Well that did not take long....

B

buffalo01

Joined
Oct 13, 2016
Messages
333
I purchased my current most expensive knife about a week ago, a zt 0220, and instantly fell in love. I was still having reservations about using a $230 knife for what it was intended for.
Fast forward a couple days later and something I had feared happened a little sooner than expected...
A little info im going to add, I am only 21 but am a c2-c4 quadriplegic, and use a power wheelchair to get around. (To be clear, by the grace of God I had good return in my hands and some in my arms, allowing me to keep enjoying my favorite things, knives and guns.) and I also have hard tile floor in my bedroom. I also keep my knives clipped to the seat belt of my chair, which just happens to be long enough to reach the floor and get under the front wheel of the chair.
To get to the point, I was getting ready one day and had not put my seatbelt on yet, and it fell to the floor, without thinking I left it there and drove forward a little bit.
Big mistake.
That pretty stonewashed titatnium now has some nice big scratches on it. If I had not got this thing for nearly half price I think I might have shed tears! :( I might head over to the maintenance section to see about some tips for a new finish, but ill wait until it gets some more battle scars. On the upside I am definetely not afraid to use it now! It recently has been use for opening my sanding belts and prying apart handle scales on knives I have made and is sitting happily on the seat belt now covered in epoxy.
TL;DR Bought $230 knife and scratched the crap out of it, thankful for ridiculous discounts in brick and mortar store.
Thank you taking the time to read through this very long winded post. ;)
20171222_144345_zpsmxgle6sa.jpg
 
Sorry to hear that! Good thing you can use it worry free now. I hit part of my Ti scales on my Spyderco Mantra 1 with sand paper on accident while rounding the spine. It just adds character.
 
Use it and enjoy it. I have a ZT0095 BLK, the discontinued one. The Kershaw Link has almost the same feel and I'm not afraid to beat that one up. I'll convince myself to use the ZT eventually ;)
And yes, I wouldn't worry about the marks..it adds tons of character. I like it!
 
Ya Dud !
What 'd you do that for ?
:)

No seriously now . . . I have a soft spot for Ti. Very nice material. Sorry that happened.

Any time you want to write another "long" post I'll read it.
You mentioned guns.
I had a customer the other day who said she was at the Olympic Training Center. Said she loved to play wheel chair basket ball but her real talent was precision shooting.
 
buffalo01 said:
I purchased my current most expensive knife about a week ago, a zt 0220, and instantly fell in love. I was still having reservations about using a $230 knife for what it was intended for.
Fast forward a couple days later and something I had feared happened a little sooner than expected...
A little info im going to add, I am only 21 but am a c2-c4 quadriplegic, and use a power wheelchair to get around. (To be clear, by the grace of God I had good return in my hands and some in my arms, allowing me to keep enjoying my favorite things, knives and guns.) and I also have hard tile floor in my bedroom. I also keep my knives clipped to the seat belt of my chair, which just happens to be long enough to reach the floor and get under the front wheel of the chair.
To get to the point, I was getting ready one day and had not put my seatbelt on yet, and it fell to the floor, without thinking I left it there and drove forward a little bit.
Big mistake.
That pretty stonewashed titatnium now has some nice big scratches on it. If I had not got this thing for nearly half price I think I might have shed tears! :( I might head over to the maintenance section to see about some tips for a new finish, but ill wait until it gets some more battle scars. On the upside I am definetely not afraid to use it now! It recently has been use for opening my sanding belts and prying apart handle scales on knives I have made and is sitting happily on the seat belt now covered in epoxy.
TL;DR Bought $230 knife and scratched the crap out of it, thankful for ridiculous discounts in brick and mortar store.
Thank you taking the time to read through this very long winded post. ;)
20171222_144345_zpsmxgle6sa.jpg
Click to expand...

I’m sorry that happened to your beautiful knife. Ultimately it is up to you how you want your knife to look. I will say though that if you are planning on keeping that knife and using it then those scratches are no issue. I actually think some scratches can look decent. That is if you iike the worn look.

