New to collecting... Hell of a forum you have here! *updated*

[Fixall]

Been awhile! We're less than a month out from the wedding (and things are getting stupid busy!) so I haven't had the chance to post much, but I've been lurking like crazy! Not to mention the wedding budget is slowing down my knife purchases a bit (should be a hell of a party though)... And I might have purchased a GTX 1070 for the fiance and pre-ordered an RTX 2080Ti for myself, lol.

Since picking up the 5160 and oak Buck 110 and pre-ordering the Buck BF forum knife (which is looking amazing by the way) my interest in traditional knives has been piqued. Since I'm trying to limit my spending a bit, I set a few rules for myself, lol. For modern folders... No two knives of the same steel. For traditional knives... No two knives from the same manufacturer. Needless to say this has required me to be extremely picky!

So far I've picked up two traditionals. A 2017 BladeForums GEC Tidioute TC Barlow which I picked up at a great price from a fellow member here (thanks!) and a Boker Beer Barrel Copperhead. So far I am very much in love with both knives. I can't believe I've gone so long without owning any traditional knives! The next traditional on my list is either a two bladed Case Sway Back or a Case Mini Trapper in Damascus. I also have my eye on a Case/Tony Bose Mini Trapper in 154-CM and a Case/Tony Bose Eureka Jack (my PERFECT traditional knife), but I have a feeling they are both going to sell for way more than I'm comfortable spending.

I also learned a valuable lesson about being picky about who you purchase from. I had ordered a Case Mini Trapper with Damascus steel and used a coupon (now expired of course) which brought the knife down to $110 shipped! Score I thought! Unfortunately, the seller somehow shipped it to some random address in California (I live in Washington) and wasn't very interested in taking the time to try to track it down. So a couple weeks later I received a refund and no way to repurchase the knife for under $150ish shipped since the promo code is now expired. Not a big deal of course, but definitely a bummer.


I also picked up a couple new pieces of sharpening equipment (I'm hooked). I received a Spyderco DoubleStuff from a generous member in the "Pay It Forward" thread in exchange for a couple of my Moraknivs and a Gerber Air Ranger. Pretty awesome thread to get a piece of gear into the hands of someone who will get some better use out of it. To go with the Double Stuff, I picked up a Fallkniven DC4. They live in my camping/bugout bag now. I made use of them during my bachelor party camp-out and they both performed marvelously! I would like to eventually replace the DC4 with a Spyderco Golden Stone as soon as they release the CBN version.

Last but not least, @Diemaker let me try out his full run of Diamond Matrix stones for the Edge Pro system. They are super nice! I'll have a rather long and lengthy review/comparison of them in the next few days in his threads (info thread, pass-around thread).


Have a good night everyone!

 

[Fixall]

My fiance informed me the other day that "forum knives" shouldn't count against my "only one traditional knife from each manufacturer" rule, since they are "special."

So... I picked up a GEC #15 Huckleberry Boy's Knife in gabon ebony with a spear point from a member here to get me by until I find something from Great Eastern that REALLY catches my eye (a Eureka Jack would be incredible!). Since they have a limited production schedule, sell quickly, and can be priced rather high, I could be waiting a while, lol.

Not sure if I'm going to keep the #15 around or not just yet though. The ebony is a bit glossier than I would prefer and I'm having trouble justifying having to GEC #15s when I have the forum knife. I had originally planned on keeping the forum knife as a safe queen, but it has a small amount of moisture damage that I wasn't made aware of until I received it (the picture posted in their sale thread was an older one before the damage was caused). I was slightly frustrated at first, but at the price I purchased it for, I really can't complain and I would have purchased it anyways had I known of the oxidation. Anyways... The little bit of discoloration on the blade is making me want to turn the forum knife into a user. And honestly, that kind of excites me! I love the look of it and I love how it feels in the hand.

