How much of your collection do you regularly use?

[Abyss_Fish]

I’ve ordered my first new knife in a while (that cruwear yojimbo 2) and it’s got me thinking about which knives I actually regularly use.

I absolutely dig all the knives I have, I’ve made a point to sell off anything I don’t use much. But recently I’ve really gravitated towards my “mystic” manix and my ukpk salt I threw a g10 handle on, simply because they are the comfiest and lowest maintenance in my collection. I will love and protect my watu and rhino to the end of the earth but I probably haven’t taken either of them out of my spyder roll in 3 months.

So what I’d like to ask all of you, how much of your collection sees regular use? Do you try to rotate through everything? Or do you end up only using 3 or 4?

[TkoK83Spy]

Of my 25 knives, all of them but 2 are in user rotation for work. My polished CRK small 31 with a mirror finished edge (my only mirror finish I have) as well as my MBK Slayback in ZDP189 are just too nice to chance messing up in a warehouse. I like both of those knives looking pristine.

My other 23 knives see regular rotation. Lately I try to carry a knife 2 days in a row throughout the week. I work 6 days a week, so that rotates 3 knives each week. It works out pretty well that way for me. Everyone gets some pocket time eventually!

[z1r]

Maybe 10%. I tend to rotate the same 7 or 8 knives into my EDC combo. Like today, I substituted my M4 N5 for the K390 Endela and ZDP DF2.

[Foehammer]

I don’t have the biggest collection yet, but there’s always this thing when I get a new knife. I don’t want to use it, even though I use all my knives. So it will be babied for a few weeks and then used a lot.

[ZrowsN1s]

All of it eventually, regularly 25%

[vivi]

If we're talking strictly EDC folders and fixed blades rather than knives for specific purposes - about 4 or 5 out of maybe 60 total.

Most of my spydies live in a knife drawer. I keep the majority there.

I keep my current 2-4 favorite folders + a 4-5" sturdy fixed blade on my shelf where I do my pocket dumps. Keys, watch, flashlights, pocket multitools and a few folders to choose from.

If you're curious, right now that line-up is a PE Military, PE Pacific Salt, PE FRN Resilience, and CE G10 Resilience. The fixed blade is my Street Bowie.

I regularly use a large assortment of knives at work. Primarily my zcut paring knives, tojiro oboro gyuto, and tojiro santoku.

With my work knives included I'm utilizing about 25% of my collection.

Some of the ones I don't use are models I really liked at one point that I don't really plan to sell. Like I couldn't tell you the last time I carried my K390/pakkawood police but if I ever get back into carrying the Police, that's the one I'd pocket.

Some of the others I don't use are more specialized tools. I don't regularly chop wood or hack through undergrowth, so I don't use my axes and machetes every week.

I try to only keeps knives I could see myself using for something at some point. But I also try to avoid hastily selling them and then repurchasing when I decide I'd like to use it again. Happened with my Manix XL, Street Bowie and a few others....

[Coastal]

10% at most. I've been accumulating knives for over 50 years.

[JRinFL]

A small handful get regular use, and outside of the Salt models reserved yard use, the rest get a slow rotation. There are some that will never get used, but I'm still too mentally attached to them to move them along. The burden of being a collector, even an accidental one like myself.

[ZrowsN1s]

All of it eventually, regularly 25%

Police, Shaman, Dragonfly, P'kal, Manix, Pac Salt, Wharn Delica are my most frequent flyers.

[Larry_Mott]

I'd guess 4 out of 200+ :-D

[spydergoat]

2/3 get used. 1/3 of my collection stay in the rotation as my favorite EDCs. 1/3 are other users that stay in tool box or kitchen or bike stuff and get used there. Last 1/3 are the the ones that stay in the spyderpac because they are exclusives I baby, or past EDCs that I am not into carrying at the moment.

[Wandering_About]

Erm... all of them... yeah definitely all of them... for sure... of course I'm telling the truth.... you know what I don't want to talk about this any more...

