Why (and how) do you collect knives

[zoogirl]

I’ve had a knife in my pocket since I was a kid. Gosh, I guess it must be about fifty years of carrying something! The knives have come and gone but that pocket has stayed full.
In the past year, I’ve gone a little knife nuts! I started as an accumulator, and still am, but now I’ve found ‘my brand’, so I guess I’m a collector too.
I do like Richards. It’s fun tracking down all the colours, sizes and styles. Celluloid is kind of living dangerously! They also tend to be inexpensive.
I like smaller fixed blades too and I am a bit of a magpie when it comes to shiny little watchfob knives.
As to why, knives are just cool. Plus, although I seldom put it in words, as a woman in a bad ‘hood, having a knife in my pocket gives me a little more confidence. It may be a folder in the bottom of my purse, but I know it’s there.
It also goes back to childhood when I loved to try to carve. I never turned out much, but I still enjoy hacking at a stick.
I also collect guitars and ukes, coins, vintage bikes and Alice Cooper memorabilia.

 

[ridnovir]

Lots of good insight here already!
A few words of wisdom if I may:
1. Figure out what you like sooner rather than later it would be less costly (ie 1 ZT knife is better than 100 mall ninja knives).
2. Try to ground your impulses to practicality (remember the main purpose of a knife is to cut things - if the design of a knife hinders this purpose give it a pass).
3. When you think that you have a good and well-rounded set of tools implement "one in another out" rule.
4. Remember of diminishing returns once you get over $500-1000 mark.
5. Do not spend money you do not have!
5. Have fun.

 

[FlamingMoe]

3. When you think that you have a good and well-rounded set of tools implement "one in another out" rule.

I've been thinking a lot about this. I don't really know if I want to get into trading/selling knives online seeing as that's a lot of extra time and effort I don't necessarily have. I mean I wouldn't be opposed to it if I had a knife I really wanted to get rid of, but I don't know if I want to make it a big part of my collecting as others do. Seeing as I'm not in a financial situation to be spending hundreds of dollars on knives whenever I want, I feel like it won't really be much of an issue anyway because it would be pointless to sell knives that are only worth $50-$150.

Again, I'm new to all this so maybe my mentality will change but these are just my thoughts on it right now.

 

[katanas]

Moe, I've been at it a loooong time and I still feel the way you do. I've given knives away, but never sold one.

 

[GermanyChris]

I find it interesting how many people on here don't consider themselves collectors. I guess I thought anyone who would sign up to an internet forum about knives would have to be a avid collector, but it's kind of interesting to see that's not that case

I'm not a collector, I basically have one folding knife I carry, and a fixed blade I keep in my bag.

I have a couple others for when I travel or other specific reasons. I have no need to have all da knifes, or all da steelz, or even all da patternz it's just more crap to keep up on and/or maintain and I have way better things to do like breathe

 

[FlamingMoe]

I mean don't get me wrong, I can totally see why some people collect that way, I'm just not sure if it's for me

 

[PirateSeulb]

My why is a bit of a few things coming together to birth my collection habit. I have for a long time had a love of blades growing up admiring swords and axes in movies, TV, comics, museums, etc. I also grow up always having pocket knives but growing up it was just some tool and it got abused. I then for a brief time, mostly years following Columbine event until I began working retail, I didn't carry much besides a leatherman again just a tool. When I began wanting and needing a pocket-able tool that wasn't so bulky I stated carrying pocket knives again and it didn't really change from just another tool until I began doing office work and was gifted a nicer knife did I begin to view pocket knives more as I had the swords and axes. Then I eventual found the rabbit hole that was all the I could learn about all things bladed and pocket knives being a daily carried item with a use became the focus for my love of blades.

For me the how is simply I buy what I can when I can of what ever strikes my fancy. I tend to avoid having duplication in my collection. I have a Lionsteel Barlow I no longer have any real interest in any other barlow knives but if one comes around that just outshines my Lionsteel in how it strikes my Fancy then I might work to get it and offload my Lionsteel.