You bought that knife to enjoy, who cares about a few scratches, now the knife is personalized to you. What were you planning to do, keep it pristine until the day you die? So that way it can end up in a garage sale or pawn shop, where some knuckle head will break it trying to pry with it?

There are many people who will beadblast or even polish the scales for you. Some companies do “spa service” where they restore knives to “like new” condition.
 
it happens. dont feel too bad. still cuts and thats what matters more than staying pretty.
 
zfJames said:
That’s why I don’t own nice things! :D
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That is why I do own nice things.

I like to use quality tools, and I like to know that my tools will outperform my standard of use. This durability, edge strength and wear resistance, and other attributes are why I spend decent coin on higher end knives.

An Opinel can cut just as a ZT562, 770M4, or a Large 21 Sebenza can (likely better, but for less time), but if you ran over an Opinel, you would have splinters and a blade left.
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Use your knife. You bought it for a reason. Whatever that reason was, you were strong enough in conviction to feel the knife warranted. Use it for what it is designed for and justify your purchase.

A knife cuts, go cut something.
Don't bother modding out of trying to "fix" it. Every ding, scratch, every snail trail** is a badge that is earned over a knifes lifetime.
Earn them, respect them, and keep them. Unless you don't want them, then do what makes you happy.

Snail trail: surface scratch in a stonewash coloration/finish.
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1 of 7 made on the day my daughter was born. Likely irreplaceable, and a user regardless. Showing some of the scratches and snail trails. What you can't see is the chip in the edge (one left, one sharpened out).
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Look at it this way, had it been a lesser knife, you'd have bigger issues than a few scratches that give it personality. Besides, now you have a story to tell when you show off that gorgeous knife.
 
Btw, to the original poster;

Why not use that lanyard hole and attatch a lanyard through the knife to your waist or somewhere on your chair? That way if you drop it, it won’t hit the floor.

Beautiful worn Sebbie up above. A well worn knife shows that a dude loved the knife enough to carry it.
My small 21 is not quite there yet.
MAfPrgF.jpg
 
NJBillK said:
That is why I do own nice things.

I like to use quality tools, and I like to know that my tools will outperform my standard of use. This durability, edge strength and wear resistance, and other attributes are why I spend decent coin on higher end knives.

An Opinel can cut just as a ZT562, 770M4, or a Large 21 Sebenza can (likely better, but for less time), but if you ran over an Opinel, you would have splinters and a blade left.
-----
Use your knife. You bought it for a reason. Whatever that reason was, you were strong enough in conviction to feel the knife warranted. Use it for what it is designed for and justify your purchase.

A knife cuts, go cut something.
Don't bother modding out of trying to "fix" it. Every ding, scratch, every snail trail** I'd a badge that is earned over a knifes lifetime.
Earn them, respect them, and keep them. Unless you don't want them, then do what makes you happy.

Snail trail: surface scratch in a stonewash coloration/finish.
-----
1 of 7 made on the day my daughter was born. Likely irreplaceable, and a user regardless. Showing some of the scratches and snail trails. What you can't see is the chip in the edge (one left, one sharpened out).
View attachment 818285
Click to expand...

I think that nice things look better with wear, myself.
 
As I'm fond of saying when the first battle scar appears on a knife… NOW IT'S A USER!!

If you want it to look posh again, just send it off somewhere to get refinished. For example razoredgeknives will beadblast a scale for $20. Then it'll be… CUSTOM!!
 
'Character' - scuffs, scratches, usage marks, etc. - is what I look for when I buy a knife here. I make a point of using almost every knife I buy, but not all of them. One of my all-time favorite Spyderco knives is a stainless Native, and I accidentally dropped it, stepped on it, and slid it several inches on our concrete driveway. (I was trying to catch our dog.) I gave it a nice workover with 400-grit emery cloth, chased down the sharp corners of the handle, and it actually turned out to be a more comfortable user.

Here's a couple threads on 'Expensive Users' for some inspiration:

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/whats-your-most-expensive-user.1065199/

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/your-most-expensive-user.548542/

~Chris
 
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