[Bill1170]

It is a common shame. I regularly use fewer than 10 of my Spyderco’s. I seldom buy new ones now because they’ll get neglected and I know it. Sad!

[Scandi Grind]

He he, I don't have enough that most people would even call it a collection, so pretty much all my knives get used on a regular basis. I only buy things that I think I can use, and if I own it I tend to like using it whenever I have the opportunity. The one knife I never use anymore is the one that my older brother now carries even though it is technically still mine. I don't mind, score one for another knife convert!

[bdblue]

I have a group of folding knives in my collection that I carry, and I actually carry and use all of them or almost all of them. This group includes 4 versions of the PM2 (M4, S110V, K390) and 3 versions of the Manix 2 (M4, Rex45, S110V).
I have an old Manix 2 and a Gayle Bradley 1 in my workbench in the garage for use there as well as a Mule (4V) that I handled with black canvas micarta. I have a Mule (S110V) that I handled with maple burl at my desk for use there. I have a blue Tenacious that I use when camping. I have a Military (M4) that I carry sometimes if I think I need a larger blade.

I have a batch of old junk knives that I've picked up here and there, not really what I consider part of my collection, and I don't really use any of them except I will put a small Kershaw or something like that in my luggage when I'm traveling to questionable jurisdictions.

I have a lot of custom hunting knives that I've collected strictly to look at, never intending to use them. I've picked out a couple of the small ones and occasionally I'll pocket carry one of them for change of pace.

[The Meat man]

I use all of them, from my current carry (Byrd Rescue) to my Shirogorov F95. Lately though I've been going for weeks at a time with any single knife so rotation has slowed dramatically. I've been EDC'ing my Byrd now for a good month or so, still going strong!

[Naperville]

All of it eventually, regularly 25%

Ditto.

[vivi]

I use all of them, from my current carry (Byrd Rescue) to my Shirogorov F95. Lately though I've been going for weeks at a time with any single knife so rotation has slowed dramatically. I've been EDC'ing my Byrd now for a good month or so, still going strong!

That's how I like to do it. I don't feel like I really get a design unless I carry it for a few weeks.

It's one thing to check how easy a folder is to open in the shop - it's another when you're trying to move fast at work etc.

Same thing with ergonomics. Different uses show different sides of the ergos you wouldn't notice simply handling the knife in a store.

PS, wanted to show the current rotation:



Generally the blacked out Resilience, sometimes the FRN to mix things up. Fixed livees in my backpack.

This is probably the longest stretch I've gone without a Pacific Salt in my pocket. Think the Millie got carried one day in the past 30. Using it made me miss the Resilience. Never expected to feel that way but here we are.

[akapennypincher]

I have few, use all but one on regular basis. Love Knife are, but they are tools, not safe queens.

Old Rescue Jr. is old work horse, use it daily.

[The Meat man]

I use all of them, from my current carry (Byrd Rescue) to my Shirogorov F95. Lately though I've been going for weeks at a time with any single knife so rotation has slowed dramatically. I've been EDC'ing my Byrd now for a good month or so, still going strong!

That's how I like to do it. I don't feel like I really get a design unless I carry it for a few weeks.

It's one thing to check how easy a folder is to open in the shop - it's another when you're trying to move fast at work etc.

Same thing with ergonomics. Different uses show different sides of the ergos you wouldn't notice simply handling the knife in a store.

PS, wanted to show the current rotation:

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/Sxyjnv2w/20529-llcrop.jpg[/img

Generally the blacked out Resilience, sometimes the FRN to mix things up. Fixed livees in my backpack.

This is probably the longest stretch I've gone without a Pacific Salt in my pocket. Think the Millie got carried one day in the past 30. Using it made me miss the Resilience. Never expected to feel that way but here we are.

And to be honest, I don't use my knives terribly often at work - mostly to cut the odd cardboard or pallet wrapping or some such thing - so I've been content with the Byrd's 8Cr13MoV. I can certainly tell the difference in edge holding versus something like Maxamet but I guess I don't cut enough stuff to really mind the difference.

Is that CPM S35VN on that Resilience?