I also have another Case Trapper Mini in Damascus on the way (try this again) and I found a good deal and couldn't stop myself from purchasing another Spyderco Delica Wharncliffe HAP40 sprint (only $75!). It's my all-time favorite knife and I KNOW I'll be kicking myself a couple years from now when I lose mine and they are no longer available.

I really, REALLY hope Spyderco puts out more sprints of the wharncliffe. I think that's going to be "my knife" and I plan on snapping every model that comes up for sale, rules be damned!

 

[Fixall]

Well, I might have a new favorite for awhile.

The Case Trapper Mini Wharncliffe in chestnut bone and damascus steel came in today. It's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. I wish I had the skills and a camera capable of taking some good shots of it, because the pics do not do it justice whatsoever. If anyone has been giving thought to one of these, I would highly recommend picking one up while you can!

I also finally finished the handle on the Opinel No. 7 (~thirty coats of Formby's Tung Oil later). I'm really happy with the results. It's had a hefty rub down with lubricated #0000 steel wool, so it has a nice hand polished look in person and feels very soft in the hand. I'm going to work on the blade next. I'm thinking of taking off the patina (while leaving the Opinel lettering dark) and polishing it to a near mirror finish. I think it would look good with the bolster and mahogany colored handle.

I also have something fun planned for the M4 Para 3. Pretty excited about that! Shout out to @suingab for making that happen.

Have a good Labor Day weekend BladeForums!

 

[Fixall]

I've been CRAZY busy with the wedding coming up (next weekend!!!), but I wanted to make a quick post because these knives are both a bit special.


First up is the Spyderco Calypso Jr. Super Blue sprint! I've been waiting about five months for this to be released so it's great to actually hold it my hand finally. I'm REALLY liking it and have already decided it will be staying in my permanent collection.

And next is a Fallkniven Juni SK3! This thing is ADORABLE. This is actually a Birthday gift for my (soon to be) ten year old niece (thanks again @Lee D!). I'm heading out the door right now to have a smaller sheath made for it.

Have a GREAT weekend BladeForums!

 

[steelhead seeker]

Looks like you added nicely to your start of knife collecting. I am shocked to see a few knives in your "didnt cut it" section though. Particularly the cold steel code 4, spyderco delica and native and the cf rat 2. Those are all pretty highly talked about knives for the most part. Especially the delica and native. I have a native lw as my beater work knife and couldnt be happier with it and got my wife a rat 2 years ago that she uses as her fishing knife. To each his own though, just surprised me.

 

[Fixall]

Looks like you added nicely to your start of knife collecting. I am shocked to see a few knives in your "didnt cut it" section though. Particularly the cold steel code 4, spyderco delica and native and the cf rat 2. Those are all pretty highly talked about knives for the most part. Especially the delica and native. I have a native lw as my beater work knife and couldnt be happier with it and got my wife a rat 2 years ago that she uses as her fishing knife. To each his own though, just surprised me.

Thanks, it's getting there. I definitely starting to get to the point where I know what I want out of a knife.

The Code 4 was a great knife, it was just too big for me (I have baby hands). 3" and under seems to be the sweet spot for a folding knife for me, if I need anything bigger, I just grab a fixed blade for the most part. I also felt the handle was a little to thin for the size of the knife. I think would have liked it a lot more if I was a bigger guy or if I had need of a largish folding knife.

The Delica was great! I just think the FRN Chaparral can do everything the Delica can do as an EDC... Only better. I did keep the HAP40 Wharncliffe Delica (and I picked up a second) and it's my all-time favorite knife though.

I felt the Lightweight Native 5 was in the same boat as the Delica. I just didn't see what it offered me over the Chaparral. Similar usable blade length, but the Native has a larger handle (con to me), rides too high in the pocket, has lower quality steel. I also prefer the FRN Pattern and the steel backspacer of the Chaparral. As soon as Spyderco releases a G10 Native 5 with a steel I'm interested in, I plan on picking one up. I think the G10 version will be more what I'm looking for and I'm hoping to use it as a hard work folder alongside my M4 Para 3.

