Worst beginner knife collecting/buying mistakes?

Know the size of your hand diagonally across your palm and you'll have a pretty good idea of what knife will "fit" right. Come to realize what blade length and style you prefer. Always read the dimensions including the weight of the knife before you buy. Know your own weight limitations for whatever particular type of knife your buying. Once you know what you prefer, buying is easy 'cause you have a solid idea of what your ordering.
 
Don't assume that someone knows what they're taking about just because they have a bunch of knife review videos on YouTube. I use YouTube mostly to get an idea of what a knife looks like in hand, the best information and reviews can be found on the forums.
 
Some folks bring up good points.

As for me - getting burned on trades. Some folks I've noticed are trying to pass off used knives as new, or trying to attribute wear to a factory condition. It helps to be skeptical. If you are in a trade and are asked to provide boot or extra $$$, do not be afraid to value check and negotiate.

Other mistakes in knife collecting - choosing mods. Knife mods do not always add value, and permanent modifications can even devalue a knife. Not to mention home made hackjobs/"bubba" knife pimping - but at the very least if you must go that route, do it on a cheap or common knife.
 
Interesting thread. My advice to you is decide early what you are really doing. Are you really collecting, or are you simply accumulating knives that you like and use? The latter is not a bad thing and most of the advice here is spot-on: buy what you like, buy quality, don't overpay, avoid "impulse buys."

True collecting, however, is more than just buying stuff, even if the stuff you buy is good quality. Collecting implies that there is some point to what you are doing, that you are catelogging and preserving something that has some significance; it has a value that, if managed right, increases over time. The more you narrow that goal, the better your collection will be. If you pick a specific maker, period or class of knives, you can learn about that specific topic and find out what is special within that category so that you will know a piece worth buying when you spot it. If you just "collect knives" you will not develop an affinity for anything specific and will probably just end up buying what you like. That's not necessarily bad, espcially if you buy good stuff, but it is not a true collection.

I've got a bit of the "collector gene;" many on his forum likely do as well. It's what brings us all together, to some degree. Years back, I began collecting Sako hunting rifles and pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters. At first, I started buying the classic calibers that I liked, 30-06; .270, etc. Then I began to really get interested in these models. I found out which calibers were the most rare, which models had significance, and sought those out. Now I have a collection of these great rifles. I also have a hodge-podge of other guns, but not really a collection.

Have fun with it too. If you're not, it's really not worth doing.
 
That's funny. I was buying Paraframes for my crew that were required to carry a knife at all times because they were inexpensive. They were more trouble than they were worth. (the knife, not the crew) We cut line and cord regularly and a 60/40 blade works great. Buy a quality knife that's within your budget. You can throw away the boxes if you'll be giving all your knives to your kids eventually. Cheers, Mike
 
Popular 'high-value' knives are, more often than not, like candy--fun, but ultimately will not satisfy... ;) Certainly, there are exceptions but the point is to not make a meal of candy... or something...

:D
 
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Quite a few of you have said that buying used knives is a good idea. I only bought one used knife and it was fine, but now I worry about people dumping knives that have problems. Returning knives is a hassle and many times I've found that "Excellent" knives ain't so when I zoom in on them. I have a capture program called HyperSnap that I use to grab an eBay photo, or part of a photo, then I lighten the photo, adjust the contrast and saturation and boost sharpness. And you should see some of the clunkers I almost bid on! Most black knives are silhouettes and some fuzzy shots hide a multitude of sins! I use that program to check on used guns I've bought, too, and it's saved me from making some bad mistakes.

If any of you have horror stories, would you still buy used knives? Or is it not that much of a problem? What would your advice be to a novice buyer?
 
While I have owned knives my entire life, I would by no means consider myself an expert. That being said, I will say that going for budget knives is something I enjoy. Have I made some buying mistakes? Sure. But I have also learned that with proper research you can find knives that are very affordable which will not only satisfy practical EDC but more importantly personal enjoyment. Buy a 250 dollar ZT or buy 5 budget line Kershaws that I can play with? I will buy the 5 and play with them and have a ball. So I have to respectfully disagree that it is a mistake buying 25-50 dollar knives. To me a knife is like wine. Whats the best wine? The one YOU like. Anyways that's just my two cents.
 
Asking advice on what to buy. Just buy whatever you want, for whatever reason you have for buying it. I can guarantee somebody is going to think you wasted your money no matter what you buy.

Asking advice for what to do with your knives. Do whatever you want with them. Break them, use them, abuse them, store them, sell them, pimp them, whatever. I can guarantee somebody will think you wasted a perfectly good knife/investment no matter what you do.
 
hardheart said:
Asking advice on what to buy. Just buy whatever you want, for whatever reason you have for buying it. I can guarantee somebody is going to think you wasted your money no matter what you buy.

Asking advice for what to do with your knives. Do whatever you want with them. Break them, use them, abuse them, store them, sell them, pimp them, whatever. I can guarantee somebody will think you wasted a perfectly good knife/investment no matter what you do.
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+1 This
 
I'm not a collector. I buy knives to use them. I used to be an accumulator. But I still pretty much used every knife I bought.
Anyway, the biggest problem I ever had was finding out that the knife I had put off buying was discontinued. Or selling a good knife then regretting it, only to find out the the knife was discontinued and that my price was too low. And that the new prices were higher than I wanted to pay.

Another thing, a lot of the time you can pick up a custom knife from a new maker that is much higher in quality for the price than a lot of knives from established makers. For example, I bought a Nick Wheeler custom when he was starting out (on this forum at least) and it was a spectacular knife for the money.


Oh yeah, the other mistake I made was not thinking that slightly used knives would hold their value. I sold a couple dozen knives before I realized that they don't loose 50% of their value because of clip wear. :(
 
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I have one SOG folder, that is pretty bad and I have a hard time selling, but that is really the only example. other than that, I love all my knives.
 
throwing away boxes, and buying before actually handling the knife. what works for a guy with mid sized hands doesnt necessarily work for a fella with XL sized hands

we all make mistakes, but the silver lining is that you can learn from them and become a more knowledgable consumer
 
I think the biggest problem with knife collecting is that people get obssessive about it. If you are buying for fun, trying to get a batch of knives with different shapes, sizes, locking mechanisms, colors, manufacturers then don't worry about reselling but more about how to display them in an attractive box frame.

If buying for resale down the road then look for popular but discontinued knives that have a large following. Auction sites will give you indications of value. Learn how to clean and protect the finish on the knives. Keep the boxes and paperwork and store everything in good ziplock bags in a waterproof ammo box. You can find ammo storage boxes inexpensively at most army-navy stores or online.

Have fun, but don't break the bank and get in trouble with the family spending too much on a great hobby, knife collecting.

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hardheart said:
Asking advice on what to buy. Just buy whatever you want, for whatever reason you have for buying it. I can guarantee somebody is going to think you wasted your money no matter what you buy.

Asking advice for what to do with your knives. Do whatever you want with them. Break them, use them, abuse them, store them, sell them, pimp them, whatever. I can guarantee somebody will think you wasted a perfectly good knife/investment no matter what you do.
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The man is a true scholar
 
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