Does your Spyderco knife passion depend on acquiring more?

[James Y]

TBH, I own more than enough Spyderco (and other) knives to last several lifetimes. I don't know when or if I'll acquire another knife, including Spyderco. There are a few more Spydies I'd still like to have, but I don't feel any pressure to "have to" have them.

This doesn't affect my enthusiasm for knives. The knife hobby remains *one of* my interests, even if I never buy another. If anything, I'm enjoying the knives I already have more than ever. Because I'm giving myself the time to get to know knives better than if they were just lost in the shuffle of constantly accumulating more. I think that even if I owned only one good Spyderco knife, I'd still be interested in the subject of Spyderco knives in general.

However, I'm certain there are some who will disassociate from the hobby altogether if they can't (or choose not to) continue to acquire more and more knives on a regular basis.

We're all into this knife hobby for different reasons, so no judgment here.

Jim

[vivi]

Nope. I'm happy with the ones I have.

I have enough different steels and sharpening stones to keep things interesting for a while.

Haven't put Rex45 and 4V through enough uses and different edge finishes to figure out what I like best for them, as an example. Playing around with 5,000 grit edges on my Rastasalt, etc.

I find it quite fun trying older designs and edge configurations with my current day skills and comparing them against past experiences. Would a ZDP189 knife impress me more than in the past if I gave it a 300 grit edge vs using an ultrafine finish back in the day? Can I put a polished edge on an H1 Pacific Salt and get acceptable edge retention on it? What about giving a lower end 8Cr Byrd a vivi edge, how's that gonna work out for the steel?

Acquiring new knives is fun, but I don't feel like I need a magnacut stretch xl or the Swick I've been waiting years for to make my knife life complete. I'm content carrying Pacific Salts the rest of my days.

I get a lot of enjoyment out of geeking out over edges, customizing knives, dying scales, reprofiling edges etc. I have a backlog as it is. Never finished reprofiling the blacked out Aqua Salt I bought when they got discontinued. Got a pair of yellow Pacific 1's to dye. I'd like to contour the St. Nicks scales on my Manix XL. So on and so forth.....

[ladybug93]

i will always like knives. i don't know if i'll always seek more out or not though. i probably will because it's fun, i definitely have more than i need, though it's far less than a lot of people around here have. i could honestly be totally happy with my customized manix and se pacific salt.

[sup3rnaut]

Tbh; I don't know... yet.

I'm still in my acquisition phase, although that will probably start to slow down soon, (bought ~30 knives in the past 6 months, ~20 of those are >$150 Spyderco folders). We'll see how I feel about my addiction, er, I mean enthusiasm after I've acquired the last few still on my initial "must have" list.

[dsvirsky]

While I will, no doubt, continue to accumulate knives that interest me, I've long passed the point where I can invent reasons why I need the next one. I can't even pretend I need the latest super steel, when the ones I own (e.g., Maxamet and K390) far exceed my needs. However, even if I never buy another Spyderco knife, I will remain a loyal fan.

[Tristan_david2001]

For me, not exactly. but the anticipation of when you yet to have a model you reeally want.. does spark a bit more passion in the hobby for me, rather than having a more users mindset of just being content and passionate about the knives you own currently, which I’m definitely on the side of as well.

[JSumm]

I do really like trying new to me models and getting a taste for the ergonomics. That is part of the fun for me. When I find one I really like, I enjoy getting different flavors of it.

I enjoy using them more, so no end in site for enjoying them and flaming the passion.

[Tucson Tom]

Well this can be a question about all of life. The Spyderco knife acquisition "thing" is just a microcosm of all of life!

Seriously, another hobby of mine is mineral collecting. I am into tiny things I look at with a microscope. But I have talked with some friends and watched other collectors. It very definitely is all about acquisition for many people, and I am as prone to it as much as the next guy. I know people who will go to the mineral show, buy new things, then in the storage boxes they go and it is all about the next acquisition.

There is no question about it. There is a thing about "getting new stuff" whatever it is.

But on the knife front, I have drastically cut back on my knife buying (sorry Spyderco). As James said when he started the thread, I have more than enough knives for several lifetimes. This doesn't mean I won't grab a new knife now and then, but at this point there is little sense in more knives. For me.

[Brock O Lee]

While I will, no doubt, continue to accumulate knives that interest me, I've long passed the point where I can invent reasons why I need the next one. I can't even pretend I need the latest super steel, when the ones I own (e.g., Maxamet and K390) far exceed my needs. However, even if I never buy another Spyderco knife, I will remain a loyal fan.

Same here.

I will add that carrying and using a cutting tool daily is so much part of who I am, I cannot function properly in the world without it. Even if I lost my Spydies and only have one SAK for the rest of my life, I will still enjoy to carry and use it.

[Road Tripper]

At the moment, I have the Spydies that interest me, but I check in here quite a bit and enjoy the discussions. I feel there's always something to learn.

