Knife conscience

[Albatross]

Mine keeps me from buying cheap knives that seem cool... until the next morning. There have been a few times that I woke up to a strange new knife, and wondered what happened, and how my standards could have slipped so much.

None were Spydercos.

Fortunately, my knife conscience, K.C. for short, is always watching, and waiting for a bad decision to present itself.

Do you have a knife conscience? If so, what has it prevented you from doing, or pushed you to do?

[VooDooChild]

Just from the wording it seems like we could replace the word knives in the first paragraph with a few other words and be having a very different conversation.

[BornIn1500]

Just from the wording it seems like we could replace the word knives in the first paragraph with a few other words and be having a very different conversation.

let's try that out. Fill in the blank! :D

Mine keeps me from cheap _______ that seem cool... until the next morning. There have been a few times that I woke up to a strange new _______, and wondered what happened, and how my standards could have slipped so much.

My _______ conscience is always watching, and waiting for a bad decision to present itself.


Hmmmmm :D

[SG89]

This thread is wild! Lol

[JMM]

Ummmmm... Yeah, that escalated quickly.

Honestly though, every once in a while I will come across a knife that looks Shiny, different, or whatever adjective you might choose... but honestly any more, there really isn't anything I need or want in a knife, that Spyderco doesn't make, I simply haven't gotten that far down on my hit list for whatever reason, I think it's all these other Spydies I keep buying, but that's just complete speculation on my part... :D

Cheers,

John

[Sequimite]

What sucks me in is the quality to price ratio. I find a well designed knife which skimps on steel quality but is really cheap. I have a few of those in the drawer. I have another drawer full of Becker fixed blades which I bought on impulse at a knife show. They are nice but I have more higher quality knives than I can use. Since they sit they were not a good use of my money. I need to get rid of them and a few Spydercos which I never use as well.

[Nate]

I went through a period when I bought some very cheap knives to practice regrinds and other mods on, think MTech. Should I feel bad that I actually like some of them now? :o

But otherwise, not really.

[Evil D]

I try pretty hard to avoid redundancy. When I look at buying a knife I ask myself what can it do that the knives I already have can't do.

[Wartstein]

I try pretty hard to avoid redundancy. When I look at buying a knife I ask myself what can it do that the knives I already have can't do.

That´s what I somehow try to do too...

But it comes down to how much one goes into details.
For example:

Take a rather coarse raster: Can the Manix 2 do anything the PM2 can´t?
Take a finer one: Can the Sage 5 LW do anything the "regular" Sage 5 can´t?

And so on, you get what I mean... For me, your/my approach for example led to that I have Stretch 1s, but no Stretch 2 anymore. Or that I have a Chaparral, but no Native anymore. Or Enduras, but no Millie anymore... despite the fact, that I like that "second choices" a lot too...

[TkoK83Spy]

Sometimes I find myself browsing some of the more budget price brands to see if there is a different design or materials that appeal to me, that if I don't really like them then the $50-$70 doesn't hurt too badly. I do like a few of the Civivi's and that new Kershaw Tumbler seems decent for under $70. But, then I think how I have the ZT 0460 and 0470 that I haven't even used yet and think...I really don't need the budget model of something so similar to those 2.

I'm with David on the redundancy, granted I have multiple models of my favorite Golden models, I know I don't need anymore in Rex45. The Manix and PM2 are plenty enough. Yes, the Shaman is one of my favorites but already have it in 4V and Cruwear...there isn't A TON for me to gain with the Rex45. Not worth that $200+ I could use towards something else.

It feels good being at this point in my collecting and using, knowing I don't need every new Spyderco knife that drops. I've passed on many recent sprints/exclusives and it doesn't bother me at all, where a couple years ago I would have felt like I was missing out on something.

[TkoK83Spy]

Just from the wording it seems like we could replace the word knives in the first paragraph with a few other words and be having a very different conversation.

let's try that out. Fill in the blank! :D

Mine keeps me from cheap _______ that seem cool... until the next morning. There have been a few times that I woke up to a strange new _______, and wondered what happened, and how my standards could have slipped so much.

My _______ conscience is always watching, and waiting for a bad decision to present itself.


Hmmmmm :D

Hahaha, that could be sooo much fun...but this thread would get locked and there would be some bans!! Too funny though.

[Mike Blue]

....Do you have a knife conscience? If so, what has it prevented you from doing, or pushed you to do?