The Rat 2 was solid! I think if I would have purchased a Rat 2 with a nylon handle, I probably would have kept it. I just found the carbon fiber a bit too slick for my liking and now I've moved on the higher end knives.

 

[Fixall]

Getting ready to head to bed and then we leave first thing for the Air B&B we rented to prepare for our wedding on Saturday.

Just finished the Groomsmen gifts, so I thought I'd post them up real quick. I took six prefabbed boxes and hand sanded them down (so much sanding), stained them (used leather dye since the Birch didn't want to hold stain), applied finish, and hot glued in some burgundy felt (wedding colors). Definitely not perfect and the hardware is a bit wonky, but it was my first wood working project in almost twenty years (other than the Opinel I'm working on), and I'm not displeased with how they turned out. Inside is a burgundy pocket square for the wedding, a miniature bottle of Glenlevit 12, and a Swiss Army Huntsman with walnut scales.

 

[Fixall]

The fiancé took over driving to the Air B&B so here’s a pic I forgot to post last week.

I finally put the SwissBianco titanium scales on my Swiss Army Compact (and added a FireFly ferro rod in place of the toothpick). I'm really liking the scales and all the mini tools fit perfectly. This SAK has a permanent place in my left pocket (unless I'm out in the woods, in which case I carry a Huntsman).

See ya all in a week or so!

 

[Fixall]

Well... Back to reality! The wedding and honeymoon were awesome!

I still can't swim very well yet because of the shoulder surgery, so we decided to save Hawaii for the spring. Instead we went to Glacier, Montana which was absolutely incredible. Fall is the wife (yay!) and my favorite time of year so it was great going there during the changing of the leaves. The dog loved it too.

On the way down we stayed in a house that my wife rented that just happened to be in Post Falls, Idaho! We had to stop at the Buck store and museum of course... And we also ended up taking a factory tour the next morning before heading to Montana! The tour was really cool (didn't get to see the forum knife unfortunately) and our group was the very first that Buck allowed to tour the Cerakote room/process. That was rad! I would expect to see a whole lot more blade/paklite color options coming out soon (as well as some new color choices for the nylon handled versions of the 110/112)! I think my favorite part was seeing the ways they are investing in themselves. Buck has their own water treatment area that allows them to pull sediment out of the VAST amounts of water they use so it can be reused for cooling and whatnot. They also had a newer machine that they were really excited to show off. It allows them to manufacture all the hardware for their knives in house, so they no longer have to outsource for screws and stuff! I love that! I won't bore you with all the pics, but I thought this in particular was worth posting from the Buck factory.

I also came home with a new toy from the trip! I was checking out the factory seconds at the Buck shop and my wife saw my eyes light up. I tried to walk out without buying it but she started bringing up how I should get something to remember the trip by... And then she ended up putting her foot down and telling me it was a wedding gift from her and I didn't have a choice in the matter. Man, I love her!

It's badgless, Cabelas Alaskan Guide 119... So it's a Buck 119 with a cocobolo rosewood handle, brass bolsters, micarta inlays, and an S30V blade with a black titanium nitride coating. Yes please. The arrow was pointing to the edge and the sales associate informed me that that meant they were unhappy with the sharpening job, but I haven't been able to find any faults. I like to set my own edges so it's a non-issue anyways.

A little ant stopped in to admire the knife too.

When we arrived home, we had a package on the doorstep. I knew EXACTLY what it was. Our wedding registry offered 20% off any item that didn't get purchased by your guests... The price was right and I couldn't resist.

A Kramer by Zwilling Euroline Carbon 7" Santoku! This has been my dream kitchen knife (at least until I can get in on a REAL Kramer) since they came out eight or so years ago. I haven't had a chance to use it just yet but I cannot wait!

Have a good night BladeForums!

