Which dirrection is your collection headed...

Macchina

Macchina

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I have been collecting knives in some manner or another for about 10 years. I became very interested in cutlery about 4 years ago, and been building my collection over those past 4 years. I have sold off some of my other hobbies and reinvested the money in knives. Although I have a constant interest in knives, knives have many subcategories, kinda like music. When I first got into knives, I was still testing the waters of blade steel, blade shape, lock style, and handle material and I was interested in almost any folding knife. After learning what I could about folders, I directed my attention to heavy duty fixed blades, and traded most of my folders for Swamp Rats, Scrap Yards, etc. I soon realized that I liked to cut stuff with my knives, and began to move towards camping/survival fixed blades. Last year I came to the conclusion that I am in the woods maybe 2 weeks a year, and I end up using only my favorite fixed blades while I'm in the woods (did I say using, I meant carrying and wishing I would get lost so that I could really use them). I headed again to the trade forum and now I have balenced my collection to around 30/70 fixed blades to folders. I am now deciding whether to head into the heavy duty folders (I recently purchased a ZT 0200 and Benchmade Rukus) or more gentlemanly folders (just got and love my Benchmade Nagara, perhaps have a sale and head towards a Sebenza). I was wondering which direction you guys are taking your collection in right now, and what your past interest were.
 
Bought my first few knives back in the early 70's, then my collecting went virtually on hold until a few years ago due to all the standard reasons, family, finance, etc.

I collect a variety of folders and fixed blades but tend to concentrate on mid to upper end.

For fixed blades my soft spot is daggers, but hunting and survival blades make up a good portion as well. Not so much into tactictal but do have a few as well as a few Japanese katanas etc.

As for brand specific, I'm a big fan of Fallkniven and collect a lot of their knives.

I have recently turned my focus more toward customs, although production knives still factor in as well. I generally look to the custom market first, then to production models.

Kevin
 
Started collecting at about age 10.. Because of my grandfather and a good friend of his..
Started cheap and worked my way up since.. At one point I had close to 300 quality knives..I am now 21. And im down to a Bradley alias that I customized to EDC.. My grandfathers case slip joint.. And a JYD II from my Girl friend.. Oh yes.. And a sog flash II..
I miss my knife collection.. I should have stayed with my parents after high school... None the less.. I have 3 very valuable, sacred knives..
 
don't really have a direction to my collecting--if i like it i want it--have a mixture of all kinds of stuff:D
 
I accumulate, I'm not sophisticated or knowledgeable enough to 'collect' yet :foot:
 
michaelmcgo said:
I was wondering which direction you guys are taking your collection in right now, and what your past interest were.
Click to expand...
I was never really focused exclusively on any one catagory to the exclusion of all others, but my strongest interests have changed over time.

  • When I first started collecting knives I was particularly interested in tactical and combat knives. Some of my first knives were big bowies, tantos and daggers.
  • After a while, I realized that I was investing a lot of money in knives that I really could not use so I started getting more interested in EDC type folders. This is the period when I started picking up a lot of Spyderco and later Kershaw and other brands.
  • The next phase I went through was "camp" knives, or utility fixed blades in the 4 to 6 inch range. Barkies, Marbles, and a few other brands comprised this part of my collection.
  • Most recently, I have found myself more and more interested in "traditional" folders. I have a number of Case knives right now (including quite a few Trappers, my favorite pattern) and I'm looking to expande this part of the collection right now.
Now, I never totally abandoned my old interestes when moving on to a new "flavor of the month" and I am enough of a hard core collector that I never sold off any old knives to finance new aquisitions, so I have quite a few knives in drawers and closets around the house. :rolleyes:
 
I collect custom knives.( I also use them too.) I have a thing for blue twill G-10. I I have specfic makers who's knives I like buy.

I have recently gotten into custom slip joints.
 
Ever since I was 5 or 6 I had a couple of old SAK knock offs and I never really thought much about knives until about 2 years ago when I was looking on eBay for a knife. I remember seeing 40 bucks for a knife and wondering who would pay 40 bucks for a knife. So I decided I would do some research. I started out going to different companies websites and reading/learning about different locks, blade style, etc. I finally decided on a SOG trident, but I wanted to make sure A/Os were legal in Virginia. So I checked VAs law book and I asked around on YouTube and other sites, but I never really got a solid answer. So I kept searching and about a year ago I found BF. I started a thread in knife laws and MORIMORTOM was nice enough to give me a clear answer. I stayed around and learned a little bit more about knives and then I got addicted. Since I'm still newish to knives I am in the testing the water phase.
 
Great thread :thumbup:


For one to see where I have been it's all in the Gallery here. I have maybe 50 more pics to post and that will be all of them. As to where I am going from here?

