Do you ever wish you only had 1 knife?

[Evil D]

I know that must sound crazy to most of you, but hear me out lol.

I've always liked the idea of having items that I carry for many years and sort of grow with and have history with. Many of the knives I own, I have practically no relationship with. Does that make sense? I've used them all, but it's like we're acquaintances but not old friends and even less are best friends. Having a selection and collecting is fun, but I feel like I've lost that connection or bond that I've had in the past. My grandfather loved that saying, any time someone would ask if he had a knife, he would say "Of course I do, I've got my pants on don't I?" and for as long as I can remember, probably at least as long as I was alive while he still was, he carried the same knife (an old Case). Someday when I'm long gone, I hope my knives are still around and my grandkids inherit them, but it would make me happier if my son could say "THAT was your grandfather's knife, he carried it every day of his life", not "Yeah this is a collection of knives your grandfather had, they spent most of their time in boxes".

My problem is even if I convinced myself to narrow it down to just one knife, I have no idea what it would be. I honestly don't think that knife exists just yet, and that's why I've bought so many over the years. When I joined this forum, back when I knew far less about knives and steels and such, I never owned more than one knife, and that was "my knife" and I was content and perhaps had a bit of that "ignorance is bliss" thing.

My other problem is I hate selling knives. People generally suck and low-ball you to death and since all mine are used I'd feel like I was giving them away.


Anyway. Does anyone else ever feel like this? I keep thinking about a pic that Vivi (I think) posted a while back of a Military, I think it's the old D2 version, with a crazy thin edge and it had a nice patina and just looked so well loved. I appreciate things like that.

[p_atrick]

Sure, I've thought about the same thing many times. I've paired down my collection to just two (though a custom arrived today that I'll pick up after work). Spending time with those two knives had made me appreciate them a lot more. But I never quite made it down to just one.

[tonijedi]

I've thought about this, but I couldn't go for one knife only: at least 1 folder, 1 fixed, 1 scuba, 1 SAK and 1 multitool.

[curlyhairedboy]

Honestly, just 1 knife isn't something I could reduce down to. You know the saying - "two is one, and one is none". For tools as broadly useful as knives are, I think that saying definitely applies.

That said, certain knives in my collection get carried more, and have history that I'll be happy to pass on to my (eventual) kids. I.E. this is the knife that I had on me when I got married/when my firstborn came into the world/when I closed on a house, etc.

[JD Spydo]

Well EVIL I've actually given thought to that concept before. But I decided long ago especially with Spyderco having premium serrated blades, Combo edged blades and of course top notch, super quality plain edged blades that I want all that can be available to me for my daily jobs. With that said I just can't in any way narrow it down to just one knife with possible just one exception. The closest I can come to that is that at one time my main EDC was my beloved C-44 Dyad ( Spyderco's double bladed folder with an SE & PE blade both) If there is any one folder I could even begin to try to get by on it would be the C-44 Dyad. It would have to be the larger C-44 Dyad because the smaller C-39 Dyad jr. just would not even begin to do the cutting jobs I'm faced with almost on a daily basis.

No I just have to have one premium plain edge and one top quality Spyderedged folder as a companion blade. My pocket knives are very important tools to me and I want versatility and a tool for every cutting job I encounter.

Unless Spyderco would come out with a newer/better double bladed ( PE & SE) folder the C-44 Dyad would be my only pick at this time if I were to narrow it down to one.

[jmh58]

Nope... John :)

[flipe8]

I think about that idea regularly, but doubt I'll ever end up with truly just one knife. My collection is pretty modest by knife enthusiasts' standards; consisting of 4 folders, 3 fixed blades(1 lives on my PFD), a couple SAKs and two Leathermans. Of those, I carry one folder 99% of the time. The others could go, but most likely won't. Still, I do enjoy carrying one knife for extended periods of time over having a rotation of knives that rarely get carried.

[Hopweaver]

EVIL, I feel your pain. I am trending in this direction too. Life would be great if I could get down to one knife again. I used to have several dozen knives in the EDC rotation and have been slowly boxing them up trying to get back down to one. I carried one knife for the better part of my adult life, but after buying my first Spyderco I had to have more and more until I no longer had a clear EDC.

The EDC rotation is currently down to 9 knives but I am hoping to shrink it more.

[elena86]

I am looking for THE ONE for a long time now ....every morning it's a torment for me to chose my go to pocket knife.Looking forward to the upcoming catalog...maybe the holy grail is hidden inside :eek:

[FK]

No,,,,, BORING.

Regards,
FK
Member since Feb 17, 2001

[Molle Ninja]

I think about this, too. I think I know which one it'd be, too, but I'm not quite ready yet.

[Liquid Cobra]

I know just what you mean, and I’ve thought about this a lot actually.

