously, I don't think the two worlds are so far apart. How? I certainly don't have time for analistic nit-picking, obsessing over gear and 'drops' nor showing off about knives or any other objects- it's just so shallow. I do think that both the Kenyan in question and the knife enthusiast share a similar quality: delight in using an object that works and pride in owning it. Yes, you can 'get by' with just one knife, particularly when needs must as it does for most people in the world. But the knife enthusiast/connoisseur cannot countenance having just one knife, where's the point and delight in that? But, if you can be genuinely pleased by your knives, have pride in owning them; (not angst about whether or not this is the 'right' knife or the coolest/most admired one to get or FOMA crap); enjoy seeing other enthusiast's knives, then you've reached a good spot of contentment. You see the beauty of your knives, you enjoy their possible historical or cultural context and you feel good about using it. It's not so different from the Kenyan being wise enough to value the utility of his Okapi but being stirred by the kudos of having a SAK as an alternative!
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Wonderful observation!! I think I am getting the FOMO conquered - almost!! 🤣
 
What did you use to scratch "CJC" in that TC Charlie ? You done a pretty nice job on it - old school lettering ! 😊 Is that the one you lost or a replacement with security measures ?🤣🤣
 
Interesting observation Will Power Will Power .

I don't want to limit myself to just one knife, but I treasure knives that inhabit different points of the price spectrum.

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It's very strange. I would be well equipped with any of these if I had to make do for an extended period of time with just one knife, like if I went on vacation for example. On the other hand, I wouldn't be content with just one.

I like knives.
 
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Primble said:
What did you use to scratch "CJC" in that TC Charlie ? You done a pretty nice job on it - old school lettering ! 😊 Is that the one you lost or a replacement with security measures ?🤣🤣
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That's my original, Rob, never lost! I lost, then found, my T.Bose WT, though!! My wife found it!!!
The letters on the Barlow were quickly done for me by a Scrimshaw guy at the Oregon show!! I can't remember his name!?
 
lambertiana said:
This reminds me of an article I read a few years ago, I think it was NG. It was about some people living in what we would consider primitive conditions, on New Guinea, iirc. They had caught a large sea turtle and were in the process of butchering it. In the picture there was an opinel on the ground next to the turtle, looked to be a #8. Simple tools that work.
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I actually think that if I could have and use only one pocketknife, then it would be Opinel. Very practical knife from my experience with it's grind to zero (if it's a right term), very comfortable to use, and an absolute classic too.
 
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I have a Kenyan friend now living here who saw electricity for the first time at age 16. After showing me a video made of his village by some network and seeing the knives used there (you don't want to know!) I gifted him a new Kissing Crane Stag Trapper which I'd sharpened to a razor edge. It was a cheap knife with 440 something steel but he was absolutely delighted with it. In my defence I carried a sodbuster at the time so I didn't feel too different other than um, everything that had been different in my journey through life. :) That reminds me, not spoken to him in ages, I should give him a call.
 
Things may have changed since China has flooded the globe with cheap consumer items, but when I was in Africa in the early 90’s it seemed to me that day to day items were not cherished, but due to poverty and scarcity were held on to and used until it was absolutely no longer possible. Disposable bic lighters were refilled, newspapers were rolled into small cones and used as packaging for things like tea and sugar, even the material from worn-out plastic bags was reused for various things.

The kitchen knives I saw were all hand-forged affairs that looked ancient. I don’t recall seeing much evidence of pocket knife use where I was, but in places where it’s common I imagine they are maintained and held on to the same as any other scarce item.

I personally carry an Okapi every day and use it for most things. I have no need for (or interest in) more expensive knives, but I do need a small assortment for various uses. I think I could make do with just these:
 
For the non-collector, a knife is just a tool... something to cut with.
It's no different than a hammer. I have a few different ones for different purposes.
But I don't collect hammers, I just buy a few to use and don't give it a second thought.
Now a hammer collector might be looking at my beat up old hammer thinking the same thing we are about that man's knife.
 
For most people a knife isn't collectable or a tool . . . it's something you borrow from someone else when you need one. I don't want to be that guy. I've bought knives from $3 to over $1,000 because I liked them and wanted to experience them beyond just seeing a picture. I've used expensive customs for that very reason. My most carried knives run from about $50 to about $150-- excellent quality that I really enjoy. But as I get older I find having too many knives to be a bit of a burden, and I need to weed some out. I think even a very serious knife user could get by with an SAK, a good multi-blade folder and a medium-sized fixed blade, but where would be the fun in that?!
 
JohnDF said:
For the non-collector, a knife is just a tool... something to cut with.
It's no different than a hammer. I have a few different ones for different purposes.
But I don't collect hammers, I just buy a few to use and don't give it a second thought.
Now a hammer collector might be looking at my beat up old hammer thinking the same thing we are about that man's knife.
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I collect Hammers!! What does yours look like???
:rolleyes:
🤣
 
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