What do you look for in the knives you buy/collect?

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Permalink Reply by Robin Simpson on April 21, 2009 at 20:22

Hi Scott

I Love Todds knives ;-))
I have collected in many varied fields for my entire life but fell in love with knives only a few years ago.
I have been collecting slip joints and the collection is kind of all over the place, some bone some celluloid many patterns. I very much enjoy a Well used knife (nicely sharpened, NO Grinder scars ))), knives that tell something of the early owner. My current interest is different bone jigging and colours which could become the focus of my collection for the next while.

Regards

Robin

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Permalink Reply by Roger Cunningham on April 22, 2009 at 7:43

Has a pattern collector I look for brands I don`t have,a better condition knife of a brand I have,and knives I may have that are what I think may be a bargain.Either to keep,resell,or trade.

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Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on April 22, 2009 at 15:47

Sometimes it all depends on the mood that I'm in at the time. I'm always looking for Whittlers, but if something else catches my eye...
I'm more of a "user" than a "collector", when it comes to my knives. I bought my first Seahorse, to use, and wanted another as a back-up. Then I had to get another, which started me on "collecting" them.
Lately I've come to appreciate Sowbellies with the standard blade shapes, because they feel good, in my hand, when in use.
I was brought up to consider a knife as a tool, so I tend to stick with the more utilitarian patterns. I prefer natural handle materials, (but I carry a Yellow Comp with me all the time).

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Permalink Reply by william t. wright on April 22, 2009 at 18:11

Old knives with natural handle materials. Unusual or rare tang stamps. Jacks, whittlers, square bolstered stockman, and whatever else that is priced low enough to easily sell at a profit. Only about one in five are [ neat cool nifty ] enough to be keepers. My current favorite is a schrade walden late fiftys four inch red bone serpentine stockman reduced to a single blade, using a case xx muskrat blade. nickel silver milled liners, sunk joint. a pretty frankenknife.

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Permalink Reply by Ray Wylie on April 23, 2009 at 15:15

I'm afraid I love too many styles of knife to catagorise. I love anything mechanical so I like fulcrum knives by CRKT and their Glidelock I also like Paul knives, assisted openers etc............and more lately I've come to realise that I really love the traditional style pocket knives , without a lock.just a plain old folder...but for EDC for years I have carried SAKS, I guess really that there are better knives with more traditional handle styles to collect.but these are just so useful

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Permalink Reply by Randy Huckeby on April 25, 2009 at 9:40

Unfortunately I like them all & with now being retired I am going to have to narrow it down. I don't really have anything very old, most of what I have found at garage sales, pawn shops, & even antique stores has been in pretty tough shape si I will never make a profit on what I have, which is a little of everything. I have quite a few Spydercos & CLB Bokers, but I think I am now going to focus on traditional pocket knives such as the Toenails & maybe the 4 bladed Congress. I also have a few switchblades & bowies but am going to go traditional.

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Permalink Reply by Rusty R Halsey on April 26, 2009 at 10:21

Design is what makes a great knife - it's appearance, the flow of it's lines. The patterns that I like are those with good lines - sunfish & sowbellys. One pattern I normally avoid is the single blade folder. However, I just saw a picture of a (I think) sway back jack with a single wharncliffe blade that is just gorgeous. Materials is a harder question. Blades definately need to be something better than cheap stainless, at least 440C or even better, a good hi carbon like 1095 or 52100. Or (drool) damascus! Does that make me a steel snob? Handles are a little more ambiguous. Somewhere they quit being pretty & turn into just expensive. For instance, I would prefer birdseye maple to abalone. Of course, this is all my personal opinion. If you like a knife, be proud of it & pay no mind to my opinion.

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Permalink Reply by Keelen Grimm on May 4, 2009 at 16:59

A great knife to me is one that catches my eye from the second that I see it. When I walk into my local knife shop I look through all of the displays to see if anything new has arrived. You can always tell when something has caught my eye because I stand staring at it for a long time. I am usually attracted to small folders but I am not limited to them. When shopping for a knife I am looking for an addition to the collection or an addition to my EDC knives. For knives that I collect I like unique and odd looking knives similar to the Van Hoy designs used by CRKT and the CRKT Fulcrum. While I have a love for the interesting and the odd I also like simple. Any design from spyderco or Lone Wolf I think has a delicate look to them.

Out of all the little things that I look for in a knife I think the overall flow is what counts the most. When I see a knife that has a blade that flows into the handle I am sold. Any knife designed by Ken Onion is an example of that.

Keelen

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Permalink Reply by Jordan Edwards on May 5, 2009 at 10:31

Though some of my favorite knives are folders, my preference leans me more towards smaller fixed blades. As far as Form vs Function goes, they are about the same in my book. I would never buy a knife simply because it looked cool, nor would I buy one that had forsaken all aesthetics just to get the job done.

For me, knives don't need to be flashy works of art. In fact, one of my favorite knives is the Becker BK11... something some folks might think an eyesore, but it's simplicity is what appeals to me.

Speaking more to function now, I'm not generally too picky about steel. I love to sharpen and happen to think a patina adds a lot of character to a blade. Now, handle materials is another story... I love the look of wood, but I would not consider for an instant anything that was not stabilized. Unless I am looking for a showpiece, I would chose a micarta or a G10 over stabilized wood 99 times out of 100.

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Permalink Reply by Steve wells on May 5, 2009 at 13:05

I guess my hang up is the beauty of the knife. The Russlocks Pattern just blew me away when it came out in 2000, but at knife shows I will see an old or new pattern and it gives me that same old feeling that i had as a boy of 9 ;well you can guess what happens. But the old yellow Trapper is still my work knife.

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Permalink Reply by Ally Burnham on May 5, 2009 at 13:45

When I'm looking for a knife to use...It would have to be 1 part function 1 part flow. If the knife doesn't have a good feel in my hand then I wont use it. I also like it to look nice. Even if it works for what I'm doing (steelwise for example) and fits nice in the hand if it looks like crap then I probably wont get it. Knife are reflection on not only the maker but the person who buys it. If it doesn't reflect me then it probably stay on the shelf.

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Permalink Reply by James Bunyard on May 5, 2009 at 13:58

For me, materials and functional design take top billing. I want a knife that delivers. I've had many knifes that most people would think are ugly that I loved because they got the job done. If a knife is able to do that and look good then that's a great knife. Also, even before the aesthetics is how good a deal it was. I don't really like knives that are expensive for no reason. I don't mind paying good money for a good knife but I don't just pay for aesthetics. My money has to see a return. I guess in that sense I may be more of a knife user than a collector.

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