 

[Fixall]

Lol... Tried to have a knife laser engraved for my Dad (retired a Chief Master Sergeant for the Air Force EOD, currently a homicide/arson investigator for the Sheriff Department, and all around cool guy). I promise I provided the correct spelling! The second attempt went better, lol.

 

[Fixall]

Been a little while! Just a quick update before bed. Better pictures and more to come soon!

M4 Spyderco Para 3 with custom black canvas micarta scales made by our very own @suingab! If you haven't checked out his work... Do so! The guy is a complete master at his craft!

Spyderco Delica Wharncliffe in S30V and safety orange (CutleryShoppe exclusive). I have a set of gray and blue G10 scales (also from @suingab) ready to go for this, just have to find the time to install them.

And last but not least... A sprint run Spyderco V-Toku2 Delica. More about this later!

That's all for tonight.

Keep an eye on the "General Knife Discussion" subforum over the next few days... I have a little surprise planned for ya all.

 

[Fixall]

I swapped the scales on the Spyderco Delica Wharncliffe S30V with the scales that @suingab made for me.

I was going to post some pics but I've been working a weird schedule so I haven't had the light for good shots... So I figured I'd go ahead and use Suingab's own photos since they look so nice. Just try to picture the knife with a wharncliffe blade, lol.

I do wish the scales would have turned out quite a bit darker... I was going for the shade of gray on the Benchmade 555-1 but unfortunately Suingab's supplier didn't have any darker gray G10 in stock. The fit and finish is FANTASTIC and I still like the look of the knife with the lighter G10, so I decided to keep it anyways.

I've got a bit of an itch... The wedding is over and finances are in order. I ordered another standard VG-10 Delica wharncliffe to put the orange CutleryShoppe scales on to use as a "beater" knife. I have a set of wood scales for my Landi in the works. I have a forum knife and Ferrum Forge Gent Select coming soon. A Spyderco Dragonfly V-Toku2 and Kershaw Natrix copper on pre-order... But none of those are satisfying the urge, lol. I want something NEW in hand but I haven't really been too intrigued by anything lately.

Any amazing gems out there that I've somehow missed under the $150 mark? It might be time to get a group shot of all the $150 and under "keepers" I've picked up and then move on to either the $150 - $200 knives or go down the traditional rabbit hole, lol.

 

[Fixall]

New knife day AND election day! Today is a good day.

I thought I had missed the cut on the GEC 14 TC SFO that was released recently, but on Friday I received a message from Gary at Northwest Knife Company that he had an extra with my name on it. Heck yes!!!

The fit and finish is perfect and the ebony is VERY well done. Nice and dense with a very uniform color. I was a little concerned the knife would be a little too small, but after holding it, I'm no longer concerned. It's a very useful and usable size.

Next to a GEC 15 for size comparison.

Also... They say everyone has a "type". I think I've found mine, lol.

S30V with @suingab scales, HAP40 with Burnt Orange, HAP40 with Burnt Orange (in case I lose or damage the first one), and VG-10 with Safety Orange scales.

 

[Fixall]

Big update with more to come over the next few days!

First up... My 2018 BladeForums traditional knife came in! If you don't know about it... It's a two bladed (as opposed to three) Buck 301 Stockman with a full flat ground, CPM-154 clip point and wharncliffe blade with long pulls, natural antler scales, and nickel silver bolsters. Basically it's amazing.

Next up is the Massdrop Ferrum Forge collaboration, the Gent Select. It features a titanium framelock, a stonewashed CPM-S35VN steel blade, carbon fiber scales, a well done finger choil, a deep carry clip, and amazing action! This knife caught me a little off guard and I REALLY like it so far.

This one I've had two or three weeks now, but I wanted to let the patina start to form before I showed it off. It's a Kershaw Natrix Copper. It features a D2 blade, copper scales, a deep carry clip, and a stiff but very snappy flipping action. This is another knife that I'm liking even more than I expected. Kershaw did a fantastic job on this knife.

