FOMO or No?

[mikey177]

I have acceptance of missing out, because I live outside the US and value a full night's sleep

[Naperville]

As far as limited sales go, I have really bad FOMO, but due to my limited budget have come to terms with not getting much if anything and then buying what I want on the secondary market.

I want to collect so many Spydercos, but I restricted it to just Spyderco Native Chiefs.

[vandelay]

It's hard to differentiate FOMO from collecting. Something isn't interesting to have if it's going to be available potentially forever. A limited run like the cru-wear ayoob on the other hand is particularly cool because it might be the last run ever of the ayoob.

I did buy a S110V military because I figure they'll go out of production soon and it seemed like a cool knife, so I guess you can consider that one FOMO.

[zhyla]

Testing would only take about a week to finish.

A week is about our attention span with a steel :)

Have you seen the recent interview with Larrin? He says some pretty interesting things. Among them how much more important edge geometry is than steel. It was a good watch.

[Sharp Guy]

Have you seen the recent interview with Larrin? He says some pretty interesting things. Among them how much more important edge geometry is than steel. It was a good watch.

I'd like to watch it. Can you provide a link or point to a thread here that has a link?

[Steeltoez83]

Testing would only take about a week to finish.

A week is about our attention span with a steel :)

Have you seen the recent interview with Larrin? He says some pretty interesting things. Among them how much more important edge geometry is than steel. It was a good watch.

Sorry I haven't seen that video. Life has been rather challenging ever since my wife was hit by a drunk driver. I normally posted my results on Instagram and sometimes in the mule section. I started using bar graphs to bring context to my results. I always tested the apex and not blade geometry bcuz I wanted to test steel not other factors. I'm sure it's a great video and I will get around to it eventually.

[zhyla]

I'd like to watch it. Can you provide a link or point to a thread here that has a link?

Done!

[wrdwrght]

Do I suffer FOMO? Sure. But only when the availability of models that excite me is going to be limited, as with exclusives, sprints, and auctions.

For example, ever since I picked up a Kiwi4 some years ago, I’ve wanted to get one from the more diminutive less industrial original series. eBay has tempted me from time to time with many of the earlier-made Moki-made Kiwi variants. But last week the auction on one I’d never seen (even in The Deacon’s definitive collection) heated up. My FOMO was not going to let me turn up my nose on this one:



Here is Santa Fe Stoneworks’ rendering from 2008 of the US military’s Vietnam Service Ribbon.

FOMO? I’d have paid twice what it took to win.

Why? Partly because this embellishment is especially rare (I have since learned how rare from SFS’ Bill Wirtel who wrote me “Probably somewhere between 12-20 pcs were done on Kiwi’s.”). And partly because my service in Vietnam figures profoundly in who I am.

Glad am I to have two important things in my life fused together like this.

[cjk]

Testing would only take about a week to finish.

A week is about our attention span with a steel :)

Have you seen the recent interview with Larrin? He says some pretty interesting things. Among them how much more important edge geometry is than steel. It was a good watch.

Sorry I haven't seen that video. Life has been rather challenging ever since my wife was hit by a drunk driver. I normally posted my results on Instagram and sometimes in the mule section. I started using bar graphs to bring context to my results. I always tested the apex and not blade geometry bcuz I wanted to test steel not other factors. I'm sure it's a great video and I will get around to it eventually.

Best wishes to her and you in her recovery.

[Steeltoez83]

Testing would only take about a week to finish.

A week is about our attention span with a steel :)

Have you seen the recent interview with Larrin? He says some pretty interesting things. Among them how much more important edge geometry is than steel. It was a good watch.

Sorry I haven't seen that video. Life has been rather challenging ever since my wife was hit by a drunk driver. I normally posted my results on Instagram and sometimes in the mule section. I started using bar graphs to bring context to my results. I always tested the apex and not blade geometry bcuz I wanted to test steel not other factors. I'm sure it's a great video and I will get around to it eventually.

Best wishes to her and you in her recovery.

Thanyou for the kind words.

[zuludelta]

Do you have a fear of missing out?

