We already have the solution. Now what we need is to find the problem

[Menipo]

None of my family members or friends carry a knife (as I have done since I was a kid and received the first one from my grandfather -a small knife so used by him (he was a carpenter) that, after been sharpened for decades, it had lost a third of its length-).

And all of them, family and friends, live full lives. They are able to prepare their food at home or when hiking/camping and eat healthily. They are able to cut up Amazon cardboard boxes into small pieces before putting them in the bin. They are able to feed their pets (so they are supposed to be able to open the food bags). They are able to go to birthday parties and cut the cake into portions. They are able to spread the butter and cut a sandwich in half.... And they are capable of all this without carrying a knife in their pocket. Like 99% of humanity, I guess.

This leads me to think that if we (forumites and, in general, knife aficionados) carry one (or several) and are crazy to discover new steels, new locks and new blade or sharpening geometries, it is simply ... because we like it, not because, to be honest, we need it. As we could have liked collecting stamps and arguing about whether it is better to peel them off with steam or alcohol or driving off-road cars and arguing about the best tyre geometry to run on kaolin mud tracks.

It seems to me that Spyderco manufactures wonderful solutions (and I hope that they will keep doing it for the next 200 years), we buy them ... and then we have to desperately search for the problem (for the solution that we just added to our pocket or our collection).

Obviously, I do not refer to the guy who lives in a town of 220 inhabitants in the Appalaches and on his way to work every day he has to repair 4 suspended bridges and skin the deer that he will then cook on a campfire to eat at lunch. Or the guy who works in a storage facility and has to put down 150 cardboard boxes a day (though I saw some who use an utility knife they keep in a drawer of their workstation).

I don't know what you think. :D

[ChrisinHove]

Absolutely!

I don’t know about anyone else, but I will balk at spending 00’s on tools I regularly use, but not on knives I rarely use.

Here’s another question .... what cost more? The shoes you are wearing or the knife in your pocket?!

[Worm]

For me it is a hobby. I knew that when I crossed a specific number of knives in my collection.
There are only a few I really need.

But, I like using different knives for different purposes, as well as knife steels, I like charpening, I like the aesthetics and engineering of specific models.
I like handling & testing different models and having different lock types, handle materials, colors etc.

I have more knives than I can use up in lifetimes. I justify new purchases because they bring me joy for coming decades. So, it is part of a hobby that I can afford. Every hobby costs some money. This one is very useful in life. I have almost no “pristine collection knives”. I like to use all my knives.
That is the reason I choose almost exclusively Spyderco. Because they deliver better functionality (blade steel, HRC, geometry, ergonomics, cutting performance, build-quality-to-cost-ratio …) than other companies.

[archangel]

LOL Chris, that may actually depend on if you a guy or a gal. I like to wear my shoes for over a decade (even some sneakers), and have no problems to not buy any shoes for years. Can't say the same about Spydies... :rolleyes:

Menipo, I can say that my Spyderdiction serves two purposes:
1) I like to collect things. I've collected movies on VHS, LaserDisc, DVD, 2k & 4kBD, and nowadays also streams (I guess I own several hundred in total). My wife and I collected stuffed animals before we had our first kid (>200 (animals, not kids)), I've collected over 100 flashlights, and now it's Spydies. I'm sure I have collected other things before that slip my mind now.

2) I like the look and feel of metal. Steel, Titanium, Aluminium. Yes, also Gold, but I'm not wearing any except for my wedding ring. Tungsten is very cool cause it's so heavy, I have a small yet surprisingly heavy Tungsten paper weight I like to hold. Titanium is cool for other reasons, some I can't even reasonably describe. I'd like to test Platinum, but that might be a financial neck breaker...