Next up was a spur of the moment purchase. I heard what the "Buck of the Month" for December was going to be, and before I even saw it, I knew I HAD to have it. It's a Buck 112 with a CPM-S30V blade, nickel-silver bolsters, and solid (not laminate!) ebony scales!
I knew it was going to sell out fast, so in my rush to make the purchase, I didn't read any of the fine print... I DID however use a coupon code that was featured on Buck's homepage. After reading a comment saying coupons aren't supposed to be able to be used on BotM purchases, I called Buck have my order fixed and pay the difference, but they refused and told me to enjoy the deal on the knife. Some customer service!

This thing is a beauty! Fit and finish is absolutely perfect and other than the gritty action (easy fix) I can't find a single imperfection. It's a work of art!

And next to it's siblings... Buck 110 in oak and 5160 up top, BotM center, and Buck 505 Knight center.

Here's another one I've had sitting around for a few weeks. The Spyderco Mantra 3. I carried it around for a few hours one day but it failed to leave much of an impression on me for some reason so I haven't carried it since. It has great fit and finish although I don't care for the carbon fiber/g10 laminate all that much. I love the barrel spacers and deep carry clip. The action is fantastic in that is drops shut and opens incredibly smoothly. The detent is a bit weak though, which makes flipping it a conscious effort which really bugs me for some reason. I can flip it successfully 100% of the time if I think about it, but if I do it absentmindedly, I fail a quarter of the time or so. I also don't like the recurve towards the bottom of the blade, they should have just thrown in a finger or sharpening choil.

Next we have Buck 505 Knight. This is another knife from one of my favorite companies... That unfortunately failed to impress. The fit and finish isn't so great on this one. It looks like they had an issue when they pressed the upper pin. It's set into the wood a little weird and the action isn't too great. Oh well, you can't win them all. I think it's a little on the smaller side anyways. I'm thinking a Buck 55 would be more up my alley.

And last but not least is a little precursor to what's to come. It's a hand made leather sheath with ferro rod for a Morakniv Garberg Carbon which should be here tomorrow or the next (darn you FedEx)... Along with the Mora should also be a V-Toku2 Dragonfly and Titanium Chaparral.

Well, that's all for now! See you in a few days when the other knives come in

 

[cchu518]

Fixall you've gone through a billion knives in a pretty short time, what are your impressions, what do you like and why? What are your fan favorites for EDC vs just want/need to have to check out?

Background it took me about 100 knives before I slowed down and came to my own personal preferences.

 

[bikerector]

Fixall you've gone through a billion knives in a pretty short time, what are your impressions, what do you like and why? What are your fan favorites for EDC vs just want/need to have to check out?

Background it took me about 100 knives before I slowed down and came to my own personal preferences.

I can also relate to this. I find it ebs and flows a bit still as I've been going crazy over fixed blades again, but I've always really liked fixed blades just never had much use for them outside of the kitchen. Now that I'm hiking and being outdoorsy again, away from bicycles, I find fixed blades having more value for me again. I still have way too many but the way I went through race bikes a decade ago, I'm doing just fine because those cost way more. I was in better shape though.

 

[Anaries]

I love this thread. Seeing the evolution is cool. Thanks for taking the time.

 

[cchu518]

That's how it was for me, it started with a Frost Cutlery $4 ebay special, to nutnfancy budget blades, that was maybe 20 knives in, picked up a mini grip, which was bad....50 blades in....I meandered into the traditional forum...bad mistake. I bought a Colt Peanut, then Case, GEC, Buck, Queen Cutlery, Canal Street Cutlery...Japanese weird knives that rocked like Moki....about 75 knives in I went through every Ti Framelock I could find. Then it started to come full circle. knives that I gave away or traded out like the Endura became my fan favorites, little Case pocket knives etc...

 

[Fixall]

People are still reading this!? You guys are troopers! I figured I was just rambling to my future self at this point. I plan on doing a very large update at the end of the year (with a new group shot of all the "keepers") to kind of show where I started, where I am now, and where I plan to go from here now that I've owned most of the knives in the $30 - $125 range that interest me. When I do that, I think I'll do a little update of the pictures on the first page to make this thread easier to follow without going through every post.

