Why I sold most of my expensive knives (anyone else feel like this?)

asdf12345 said:
When did this start becoming a discussion about "filling emotional voids"?

Having an admiration for something and a desire to obtain it does not necessarily have anything to do with someone's emotional state. The dollar amount one spends on hobbies does not necessarily reflect that person's emotional attachment or dependence on those hobbies.
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A few of us "need" a knife for self defense. Most of use "need" a knife to cut stuff. But that could be one knife or two. Admiration is an emotional response to something. If you weren't emotionally attached to your hobby, you probably wouldn't consider it a hobby. Sorry about splitting hairs.
 
22-rimfire said:
A few of us "need" a knife for self defense. Most of use "need" a knife to cut stuff. But that could be one knife or two. Admiration is an emotional response to something. If you weren't emotionally attached to your hobby, you probably wouldn't consider it a hobby. Sorry about splitting hairs.
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I'll freely admit that my emotional attachment to the knife hobby is such that yes, I purchase knives beyond what I need in the tasks I do at my employment and in daily life. However, it's not right to suggest that others are any less or more attached than any other person simply because they possess things that go beyond their needs. I know many people who, if they had to give up the knives tomorrow, would have little problem with it and move on. I also know many people who, if they had to give up the knives tomorrow, would feel upset about it for quite some time.
 
I'd be upset myself if I had to purge all my knives down to a couple (worse yet-None). I'm attached to the hobby. It really boils down to generalizations and usually generalizations are not correct.

Years ago, I used to go shopping in the malls just because I was bored and wanted to be with people. That has changed, but that was a need that I was filling and in the case of buying stuff, probably doing it to excess in practical terms. But I enjoyed it.
 
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asdf12345 said:
When did this start becoming a discussion about "filling emotional voids"?
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It did so when the original poster asked if others had experienced the phenomenon of losing interest in spendy knives, and I explained why it happens.

All hobbies, ours included, are distractions from emotional angst. That's why they exist. When you are playing with your Hinderer, hitting a golf ball, or heading out in the bass boat, you aren't thinking about 22 more years of mortgage payments or a receding hairline.

Just one short step past hobbies is true addiction. Drug and alcohol abuse also anesthetizes us and distracts us from the memory that daddy never liked us or mommy's boyfriend locked us in the closet. The difference is that true addictions have much more deleterious consequences, like loss of family, sickness and death. Hobbies just make your credit card hurt.

So spendy knives and emotional anesthesia are not just closely intertwined, they are two faces of the same animal. This is my thesis, and it seems to me that all of the evidence supports it.

:thumbup:
 
I have to say that I disagree. A hobby is a pleasurable way to pass the time, not some sign that we're emotionally damaged or ignored. I mean, what? Distractions from emotional angst?

I would love to see actual evidence that states that people who have hobbies are doing so from having some deep seated emotional need that's not being filled. I can tell you that that's certainly not the case with me.

I'm not trying to personally attack you but this idea of yours seems like terribly poor logic, either that, or it's very poorly worded.
 
Many of us joke that buying knives is a disease here on BF. (aka emotional disease :D ) Same is true of other things such as flashlights, watches, firearms, shoes, and so forth. Do I really need the 20 flashlights that I own? That is more than one for every room in my house. Same is true of knives for me. I enjoy just handling a knife, even inexpensive ones. They give me pleasure and that is what hobbies do whether it be hiking, fishing, hunting, going to flea markets and garage sales, golf, tennis and so forth. It is an emotional response (pleasure) and if you didn't get this response, more than likely you wouldn't have more than a couple knives and probably none outside the kitchen or the your tool box.
 
My mommy used to beat me with a whip made of broken pocket clips.
 
powernoodle said:
It did so when the original poster asked if others had experienced the phenomenon of losing interest in spendy knives, and I explained why it happens.

:thumbup:
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This explains why it happens for you, it would be presumptuous to assume that is the motivation for everyone else.
 
powernoodle said:
It did so when the original poster asked if others had experienced the phenomenon of losing interest in spendy knives, and I explained why it happens.

All hobbies, ours included, are distractions from emotional angst. That's why they exist. When you are playing with your Hinderer, hitting a golf ball, or heading out in the bass boat, you aren't thinking about 22 more years of mortgage payments or a receding hairline.

Just one short step past hobbies is true addiction. Drug and alcohol abuse also anesthetizes us and distracts us from the memory that daddy never liked us or mommy's boyfriend locked us in the closet. The difference is that true addictions have much more deleterious consequences, like loss of family, sickness and death. Hobbies just make your credit card hurt.

So spendy knives and emotional anesthesia are not just closely intertwined, they are two faces of the same animal. This is my thesis, and it seems to me that all of the evidence supports it.

:thumbup:
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This may be YOUR experience and/or belief, but It sure as hell ain't mine.....

Psychology is very interesting, however it's not a one size fits all hat.
You need to get past Freud, most of us already have, and a long time ago.
 
