what's the point of collecting knives?

killgar said:
I like knives. Having more knives is better than having fewer knives. The only limiting factor in my accumulation of knives is my wallet.

I don't consider myself to be a " knife collector", I consider myself to be a "knife user" and a "knife aficionado". I use some of my knives regularly but I have more knives than I have use for. And yet, I still want more knives.
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I think you have a problem.






:D;)
 
Well people collect guns too. For me the attraction of knives over guns for collecting is that let's face it, you can "play" with your knife. You can modify your knife. You can do all kinds of fun stuff with you knife over and above what it was designed to do and do so with a relative degree of safety and social responsibility.

If you "play" with your gun, you're gonna end up shooting yourself, shooting your neighbors baby through the wall, or at a minimum have yourself a negligent discharge which, depending on the situation may land you in a peck of trouble. Unless you are a highly skilled gunsmith with perfect understanding of any and all guns you intend to modify, you may create a very dangerous situation in which, per the above, somebody gets hurt...in other words your modified gun might blow up! A responsible person must employ any and all firearms for their intended purpose under the conditions the thing was made for...shooting targets at the range, hunting, and personal protection from a violent threat.

You can fiddle, fondle, and fool with your knife as much as you want and about the worst thing that can happen is you maybe end up having to get a couple of stitches or the thing breaks and you ruined your knife...but not your life.

This is why I collect knives instead of guns. I have only those firearms that I will use for their single intended purpose.

Obviously there are lots of other things people collect too. I chose to contrast only these two things here.
 
Ken44 said:
From an outside perspective I'm curious as to why you collect fragrances:confused:

What does it accompish? Are they necesarry? Don't you only need just 1 or 2 fragrances?
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Haha. Well, do you only listen to one or two CD's or do you like different genres of music? They aren't necessary at all. One reason to wear a fragrance is to add to your overall presentation and wardrobe and make a nice first impression, but that's far from the #1 reason I collect. Simply, I enjoy smelling different fragrances (not cheap synthetic Wal-Mart colognes, but ones that are actually well made works of art). They are all diverse and each new bottle is a new journey in itself. They retain their value. Moreover, they last over 10 years (even over 50) if you store them right. What else can you buy that you won't have to replace 10+ years down the road? Not that much.

The Logical One said:
For a person who collects fragrances, I don't get why you're so baffled as to why people collect knives. I would really like to just have one favorite knife and be done with it, but unfortunately I have about a dozen of favorites. I think for most people when they have a hobby, whether it be guns, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, watches, knives, they will always have more than one that they want.

The limiting factor often comes down to MONEY. If I was a billionaire I would probably have at least 10 of each of the things I listed above... as would most people.
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Exactly. Supply and demand. Live within your means. If you have the money, there is nothing wrong with buying 100 colognes or 100 knives.

Perhaps you misunderstand my intent. I was only saying since I have a hobby that isn't socially prevalent as well, I understand that your hobby has more to it than the average person would think at first glance.
 
Obviously I only speak for myself, but...

Once you've made the leap to carrying *a* knife, it slowly becomes clear how handy they are and how much you'd been 'making do' without. (There ought to be a sort of knife nut merit badge for the first time you throw down some restaurant's dismal steak-hacksaw and use your own perfectly honed pocketknife to cut your sirloin.) After that it's just a little step further to wanting to carry the 'right' knife, and then the 'collection' just sort of happens naturally, as you figure out what you like to carry under what circumstances, etc. Along the way you develop these little preferences -- an appreciation for stag antler, or a perfectly smooth pivot/lock, an elegant line along the handle, or the way carbon steel develops patina with age, whatever.

This fall I went on a motorcycle tour, and the perfect pocketknife for that was the Buck my father gave me back in college. (He always appreciated a good motorcycle ride.) When I whittle, though, it's got to be my uncle's old stockman. Out on a walk in the woods my 'just in case' knife will be my Spyderco or my big Old Timer. Out for a night on the town and it'll probably be my Swiss army knife (unintimidating, versatile, cheap and easy to replace if lost, and has a bottle opener) At the office I usually have some kind of pen knife -- today it's a plain yellow-handled Case.

A knife is a tool, sure, but there is definitely an emotional and aesthetic component as well. (After all, a piece of junk lockback from the gas station will cut open packaging -- for a while, anyway.) A knife is an implement for shaping your environment and your circumstances, right? A really nice knife is not just an item of Quality but also a tool for bringing a little more Quality into the world. For me that adds a layer of meaning and reminds me of things I think are important.

But you know, given that you already admitted to collecting other things, the simplest way to answer your question is to get yourself something like a Victorinox and carry it for a couple months. I suspect you'll 'get it' :D
 
The point is that it doesn't have a point. If you collected because there is a point, then you're acquiring due to a perceived need(s). And, buying due to need(s) is not collecting.

