Head vs Heart; My Thoughts on Collecting and Using. How do YOU "collect"?

[Hickory n steel]

Generally If I deem a knife worthy of use I wanna give it occasional pocket time and use , if I feel I'm not using it enough I'd rather pass it on to someone who will instead of letting it collect dust.

As a teenager I bought and was bought by my dad a bunch of cheap modern flea market folders, at that time I was the type to pick one and stick with it for quite a while. I was eagerly learning the good and bad of knives and was fine Letting 120 of them collect dust while using only one, I had learned they were mostly junk that would fall apart on me otherwise so I was fine with it.

After switching to better knives then eventually traditionals and the habit of rotating through them I decided I didn't want to just have a whole bunch of knives just to look at, I didn't like the idea of a quality tool never being used.

 

[yablanowitz]

I'm another accumulator, although I have some collections within the overall massive accumulation. There is also considerable crossover, such as a Queen Folding Hunter fitting in both the Queen collection and the Folding Hunter collection.

 

[CrowCounty]

I'm not sure when I went from buying a few knives to use to collecting knives but it might have been when I happened upon a #25. Before that I bought various patterns and carried and used them all. Initially with my #25s, I still used and carried all of them but as I began to accumulate rare versions, it began to change into a collection. Now I have over 150 of those wonderful little knives and so it is definitely a collection. I have a few doubles that are my users.

 

[B.F.U]

I'm not sure when I went from buying a few knives to use to collecting knives but it might have been when I happened upon a #25. Before that I bought various patterns and carried and used them all. Initially with my #25s, I still used and carried all of them but as I began to accumulate rare versions, it began to change into a collection. Now I have over 150 of those wonderful little knives and so it is definitely a collection. I have a few doubles that are my users.

Your #25 collection is an inspiration!

 

[Pinemoon]

Good thread.

I like collecting knives more than I thought I would.

Not only can I get knives, but then I need to sharpen and maintain them. This leads to more knowledge. Then I need storage, a whole other spoke radiating from the hub. Then it's trying out different patterns. Do I like folders or fixed? Single or multi-bladed? Yes, yes, yes and yes

And how do I carry my knives? Can I carry more than one?
What style of pants are the best for knives?

Then it's discovering BF and the wonderful rabbit hole of customs available here. Oh yeah, can't forget photography. Knife photography is an art in itself.

In short, I like collecting more than I thought I would. It's not a means to an end. It keeps expanding, at least for me.

Currently, I have around 35 folders and about 8 fixed blades. I feel I'm getting into the intermediate stage of my collecting/accumulating. I started out in the modern camp. Then traditionals found me. I feel they're the path to get some real mileage out of this hobby. There are so many patterns, blade shapes and cover materials. I enjoy history and learning about culture. How different knife styles evolved is another one of those radiating spokes.

Moderns seem narrow in comparison. That said, my current trajectory has me wanting to infuse my heavily traditional-themed collection with a couple of modern pieces-- a few more than I already have. Specifically, how to carry both traditional and modern together.

Yeah, I'm still getting a lot out of this pursuit

 

[Fodderwing]

A wonderful, thought provoking, entertaining and highly interesting thread. Thanks B B.F.U .

 

[Fodderwing]

" They look very nice but why do you have so many?" Good point, I cryptically answered " A tree is nice but a mixed woodland better" Not sure he agreed and that's because to most 'other' people knives are all the same, how terrible to live in such poverty....

Adept and succinctly stated Will as always. Another great post my friend.

 

[Will Power]

Very kind Dwight, don't think I merit it though...

Thanks, Will

 

[Eli Chaps]

I like sharp things. And I like things that make things that are supposed to be sharp things but have become dull things, back into sharp things again.

I've always been the knife guy. Always, way back as a kid when the adults would give me their "hunting" knives to sharpen. I was terrible at it but I was better than them and that's all that mattered I guess. I'm still the knife guy in my family and friend circles. Most all of them think spending $50 on any single knife is approaching certifiable madness so there's often very little understanding or appreciation of a lot of what I have. I don't usually spend too awful much on a single knife. When we get to $100 I start getting very discerning and back out more often than I commit. I have a chef's knife and few pocket knives that broke that plane at time of purchase, but for the most part I'm more utilitarian oriented. I like the quest to find knives that feel good to me and work like I want. I want to know I'm carrying the best thing I've found so far (for my own personal parameters of such things).