I did get a couple new knives in today though. Both of these are basically upgrades of knives that I was already in love with.

First up is a Spyderco Chaparral Titanium. Holy crap this is a sweet knife! My pictures don't even begin to do it justice. It's late, and I have poor lighting, but even so, I think this is one of those knives you have to see in person to really appreciate. It is absolutely beautiful. I love it. I was already in love with the FRN Chaparral, so the bar was set pretty high for this knife, but it's completely blown my expectations out of the water. The fit and finish is marvelous. Zero gaps, amazing millwork, great action... Smooth opening and drops shut. The grind is the best I've seen on a spyderco yet (or any knife in my personal collection for that matter). I was REALLY sad to see the Chaparral Lightweight go, but after seeing and handling this that's no longer the case (and let's be honest, I'll probably end up picking up another FRN Chaparral in the future, it's a DAMN good knife). I'm really glad I was able to purchase one of these masterpieces while they are still available. It's a bummer that the Titanium Chaparrals have been canceled, but I'm excited to see where the Chaparral line goes from here.

Also in my mailbox today was a Morakniv Garberg Carbon. This knife uses the exact same steel, blade shape, grind, etc as the Bushcraft Black I recently sold, but has a couple little upgrades. The soft rubber handle with a finger guard has been replaced with a more standard shaped handle made out of a more durable material and features a full tang. I really liked the Bushcraft Carbon but felt the handle was more suited in the kitchen (or really wet environments). I still have a Bushcraft Forest with the profiled tip that I use as a camp kitchen knife, but I thought the handle on this would be more suited to the extended hard use I put my camp knives through. I don't really think I need the full tang (although the bit sticking out will get some use cracking nuts while camping), but I do enjoy the extra heft it brings the knife. The balance feels much better in my opinion.

I'm sure glad @Massdrop finally picked up a membership here so I can give them a shout out for the phenomenal deals on these knives. I picked up both the Mora Garberg Carbon (and a bonus Mora Basic 511) and Spyderco Chaparral Titanium for under $200 total (after shipping and taxes). That's a pretty sweet deal as far as I’m concerned! The only thing I really feel could be improved is the shipping. Both knives took about fifteen days to reach me AFTER they had been shipped. That seems pretty poor in my opinion, but pretty par for the course for FedEx lately.

The sheath I picked up for it fits PERFECT by the way. I am very happy with that purchase. I got it for under $40 and it just screams quality to me (not that I know all that much about leather). It was made by a dude that goes by the screen name "Zoney" elsewhere. I noticed there is a member here named Zoney but they have only posted three times and haven't logged in in six years. I'd be curious to find out if it's the same person... And if it is, I would encourage him to purchase the proper membership and set up shop as they do some great work at a great price.

Lastly, one of these came free with the Garberg and the others I picked up on the cheap at a local store. My family does a couple group camping trips a year and Basic Moras are dead useful to hand out to the older kids to cut hotdog switches and whatnot. I'm sure finding it hard not to become a bit of a Mora fanboy.

I have a couple of stragglers in the mail, namely a Spyderco Dragonfly V-Toku2 and Spyderco Salt 2 Wharncliffe SpyderEdge... As well as a Spyderco Smock on pre-order. And I want to pick up a Buck 102 and probably a Buck 55 at some point to complete that part of my collection, but other than that I'm just keeping my eye out for a Case Sway Back Jack CV and a Tony Bose Eureka Jack and I'm done for 2018 and maybe a month or two into 2019.

Fixall you've gone through a billion knives in a pretty short time, what are your impressions, what do you like and why? What are your fan favorites for EDC vs just want/need to have to check out?

Background it took me about 100 knives before I slowed down and came to my own personal preferences.

