Knife hobby and our perceptions of materials

Eliteone2383

Eliteone2383

Joined
Jun 26, 2015
Messages
876
I think I've become too concerned about steel and handle materials to a point the hobby has become less fun for me. I think up until recently I took a vacation from the forum for around 2 years. Let me give an example of what I'm talking about. I want a beater paramilitary 2 but look at blade steels like s30v and g10 and just turn my nose up at it. Then I look at 20cv and again immediately think not good enough. If a knife is not exactly how I want it I view it as subpar ( This is a me problem I know) That's only one example of 1 knife from 1 company. This is a ongoing problem for me across the board. And I need to admit to myself that when I show someone a knife I don't want their immediate thought to be "oh its only s30v with g10, nothing special there" So others perceptions I have started to care about in this hobby. Thanks to this forum and content creators like Nick Shabazz and Metal Complex my outlook on the hobby isn't as relaxed and modest as it once was. I did some ribbing in the shirogorov thread but it wasn't serious as I fully understand the desire to have the best possible and I think maybe in my case it's become a unhealthy obsession and egotistical. Am I alone in this?
 
That's badass that you're being honest with yourself and calling yourself out. I was actually just thinking, as I was making my breakfast before reading this, that if you (I) can learn to be completely honest with yourself, about everything from the stuff that you admire about yourself, all the way down to your traumas and the nasty unfounded thoughts that you get like jealously that doesn't make rational sense, but you still feel it anyway. If you can realize these types of things about yourself and not cover it up by making excuses to yourself, then you pretty much have a superpower, because I think it's very rare. Once you accept those types of things you can either decide to work on them, or keep them depending on where you're trying to go.

But yes, I'd be lying if I said I haven't had similar thoughts. It's just a weird human thing. It's funny too because it works in the opposite direction as well. I have a few really high end knives that I've never shown online (which I won in a raffle by buying like 20 dollars in spots) because then it gets to the point where I don't want to look like "the rich guy who never had to work for things", which I'm not at all, but that's the kind of stuff the human mind does. Especially in this really weird age of social media, people making their lives look way better than they are online, constant marketing, bots and accounts made specifically for swaying public opinion (not on here that I've ever seen). It's a crazy world my friend.
 
LimpCroissant said:
That's badass that you're being honest with yourself and calling yourself out. I was actually just thinking, as I was making my breakfast before reading this, that if you (I) can learn to be completely honest with yourself, about everything from the stuff that you admire about yourself, all the way down to your traumas and the nasty unfounded thoughts that you get like jealously that doesn't make rational sense, but you still feel it anyway. If you can realize these types of things about yourself and not cover it up by making excuses to yourself, then you pretty much have a superpower, because I think it's very rare. Once you accept those types of things you can either decide to work on them, or keep them depending on where you're trying to go.

But yes, I'd be lying if I said I haven't had similar thoughts. It's just a weird human thing. It's funny too because it works in the opposite direction as well. I have a few really high end knives that I've never shown online (which I won in a raffle by buying like 20 dollars in spots) because then it gets to the point where I don't want to look like "the rich guy who never had to work for things", which I'm not at all, but that's the kind of stuff the human mind does. Especially in this really weird age of social media, people making their lives look way better than they are online, constant marketing, bots and accounts made specifically for swaying public opinion (not on here that I've ever seen). It's a crazy world my friend.
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You make some good points. And thank you. This hobby is a big part of my life and I'm trying to find anyway I can to enjoy it again.
 
The most common question I get concerning steel type from people, by far, whether it's at shows or online sales, is "Is it stainless?" After that, everything is a very very tiny percentage of the whole.

Forums are good and bad in that they represent bizarre microcosms of people that tend to get hyper focused on details that often don't matter nearly as much as they are led to believe, and regardless of what they say many don't use the knives much at all, rendering it all nearly moot. These beliefs are further reinforced by other people on said forums.🤦‍♂️

Use them as tools or collect them, but enjoy them and keep moving. Not many years ago, people were thrilled with the prospect of even having a stainless option at all.

Sam⚔️⚔️
 
Eliteone2383 Eliteone2383
How likely is it that anybody that is likely to see, or be shown, your "beater" knife is going to be somebody that cares what the steel is?
There might be a lot of those people *here*; but step back into the real world and consider it. I've got a few friends that carry knives; but mostly sub $50 knives they pick up at a big box store.

Don't worry about what others like - buy, carry, and use what YOU like...and, most importantly, get back to enjoying your knives.

Circling back to your mention of the PM2 - I'm not particularly a fan of s30v; but I can't say I hate it. I do, however, dislike the stock PM2 scales - not because they're g10, but because of the way they feel to me. For a while, I tried to like the PM2 - so I bought it in a few steels and swapped the scales. Now I've got multiples of a knife I don't carry, lol. (I do like them better than stock...I think it's that the compression lock doesn't come naturally to me - I have to think about it)
 
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For some of us it is in our nature to seek the newest, best, latest to ensure that we have the best product performance possible.

We see this in all manner of things but in technology it is most pervasive. For most of us the tech we use every day is not taxed to anywhere near its ability, yet we constantly upgrade because we perceive the new tech to somehow provide us an advantage.

Knives are a little different because a blade made 100 years ago from decent steel, properly heat treated and sharpened, can still perform most of what we need a blade to do.
Knives made today from older legacy steels such as 52100 and O1, treated correctly, can be every bit as useful as any made from modern materials.

We had a similar discussion on the Busse forum some months ago and I pointed out that I have a custom made kitchen knife made 35 years ago from 440C which I use every day. It is as sharp and serviceable as the day the maker handed it to me when I was still in my youth.
Does the steak, vegetables and other comestibles complain that they are being cut by supposedly old fashioned steel? No they don't and the blade continues to perform the same task as any modern high tech steel.