My current solution is this:

I was lucky enough to visit the SFO a couple years ago. While I was there I bought a DLC Para 2. It wasn’t anything special (I owned lots of them at the time) except for the fact that I bought it in person from the place it was made. I’ve carried it, used it, and vowed to never sell it no matter what. I’ve had it on me during some crazy times at work, take it with me on trips etc. I consider it to be my main knife even though I don’t carry it all that often now. It’s special because I made it special. I’m sure you have one in your collection that has more meaning than the others right? Just consider that one your main knife and away you go.

Now with that said, if I were to get rid of all my knives and carry just one...I think I would buy a Sebenza 21. Knowing that it can be refurbished (spa treatment) basically as much as I want is comforting.

I’d also like to add that while the idea is nice, it sounds pretty boring.

[wrdwrght]

As in, the one perfect Spydie?

Can't say I've had this wish.

That's probably because I have come to conclude that Spyderco does not make a perfect knife, it just keeps making near-perfect ones, and I want to experience all that my budget will reasonably allow.

[The Deacon]

Definitely not. Granted, out of my 500+ knives there are probably less than 50 that I "have a relationship with" but there are at least a couple dozen I consider "good friends". Not to mention that, as much as I enjoy doing food prep with my "mini santoku" that started out as a K04 Utility, I wouldn't want to carry it, and as much as I enjoy carrying a few versions of the Stretch, I wouldn't want it as my only food prep knife. The Stretch, Chaparral, Kiwi, Jester, and Kitchen Sharps all fill niches very well for me, but all are better as part of a team than any one would be as a solo act.

[Bill1170]

No. Maybe if I were a roaming hunter-gatherer. I like to leave several kitchen knives in the kitchen, a few in my pocket, plus spares in each vehicle. Work and dressy clothes have different requirements.

[ross8425]

Not really. This would be like having 1 saw. Knives have different purposes. Could probably get it down to less than 10, but no less than 5. Folder, chef, pairing, SAK / multitool, fixed blade..

[Ric]

Good topic!

I do not want to reduce to one.
Many have different tasks and reason.

Similar in kitchen.
One for good prep, one for eating steak or for bread and butter. One for slicing bread.
Only one could work but why compromise so much in life?

Maybe you can shrink down to a few specific for different tasks.

Which spydies do you lile best?

I have 5+ Victorinox Ramblers.
Modded most of them with different scales.
So i have personal connection.

Similar with para 3. i have different models.
I love it. So my para 3 are all gems but not one particular knife.

Which knife could that be for you

[Capt'n Boatsalot]

Great topic, Evil! Yes, this is something that I have considered at length.

To me the ideal of getting down to a small set of knives, each actually focused on a specific purpose (e.g. my backpacking knife, my literal everyday knife, my lake knife, and maybe my yardwork knife) is highly desirable. Then they each would develop character / patina / wear that corresponds to the adventures that they've been on. They'd have stories to tell. I think to me it is somewhat disappointing when I look through my collection of users and see more "collection" than "users". Sure, they have all cut stuff and have all been carried. And I enjoy owning each of them. But none have been carried for months consecutively, and bear the resulting scars. Only a select few are the knives when [fill-in-the-blank] happened.

I also consider the "opportunity cost" associated with all of those knives. I can afford all of them, but could that money have been spent in a better way? Sometimes I think so.

And yet, I still really enjoy the hunt for the next deal and for trying out the next super steel or the next iteration of a well loved model. The continual acquisition of new knives will likely continue, but I think the pace will slow as I mature in this hobby and am more rationale and selective when deciding which new models to try to get. (As an example, I passed on the DLT red M390 PM2 because I've already got more than enough PM2s and also didn't get the Maxamet PM2 last week. A year ago, I would have jumped right in on day 1.) While that isn't the same as getting my knife collection down to 1 knife or a small set of knives, I think that is me slowly moving more towards enjoying those knives I do already have and working to develop that character on the ones that do get more consistent carry time.

[Sharp Guy]

Actually, I got along with (basically) only 1 knife for many years. My Dad gave me a Buck Prince when I was about 10 and I carried that for a few years until I lost it. Then I bought a small Gerber with FRN handles that was a little bigger than a Manbug. I liked it because it was so light I couldn't tell it was in my pocket. Then I lost that when I was about 16 and replaced it with another Buck Prince for sentimental reasons. I still have that little Buck probably only because it's lived in my toolbox all this time because I stopped carrying a knife altogether for many years. I guess I just got tired of having it in the bottom of my pocket and I always had other cutting tools reasonably close at hand. Then I discovered clipped knives a few years ago and it's been downhill ever since.

Today, I occasionally look at my accumulation of knives and try to figure out which one I would keep if I decided to drastically reduce inventory and only go with one. I can't do it! I have too many good options and I like them all. I'll admit, I have quite a bit of cash tied up in knives that I could use elsewhere. I've been a shooter my entire life and I could buy a few guns on my grail list with the money I have in knives. So there are times when I think I want/need to reduce the total down to a dozen or so favorites to simplify things. I haven't been able to do it yet but there may come a day when I do.

[cELLiBAIt]

Anyone who really needs a knife, really needs at least two - and perhaps another two to spare.