I'm done. Honestly, I have been through EVERY knife I have ever wanted! Now I have about 25-30 that really work well for me, I am going to spring for one more... but that for another thread. (large Micarta 21;) )

Final mix is a FFBM for a camp knife/woods romping knife, a couple small EDC sized fixed blades. And of course about 20 folders for EDC choices. :cool:

No knives really scream out at me anymore. :o I love knives, from slippies to tact T cools to big bowies to rats to busse to CRK to striders....BenchMade's to Spydercos. BUT I can't use them all, and do not have enough money to just have them for looks.

It's been real fun, but had to end sometime:o






I will be getting into designing/making knives in the next few years. :D (kids are still too small for me to have any amount of time away from them grinding drilling and trying to avoid chopping ma' fingers off)

Awesome thread!
 
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At first my Accumulation had no direction at all - an interest in different locks and mechanisms, but not very specific and most knives purchased did not fall into that category.

Then I discovered an affordable and readily available vintage German brand that I really like, Bruckmann. I sought out and purchased quite a few over a relatively short period of time. I still buy from time to time, but they're less common now and most I see for sale are duplicates of ones I already have.

In 2004 I took a very strong turn towards Schrade USA Old Timer knives. Always been a fan of these knives, but since Old Timers were so common there was no motivation to collect. But as the company was going out of business closeout prices were rock-bottom, many true collectibles became available, and we experienced a "Golden Age" of Schrade collecting.

Now I've recently become interested in Swiss Army Knives from Victorinox and Wenger. Again, since they're mass-produced by the thousands there's no real motivation to collect or accumulate. But for whatever reason I cannot say "No" to a closeout. :D

Throughout all of this time I've never given up my Accumulating habits either, and never will.
 
I'm buying single/double layer SAK's and stockman pattern slipjoints more than anything else these days. They're on the least expensive end on the spectrum of knife prices and you get a lot of utility in a small package. 7" of cutting edge in a slim package less than 4" long really opened my eyes to the stockman pattern. Anything that I need to cut on a daily basis can be handled by a non-locking slipjoint.

My BG-42 Military has really made me quit looking at large tactical's anymore - I can't think of one production knife that would knock it out of my pocket.
 
I started out buying anything that looked cool and had just under 100 knives some that were irreplaceable, I got robbed and all were lost except my CQC-8. After that I decided that I would only purchase high quality knives and stay away from the junk. I am doing good so far and my collection is near 40 very nice blades, mainly folders. It was all tacticool at first but now I go for well liked and usefull blades that actually work.

I still buy knives on inpulse even the ones I don't need but I think its become more about being educated about knives.
 
I don't have a "collection". I have an "agglomeration".
 
I have been collecting knives in some manner or another for about 5 years.

Ontario Fixed Knives
Afghan Made Blades
Bayonets
Cold Steel things like Spears, Tomahawk, Walking Sticks, etc.
Spyderco Knives
Official Kukri Knives by KH and Windlass
Becker (BK&T) Fixed Knives
Nepal HI Swords

I have stopped collecting Gerber, Camillus (out of business), Chinese, Pakistan, India, etc.
 
I used to collect all different kinds of knives, but lately I am focussing on specific brands based on my experience in using them. I rarely buy knives for their collectability and in principal, my knives are users. I decided to concentrate on the following brands: Fällkniven (although they have increased their prices sharply), Fehrman, Busse, Extrema Ratio and Al Mar for folders.
 
Just recently I started to thin out my collection. I sold off a lot of Case and Schrade knives. Some were sold on here and went to good homes and I have two friends that came over and just about cleaned me out :D

I kept my early Case red bone knives, with the exception of duplicates, and that is going to be my main focus...
I have picked up a few rare Benchmade knives. I started buying a few in 2000, and was real happy with them.
I have also picked up a few Buck 110's and 112's. Recently a Custom Shop knife and a few earlier models..

In all honesty, I haven't missed any of the knives I have sold even though I liked them all. I'm really enjoying trying to keep things simple from now on....
 
I currently cannot afford to be buying the semi custom and custom fixed blades that I had been focusing on in the last year, and am mainly focusing on lower price level customs and a few production folders. It has become about the value that I personally get out of each knife, while looking at each purchase as a user. I am moving away from bushcraft knives because I have so many and always reach for the same couple knives when I need one. Also, I will be selling off roughly one third of my current collection in the near future simply because they don't get used and they are not knives that I think will gain value in the future.
 
I think I had the same thing happen to me as did trimcut.

I started off small and inexpensive, worked my collection up, started trading things away and slowly got more and more expensive knives until my collection was at a stand still. I had a few great knives, but could/can no longer obtain anything else, and I certainly don't want to trade back down :o

I have been tempted to getting rid of an expensive knife and getting two or three nice ones in exchange, but I'm still looking.

To tell you the truth, I think I was happier playing with a ton of Good, semi-costly knives than one or two expensive ones.
 
For collecting i always by my Enduras and Delicas in matching sets (G10, Black Blades, FG, etc.) and their sprint runs. For user knives ill buy any model, brand, or color
 
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