But, I'm at an age when sometimes, I might splurge a bit. This weekend we had a large family gathering and I hadn't seen some of them in person for a while. I'd slipped my Chambriard Compact into my pocket. It's much better suited to these type outings than daily carry, especially for work. And, I wanted to show it to a couple specific folks who, although I knew would think the knife purchase itself was borderline nutty, would appreciate the craftsmanship. I was prepared for the head-shakes and wide-eyes after the obligatory "what'd that cost ya" questions. But my sister saw me showing it off and asked if she could see it. She said it was beautiful. I said it was little expensive but was a splurge and she asked, "does it make you happy?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Will it make you happy for a long time?"

"Yep."

"Then that's all that matters."

I like sharp things.

 

[black mamba]

I'm afraid that I'm a very undisciplined knife buyer, so I am both a collector and accumulator. At 63 years old, I've been a knife user all my life. I started hunting at age 8, and almost immediately began cleaning my own game. Until I was in high school, the only knife I owned was an Ulster scout knife. I used my dad's Imperial fixed blade to clean the game, and we also had a Rapala filet knife for fish. At 16 I bought myself a Gerber Silver Knight lockback, and carried that for about 15 years until I lost it. I replaced it with a BuckLite lockback and continued with that for another long spell.

My real enthusiasm for knife collecting began with watching the knife shows on TV, and shortly I began looking for info on the internet. Around 2007 I found BladeForums, and really started soaking up knife knowledge. Being a left-brained guy, the study of blade steels, alloy composition and folding knife patterns fascinated me. Having only carried single blade lockers up to this time, the specific usage of different shaped blades was completely new to me. I started experimenting with different patterns and blade shapes, and began to carry multi-blade folders, primarily the stockman pattern.

Now, I would say that about half my total knives are simply accumulated patterns for the sake of experiencing the differences, with a few more just because they looked good to me. The other half are stockman/cattle knives, with my real collection being the GEC #53 Cubans. I also have quite a few USA Schrades of all types, and a couple dozen alox SAKs as well. But having just recently retired, my income has dropped dramatically, and there will be more thinning than adding of knives in the future.

 

[Whetstone39]

I am a collector, I guess, as I have dozens that I don't use. A lot of those I bought just to experience the pattern or style, knives that I would not have tried or maybe even known of, if it wasn't for this forum. It runs in cycles as many have observed, and each individual's journey is pretty fun to watch evolve here. 20 years ago I would not have considered carrying a small fixed blade every day, now I can't imagine not having a pocket-able fixed blade on my person.

My latest fascination is simple working knives, the sodbusters, opinels, etc. Patterns that have been around forever, because the design is fundamentally sound. I find this amusing, because in my early days of this hobby I would have scoffed at the idea of carrying a SAK, or an opinel, or a friction folder, now I am "discovering" these and learning that they have staying power for very good reasons.

 

[MerryMadMonk]

I accumulate, collect, and use; have fun doing it; learn a lot in the process!

Accumulate - I might pick one up when/if the opportunity arises. Not a particularly focused effort, but may lead to collecting.

Collect - Focused effort with a goal of acquiring one of each that was made. And when that goal is achieved, and in answer to the astute question posed by our friend Will Power ..."Then what?" ..., I pass them on to my son. It'll be his "problem"!

Use - I really, really like to use pocket knives. No knife is exempt from being used, including those I collect. So, really, I'm not a collector in the purest sense.

Monk's Maxims
- Know what you like.
- Accumulate and/or collect and/or use what you like.
- Have fun doing what you do.
- Own the knives. Don't let the knives own you.
- You can't take 'em with you when you go to sit on that Grand Ol' Porch in the Sky.

 

[B.F.U]

I accumulate, collect, and use; have fun doing it; learn a lot in the process!

Accumulate - I might pick one up when/if the opportunity arises. Not a particularly focused effort, but may lead to collecting.

Collect - Focused effort with a goal of acquiring one of each that was made. And when that goal is achieved, and in answer to the astute question posed by our friend Will Power ..."Then what?" ..., I pass them on to my son. It'll be his "problem"!

Use - I really, really like to use pocket knives. No knife is exempt from being used, including those I collect. So, really, I'm not a collector in the purest sense.

Monk's Maxims
- Know what you like.
- Accumulate and/or collect and/or use what you like.
- Have fun doing what you do.
- Own the knives. Don't let the knives own you.
- You can't take 'em with you when you go to sit on that Grand Ol' Porch in the Sky.

Incredible pictures! I like your maxims also, good stuff

 

[MerryMadMonk]

Thanks, Logan!

 

[knarfeng]

I don't collect. I accumulate.

