Off Topic Quality over Quantity? - a philosophical question

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Feb 27, 2017
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Hello all,
I've recently arrived at a bit of a crossroads in my knife hobby. I have amassed a collection that I am reasonably happy with (although the more I read and learn, the more my opinion changes) and I have a question for you all.
I, like many on the forum I am sure, have a fairly limited budget to support this wonderful hobby, but I am at a point where I would like to take a step (or two) up in the kind of knives I have in my collection.
Most of what I have right now is in the 50-100 dollar range, with 2 Benchmades around 150. The Kizer Sheepdog and Todd Begg Mini Bodega Steelcraft have caught my eye recently and I would very much like to own them.
I could get these knives if I sold off most of my current collection, which leads me to my question.
Would you sell the majority of your knives to pay for a much smaller number of higher-end knives? Or is it better to have more high value, but much cheaper, knives so you can rotate them in and out of your EDC and have more to play with?

Have a good one,
- E
 
I much prefer quality over quantity. Quality will also hold it's value better.
However if you have something very special in a lower end collection that took years to build and would be almost imposable to replicate(such as maybe a unique Case collection) I might be hesitant to sell it off, and just find some other way to fund the new knife. Most of us usually just have a bunch of this and that's that make a good sell off.
 
Quality, over quantity ANY day for me.
Yeah, that's basically my thought process, I wouldn't sell certain classics such as my Delica, or my Rat 1 which is sentimentally valuable.
This would my first step into the whole buying/selling/trading world and I am attempting to approach it with a sense of rationality and not just throw money at people to satisfy my millenial desire for instant gratification.
 
I'd suggest you sell off what's needed to buy one of those two knives. No reason to buy both at once. That way if you don't like the new knife, you can sell it to fund the other one you want.
That is a great idea, I'll keep that in mind. Always nice to have someone talk some common sense into me.
 
When I started, I bought knives left and right. Now that I have 50 or so, I wish I had most of that money back so I could just have a few really nice ones. Except for my Himalayan Imports khukris, they are all scattered brands and types.

But in some ways it was part of the process. I didn't know what I liked so I picked up a bunch of different types to try out.
 
My "collection" is constantly evolving because I don't have an emotional attachment to "stuff" and I only own the things that get carried and used. I like carrying $300-$1000 knives.
 
When I started, I bought knives left and right. Now that I have 50 or so, I wish I had most of that money back so I could just have a few really nice ones. Except for my Himalayan Imports khukris, they are all scattered brands and types.

But in some ways it was part of the process. I didn't know what I liked so I picked up a bunch of different types to try out.
This is pretty much the same thing I did. I did pretty well and purchased high value knives, but I think instead of having 20 knives, I would rather have 5 that are really excellent.
 
My "collection" is constantly evolving because I don't have an emotional attachment to "stuff" and I only own the things that get carried and used. I like carrying $300-$1000 knives.
That's where I would like to end up at some point. Up until know I have stayed out of the selling/trading world because I use my stuff and it's not all pretty and "like new condition". I do not want to own something that I am afraid to use because then won't be as valuable. I have that with one knife right now, and I don't get nearly the enjoyment from owning it that I had hoped.
 
With hard use, I find that a bit of a compromise with high quality construction with a good steel for a reasonable price is my preference. I haven t found a 400.00 knife that works better than a high value knife in the 100.00-200.00 range. Occasionally a real bargain can be found for less than 100.00 like the Manix 2 or Recon 1. Pride of ownership is worth only so much to me.
 
With hard use, I find that a bit of a compromise with high quality construction with a good steel for a reasonable price is my preference. I haven t found a 400.00 knife that works better than a high value knife in the 100.00-200.00 range. Occasionally a real bargain can be found for less than 100.00 like the Manix 2 or Recon 1. Pride of ownership is worth only so much to me.
I guess I'm just wondering if the grass is greener on the other side. I agree that there are 100-200 dollar knives that outperform much more expensive knives.
The pride of ownership question is what I am really looking to get answered. Is my enjoyment of the 400 dollar knife worth an extra 300 dollars.
Basically: It's shiny and I wanna try it
 
It's a balancing act. In general, you should have the fewest number of knives you actually need, that are near the upper end of your comfort price range to where you would actually be willing to carry and use them. This is assuming you are buying for use and carry, and not for collection.
 
Without a doubt, quality over quantity!
There truly is something to be said for pride of ownership!
When I choose my blades for the day, it's like choosing which watch I'd like to wear. To me, they are a bit more than tools.
Joe
 
I recently went from 150+ midrange knives to under 20 knives in order to take a step up in quality. I have not regretted it one bit. I've bought far fewer knives since changing directions, but I figure I can only use one at a time so I might as well make that one as nice as I can afford. The dozens sitting in my basement don't do me any good and if I have a really nice knife in my pocket I feel much less inclined to rotate it out.

That's just me, though. I'd say use a combination of selling off some and refraining from buying more until you save for one expensive knife as has been suggested above. I know others that spent large dollars for a knife and decided that it wasn't for them and went back to midline offerings. It's personal enough that I don't think you'll know for sure until you get your first custom or high end knife. Once you do it'll be very clear whether it was a mistake or a whole new world.

Good luck on your journey and definitely let us know what you decide and how it works out for you.
 
You're going to end up buying what you want any way no amount of high value is going to change that. Sell what you need and buy what you think you want.
 
In general - Quality, over quantity.
But I actually think it's handy to have 1-2 cheaper knives even if you are into high end. The reason is, that there actually are circumstances where you might lose your knife. For example, going somewhere where knives are restricted and having to leave it either to the security who might stole it or just hide it somewhere unprotected. But the truth is, that you should go for what you want, regardless of its value.
 
I like having two of every nice knife I have.
So far, that's like 2 ka-bar 1211, 2 kemerson 4KXL, probably another 8K. Maybe another PM2
Fwiw.
 
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