Sorry for the delayed response, work's been crazy. Holiday season at Costco if you can imagine. I went back and counted... Seventy-three. I've purchased/acquired seventy-three total knives since I started this thread back in March! That just blows my mind. Of those seventy-three, I've only kept about thirty or so though. For the most part, if a knife doesn't get used, it gets sold.

I've definitely learned a lot since I joined this site, but the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know squat.

The knives that have left the best impressions on me have all had a few things in common (for the most part). First, I've found fit and finish is much more important to me than I originally thought it would be. I've always very much been a "function over form" type person, but there is just something about tight tolerances, smooth action, and good craftsmanship that gets me excited. As you can imagine this has led me to have a great fondness for Spyderco. I don't feel many others can do the things they do at their price point. And this has also caused me to stop looking at most offerings in the under $60 range.

Second, I've found that I have almost no use for a folding knife with a blade over 3 inches (probably has to do with my baby hands). I thought 3.5 inches was going to be the sweet spot for me, but after going through several knives, 3 inches is perfect. I can do just about everything with a 3" knife that I can do with a 4" knife and it feels like I have much more control over the blade (again, baby hands). If I need a knife larger than 3 inches, I typically use a fixed blade knife as it usually makes more sense (those jobs mostly being hard work or kitchen duty).

Third, I LOVE a finger choil. I used to think knives with finger choils looked weird and that it was a waste of blade, but WOW do I find them useful. The Calypso Jr., Para 3, Chaparral (in some form), Factor Iconic, and Ferrum Forge Gent are all knives that will NEVER leave my collection and the ergonomics the finger choil gives is my favorite thing about each.

Fourth, I find I've been gravitating towards knives with simpler grinds (no crazy recurves!). I'm getting more and more into sharpening, both freehand and assisted (Edge Pro and SharpMaker), but I'm still not very skilled. Until I get more practice in, I've been trying to stick with knives I'm confident I can sharpen well.

Fifth, with what I said previously about liking knives I'm confident I can sharpen... That all goes out the window when it comes to steel. It seems I've become a bit of a steel snob. The steel doesn't necessarily have to be super hard, but I am loving trying out the different "higher-end" offerings. I'm also absolutely in love with carbon steels, but I knew that long before joining this site. Everything about carbon steel is better in my opinion. Including the fact that they rust more easily. That just encourages me to spend more time taking care of the knives which is something I honestly love and feel improves my mental health. Even if a knife was to rust, it would take more time for that rust to become problematic than I have time left on this earth.

Sixth, I've found I like traditional knives MUCH more than I originally thought. Discovering Great Eastern Cutlery and some of Case and Buck's more unique offerings was a game changer! The lines, the blade geometry, the action, the craftsmanship, the material, the history, everything. I've been doing my best to resist, but I've been falling deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole. It doesn't help that some of the people from "The Porch" are some of the friendliest, most generous people I've ever come across.

Last, I've found that I spend a lot more time outdoors than my peers than I originally thought (I go on well over a dozen camping trips a year with a few of them being extended trips) and have ALL KINDS of justification of owning and using multiple fixed blade knives (or at least that's what I tell myself), so I've been turning my attention towards fixed blades a little bit lately. I actually have a custom handle for the Landi being made shortly.

*Edit
Hit the character limit, lol

 

[Fixall]

It's getting pretty late (didn't mean to write a book!) and I have to work early in the morning, so I'll come back to this tomorrow and post about my fan favorites for EDC vs knives I just wanted or had to check out.

One cool thing I've noticed about knife ownership is the resell value. I look at most of my knife purchases as rentals (especially since I've only kept about a third of my purchases). If I don't like a knife, it's been very easy to resell it at a small loss (thanks BladeForums), or even no loss. And the ones I DO keep have blown me away with their quality/value so much that I look at them as great investments considering they will definitely be users and give me great joy. Because of this, I've been able to purchase just about any knife under $150 (within reason) at whim, with no guilt. It's nice.