Knife Use

[Old Hunter]

My hard use knives are looking pretty good - they’re stainless steel Buck Knives and spend much time in the woods - in a picture they look pretty much new because I know how to sharpen them without loosing a lot of blade steel and they don’t rust or patina. Then I have all the “back-ups” - I love the Buck 118 so I have about five of them - two are NIB, so they haven’t got a mark and won’t until one of the regulars gets lost (gasp - I fear the day!) My EDC are Case - the CV have patina and spiders, the SS look pretty new, like my Bucks. But then there are the back-ups - all still NIB just waiting for their turn (something I hope doesn’t happen). Don’t fear, the back-ups often become last minute graduation and birthday presents - then I get to buy a replacement back-up. I like acquiring knives! My GEC are mostly NIB, each going to a son, daughter, nephew, or niece when I move on to the happy hunting ground - nothing like planning ahead! OH

 

[Daedric Panther]

If I buy a new knife, I intend on it being a user. I edc a small Leatherman and a secondhand (probably closer to third hand) Trapper. If I lose or break either I’m out less than $100. They receive no mercy

As for my more expensive knives, I tend to baby them a bit more than I should, but they do see occasional use

 

[cjtamu]

Funny. Posted similar question in GEC thread this morning. I don’t own anything, period, that’s a shelf queen. With knives, some get used harder than others because they’re different types of knives, but they all get used. Had never even considered not using a knife until my wife gifted me a serialized never been used GEC for Father’s Day. I’m going to use it. Carefully. And put it in a slip, which will be a first.

 

[tiguy7]

My knives look pretty good for three reasons. 1) I have a lot of knives and rotate through them. 2) Most of the knives are stainless steel. 3) I am set up to anodize Titanium, so I can refurbish handles.

 

[Wowbagger]

I voted "No".
I use about everything.

Two exceptions, bought just to look at and fool around with but they are not really thin enough for me to EDC with much enthusiasm :

• Buck 102 (5160 steel)
• Cold Steel Spike drop point 4116 steel

When I got them I carried them for a week or so each and got to know them. I'm still really glad I bought them and I like them for what they are. No regrets.
I've sharpened them a few times. I'm not one to preserve the original factory edge for resale. I've never sold a knife.

 

[Misplaced Hillbilly]

My intention ALWAYS is to use the knife I buy. REALLY! The truth is though some knives just are too nice in hand and so I may use them lightly for a while - for the experience - but then move them on through the exchange. You can see from my sig line that I encounter some ambivalence.

Still, some very fine customs are definitely users and keepers. I am approaching my end of knife buying days but there will be a core group of 6 to 8 knives that will stay with me to the end. Someday I'll create a thread on those.

Here a few user/keepers ->

View attachment 1145542

View attachment 1145540

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Best laid plans ...

Ray

Please who is the maker of the knife in the top pic? Thanks
I can't read the mark on my phone,sorry

 

[Wowbagger]

I don’t see a lot of knives with much patina

for the most part I cultivate patinas on my plain high carbon and CV etc. and on my M4 knives I enjoy the darkening but on my later ones I didn't cultivate it and there isn't much change.
I was carrying and using my Case Trapper Peach Seed jigged Bone in heavily patinaed CV today. I used many food related items to get the colorful patina that I like.

I don’t see a lot of knives with much . . . wear

I'm a very minimalist sharpener and use an Edge Pro so the amount of metal I take off to sharpen my knives, once I get them reprofiled or doctored up from the funny factory grinds, . . . is miniscule.

Also today along side the Case Trapper I was carrying my Spyderco UKPK in S110V just because I wanted to give this great knife some pocket time. I did use it a little.

I don't tend to chip or ding up my edges hardly at all. I do cut abrasive material at work but with the good super steel alloys that I focus on for that type of work, again, those alloys come right back with minimal material removed.

 

[HST]

While I have, I will not buy knives to simply posses them anymore.

 

[RayseM]

Please who is the maker of the knife in the top pic? Thanks
I can't read the mark on my phone,sorry

Hi David, Misplaced Hillbilly - That would be John, @lessismore of Redmeadow Knives here on BF. He does stacked leather and blades as good as the best of them - which is to say - way better than most! Nice one eh? That's my Smokestack Bullnose.

Ray

 

[JohnDF]

I use all my knives, some more than others. If I don't use them on food, they stay pretty for a long time.
This #14 has been carried and used almost every day since I bought it. It doesn't get used on food and still looks pretty new.



I've also been known to Flitz (polish) my blades if they get too nasty looking. I like a dull grey patina, I don't mind pepper spots, but I dislike the nasty black patina that builds up and rubs off on stuff.