:eek:
 
For me it is knowing I have a bunch of sharp tools.
I got butterfly knifes for fun and to show off
fixed blades and folders for use
and other's because they look cool.
it's not whether you collect knives or not, it's how cool you look owning them.
Some collect for the fact that in an emergency you will have a tool with a bunch of uses.
 
tadpole25 said:
I'm new here. I got interested in knife collecting after hearing that Gabe Newell (Valve CEO) owns hundreds of knives.

So far, I only own one knife, it's a balisong butterfly knife.

And I have a practice balisong knife, as well, for practicing newer tricks (so I don't cut myself).

But, from an outsider perspective, is collecting knives practical? A full collection can run over
$5000, and what's the point? What does it accomplish? Are they necessary? Don't you only
just need 1 or 2 knives?

But what I learned is that you can't judge things at surface level.

I'm actually very much into a hobby that a lot of people think is silly and impractical. I collect
fragrances and I own over 50 colognes (some of them are high-end $200+ fragrances like luxury
quality Creed). And of all the people who have asked "You only need one or two, why collect
50 of them?", I can sort of understand what knife collectors must go through.

But I am curious as to why you collect knives?

Is it for safety? Hunting? Is it for aesthetic? Is it an investment to fight inflation?

I'm curious.
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If u only need 1 or two knives and u don't have the urge to buy more knives , than u are not collecting (don't push your self ! )
If u question your self why? Than again it means no (don't push your self ! )
Practical? No it is not (don't push your self ! ) Just like owning Ferrari (but sure it is fun !)
$5000 Lol way more than that ! You know that there are single knives that are way more than weak 5000 :-)
Collecting is something u have to enjoy doing just like collecting stamps right? I just don't see anything in stamps but I sure like Ferrari :-) One day one day lol
So if u like it do it if u don't don't waste your time and do something else :)
 
I get the feeling that many members who post in the General forum area are "Users" rather than "Collectors." To see real Collectors at work, check out some of the guys' posts in the Collectors sub-forums (Schrade, Camillus, and Randall), the Traditional Forum, and the manufacturer-specific forums (Buck, Becker, etc.).

Me, I'm definitely a Collector/Accumulator. Why?

The aesthetics. The 'flow' of design, beauty of materials... that sort of stuff.
Appreciation for the craftsmanship and quality of well-built knives.
Genetics. My grandfather had a small collection too.
Historical interest. Bladed items of the past played an important roll in our ancestors' military conflicts, hunting and fishing, kitchens and cooking, recreational activities, and everyday lives.

Have a good one!
 
I'm a user, not a collector. I buy them because I like the features they offer.There is no real reason, other than we like them...
 
But, from an outsider perspective, is collecting knives practical?
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Reasonably practical. No special environmental requirements - they don't normally go 'bad' like food (or fragrances?). Relatively easy to secure, store, acquire, and trade. Try collecting antique autos or historic homes for comparison.

A full collection can run over $5000...
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Not necessarily. Collect what you can afford. There are people here with extensive collections of Swiss Army Knives, for instance. Buying one a week or one a month at $10-$50. Not a very expensive hobby at all. But over ten or fifteen years it can build into a nice collection of hundreds of knives. Of course you can spend $5000 on a single knife if you want to, but no reason at all why you have to.

What does it accomplish? Are they necessary? Don't you only just need 1 or 2 knives?
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It doesn't accomplish anything. Of course they aren't necessary, that's what makes it a hobby. Like watching sports, films, going to museums, dining out, reading novels...
Most people do get through their lives every day with a knife or two in the kitchen. I get through my life every single day without wearing perfume. :D
 
collecting anything is essentially irrational behaviour. I've gotten past the point of feeling like I have to defend it:)
 
I enjoy the design, the craftsmanship when applicable, the blade-steel (always), and I enjoy fine quality. I do not collect junk. And I trade often, trying to get better stuff. But not all high-priced knives are worth price. And, of course I carry many of them as EDC's, as I use a knife at least once a day for something.
Sonnydaze
 
Lorien said:
collecting anything is essentially irrational behaviour. I've gotten past the point of feeling like I have to defend it:)
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U are wrong ! there is noting to defend, if it doesn't make u happy anymore than sell it and move one ! Irrational behavior it was in your case because u truly didn't like doing what u where doing, why did u do it ? well who knows:)
 
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Thanks for asking tadpole. I collect because I like them.

I wonder why people get so excited when someone posts like you did.. I guess they are just passionate and not being rude.
 
I collect knives because they're fun, enjoyable, and relatively inexpensive (depends on what type of knife you collect).
 
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