Hi, my name is Ralf! Im knife addicted.
It started when a was still a little boy. I always flatted my nose on the store windows with all the cool knives on display. I saved my allowance for a long time to buy my first folder which I was hiding from my parents and sister. For Christmas and birthday, my wishes circled around knives, but they got rarely fulfilled. Now Im an adult and with the time my addiction became stronger and more expensive. First it was the production stuff I went for. The names Benchmade, Microtech, Cold Steel, Ka-Bar, Puma, Timberline, Kershaw, Buck and Spyderco are as familiar to me as Coca-Cola and McDonalds are to normal people. With the time my taste refined. Now I need hand-mades to fulfill my addiction. The production pieces got sold or went to friends. Im on the waiting list of several makers, and always on the hunt for prototypes and low numbered limited editions. I could hold lectures about CPM420V, VG10, BG42, D2, O1, dendritic Cobalt, Stellite, titanium, G11, carbon fiber, selective temper, air hardening, oil quenching, bead blasting etc. My room is stuffed with catalogs and magazines about knives. I walk through bookstores, checking literature about knife-making, but cant find anything I dont already own. It takes me more time to choose the right multitool than to fix things with it. In kitchen stores, Im found in front of the Henckels display. In a Japanese restaurant Im sitting at the counter beholding the chefs slicing the tuna. If I get out of bed I have to be careful where to step. Good rules are to never reach out in the dark or behind something or drop yourself in the sofa without making absolutely sure there isnt an open blade pointed at you. The only friends I have are knife makers or other collectors.
People think Im nuts and I know there is no hope.
Im here to find just a little understanding. Do I ask for too much?