Randall Knives, The Colt 1911A1, The 1967 Chevrolet Camaro, are these things useless because they have been superseded by modern more technologically advanced model's? Of course not.

Enjoy things for what they are and understand their limitations, many of which are far greater than we realise. :)
 
I understand your point, and I have recognized it and try to avoid falling into that. People have a tendency to fall into a trap of thinking that if something is not the absolute best, then it is complete garbage and useless. This is not true, people have been cutting stuff with 420hc and FRN handles for many years and they work fine. I view this concept of superiority over all as damaging and unhealthy because it is off-putting to a lot of people, and it never really satisfies because the bar is constantly being raised by the new latest and greatest. All that matters is that you enjoy and use what you have, the only people we are really trying to impress is ourselves.
 
chevyrulez1 said:
I understand your point, and I have recognized it and try to avoid falling into that. People have a tendency to fall into a trap of thinking that if something is not the absolute best, then it is complete garbage and useless. This is not true, people have been cutting stuff with 420hc and FRN handles for many years and they work fine. I view this concept of superiority over all as damaging and unhealthy because it is off-putting to a lot of people, and it never really satisfies because the bar is constantly being raised by the new latest and greatest. All that matters is that you enjoy and use what you have, the only people we are really trying to impress is ourselves.
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Yes you get what I'm saying perfectly. I definitely don't want to be "that guy".
 
Actually, I argue that this is exactly why this is such a great hobby. You can absolutely refuse to purchase a knife because of materials. The design may be perfect, but if you aren't going to enjoy every aspect of a purchase (be it steel or handle material), then you don't have to settle. Will a knife in 420HC cut...sure, will a knife with a CPMS110V blade cut longer...yeah. Can you grip a blade with an injection molded handle..of course. Will it be as interesting as one with a mammoth ivory handle, no.

Point is buy what YOU like. In the case of Spyderco, they offer multiple options for steel, and there are after market handles for many of the models, so you can buy two of the same design...one to throw in the glove compartment, and one to carry for the sake of personal satisfaction.
 
I'm usually a bit of a contrarian by nature... I often disagree with the World.
I like Many steels, but For me, in this day and age of "super steels" I still like to occasionally Rock out to something Old School......

My edc (that I made is from Ingot D2) I also love a good HSS knife whenever I get the chance.
D2 and M2 are Not interior steels.
 
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Eliteone2383 said:
I think I've become too concerned about steel and handle materials to a point the hobby has become less fun for me. I think up until recently I took a vacation from the forum for around 2 years. Let me give an example of what I'm talking about. I want a beater paramilitary 2 but look at blade steels like s30v and g10 and just turn my nose up at it. Then I look at 20cv and again immediately think not good enough. If a knife is not exactly how I want it I view it as subpar ( This is a me problem I know) That's only one example of 1 knife from 1 company. This is a ongoing problem for me across the board. And I need to admit to myself that when I show someone a knife I don't want their immediate thought to be "oh its only s30v with g10, nothing special there" So others perceptions I have started to care about in this hobby. Thanks to this forum and content creators like Nick Shabazz and Metal Complex my outlook on the hobby isn't as relaxed and modest as it once was. I did some ribbing in the shirogorov thread but it wasn't serious as I fully understand the desire to have the best possible and I think maybe in my case it's become a unhealthy obsession and egotistical. Am I alone in this?
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Nothing wrong with wanting the best possible.

I've made significant sacrifices in my personal spending since becoming a husband and father.

it doesnt bug me a bit to know that if I want to share my interests with my children I'll have to make some compromises until they're ready to make purchases themselves.

Until then, if it does what a knife is supposed to do and is well put together and has a good reputation it wont matter what steel it's made of as learning to sharpen knives and proper maintenence is probably the most important lesson in knife ownership.
 
I have a whole range of knives in all sorts of steels and when I can use one that has a ATS34 blade and one that has an M390 blade yet both cut everything I need with no issues or differences, I don’t see a reason to focus so much on the materials themselves, rather I focus on how those materials were used to make the knife that I like (mechanically and looks).
 
Eliteone2383 Eliteone2383 Honestly I highly recommend buying an Opinel or a SAK and forcing yourself to only use that knife for a couple weeks.
You'll learn a lot. You'll learn how far steels have come, and you'll learn just how much is necessary.

It will set you free.

We're cursed by knowledge that there's always something better.
We're cursed by ignorance that what we have already is often what we need.
 
So many choices in steels and handle materials now. Lots of popular knives are not what I want to carry. I have it easy- I buy what I like and don’t care what anyone would think.
 
I tend to find myself deep into fanatical, low incremental return for the dollar territory with hobbies. Honestly, that's when it gets real fun. This sport has lots of opportunities with both practical function and esthetic aspects at play.

I've found knives to elicit an almost primal jealousy response from guys that appreciate it but aren't in the tall weeds as a hobbyists. I've all but stopped sharing new acquisitions with those around me for the most part.

Embarrassingly, even look around to see who is in sight before taking them out to use occasionally. As this will inevitably end up with them asking questions to show interest, then walking away rolling their eyes afyer hearing about why it's a special piece to me.

It seems they tend to default to whispers and judgment about what I choose to do with my money and effort. Rather bizarre how folks justify this to protect their own ego's. As if demeaning others personal choices, puts them on the high road.

We just can't share our passion without being labeled as a show off. No matter how many times I explain that it's a tool, whether it costs a dollor or a million, all that matters is that it does what you need, and you feel it's worth it.

For me, this is the only bright spot outside of my Father, Wife and Sons. Here, people understand the sickness and seem to have a level of respect that the genpub doesn't. Trying to show off in these circles would certainly only humble most of us.

All these words to say, I really appreciate this place and all of you knife folks.
 
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