I'd not carried a pocket knife regularly until a few years ago, but find one so handy! Along with my Spydies, I have some other brands as well as traditional pocket knives. As others have said, I have enough knives for well beyond my lifetime, but if something catches my interest, there's room for "just one more."

My next goal, though, is getting better at freehand sharpening -- I'm mulling over what stones to buy.

[StuntZombie]

Admittedly, I've lost my passion for Spyderco, but to be fair I've lost interest in what the majority of knife companies are peddling now. Just over a year ago I started looking at my actual needs and what features I liked in a knife and started selling off anything that didn't fit that criteria. That ended up being the majority of my collection, Spyderco's included. ****, ever since I started using vivi's method of sharpening, I sort of lost my passion for that too. I guess that's what happens when you find what works.

There's always the hope that something will come out that will reignite that interest again, but variations of Para 2's, Shamans, Delicas, and Enduras just won't do it anymore.

[ZrowsN1s]

I wouldn't stop liking the ones I have, but the 'collecting' aspect of my hobby is kind of predicated on acquiring more knives.

[James Y]

Thanks for sharing, everyone.

I started realizing years ago that the new knife endorphin rush had waned for me. Yes, there are knives I'd still like to get, but nowadays I can take it or leave it.

And as I mentioned earlier, I'm enjoying the knives I already have even more now. I've been into Spyderco knives for 25 years this month, and have been into and carrying knives overall for 46 years. There came a point for me of diminishing returns, in terms of the thrill of the hunt/new acquisition.

Not that wanting and acquiring more is wrong. We're all in this knife hobby to varying degrees.

Jim

[JD Spydo]

My answer to this question is a resounding "YES!!" However I'm getting much more particular of which Spyderco models I'm now drawn to. I pretty much have to have a pragmatic use for a certain model to generate a desire to own and use a particular design.

The recent Sprint Run Cruwear C-60 Ayoob is one I would love to own 4 to 5 of each edge type. I like that model so well that I always want to have one on hand. Even the older, original VG-10 version of the C-60 is one I still keep a constant "Look Out" for.

Also any of the older Catcherman models I always find practical uses for. Any of the Golden, CO made models and especially the C-36 Military and Para2 models I can't have too many of. I'm no longer drawn to any of the models that I really wouldn't use unless I thought it were to have a huge collector appeal down the road.

[Bolster]

Yes.

I will never have enough Spydercos, or at least, not the "right" Spydercos. I am hoping death is the cure, I sure don't want to attempt this in the afterlife. It's very difficult for spirits to apply for credit cards.

[SpyderNut]

Yes.

I will never have enough Spydercos, or at least, not the "right" Spydercos. I am hoping death is the cure, I sure don't want to attempt this in the afterlife. It's very difficult for spirits to apply for credit cards.

This. ^^^

[kennethsime]

If I had an unlimited budget, I'd probably have a few more CRKs in my collection, and a LOT more Spydercos.

There are quite a few knives I'd like to try that I haven't gotten to yet - I'd love to try out every variation of the Dragonfly, for example. There are a few knives from other brands I'd like to try as well, but a lot less of them.

There are also certain variations that I feel like I can't, or just really don't want to, miss out on. The M4/GGCM Shaman is a great example of this, and the Cruwear S2XL is another.

These days, I find myself repeating the mantras like there will be another one, and enjoy what you have. I don't think that I lose anything by refraining from new purchases - I still enjoy my knives plenty - but I do get a little bit of FOMO with certain new releases.

When I was a kid working at a knife shop, one of my regulars (who was many years my senior) told me to buy a Sebenza while I still had access to them at wholesale, and never buy another knife again. I obviously didn't follow that advice, but I definitely know that I could have.

I definitely feel like it's easier for most of us to buy a new knife than it is to deepen our appreciation for knives in some other way. Learning to sharpen things well is hard. Learning to survive in the woods for a week with nothing but a knife is hard. Learning to skin a deer is hard. Buying a new knife is a mere click (or three) away.

[Doc Dan]

I have more than enough, but that doesn't mean I won't buy again. I have slowed way down, though. I am still passionate about Spyderco, however and when someone is looking for a knife I always recommend Spyderco. Right now, I am hoping against hope for a Spyderco straight razor.

[standy99]

Slowed down on folders and more into fixed blades now.

More fixed blades made by Spyderco in the latest steels would drain my wallet…luck there isn’t many lately.

Putting handles on mules and trying different materials is my fun at the moment. Spyderco has more than enough Mules out in the last few years to keep me busy.

[Manixguy@1994]

Yes.

I will never have enough Spydercos, or at least, not the "right" Spydercos. I am hoping death is the cure, I sure don't want to attempt this in the afterlife. It's very difficult for spirits to apply for credit cards.

Shipping would definitely be problematic. Dan