Knife boxes

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dkolds

Joined
Jul 27, 2013
Messages
72
Why do folks want the box when they buy used / preowned knives. Same with carried and sharpened knives being much less valuable. Why by a knife and not use it? Ive been collecting knives fir 40 years and I didn’t start saving the boxes untill recently and generally used and sharpened all my knives. I do keep them in good condition.
My brother in law refurbishes rifles and it’s the same thing with the boxes. He thinks it’s silly.
People even sell empty boxes. People must be buying knives and puttin them right into the safe. Is this a new way to invest your money? How can you appreciate a good knife having never used it?
 
It's the same with almost every hobby. Cars, guns, watches, sneakers, knives etc..
You got people who enjoy accumulating, and using a product
You have others who prefer to keep it as pristine as possible, and only take it out of the safe to admire it.
Honestly, neither way is wrong. Who are we to judge another persons preferences?
If it makes you happy, then your doing it right.
 
For me, it’s a reflection of resale value.
Factory edge suggests (more or less) closer to new = higher value.
Resharpened? Is it well done or not? It’s hard to tell from the average pic.
Boxes are nice, but I won’t pay a premium for it.
 
Some knives arrive relatively dull. I can’t take joy in a knife that really isn’t a knife because it’s dull. Sometimes the first thing I do is get the knife up to my standards of sharp. If the fit and finish isn’t perfect I’ll sand and polish it.
But I’m weird in that I never planned on selling any of my knifes. I made two exceptions, once after my wife and I bought a house and needed to fix it up and now because I’m old and don’t want to leave a lot of clean up for my wife and kids when I die. But it’s hard to give them up. Most have stories behind them. My wife says that the only way I can smuggle them into Heaven is if they are planted in my body, which she has volunteered to do. ! 😐 !
 
I think you came to the wrong place if you want things to make sense.

How many members here own more knives than they could ever possibly need (me).

How many own knives that will never actually be used for their intended purpose (me).

How many own knives that they cannot legally carry outside of their home (me).

How many have spent hundreds of dollars for a "work" knife when a knife under $50 would have worked just as well (me).

But hey, who says things need to make sense 😁.
 
I'm a COLLECTOR of a lot of things, including but not limited to knives.

There are over 350 knives in my collection and I have the boxes for most of them.

Boxes aren't essential for me to have but any collector will tell you that it is better to have the box than not. I won't necessarily pay more for a knife w/a box or refuse to buy a knife w/o one BUT, all things being otherwise equal, I will always buy a knife with rather than w/o a box for my collection.

I don't USE any of the knives in my collection to do anything more than cut paper, tape or string BUT I own a lot of other knives that are NOT in my collection that I will use for whatever task they can perform w/o limitation.
 
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killgar said:
How many have spent hundreds of dollars for a "work" knife when a knife under $50 would have worked just as well (me).
Click to expand...

Not me.

i only use cheap stainless and carbon steel knives in the kitchen. I only use a box cutter or utility knife for cutting up boxes and other things. And I only use a few cheap pruning knives and an inexpensive Geber machete in the garden.

The thought of using anything more expensive for any of these tasks NEVER crosses my mind.

LOL! ;)
 
I don't keep boxes to my work or EDC knives. I however will keep a box if available to a Randall, Sprint run Spyderco, Shirogorov, or any super expensive custom that I may want to collect, resell, or trade. Heck there are boxes for antiques that are worth as much or at least enhances the value of a product. I pretty much don't keep boxes though. Unless I find that rare beauty worth collecting.
 
It's just the norm for all collectors ,so far as I know , to want everything that came with the item and often even any documentation to prove authenticity .

The more expensive and rare , the more so .

I will pay a little more BNIB , even for my comparatively inexpensive buys, because it helps me sort out the fakes .

Also , many sellers now will list on auction as " brand new " but they rarely actually are if there is no box .

Edit : A box can also offer some added protection in shipping for negligent packagers . ;)
 
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It’s the function, beauty, design and craftsmanship. All have to be right for me, but if it is dull, it’s not even a knife. It’s just a chunk of metal. Or if it has problems like lock up, proud springs, or bad centering, it’s very frustrating (for me). I suppose it’s a peculiar kind of neurosis. But if I am in a crappy mood just looking at a really nice knife makes me feel better. They should have a name for this. But I don’t want to be cured. I’m pretty sure Jesus liked a good sharp tool since he was a carpenter, so how bad can it be.
 
sgt1372 said:
i only use cheap stainless and carbon steel knives in the kitchen. I only use a box cutter or utility knife for cutting up boxes and other things. And I only use a few cheap pruning knives and an inexpensive Geber machete in the garden.

The thought of using anything more expensive for any of these tasks NEVER crosses my mind.

LOL! ;)
Click to expand...
I'm the opposite. I can't wait to put nice knives to use. IMO, it's an incredible feeling to put a really nice knife to work. I have a Busse Custom Slicer that has become my primary game processing knife. It makes the process much more enjoyable. All of my pocket knives are put to use even though he most abusive thing I do with them is cutting steaks at a restaurant. A nice steak needs a nice, clean cut. But I wouldn't hesitate to use them to cut anything that I need to cut.

The only blades I don't use are some of my swords since I really don't have anything to use them on. I have used some Busse blades to hack at various things around the yard. Life's too short to not enjoy what you can afford to. Once I'm gone, I can't imagine whomever inherits my collection will enjoy them as much as I have.
 
I keep boxes for knives that I dont know if I'll keep for the long haul AKA keepers. Keeping the box preserves resale value and proves authenticity. My absolute users (Rat2, Endura K390, Kitefin, 200 puukko, etc) are all without boxes...

Also I throw away kitchen knife boxes because they're yuuuge.
 
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