Moondrop said:
You can say that again. My father couldn't wrap his brain around what my Mini Grip cost--and that was when you could get them for under $60. He'd probably short circuit at the prices of some of the knives carried by members here.




Same. 'Cept I have not yet even broken the $100 barrier. I is a cheapskate. LOL
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You is also smart:D
 
I've sold off many of my more expensive pocket clipped folders, but have kept a few, more so "just cause" than anything else. And I do respect their engineering and quality. But they just see very little use and I have only a very few I'd call a safe queen that I'm keeping for some sentimental reason, like to pass on to the kids. Not for an investment. At the rate the PC Police are going we will all be carry small, unsharpened twigs anyway instead of the twin banes of mans existence, a knife or firearm. Lol.

I've always tended to favor the traditional pocket type knives more and have accrued a small collection. While I have managed to obtain a few nice custom traditionals that I really like, they see about the same carry time as an old 89 Buck stockman for example worth many times less than the custom. It's just which one laying there that strikes my fancy that given day. Or one that I know hadn't had any pocket time for awhile. Could even be one of my old alox SAKS. :)

Meaning, I tend to place the value in the knife itself and how it feels to me. Not in monetary value. I don't base my use of something on the cost, but whether it serves my purpose, and I like it.
 
To me, it was all about learning and experimenting. Cutlery is a vast field. I wanted to try and compare different blade geometries, steels, styles, handle materials. There wouldn´t be any way of knowing it if I hadn´t tried it, invested in it. What I got in return was finding out the stuff that works better for what I do. I disliked some of the forum favorites, and loved a couple of underdogs that are barely talked about.

I have consolidated my collection to 9 knives, and it has been a couple of years since I bought one. Six of them are woods/camping knives, priced between $50 and $280, and they all get their fair share of use. I also have two folding knives, priced around $50, for pocket carry. The ninth knife doesn´t really get used for anything, not because I don´t want to use it, but because it doesn´t do anything better than the other ones. Even so, I like it, and I won´t be selling it.

At one point I had about 40 knives, but I ended up selling some stuff and giving away the more affordable pieces. I almost bought a ZT after I handled a friend´s 566, a real beauty. I was this close to pulling the trigger, but from previous experience I remembered that a) I am a bit wary of durability in framelocks; b) Even though the ZT wouldn´t get a lot of use, it would cost more than the knife I use the most; c) I don´t even like folding knives that much. So there. When you try out a lot of knives, you are bound to find something that is perfect for your needs. And when you find the ones that are perfect for you, it gets a lot harder to justify new purchases.

I miss my Buck 110, though. I think I am gonna get a new one.
 
I think anyone whos been collecting/using knives has been there at one point or another. Last year I made a list of 7 knives/makers that i have really liked for a while and sold of most of my collection kf spydercos, microtechs (still regret selling my socom elite) and benchmades and I bought or ordered most of those 7 knives. I enjoy them, I love to pkay and carrg them but I still find my xhp military us in my pocket just as much as my kwaicken or bodega. Although my Thorburn/Van Heerden A2 is in my left pocket all the time, the action is amazing and at around .013 behind the edge its a great cutter and its a joy to use. Now im on the hunt for a Direware. Do I need it, no I definitely don't. But will that stop me scouring the interwebs looking for a perfect one? Probably not. Last time I had close to 40 knives and really only used 5 to 7 of them and others I made it a point to use. Now I have about 12 knives, some are sentimental pieces that my Dad loved and I'll never sell those and others I pretty much use. I soldfoff 2 knives recently and even though I liked them and took me forever to hjnt them down, I realized that they spend all their time in my case so I sold them. I hope im in that stage where I keep what I use and sell of extra ones but im pretty sure im not that mature yet, I mean im hunting for a $1000 plus knife just because ive wanted one for over 2 years. But then again I believe that its noneof anyone else's business how I spend my money and its none of mine how they soend theirs. I hate seeing a post ir video of someone getting their dream knife no matter if its a para 2, a sebbie, hinderer or some thousand dollar custom and see someone say, why did you spend so much on your knife x, my knife y is just as good and it costs x amount. If you're happy with your knife thats great, it doesn't mean that someone else should be happy just with it, if they want something else, let them be happy.
 
JR88FAN said:
This may be YOUR experience and/or belief, but It sure as hell ain't mine.....

Psychology is very interesting, however it's not a one size fits all hat.
You need to get past Freud, most of us already have, and a long time ago.
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How much do we have vs what we really need? LOL.
I enjoy making knives and selling them and buying what I want. Enough said!:)
 
I slowly rose up to the $750 mark, and was prepared to go past $1000. That wasn't that long ago. Now I realize there are just more important things. I have now two knives worth $500 a piece, and one worth the 750. Selling the first two, and honestly, probably the third. Got a truck I want to buy, and no steady job packed in with being so young I just can't go that expensive. As much as I would like to.
 
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