Good afternoon everyone,
Lately I have been really thinking about knife collecting and what it has done/does for me.
What I concluded? A hell of a lot of enjoyment but an equally large amount of stress. As much as I adore the knives I have come through my hands, most everytime, I cannot bring myself to use/enjoy these knives in fear of compromising my investments (F.Y.I. guys, I'm so far into the rabbit hole that scratches can mean the difference in hundreds of dollars...)
Then I think about all of the anxiety generated from ritually and diligently maintaining a collection as large as mine. Dehumidifiers, safes, lubricants, maintenance. On knives that just sit there. Shoot, I bet if I added up all of the time I spent baking off desiccants, relubing knives, and resituating them all, I lose a week out of my life a year.
That's ridiculous. Beyond that, what about all the time I spend on these forums and others chasing grails i will never bring myself to use and that will only further exacerbate the already present stress.
Unacceptable, after all, I have a beautiful family to enjoy. All for knives that just sit there??
Anyway, I have really began to disband my collection and only keep what I will use, enjoy, and do so with reckless abandon. I don't want to deploy my blade with tentative hesitation in fear of biting off more than I may be willing to...I want to mess up and fix it later, and be happy to do so.
I've since began using my knives. Not like divas but like tools. With an intended and necessary purpose. My $1000 Shirogorov is littered with scratches and it's liberating. Dropped it today, while installing a door, right onto tile. A beautiful ding right on the corner.
If you're someone like me, who enjoys knives and tools so much that it's a staple in your life, yet, cant bring yourself to indulge....take my word for it, let go and enjoy. If you can't use it, you have no business having it. Really though, for what reason? So some distant relative can sell it on Ebay after a thorough researching session? No thank you, for me at least.
Have a great day everybody.