I used to, years ago. If I found any knife models even remotely interesting, I had to have one. On average, I used to buy at least two knives per month. Including multiples of the same models, if I liked them. I own many versions of the Delica, Endura, etc., etc.

[... ]

After awhile, I came to realize that that endorphin rush that comes with acquiring a new knife became less and less, even without that compulsive need to acquire the next one.

[... ]

It's tremendously freeing to no longer have that stressful, obsessive "need" to acquire a specific knife, or to keep up with the latest-greatest. And for me, that applies to ANY knife/knife model/variant. If I never buy another knife, I'll still be happy and content with what I already have.

I've felt FOMO for certain exclusives, Sprint runs, and discontinued models before, but I would classify it as very mild & fleeting. It was a fair bit stronger when I was just getting into Spyderco, and I think a significant portion of it was fueled not just by hype, but also by my own ignorance. I didn't know much about anything back then, so I felt like I had to try everything.

But I've grown more familiar with steels (both from firsthand experience and from the experience & knowledge so generously shared by others in this forum) & I've also learned more about what design/ergonomic features work best for my biomechanics, not to mention that I am a lot more realistic & practical these days with my thinking about knife use. So in many cases, I can simply extrapolate whether or not some exclusive, Sprint, or disco'ed model can offer an experience so radically different & improved from those which are already available to me from the knives I have. And most of the time, the difference isn't so profound that I feel an obsessive need to acquire said knife.

I have a similar experience with one of my other hobbies, which is trail running. It used to be that I felt like I had to get the latest & greatest running shoes, thinking that they would help me become a faster runner. But as I've learned more about running & the science of running shoe materials and as I've explored the limits of my abilities as a runner, I've come to realize that the full extent of the performance benefits promised by the newest technologies found in increasingly more expensive shoes are frequently just marketing hyperbole, or they are inaccessible to a non-professional enthusiast of my capabilities & are only meaningful to someone with ultra-elite, best-in-world-class talent & ability.

Make no mistake, running shoes are definitely better now than they were when I first started running as a young teen, but a lot of the time, the newest running shoe materials & tech doesn't make much of a difference to a hobby runner beyond a larger hit to the wallet.

[HolySteel]

......

[270ultimate]

Thank you for your service, wrdwrght.

Makes that gorgeous specimen of a knife shine even brighter.

[James Y]

Do you have a fear of missing out?

I used to, years ago. If I found any knife models even remotely interesting, I had to have one. On average, I used to buy at least two knives per month. Including multiples of the same models, if I liked them. I own many versions of the Delica, Endura, etc., etc.

[... ]

After awhile, I came to realize that that endorphin rush that comes with acquiring a new knife became less and less, even without that compulsive need to acquire the next one.

[... ]

It's tremendously freeing to no longer have that stressful, obsessive "need" to acquire a specific knife, or to keep up with the latest-greatest. And for me, that applies to ANY knife/knife model/variant. If I never buy another knife, I'll still be happy and content with what I already have.

I've felt FOMO for certain exclusives, Sprint runs, and discontinued models before, but I would classify it as very mild & fleeting. It was a fair bit stronger when I was just getting into Spyderco, and I think a significant portion of it was fueled not just by hype, but also by my own ignorance. I didn't know much about anything back then, so I felt like I had to try everything.

But I've grown more familiar with steels (both from firsthand experience and from the experience & knowledge so generously shared by others in this forum) & I've also learned more about what design/ergonomic features work best for my biomechanics, not to mention that I am a lot more realistic & practical these days with my thinking about knife use. So in many cases, I can simply extrapolate whether or not some exclusive, Sprint, or disco'ed model can offer an experience so radically different & improved from those which are already available to me from the knives I have. And most of the time, the difference isn't so profound that I feel an obsessive need to acquire said knife.

I have a similar experience with one of my other hobbies, which is trail running. It used to be that I felt like I had to get the latest & greatest running shoes, thinking that they would help me become a faster runner. But as I've learned more about running & the science of running shoe materials and as I've explored the limits of my abilities as a runner, I've come to realize that the full extent of the performance benefits promised by the newest technologies found in increasingly more expensive shoes are frequently just marketing hyperbole, or they are inaccessible to a non-professional enthusiast of my capabilities & are only meaningful to someone with ultra-elite, best-in-world-class talent & ability.