I've been into knives ever since I was a little kid. I don't know where I got it from, my father never bought me a single knife. Regardless, they've always exerted a pull on my imagination.

Over the years I've managed to put away a few. Not because I'm trying to collect them, but rather because it's entirely natural to acquire things you like. Without any thought or effort whatsoever, I've accumulated enough knives to last me several lifetimes. I'll pick up the odd knife or two that catches my eye. Do it long enough and you'll eventually find yourself with a good-sized pile of steel.

That about matches me, except for the comment about your father.

I've always liked knives, and I've carried one pretty much every day for about the last 60 years. And while I do own a lot of stockman knives, I don't really have a collection any particular type of knife.

I buy a knife to study the overall knife and assess its features and usability against my needs. So they pretty much have all seen pocket time. My knife "accumulation" consists mostly of the knives I have bought in the last 20 years as I explored various designs and types.

At the end of the day, I'm just a user who appreciates a well made tool.

 

[Jim Bob]

This is a great thread! I'm new here BTW. I have always had a fascination with pocket knives since my young childhood days. I still have my Sears stockman I bought about 40 years ago. I have mostly only kept knives as tools to be used, but the last 2 weeks lurking on this forum is turning me into a collector. I only have a few knives now, everything from Victorinox, Spyderco, Case, Buck and Scrade. I decided I wanted a very nice knife for my birthday so I bought a Case Mini Copperlock in Denim Bone last week as an early BD present to myself. I think I may be addicted and am pretty sure I will be buying more in the future. I love the idea of finding old traditionals at yard sales and such for collecting. The idea of searching for beautiful knives and collecting really appeals to me. I wish I still had the 10 or so knives I found under the seat of my 1964 Ford that belonged to my Granddad, but I sold them or misplaced them. How I regret that now. I think I have a new hobby!

 

[Jim Bob]

oops, duplicate.

 

[veitsi_poika]

oops, duplicate.

Welcome aboard... it happens to all of us

 

[veitsi_poika]

A desire to know more about a particular knife brought me to the next step in the knife hobby. I don’t remember exactly what I was looking up, but in the process I found BladeForums and my eyes were opened to the wide world of the knife hobby. As I read, watched, and listened I grew more knowledgeable on knives, the knife making process, and the knife community in general.

^^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^^

Couldn't have written it better myself I just wanted to learn more about why the green bone Parker Frost "Johnny Muskrat" knife I bought had a "1978-3 Schrade" stamp on the pile side tang. Man did I open up a can of worms there when I found a thread on BladeForums narrated mostly by Bernard Levine about Jim Parker and Schrade along with a couple other stories from Codger. It was INTRIGUING to me as I had no idea about the history of knife making here and overseas. I was hooked and especially on Schrade Waldens and then Schrade Cut Co's and then NYK and then Electric Cut Co and then Walden Knife and then the Kastor line including Camillus, Wadsworth, Stainless Cut Co, etc and then ULSTER I soon spotted an old display case on The Bay for Schrade "Old Timers" and "Uncle Henry's" that I bought and wanted to fill. But not only did I want to fill it... I wanted to fill it with Schrade Walden versions, which aren't the easiest to find in nice shape. Some of the Old Timers were after Schrade Walden so the 77OT and 194OT in this were regular Schrades but the rest were S-W.






Before long I had a lot of Schrades... (even more now)





And then I hit the scout circuit... (even more now)



And then pukkos, and then pruners and then Utica's... etc etc etc And the rest is history... literally and figuratively. I buy old knives because I love the history and rarely do I buy a knife that is not for historical / curious purposes. I love knives but I love sharing pics and stories on BladeForums a lot more than just having knives. The Porch has been a positive in my life and I look forward to times like now to just sit back and share a little bit And it all started with a little research on BF about this knife:

 

[veitsi_poika]

I accumulate, collect, and use; have fun doing it; learn a lot in the process!

Accumulate - I might pick one up when/if the opportunity arises. Not a particularly focused effort, but may lead to collecting.

Collect - Focused effort with a goal of acquiring one of each that was made. And when that goal is achieved, and in answer to the astute question posed by our friend Will Power ..."Then what?" ..., I pass them on to my son. It'll be his "problem"!

Use - I really, really like to use pocket knives. No knife is exempt from being used, including those I collect. So, really, I'm not a collector in the purest sense.

Monk's Maxims
- Know what you like.
- Accumulate and/or collect and/or use what you like.
- Have fun doing what you do.
- Own the knives. Don't let the knives own you.
- You can't take 'em with you when you go to sit on that Grand Ol' Porch in the Sky.

AWESOME STUFF AL!