Knife Use

Do you purchase knives with no real intention of using them much?

  • Yes

    Votes: 30 27.5%

  • No

    Votes: 79 72.5%
  • Total voters
    109
In the past I would buy knives that caught my fancy but lately I sort of figured out what I want in an EDC knife. I did some soul searching and I figured out what I really wanted in a knife. I work in an office environment and I wanted something classy but I could also use to actually cut stuff. Breaking down cardboard boxes, cutting cheese and other general use sort of tasks. For me a small lockback with a good stainless steel blade is what would really serve me well. At home I have a pair of garage knives that can do the big and messy jobs so my EDC doesn't need to do that stuff at home. Right tool for the job as they say. I ended up with a small Buck lockback out of the Buck Custom Shop. I think I have stopped buying knives.
 
Today I attended a frequently boring social gathering. I had my GEC 44 along in case I needed to cut something like maybe a larger piece of pie. I also had my 06 Pemberton Stag that I took out and fondled during the snooze-speeches so I’d have something quality to deal with.
Knives have many uses.
 
I buy knives because I consider them works of art. I probably have about forty knives but only two that I use daily (a CR plain Inkosi and a Case medium stockman.) I do not use pocket knives for culinary tasks. After all I use my EDCs to clean my nails, open boxes and other tasks that are not particularly sanitary. The only time i violated that rule was when I was served coffee without a spoon and I used the blade of my knife to stir the sweetener in my coffee. I have a nice set of kitchen knives for culinary tasks. (Wulthof, Shun, Spyderco and Chicago.)
 
At last count I had 51 knives, which seems like a lot until you consider the following:

Of these, 16 are knives which I made custom handles for, and as such have already fulfilled their purpose - a pastime and a creative outlet. Of these, 5 see regular use as a Monday-Thursday jeans-pocket carry and see the usual EDC tasks as well as lunch prep. One gets used frequently for woodworking. The other mods see only occasional use. I would give them away but I don’t feel they are high enough quality to be gifts (I have made and given away 8-10 additional ones).

5 of my knives are modification projects in waiting.

4 additional knives get regular use for whittling, spoon carving, making knife handles, and general wood work.

Fridays I dress a little better and I have 6 smaller factory knives to go in my dress pants. I suppose this is one category I could downsize.

2 are for heavy duty yard and home improvement work.

3 are part of a decorative display I made ( I still carry them occasionally).

2 see frequent use in the kitchen.

3 have sentimental value but don’t get used much anymore.

That leaves 10 “extra” knives, 15 if I went to a single Friday knife. Of the 10, all still see occasional use just because they are there and occasionally strike my fancy.
 
Geez J Just Tom. - I had forgotten all about my "project" knives in the count. They just get overlooked as
they aren't in the rotation but sitting on idle waiting for me to not be idle. :) Sounds to me that you've got
your 51 knives well accounted for. :thumbsup:

Ray
 
RayseM said:
Geez J Just Tom. - I had forgotten all about my "project" knives in the count. They just get overlooked as
they aren't in the rotation but sitting on idle waiting for me to not be idle. :) Sounds to me that you've got
your 51 knives well accounted for. :thumbsup:

Ray
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I’m glad you think so, because I’m still trying to convince myself that number is justified somehow...
 
^ I hear ya Tom ... I've managed to amasse about twice what you have in late model Case's & sometimes get concerned that I have overdone it & am in too deep. Then I think alot of guys drop easily that much money on far worse things, so I'm ok with it ...
 
Over the course of my knife collecting hobby, I ended up buying a lot more pocket knives than I could ever need or use. At the time of each purchase, I had in my mind that it would make a great knife to use and carry, or fit some niche.

However, sometimes it was fitting into some niche that only existed in my mind, either from past or imagined excursions into the great outdoors to camp, fish, hike, backpack, or other things that I just don't do in my current life.

So now I have probably 150 pocket knives, of which maybe 5 get any regular pocket carry, with another 10 or so that see occasional pocket carry, and none get enough real use to where I even need to sharpen them that often. But at the time I clicked the "purchase" button, there was a whole Walter Mitty world in my mind of long years of use for that knife.
 
jc57 said:
Over the course of my knife collecting hobby, I ended up buying a lot more pocket knives than I could ever need or use. At the time of each purchase, I had in my mind that it would make a great knife to use and carry, or fit some niche.

However, sometimes it was fitting into some niche that only existed in my mind...
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Guilty as charged.
 
jc57 said:
At the time of each purchase, I had in my mind that it would make a great knife to use and carry, or fit some niche.
However, sometimes it was fitting into some niche that only existed in my mind, either from past or imagined excursions into the great outdoors to camp, fish, hike, backpack, or other things that I just don't do in my current life.
Click to expand...

^ ;) Lots of my accumulation of stuff i.e., knives , flashlights, woodworking tool and other gear, have been aspirational. In this vein -> this summer I'll take up woodcarving, next year I will do a lot more camping, would be fun to practice throwing knives again - used to be pretty good at it. Anyone not ever own a Nordick Track or a speed bag? :rolleyes: The list never ends and the stuff keeps accumulating.:(

Desire and need is illusional Lanoo - will bring you only misery.

Still, I surely enjoy some of my aspirationally acquired knives :D

Ray
 
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I guess I intended to use all the knives I bought when I first started but somewhere along the line I started buying way more than I would use. Many times I've bought a user and a spare(ssssss). A few years ago I slowed way down in knife accumulation. Everyone that I've bought was with an intended use in mind but I knew that I already had multiple users covering all my bases and that I'd probably never use them. So I had to vote yes.
 
jc57 said:
Over the course of my knife collecting hobby, I ended up buying a lot more pocket knives than I could ever need or use. At the time of each purchase, I had in my mind that it would make a great knife to use and carry, or fit some niche.

However, sometimes it was fitting into some niche that only existed in my mind, either from past or imagined excursions into the great outdoors to camp, fish, hike, backpack, or other things that I just don't do in my current life.

So now I have probably 150 pocket knives, of which maybe 5 get any regular pocket carry, with another 10 or so that see occasional pocket carry, and none get enough real use to where I even need to sharpen them that often. But at the time I clicked the "purchase" button, there was a whole Walter Mitty world in my mind of long years of use for that knife.
Click to expand...
Peregrin said:
My 15 year old Nordic Track finally bit the dust last week. I can't believe I've been using one for 15 years!
jc57 jc57
John, good post. Sounds like my experience totally.
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Yeah, sounds like me too.
Consumerism+marketing+internet+addictive personality= a lot of knives
But it's still my favorite hobby :)
 
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