Make no mistake, running shoes are definitely better now than they were when I first started running as a young teen, but a lot of the time, the newest running shoe materials & tech doesn't make much of a difference to a hobby runner beyond a larger hit to the wallet.

Good points.

I agree that, for a normal guy like myself, at a certain point, the pursuit of “latest-greatest” reaches a point of diminishing returns. I won’t be pushing any super steel to its limits in my types of use.

As for discontinued models, although there have been some I once desired but never acquired, I have no regrets that I missed out, and feel no need to seek them out.

There are still models I’d like to have, but due to current finances, I’m not buying. The weird thing is, even if the finances were all there, at this point it would still be hard for me to break the inertia of not buying, and get myself to actually pull the trigger on a new knife. A G10 Salt version of the Yojimbo 2 in Magnacut (for the high corrosion resistance) would probably be the antidote for that, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon, if ever.

Jim

[Evil D]

It really just depends. On some models, absolutely yes and I don't get why it's seen as a bad thing lately. For example I was extremely concerned about missing out on the CruCarta Shaman, but I was helped out by a forum member who directed me to a small dealer that had one. Would it have ruined my life if I missed out? Of course not. Would I be disappointed? Yes absolutely. It's a hobby as much as it's a real world tool, it's as fun as it is functional, and some combos really hit home for me and those are the ones I really really want so yeah I'd definitely have some FOMO with some. I guess I have it lucky that I don't feel this way with very many but I definitely do for some and I don't see a problem with it. I've missed out or even ignored the majority of releases in the time I've been a Spyderco customer so having one now and then that really makes me happy is a good feeling.

[mikey177]

These days, what helps me manage my FOMO is setting a budget and requiring that I have a use case for any new knife I buy. Thus, I never bought a Paysan even though I really like the design as it was always 200 or more dollars over my spend limit.

I also never got a Bradley Bowie or a Waterway even though I think both are really cool, since I seldom use knives in that size range.

I agree with David that it's okay to feel disappointed if I miss out on a model that really appeals to me. After all, without the pursuit of healthy desires and passions, life can become a dull, burdensome chore.

[MFlovejp]

The first 3 years I got in to Spyderco I averaged 10-15 knives per year. Now that I’ve got the core collection of stuff I really like I’ve slowed down a ton. I’ve sold a few and replaced them with backups/sprints of favorite models. Trying to get out and use them more as well as paying attention to other hobbies.

[Erich]

No FOMO for me because the MAP era is dead. All I have to do is wait for a big no-MAP sale to get what I want, if anything. I buy nothing outside the no-MAP sales, knives or otherwise. I really just wait until Black Friday to buy non-essentials.

It was all a ZIRP phenomenon. I remember when Spyderco, Zero Tolerance, Benchmade did MAPs. You saw it with gun makers like SIG. It's all over. The fake money supply is drying up.
No one is buying anything. Back to reality.

I remember when guys here would chastize us for questioning the MAP back in the day with snide remarks like "it's nonessential, you don't need it. It's just disposable. You can live without it. Its supply and demand, go somewhere else. Muh private company."

You were exactly right!

[Manixguy@1994]

Not really for me . I have plenty of knives so it has to fit a criteria that it will be used and not sit in cabinet. I have passed on many I regret and moved I have regretted but happy with what I have to put in pocket . Actually have slowed down a bit and gaining interest modifying ones I appreciate and make knife more mine than when purchased . MG2

[Scandi Grind]

I don't fear missing out, sprints don't mean much to me, and I am more than happy with base steels for most pocket knives. I prefer traditional high carbon for fixed blades, which is always readily available. I do however have an obsession with kitchen knives and I really enjoy acquiring more of them, but this for the experience and performance of the knife, not for exclusivity, so I don't look much at rare, hard to get stuff. A kitchen knife is bound to be my first custom made knife though. I intensely look forward to getting the funds to have one made.