Now, collecting Spydies in as many different steels as possible, perfectly satisfies the said passions, plus a knife is a useful thing. And (I admit it) if the knife stays in good shape, I may be able to sell it later on, if I need to for monetary reasons, with a possibly low devaluation, or who knows even with a profit. It's not my intention, but still nice to know. So my Spyderdiction is useful, gives me joy, and it's not even all money down the drain. To me, that's good enough reasons to do it, admit it, and not even be ashamed. :)

[standy99]

Absolutely!

I don’t know about anyone else, but I will balk at spending 00’s on tools I regularly use, but not on knives I rarely use.

Here’s another question .... what cost more? The shoes you are wearing or the knife in your pocket?!

Knives, Pens and flashlights
3 things I use most at work, I never balk at spending money on them. Also enjoy having several of them probably in the order above of most of to least of.

And for Chris I’m a flip flop guy 9/10 living tropical so everything is worth more than my shoes...

[Oloung1]

And all of them, family and friends, live full lives. They are able to prepare their food at home or when hiking/camping and eat healthily. They are able to cut up Amazon cardboard boxes into small pieces before putting them in the bin. They are able to feed their pets (so they are supposed to be able to open the food bags). They are able to go to birthday parties and cut the cake into portions. They are able to spread the butter and cut a sandwich in half.... And they are capable of all this without carrying a knife in their pocket. Like 99% of humanity, I guess.

This leads me to think that if we (forumites and, in general, knife aficionados) carry one (or several) and are crazy to discover new steels, new locks and new blade or sharpening geometries, it is simply ... because we like it, not because, to be honest, we need it. As we could have liked collecting stamps and arguing about whether it is better to peel them off with steam or alcohol or driving off-road cars and arguing about the best tyre geometry to run on kaolin mud tracks.

Everyone has their vices and as far as collections go, what is unofficial enabler saying?
Knives are "cheaper" than watches, watches are cheaper than cars, cars are cheaper than boats :D

[der_boudie]

A fellow once told me, it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

[bearfacedkiller]

To a kid with a hammer everything looks like a nail. We are Knife geeks, of course we look for uses for our knives.

Thankfully I have a bunch of hobbies that require knives which is more or less what led me into this hobby.

[Bolster]

... because we like it, not because, to be honest, we need it...

Agree. I only "need" one Caly 3 and I'm set. The other 50 Spydercos are for interest and fun.

[James Y]

Some people obsessively collect shoes. Or other clothing. Which can be more expensive, and take up more space, than knives. What possible occasions would require all of those different shoes or clothing styles and variations?

Personally, I’m probably far less of a “steel nerd” (meant affectionately) than most forumites, but as long as it’s not driving someone to emotionally or financially ruin themselves, I don’t see the harm in (healthy) knife obsessions. My own perceived “need” to accumulate more knives has lessened significantly, to the point I rarely buy knives anymore, and I don’t always desire the latest-greatest. It just has to be special enough to me that I still want it after months of holding off on it (very rare anymore).

But there are many more harmful obsessions/addictions one can get involved in, such as obsessive gambling, etc., etc., etc.

IMO, for many, accumulating knives beyond a certain point transcends ‘need’ and becomes more about fascination/interest/enjoyment.

Jim

[Menipo]

Absolutely!

I don’t know about anyone else, but I will balk at spending 00’s on tools I regularly use, but not on knives I rarely use.

Here’s another question .... what cost more? The shoes you are wearing or the knife in your pocket?!

In my case, the shoes. :D I am on a dark suit Monday to Friday (or I was ... now a couple of days or even just one because of the pandemic and the teleworking) and have a good collections of Church's that I take the opportunity to increase every time I have to travel to London for business or pleasure.They are still cheaper than if I bought them here and I can save up to £ 50 per pair (and use them towards the purchase of the next knife)

[aicolainen]

8< ------

.... And they are capable of all this without carrying a knife in their pocket. Like 99% of humanity, I guess.

8< ------

This leads me to think that if we (forumites and, in general, knife aficionados) carry one (or several) and are crazy to discover new steels, new locks and new blade or sharpening geometries, it is simply ... because we like it, not because, to be honest, we need it.