 

[315]

I will use my knives without hesitation, but there are knives I’ve never used. For example the Powder Horn Imperial Frontier knives I have. I carry and use the Ivory and jigged delrin ones but I’ve never used the yellow one, just haven’t carried it to use it.

 

[22-rimfire]

I voted No. But there is a huge BUT at work here..... I like knives, just about any knife actually within reason, but I only use a few knives and change is slow for me on the using end of things regardless of what I may have purchased in the last year or two. I only have purchased one knife (an ivory handled Northwoods) that I won't use and pretty much knew that when I bought it because I bought a second of the same pattern in jigged bone. That was a number of years ago now. The knife pile has grown and continues to grow. NOW, I will not buy a knife that I know I won't use. But I don't use a new knife simply to use it and put it away for another knife. That doesn't seem to make much sense to me. So, there are lots of unused NIB knives in my accumulation.

Years ago, I was infected with the Rambo survival knife thing... had to be a fighter as I thought if you're surviving, you may be fighting. I bought a number of Randall's and others that I view as fighting knives with sharpened false edges. At the time, I intended to use them, but the cost and potential legality made me question my original approach. Most of those knives remain new or as-new but I still enjoy fondling them from time to time. I have no interest in fighting. I will only fight to defend myself and to hopefully save my life.

Know thy self!

 

[Blue Sky]

Any knife I buy has to have at least the potential to be used, meaning no art knives or rarities. I appreciate those very much, just not a collector in that way. It has to fit in somehow with the things I use knives for and be a good candidate to crack the line up so to speak. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t and I usually figure that out pretty quickly. It’s hard to push an old standby out of my pocket or off my belt.

 

[Mayonardo]

If I connect with the design and the quality of a knife and want to maintain that as-is for the joy of having it like that, I don’t use it. I don’t keep it in a tube either. I have only one of those presently, a Great Eastern Cutlery #97 Yellow Rose. I also have one in Gabon Ebony which I do use.

I have a few more, but it is very small “collection”.

I have moved away from stainless and “super steels” to exclusively traditional patterns made with carbon steel. I don’t care for heavy patinas so I keep that in check with polishing when it gets to the point that it bugs me too much.

 

[Pinemoon]

I read here somewhere, some thread, something like: knives are "man jewelry." That applies to me with some pieces. I'll buy something just because it's turning me on at the time. The look is just "there."

Knife collecting/accumulating is more than whether or not I'll use something. It's about the appeal of that something at the time. I buy knives to use and I also buy knives just to look at and handle while sipping a drink. I'm also looking for a big and beautiful fixed blade to simply display at home as a conversation piece.

In summary, I use some of my knives and some are purchased to not use, but I never have hard determinations about those two ends of the spectrum.

 

[Modoc ED]

When I see a knife that appeals to me, I'll buy it. I may or may not get around to using it as I just have so many knives it is impossible to carry and use them all but don't let that put you off.

I have pristine knives.

Well used knives.

Experimental knives.

On the wood shed tin roof in the snow

Cleaned up.

Just nice to have knives.

 

[Lansky1]

I have accumulated ~ 100 Case knives over the years ... bought & sold probably that many & only keep those with exceptional snap, no wobble and great color ... I use every one I'm fortunate enough to own (some are used less as I'm afraid I couldn't replace them, but I'm especially careful with those)... to me it's a knife, meant to be taken care of & used, never abused.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

I have knives that I hardly ever use (e.g., my 30 year old Buck 119 -- I really seldom have a use for a large fixed blade knife), and some that I haven't used yet (e.g., my new-to-me Buck 105 that I just had to have), but I only have one knife that I bought with no real intention of using. I had stumbled across a 2009 Case swayback jack in chestnut bone CV at a nearby hardware store. I like that pattern so I bought it for a user. Then not long after I discovered another 2009 Case swayback jack in chestnut bone CV at a different store. Knowing how popular that knife is and that it is no longer produced (although case has again started making the single blade version) I bought it on a whim, oiled the blades, wrapped it back up, and put it back in the box. Not sure what I'm ever intending to do with it, but for now it's not a user.

 

[Misplaced Hillbilly]

Hi David, Misplaced Hillbilly - That would be John, @lessismore of Redmeadow Knives here on BF. He does stacked leather and blades as good as the best of them - which is to say - way better than most! Nice one eh? That's my Smokestack Bullnose.

Ray

Thanks! I'll have to look his work up, and that Smokestack Bullnose is an exceptional blade

 

[Shurke]

I don't buy knives that I wouldn't be comfortable or happy using. But nonetheless, I do buy some knives that I have no intention of using, if that makes sense.