Going against the grain

[Ankerson]

I don’t care about my knives being “fall-shutty”. I don’t need to close my knives at high-speed. Nor do I care about “flickability”. As long as the action is smooth enough, I’m happy.

Jim

Same here, and I can't stand flippers...

[JuPaul]

I collect knives primarily, get over it!

I grew up with a dad who collected firearms, and while he had guns that he loved to shoot, quite a few in his collection were antiques that he would never dare shoot, or newer models that had never been fired outside the factory. To him they were pieces of history, human ingenuity, and artwork. I know how much happiness it brought him to hunt down rare models, or models with historical significance, or just ones he loved to look at and marvel over. So I don't think it's strange at all to primarily collect knives. When I joined this forum, I was frankly shocked that more people on here didn't see themselves as collectors first and foremost. I know this hobby encompasses a lot of other things for people - sharpening, steel testing, use, etc - but I think collecting for the sake of collecting, or for investment or whatever, is totally legitimate, too.

[Ankerson]

I collect knives primarily, get over it!

I grew up with a dad who collected firearms, and while he had guns that he loved to shoot, quite a few in his collection were antiques that he would never dare shoot, or newer models that had never been fired outside the factory. To him they were pieces of history, human ingenuity, and artwork. I know how much happiness it brought him to hunt down rare models, or models with historical significance, or just ones he loved to look at and marvel over. So I don't think it's strange at all to primarily collect knives. When I joined this forum, I was frankly shocked that more people on here didn't see themselves as collectors first and foremost. I know this hobby encompasses a lot of other things for people - sharpening, steel testing, use, etc - but I think collecting for the sake of collecting, or for investment or whatever, is totally legitimate, too.

It is.

I have knives that I will never use, and some more coming that will also never be used.

But I have users also.

I try and keep things down to reasonable numbers these days, just get ones that I really want for one reason or another.

Having sold off almost all of the knives that I had awhile back and it was a lot of them.

[standy99]

Against the grain
1) Don’t care what other people like that I don’t, So I don’t have to convert them ( keeps my post count down though )
2) Flippers ?? Why! How hard is the Spyderco hole
3) Don’t want any special knife/handle/colour/steel/bearing/screw. Just buy the stuff they got. ( Do want a M4 fixed blade though :D )
4)1 double sided wetstone is bordering overkill for sharpening


Don’t get the knife guy stigma as most know I was a Butcher for 20 years when I first left school so they just expect it :cool:

[sok]

Mine is smooth handles. I love them.

When I first started going down this rabbit hole of owning multiple knives, I bought Pacific Salt, a Caly 3.5 zdp, and a PM2, as well as many others of different brands.

I didn’t like anything about the PM2. I hated the lock. I hated the S30V steel. I hated the DLC. I hated the camouflage. And so it languished in a drawer for several years.

The Caly 3.5 with carbon fiber ended up beating everything I had. A couple of years into carrying the Caly, I decided to grab the VG-10 variant with G10 scales. I didn’t like it. I swapped the VG-10 blade into the carbon fiber handle and it became my favorite all time folder. At that point I realized that I do not like textured scales and didn’t like the G10 textured scales in particular.

Move ahead a few years to about a year ago and I pull out the PM2 that I dislike so much. I thought maybe some aftermarket CF scales would help this thing. I installed some random Flytanium scales that I saw on the net and started carrying the knife. The next thing I know is that I love S30V and I love the compression lock and I love adjusting the screws to get that sweet action. I fell in love with the Paramilitary 2. It or the CF clad Para 3 will probably be my EDC for a long time.

Anytime that I see a folder with G10, I look at the G10 as some sort of packing material used to hold the knife together until a real handle can be found. That really limits my choices.

I also don’t really care about clip orientation, and I am not too concerned about the lock type. And I like DLC and I like deep carry clips, sometimes.

[Bloke]

And, I reckon life’s too short to get around carrying knives made in China. :eek:

Correct. I’d rock Japan or Taiwan any day of the week though. Oh wait... the only knives I’ve been carrying have been H1, SE, backlock hawkbills made in Japan

The Japanese make great knives so no drama there but it took me awhile to get over Taiwan stamped on a blade.

[tonijedi]

I like PE H1 and Byrd steel.

[GarageBoy]

Bearing pivots - yay, more surface area for stuff to collect in!

The CF over G10 material - just give me a solid piece of either

There is a time and place for thick blades folders, provided the rest of the knife is made for it - I'm not saying extrema ratio style - but there's room for idiot proof knives, where you're not necessarily looking to cut miles of rope or cardboard. When you go ham on a piece of hard plastic or something else abusive, it's nice to have something that'll hold up to it

Over the threads where we just beg sal to put Cru wear/lc200 and some color handle on an existing model - or if we could just have (insert model) with (insert lock) - as if it was that trivial to do so

[vivi]

I really don't care about blade steels that much.

Outside of days I need a Salt, as long the blade steel will resist corrosion well and take a good edge, chances are I'd be happy. I'm 100% satisfied with the performance of my VG10 Perrins and Police.

People that turn their nose up at S30V but will pay double for M390 crack me up.

I've maintained for years that sharpening skills make a bigger difference than blade steels do.

Geometry plays a big role too. My K390 Police might hold an edge forever but each one of those cuts is going to take 2-3x the effort compared to my Opinel #8.

Also, Spyderco could could never make another knife with a choil, and I'd be thrilled.

