Your knife collecting strategy?

steve-in-kville said:
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So do you have a strategy when it comes to collecting?
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I consider knife collecting to be an entertainment expense. There may be significant residual value, but the main objective is to learn and have fun. Just buy what you like and worry about filing it under a defined collection later on. Your collection will form as a natural part of the process; it is much more interesting to discover what that might eventually be, than to try to force the issue by buying a bunch of stuff just because it shares a page in some catalog.

n2s
 
My strategy is to buy what I like and then stress over it later. I have been accumulating knives for 30+ years with little intention of forming a collection. My passions (primarily Traditional knives) over the years have changed but I seemed to have picked up a lot of stock knives (29 of those). I pursued Swiss Army knives for awhile but that turned into a bottomless pit so I pulled back.

Finally, I decided to get some kind of focus as I realized I was spending way too much on knives I lost interest in. So, now it is only knives I will or would use, new manufacture or old.

My main interest is Barlow knives and I am working at not getting distracted from that goal although I have recently gained a side interest in Farmer's Jacks.

Bottom line, I have no strategy to my collecting, just tactics.
 
I started out looking a vintage folders and got a few to go along with what my father and father in law had gifted me.
I had intended to get various brands to try out, having a number of sway backjack/gents...Then I read about GEC's, got one used and that was it...
Went thru the dealer sites and picked a model to try and intended to work my way thru a few numbers. I would like to do that and try variouos brands EVENTUALLY>
BUT GEC is putting out some great knives in patterns and covers that I like and their market strategy has me locked into preorders that should keep my knife discretionary fund at an all time low thru the end of the year.
That seems to be the focus I am at now.

My number came up on a custom this past week, but the builder hasn't been able to get the vintage material I requested( he ordered some that turned out was not what we wanted)...so that will have to wait till Nov. Many of the custom makers have long wait times and after getting a Case/Bose Lanny's Clip ,well a custom had to be ordered. I am sure once I get it I'll just request to get back on his wait list!
 
I started looking for the "ultimate" whittling knive. Which lead to keeping an even tally of Case and GEC GEC have taken the lead as of late. Then one of each popular pattern, then smalls, then big sizes...specific purpose knives, like pruning, or for my pipe. Now whatever strikes my fancy. All get pocket time, some of the more rare ones just take longer to convince myself to enjoy them too, cause after all I'm not selling any of them.
 
I have recently changed my position on knife acquisition. I used to buy what I thought I would carry. And I've carried quite a few. Evrything from modern midtechs to traditionals. But now, I've learned that 99% of my cutting tasks can be accomplished by smaller knives. And I've taken a liking to traditionals. I expect to sell quite a few modern folders in the future, and I don't plan on buying any more of this type. I much prefer the humble barlow, stockman, and jack patterns.
 
I call my knives a collection but it is just my subsection of Tom's Choice Barlows that I have a true goal for. I would love to get one of each run..then build further after that. Otherwise I love GEC 77s, 83s, and the Northwoods line. A couple Case here and there. But open to any of the quality makers.

Overall.. certain knives "call to me" as soon as I see them and I get a terrible itch to get one. Cheers!
 
I accumulate more then collect specific knives. I always try to find something I don't have. I do have certain styles I'm partial to such as camp folders, old barlows and small stockmans. If I really like it and can afford it I'll buy it sometimes regardless of condition just because I don't have one.
 
Identify the knives you don't need and will never use......buy multiples, store them, forget you have them and re-buy them again.

This system works for me. :D
 
Every knife I buy has to different than anything else I have. I give two passes to this rule: Microtech Ultratech (I have 2 and don't need anymore) and 1095 traditional folders (I'm sure this will not end until several are collected). Even then, they have to be different blade shapes or something. Another thing I do, I won't buy a knife, if I'm not going to keep for the rest of my life. I collect cars now the same way, now.
 
I´m almost slowing down my need of collecting. I have more knives than I would ever need or even wear out.

What I´ve done in the past - getting the knives I could afford and I wanted to try. Mostly depended on the pattern that I found interessting of some kind. Be it a Toothpick or a Stockman or whatever. Here in Germany most of the american patterns are unknown. This makes it difficult to get 'em and overseas order with all customs stuff made me tired of getting 'em.

But this won´t stop me to haunt this subforum.
 
Strategy? My ultimate goal is "One of Each." :D
Falling short of that, I'd at least like One of Each Brand.

So mine are more of an Accumulation overall, although I do have one focus areas that I seriously Collect, namely Schrade-USA Old Timers.
But Old Timers that aren't duplicates are becoming farther and farther apart. In the meantime a few mini-collections keep me entertained: Case, Victorinox, and Bruckmann so far.

I don't have enough Great Eastern to count as a Collection in my book*, but I do focus on their spear point models and have several.

* I use the arbitrary number of 25 to count as a Collection.
 
Somewhere between 200-300 in, and none of them really worth anything of value (at least any more than I paid), so I'm just an accumulator also. Like others, I just buy what I like...if I can afford it. So I'm often buying a Rough Rider version of any particular style because they're cheap. I really can't bring myself into paying too much for a particular knife that I will probably never use, but purchased just because I liked the looks of it. But I have been treating myself with a GEC, Boker, Canal Street, etc occasionally.

Although, that being said, I did tell my wife that I'd start to sell off some to help compensate for my constant impulse purchases. (Hi, My name is Bflying, and I'm an addict). I may as well offered to start cutting off digits, because each purchase was made because I just really liked something about it....whether it was a $20 blade, or $200. Dang this is going to be tough. ;)

Strategy, I don't need no stinkin' strategy. Cheap and Eclectic. That's the way I roll. :cool:

On the truck right now.... A few novelty Granddaddy Barlow's that say "Happy Birthday" on both sides (for people that hate getting knives from me for Birthdays), an RR Stoneworx Stockman (just because I thought it may make a good soft wood whittler), another Spyder Honey Bee Slip-it to make into tie clip, a few RR Dog Bone Jack's (one for me, and the rest gifts for dog people I know). And another big stack of super cheap wood handled Barlow's to give as gifts to non-knife people if they dare chat about knives with me....just so they may have something half decent to keep where they may not have thought about keeping a knife. Most will say that they don't even have a knife stored in their car, or on desk at work, etc. Personally, I think everyone should have at least one knife handy wherever they spend a significant amount of time, if not on them at all times.
 
I classify myself as a bit of a knife hoarder.

I buy what I like and I have two types of knives that I like:

1) Knives I like to use.

2) Knives I like to have.

I'll just shrug about how it works out as time goes on, but I'm trying to limit myself to knives I'll use and I have more knives than I can use right now...

Full disclosure, I have two knives ordered and paid for that should arrive in this calendar year. I don't need them. Whether they become a knife I use or a knife I have, I don't know yet.
 
I just buy what I fancy and sell what I'm a little bored with to get the next. I have a few that just fit and I hold on to them.


....Oh, and colored Alox SAKs... I get them when I can for reasonable prices.
 
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