8< ------

I don't know what you think. :D

Sure. There's a lot of that going on.
Although I've only discovered the concept of EDC in 2016 and slowly got interested in knives as a consequence of that, I've carried several kinds of typical EDC items on a "need" basis before that time. But never on a "just in case" basis.

The fact is that in all those years leading up to my EDC enlightenment, I've had to settle with a lot of clumsy, cumbersome and sub par solutions to unpredicted problems.

In my past life, where I acquired tools on a need to have basis, I was only familiar with fixed blades, multi tools, hardware store / sports store flashlights and headlamps and fashion store watches. The vast selection of folders and other carry friendly tools were totally unknown to me.

So ultimately, I'll say there are actually some problems here that are in fact solved better and more gracefully with these tools, even though the time and money spent is obviously disproportionate to the problems we're solving with them. But it's also fun and interesting :)
Additionally I've taken these newfound tools into some arenas where I historically have been using more traditional tools, and even enhanced my experience in those activities.

[Menipo]

LOL Chris, that may actually depend on if you a guy or a gal. I like to wear my shoes for over a decade (even some sneakers), and have no problems to not buy any shoes for years. Can't say the same about Spydies... :rolleyes:

Menipo, I can say that my Spyderdiction serves two purposes:
1) I like to collect things. I've collected movies on VHS, LaserDisc, DVD, 2k & 4kBD, and nowadays also streams (I guess I own several hundred in total). My wife and I collected stuffed animals before we had our first kid (>200 (animals, not kids)), I've collected over 100 flashlights, and now it's Spydies. I'm sure I have collected other things before that slip my mind now.

2) I like the look and feel of metal. Steel, Titanium, Aluminium. Yes, also Gold, but I'm not wearing any except for my wedding ring. Tungsten is very cool cause it's so heavy, I have a small yet surprisingly heavy Tungsten paper weight I like to hold. Titanium is cool for other reasons, some I can't even reasonably describe. I'd like to test Platinum, but that might be a financial neck breaker...

Now, collecting Spydies in as many different steels as possible, perfectly satisfies the said passions, plus a knife is a useful thing. And (I admit it) if the knife stays in good shape, I may be able to sell it later on, if I need to for monetary reasons, with a possibly low devaluation, or who knows even with a profit. It's not my intention, but still nice to know. So my Spyderdiction is useful, gives me joy, and it's not even all money down the drain. To me, that's good enough reasons to do it, admit it, and not even be ashamed. :)

Absolutely, Michael. Nothing to be ashamed of. Most to the contrary. That was precisely my point. We buy knives like crazy because we love to collect them or use them (though often we have to find something to be able to) .... :D

[Menipo]

And all of them, family and friends, live full lives. They are able to prepare their food at home or when hiking/camping and eat healthily. They are able to cut up Amazon cardboard boxes into small pieces before putting them in the bin. They are able to feed their pets (so they are supposed to be able to open the food bags). They are able to go to birthday parties and cut the cake into portions. They are able to spread the butter and cut a sandwich in half.... And they are capable of all this without carrying a knife in their pocket. Like 99% of humanity, I guess.

This leads me to think that if we (forumites and, in general, knife aficionados) carry one (or several) and are crazy to discover new steels, new locks and new blade or sharpening geometries, it is simply ... because we like it, not because, to be honest, we need it. As we could have liked collecting stamps and arguing about whether it is better to peel them off with steam or alcohol or driving off-road cars and arguing about the best tyre geometry to run on kaolin mud tracks.

Everyone has their vices and as far as collections go, what is unofficial enabler saying?
Knives are "cheaper" than watches, watches are cheaper than cars, cars are cheaper than boats :D

... and boats are cheaper than lovers/romantic affairs :D

I have always thought that the passion to collect comes first. The collection object comes after and is secondary.