[Pelagic]

I like big blades, I like titanium, I like pakkawood, I'm not obsessed with weight reduction, I like strong/robust construction/hardware, I think pivot washers should be larger when possible, I feel the pm2's ergonomics are lacking, I don't like FRN, I don't like combo edges, hardness is a key factor in steel for me, I don't see toughness as a waste in folders, I feel like spyderco has more than enough leaf shaped blades, I don't care about pocket clip orientation that much, I don't care about lock type that much, I prefer red loctite, I like sheepsfoot and reverse tanto blades, and I'm not a big fan of s30v or s110v despite using them both extensively.

All against the grain. That's all I can think of now.

[Tucson Tom]

This is such a great thread. I has been refreshing to read all of this. Here are some of my "quirks":

I absolutely do not like FRN (or FRCP) knives in any shape or form.
I do not like the Para 3. It seems like one of those guns in the cartoons where they pull the trigger and a flag saying "boom" comes out. I open it expecting a PM2 blade and this little blade comes out ... I don't get the frenzy here.
I do like knives made in China (mainland China). The Bow River is astounding, I am pleased whenever it is in my hand, and what a great price. The Tenacious is also a classic. No hangups in this area for me.
I don't like the Japanese Spydercos (the Endura group), the Police 4 being the only exception. This works out well as it saves me money. Nothing against Japan mind you.
I do like stout thick knives like the Shaman -- and various ZT knives that I own. Overbuilt is good. Heavy is great.
The idea of finding "the one knife" does not fit into my brain at all.

I like to own some of the knives I dislike. I have a Cruwear Para 3 and a couple of backlock knives even though I generally dislike and avoid backlocks. I have a flipper or two, even though flippers are definitely not my thing. I have some titanium framelocks - which I like, but one or two is plenty.

I understand that these are my preferences and am content that others don't see the world the same as I do.

[MichaelScott]

Here in Colorado especially in the more rural areas where I live, it’s not unusual to see someone openly carrying a handgun. Perfectly legal. We are also a “shall issue” state. Pass the gun exam (safety) and the background check and the county shall issue you a concealed handgun license. Period.

I don’t carry where legally (state statute) prohibited but otherwise I disregard “gun free zones”, “no weapons”, etc signs posted by businesses. I either don’t patronize them or should it be discovered that I am carrying I merely leave.

I’m just too old to comply with nonsense or believe that all bad things can be eliminated with wishful thinking.

[Bill1170]

I have worked as a carpenter for over 40 years. Just as with knife users, there is a tiny minority of carpenters who geek out on the tools of their trade. A really great circular saw will have a smaller market that a really great folding knife for several reasons. First, the pool of circular saw users is smaller than the pool of folding knife users. Second, the cost is higher. Third, it makes lousy “man jewelry” because of its size.

As mentioned in an early post on this thread, there are high end hammers for that niche market. There are many suppliers of high class hand tools for woodworkers because the large hobbyist market can support it.

[The Meat man]

Some of my preferences that may be against the mainstream:

- I like full steel liners in knives.
- I don't mind heavier knives and I don't necessarily think Spyderco needs to "lightweight" everything. (Although certainly the FRN lightweights have their place.)
- Clip placement doesn't bother me. I prefer tip down on large knives like my Police 4 but everything else, I just carry as configured from the factory.
- Choils are okay but using the Autonomy 2 has made me prefer blades whose edge goes all the way back to the handle. Choils and ricassos on backlocks make sense though to avoid cut fingers.
- I don't generally like bright colors. Black G-10 is fine, or any other subdued earth tone.
- In general I find hump-less Spyders to be more comfortable and ergonomic in use.

[ChrisinHove]

Sprints: I can live without them.

I’ve had any number in my online shopping basket over the past few years, including this latest Cruwear Shaman, and then just gone “naaaaah!”

[James Y]

Sprints: I can live without them.

Same here. I don’t think I’ve ever bought a sprint, unless the DLC S35VN PM2 is a sprint. I prefer basic stuff from Spyderco’s regular lineup.

Jim

[jpm2]

I don't know what is against the grain, but I'm here mostly for the variety of steels and locks, thumbholes, and Company integrity.

[bdblue]

I don't like or dislike the PM3, I've never even seen one in person, but it is too small for me. The PM2 is barely large enough and I like it a lot.

As for "against the grain", I dislike lockback knives and I dislike tip up knives. But I do own some of each so it's not a complete deal breaker for me.

[geronm042]

I love trying out geeky steels but end up using a SE VG-10 50% of the time.
I can’t use discontinued knives even if some of them are my favorites.
I hate the gritty, almost  « please stop i’m dying at the next opening » action of native 5 salt and think a fake one would probably do better in that area :-P but still carry it a lot...
I think prices have gone crazy during the past years but keep looking and buying the stuff.
I love old school back lock knives and think it’s the best **** locking system.
I would never care if the tip is facing up, down, left or right if I like it, or the color of the clip of a knife, thinking life is just to short to go as far as that kind of considerations.
I would never use a knife against someone in a fight or whatsoever but can’t stop thinking it’s cool to have it on me as a last resort way to take the advantage.
A simple opinel number 8 will outperform any stock Spyderco in the slicing area.

[VooDooChild]

I hate the gritty, almost « please stop i’m dying at the next opening » action of native 5 salt and think a fake one would probably do better in that area :-P but still carry it a lot...

Just for the record my native 5 salt has broken in really well. Its about where my other native 5s are at. But it was pretty bad out of the box. Now its fine.