How attached do you get?

JustinFournier

JustinFournier

Joined
May 7, 2012
Messages
4,971
How attached do you get to your knives, not just CPK but in general?

What forms that attachment?

What would it take for you to sell those you are significantly attached to?

Is there any you would’t ever sell?

Do they become heirlooms? If so, when?

Please show me some examples of your most prized or sentimental knives.

I look forward to your input!
 
I've learned that a given blade is a sacred trust. Of course, family always comes before material possessions, and when called upon as a provider the choice between food on the table and a material object is clear.

those knives that I expect to hold on to or pass down are the ones given to me. I have a nice collection of CPK's in this category :)
 
I have a few that have been given to me. Those are keepers. There are one or two from my dad and brother. Others from some great folks here.

The others I plan to pass along are the ones I made the handles for. These are my prized ones which represent the best work I've been able to personally achieve. I hope who gets them can feel like they have a piece of me.

These are maybe 12 in total.

The rest are up for grabs in the ebb and flow of an ever changing collection. They really are a means to an end and don't have much sentimental value. I enjoy them, but I'm constantly evaluating them against something else I might enjoy more.
 
There's only 2 knives I'm attached enough to not sell. A Gerber BMF my dad gave me for my first hunt. Steel is crap compared to today, but that knife was THE knife that got me into knives.

The other is a SOG desert dagger, the original seki city version that was in kill bill. Got it before the movie. It's sentimental due to the time of my life that I got it.

There's other knives I've got that I'd hate to sell, but ultimately replaceable if it comes to it. But those two cannot be replaced since they are unique due to history rather than design
 
Knives are tools to me and I really don't form sentimental attachments to them. I do have a couple that I will to give to my grandsons when they're old enough because I want them to learn to appreciate and take care of good tools.
 
I have a lot of knives from when I was young. I think those will definitely stay with me. I can still pick up each one a remember all the details around getting it. It is those memories that keep the knives special to me. For the knives I’ve acquired as an adult. Well their hard to say, how many can I keep? Also what the future brings may change my collecting ???
I’ll try and post some pics later
:)
 
I’ve never sold a knife. For me, “attachment” comes from experiences. I have too many knives, some I have never used. And, mostly, I’ve never used them because I saw them online and once I had the knife in my hand I didn’t like it. But they are good knives so there they are..., for my grandchildren.

But the ones I have used, and use, are good knives that have not only helped me with a particular chore but that also bring back warm memories on the field, a river, the ocean, a lake, a mountain, some beautiful place where after a day of hunting or fishing I’ve sat to dress ducks, doves, a deer, a pecari, a bass, mahi, or prepare a meal. I have an old Randall which brings back wonderful memories of a very special place where I used to shoot ducks. Oh, and my most beloved Tony Bose drop point that’s been thru many a deer and many years with me.

In few words, for me “attachment” results from shared experiences.
 
Last edited:
mendezj said:
In few words, for me “attachment” results from shared experiences.
Click to expand...

That's me. It's kind of like the bond you form with people by going through hard times (though knives are obviously not as important as people). The three knives that I could never give up are the ones that went through difficult things and served me well. My old SR101 RMD has been through so many adventures and trainings where it was the only knife that still had an edge worth a damn. I guess to me selling a knife with my scars would be like giving away my own history to someone who couldn't know or appreciate it. My kids are all pretty young, but I hope that they will see my users for what they went through, not just old battered pieces of steel.
 
There’s always a knife that means more than the others, sometimes several. Wether it was handed down from Great Gramps, Grampa, Dad, or used for special trips afield. The memories of those individuals and the times spent together have to become attached to the tool- to me it’s no different than a certain song reminding me of an event or old girlfriend, the smell of spaghetti sauce cooking reminding me of being young and sneaking a taste of what Mom was cooking before dinner, the smell of a campfire bringing a flood of memories, or the corn turning brown reminding me of hunting trips.

So many things bring back the good times, but the only things that do, that I carry everywhere, are my watch and my knife.

I have 3 CRK’s with my parents birthdays from their last year here with me, those will only ever leave my possession if it means bills go unpaid or the family goes hungry if I don’t sell them. I have a CRK Nyala that has been on a great many memorable hunts with me, I don’t plan on ever selling that one either. my HDFK, MC, and FK2 are slowly earning the same status but pretty much everything else ( outside some sentimental blades ) can come and go with the wind.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the replies everyone. I appreciate you all for taking your time and energy to post.

Seems the common theme is shared experiences and the ability to bring back fond memories.

My son is coming up on 7 in February and he recalls some things from when he was 4 very well. He’s still taking about our camping trip from the summer and in starting to wonder if he isn’t more ready to build those long term memories than I thought.

Won’t be long till he needs his first real knife.
 
I've got a couple I'll never sell, mostly because I either modified them in a way that guarantees I wont get out of it what I've got in it.

One unmodified blade that goes nowhere is a busse b11. Best knife in my world. First pick for kickball every time.

Hopefully my kids will get to appriciate their own someday.

I'm looking for 3 more b11 or b13 in infi. Fyi.
 