[Menipo]

To a kid with a hammer everything looks like a nail. We are Knife geeks, of course we look for uses for our knives.

Thankfully I have a bunch of hobbies that require knives which is more or less what led me into this hobby.

I did not know the saying but I love it: you can not say more with fewer words

[Menipo]

... because we like it, not because, to be honest, we need it...

Agree. I only "need" one Caly 3 and I'm set. The other 50 Spydercos are for interest and fun.

I was going to say that I only "need" my Ikuchi, my Kapara or my Millie ... but taking it to the extreme if knives were prohibited here as firearms are and I could not carry them, I would ask myself if they are really necessary for me (at the same level as my car, for example). That was what I wanted to say in my first post.

[Menipo]

8< ------

.... And they are capable of all this without carrying a knife in their pocket. Like 99% of humanity, I guess.

8< ------

This leads me to think that if we (forumites and, in general, knife aficionados) carry one (or several) and are crazy to discover new steels, new locks and new blade or sharpening geometries, it is simply ... because we like it, not because, to be honest, we need it.

8< ------

I don't know what you think. :D

Sure. There's a lot of that going on.
Although I've only discovered the concept of EDC in 2016 and slowly got interested in knives as a consequence of that, I've carried several kinds of typical EDC items on a "need" basis before that time. But never on a "just in case" basis.

The fact is that in all those years leading up to my EDC enlightenment, I've had to settle with a lot of clumsy, cumbersome and sub par solutions to unpredicted problems.

In my past life, where I acquired tools on a need to have basis, I was only familiar with fixed blades, multi tools, hardware store / sports store flashlights and headlamps and fashion store watches. The vast selection of folders and other carry friendly tools were totally unknown to me.

So ultimately, I'll say there are actually some problems here that are in fact solved better and more gracefully with these tools, even though the time and money spent is obviously disproportionate to the problems we're solving with them. But it's also fun and interesting :)
Additionally I've taken these newfound tools into some arenas where I historically have been using more traditional tools, and even enhanced my experience in those activities.

That's the key, IMHO.

[metaphoricalsimile]

So yeah, people who don't carry knives get all the same stuff done, but it takes them more time to do it because they can't just reach down into their pocket to get a sharp thing. For me it's all about always having a useful tool on me so I don't need to spend time figuring out "where the **** did I put those scissors."

I also love to have a fidget, so a knife can frequently fulfill both those needs.

[Menipo]

Absolutely!

I don’t know about anyone else, but I will balk at spending 00’s on tools I regularly use, but not on knives I rarely use.

Here’s another question .... what cost more? The shoes you are wearing or the knife in your pocket?!

Knives, Pens and flashlights
3 things I use most at work, I never balk at spending money on them. Also enjoy having several of them probably in the order above of most of to least of.

And for Chris I’m a flip flop guy 9/10 living tropical so everything is worth more than my shoes...

It has always intrigued me a lot. I see flashlights paired with knives in many of the photos on the forum "What Spyderco is in your pocket today ??" and I understand that in the USA they are part of the EDC.

But here I've never carried one in my pocket (except when I'm camping) and I don't know anyone who carries it. But not only here. I have lived in a dozen European countries (including France, Germany, Italy, UK, Denmark, etc.) and I have also not seen people carry flashlights as part of their EDC. It must be something cultural .... :confused:

[Menipo]

So yeah, people who don't carry knives get all the same stuff done, but it takes them more time to do it because they can't just reach down into their pocket to get a sharp thing. For me it's all about always having a useful tool on me so I don't need to spend time figuring out "where the **** did I put those scissors."

I also love to have a fidget, so a knife can frequently fulfill both those needs.

I thought that too until one day I saw myself spreading jam on a toast with a 4" SE blade while four pairs of eyes stared at me in a mixture of surprise and horror. :D

Fidgeting is an unbeatable argument. I dedicate 80% of the time that the knife is in my hand to that.