I got pushed by the dream of having a blade that was as tough as it could be without losing hardness. I got a best friend and eventually Bainite from that learning curve. All that was well worth the cost. But by then I was addicted to steel and all the incurable forms it took.

I'm a sucker for a blade with a story. Sal tells really good stories. So do all the related friends we both know. Putting the stories into blades that live in museums, well that's why they are beautiful even if rusted over or rusted through. That's why they are worth recreating. Stay away from knife-whisperers.

I have the cash and my friend at a show needs the money so he keeps doing what he's doing.

I closed my eyes and picked up the knife, and it talks to my hand. This one gets me every time. If it feels good at that moment. I want to take it home and work with it until the ergos prove themselves. Or I get blisters then I remember the last time I found out that some features are the same no matter who made it.

It's an accumulation of knowledge and experience that all speak to what is best in a sharp tool. Then my frugal father says something like "Buy the best and only cry once." But that can include the whole spectrum from a frugal piece that works everyday, but I don't cry when I lose it. Also a non frugal piece, one of my friends has made because I know what went into the making and the spirit of the person who did it.

The truly ghastly stuff I give to my SIL with instructions to abuse it until it's broken. Boy Howdy!. But then he wants to know how to fix it. And so I pass on this disease of steel.

[sok]

Pocket knives always look better at closing time.

[skeeg11]

Mine keeps me from buying cheap knives that seem cool... until the next morning. There have been a few times that I woke up to a strange new knife, and wondered what happened, and how my standards could have slipped so much.

None were Spydercos.

Fortunately, my knife conscience, K.C. for short, is always watching, and waiting for a bad decision to present itself.

Do you have a knife conscience? If so, what has it prevented you from doing, or pushed you to do?

No need for pangs of conscience. Below standard knives are a necessary part of every knife knuts inventory. They're called loaners. Insurance against foreign abuse to knives you hold dear.

[Evil D]

I try pretty hard to avoid redundancy. When I look at buying a knife I ask myself what can it do that the knives I already have can't do.

That´s what I somehow try to do too...

But it comes down to how much one goes into details.
For example:

Take a rather coarse raster: Can the Manix 2 do anything the PM2 can´t?
Take a finer one: Can the Sage 5 LW do anything the "regular" Sage 5 can´t?

And so on, you get what I mean... For me, your/my approach for example led to that I have Stretch 1s, but no Stretch 2 anymore. Or that I have a Chaparral, but no Native anymore. Or Enduras, but no Millie anymore... despite the fact, that I like that "second choices" a lot too...

Yeah I said that pretty vaguely. I made a thread a while ago about "deal breakers", there is a quite a bit within "doing what my Caribbean can do" when you start factoring in the specifics that I look for in ergonomics and such.

Honestly if I just needed a basic cutting tool it would probably be an Opinel and I'd save myself thousands of dollars I've spent on knives.

[curlyhairedboy]

For me, it's lately been holding me off from buying tool steels that'll rust after a day in pocket, lol....

[Mike Blue]

....Honestly if I just needed a basic cutting tool it would probably be an Opinel and I'd save myself thousands of dollars I've spent on knives.

Opinel: the best knife for the money on the planet.

And, you'd probably have one of each size and flavor. LOL

[kennethsime]

Usually right around payday I catch myself thinking "man I've been pretty good with my spending, I could buy a knife!"

It usually proceeds to "Man you can get a lot of knife for $60," looking at a Dragonfly or Tenacious, then "well, $98 isn't that much more..." looking at Para 3 LWs, then up from there. And finally when I have hundreds of dollars in a cart on BHQ I'll just close the tab.

The other night it was on the Casey Lynch site. Started with "well I need a new clip for my Stretch anyway..." and then I had several clips and an prybar in my cart, before I realize I could have a whole new knife for that price. And then I closed the tab.

Man, I have great self-control. :p

[ChrisinHove]

....Honestly if I just needed a basic cutting tool it would probably be an Opinel and I'd save myself thousands of dollars I've spent on knives.

Opinel: the best knife for the money on the planet.

And, you'd probably have one of each size and flavor. LOL

Until it gets damp, the handle swells and you have to spend 15 minutes tapping the back of it against a table to open the darn thing!

Seriously, great knives for the money, though.

[standy99]

If I bought every knife I had ever put in a cart I would have hundreds more knives.
Have had 3 knives in a Knifecenter cart since Sunday night that I don’t need.........will power, will power, will power