Last edited:
JustinFournier said:
Thanks for the replies everyone. I appreciate you all for taking your time and energy to post.

Seems the common theme is shared experiences and the ability to bring back fond memories.

My son is coming up on 7 in February and he recalls some things from when he was 4 very well. He’s still taking about our camping trip from the summer and in starting to wonder if he isn’t more ready to build those long term memories than I thought.

Won’t be long till he needs his first real knife.
Click to expand...


I think my oldest was 7 or 8 when I picked up one of the Spyderco wooden knife kits for him. He really enjoyed putting it together and learning how the lock back worked on it, which made me very happy. The best part is that he was able to have his own "knife" without having a real live edge. He learned the rules about owning, carrying, and using a knife ( outside of the kitchen ) with that thing and it was absolutely worth the couple of dollars that it cost. There are other kits out there made of plastic that might be more durable but if you're thinking of starting him into blades you really can't go wrong with a kit.
 
Here’s the pics , group shot :)

B96DC155-5D3C-45BE-BE12-DBBE697630D5.jpeg B6AF9F95-8061-426C-9626-3A2EA4F28229.jpeg

The Gerber is unopened lol. My Dad got me the browning when I was like 8. The two case knives I got when is around 9 or 10 in VT family trip. The police model is 1992 ish ? It was my backup to my carry one.
 
1AbominAble1 said:
I think my oldest was 7 or 8 when I picked up one of the Spyderco wooden knife kits for him. He really enjoyed putting it together and learning how the lock back worked on it, which made me very happy. The best part is that he was able to have his own "knife" without having a real live edge. He learned the rules about owning, carrying, and using a knife ( outside of the kitchen ) with that thing and it was absolutely worth the couple of dollars that it cost. There are other kits out there made of plastic that might be more durable but if you're thinking of starting him into blades you really can't go wrong with a kit.
Click to expand...
I thought about that. Those kits are great for kids.
 
BvBW148.jpg
 
1AbominAble1 said:
I think my oldest was 7 or 8 when I picked up one of the Spyderco wooden knife kits for him. He really enjoyed putting it together and learning how the lock back worked on it, which made me very happy. The best part is that he was able to have his own "knife" without having a real live edge. He learned the rules about owning, carrying, and using a knife ( outside of the kitchen ) with that thing and it was absolutely worth the couple of dollars that it cost. There are other kits out there made of plastic that might be more durable but if you're thinking of starting him into blades you really can't go wrong with a kit.
Click to expand...

My son and I made that kit too! We even stained the scales blue as that was his favourite colour at the time.

It’s really a great little kit. Thanks for the suggestion.
 
Lorien said:
BvBW148.jpg
Click to expand...

the LC in this photo was one of three protos I received for testing. Justin, it should look familiar.
that was the only CPK I was given that I traded away, and I traded it for your Sebenza. Which Nathan now has, and just described to me as his most used knife. I don't recall exactly how I got it back, but I think it involved my arranging for you to get a new one. Which I traded with Nathan for the Sebenza? Damn, seems complicated and I don't think I'm remembering it right. Anyway, I've never gone through such a rigamaroll to get a knife back

I gave my A2 OGFK proto to a friend of mine, and around the time I was arranging on getting that RLC back, I got that back from him by trading him a brand new 3V one

so, I'm pretty sure I still have every CPK proto/gift still in the arsenal. It's not purely sentimental, of course, these are protos and shouldn't really be kicking around out there in the market as they don't display the quality inherent in a CPK production knife. Everything that matters is there, but they're a bunch of ugly Betties

this potato knife was a gift from Nathan, apparently to my wife, and it will stay in the Arnold family for time immemorial
ncjgd6q.jpg
 
Lorien said:
....I don't recall exactly how I got it back, but I think it involved my arranging for you to get a new one. Which I traded with Nathan for the Sebenza? Damn, seems complicated and I don't think I'm remembering it right. Anyway, I've never gone through such a rigamaroll to get a knife back...
Click to expand...

Lorien,

I remember exactly. You emailed me saying that you sent me a PM. Basically the PM read that the success that you were having with the CPK designs meant a lot to you, and you regretted letting go of the original Protos you had and wanted to rebuild the original group, so you wanted to get the one you traded me back.

I understood exactly why you wanted to do that so I sent that one back to you free.

Nathan later sent me one to replace it free. It was absolutely stunning and I was honored to have it. That knife became my most used chopper.

I’m not sure what happened between you and Nathan regarding that Sebenza.

Sadly that chopper was sold as well as nearly all my other knives and the better part of the household goods during the asset division with my Ex. I sold all my folders down to I think 5. I kept I think 8 CPKs and sold all my other fixed blades except the couple I use in the kitchen.

Getting rid of the majority of knives wasn’t something I wanted to do, but in the end I needed to get out of the situation and into a new place with my kids with very short notice and I needed to raise tens of thousands of dollars in cash with almost no notice. I ended up leaving with 2 van loads worth of stuff in total for the kids and I from an entire house. I made a lot of sacrifices to make it happen so I hope there are no hard feelings. I actually just got a FK2 which was my first from CPK in probably 2 years.

SORRY! I’m rambling here.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top