^thisEvil D wrote: ↑Thu Apr 30, 2020 8:19 am
Well, for me the word "fidgeting" is dumbing it down quite a bit. For me the knife hobby is as much about engineering and design as it is about steel and edges. I enjoy locks and pivots, so the "fidgeting" is a way of enjoying those things, and is in my opinion very much a type of use. By just opening/cutting/closing/putting away a knife, I'm not spending much time at all "using" the lock and pivot, and seeing how the lock works and how well it engages and how smooth the pivot turns is a big part of the experience for me, it's the other side of the "use" coin.
I never used to understand collector's much the same as you don't understand fidgeting. To me, "use" meant cutting things up but I've come to understand that a knife can be enjoyed just as much to some people just by handling it. There is a type of art behind the design, just like a painting doesn't exactly DO anything, you just enjoy admiring it. I try to get as much of all of those different kinds of enjoyment as I can, I feel like it maximizes my time and further justifies my purchase.
i’ve tried spinners and other fidget toys, but they aren’t as satisfying as a well-machined tool. plus, there’s no other purpose for them, so it’s just another thing you have to carry. with a knife, fidgeting is a secondary or tertiary purpose.
i do agree that there’s an element of danger though. i cut myself at work one day and it wouldn’t stop bleeding, despite being a very minor cut. i’m looking into getting a nice pen that i can enjoy the same way i have enjoyed my knives. it probably won’t be a total replacement of knife fidgeting, but it can at least reduce it a bit.