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iKnife Collector

The online community of knife collectors, A Knife Family Forged in Steel

We all got started somehow....

What do you remember about what got you started collecting and what was the reason you bought the first knife you did?

This is important info as we start to talk about our collecting likes and dislikes here. We'll build off this question when we start thinking about the direction we want to take as we build a collection (or a new one).

Tags: buying, collecting, collection, direction, knives, of

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by brenden carvalho(emokidbc) on May 10, 2009 at 20:07

hm well i liked knives alot i didnt really intend on collecting but my knife inventory grew to about 17 knives with an 18th on the way:) plus some knives are fun to look at and have so i started collecting good lookin knives or anything i liked. i have knives anywhere from benchmade to no name brand knives that are crappy and i enjoy every one of them. knives rock!! it can be expensive tho:( its a mayjor ouch to my wallet lol

KnifeMakerPermalink Reply by Nick Arsenault on May 10, 2009 at 20:22

right now i have about 11 knives and counting... im starting to make my own... ive made my forage and anvil i jest need to start...

Permalink Reply by Wilma Slicer (Lynsie) on May 11, 2009 at 11:47

I've told this story many times!

Lee started getting into knives a couple years ago. ( I can't recall why...hmm) Well, he always had a knife on him. He would use it for practically everything. So any time i needed something cut or opened I would always say, "Lee can I borrow your knife?" And eventually that got really old really fast. He started to "cut me off" hahaha and wouldn't let me use his knives anymore. I would even sneak into the room and try to steal one of his knives to cut something.

He finally told me I needed to get one for myself. I said no. I was content on using his! I didn't need one for myself.

The main reason I didn't want one was because they were all so big! Well, little did I know they DO MAKE knives in different sizes! He bought me a little KABAR wooden pocket folder. It didn't even have a name...kabar wooden folder.

It is discontinued now. It is a BEAUTIFUL knife; but not very EDC friendly. I couldn't take it any more...I would forget to bring it and have excuses why I didn't want to use it. So, Lee took me back to Knives Plus and made me pick out a good one.
He bought me my Benchmade Mini-Ambush. OH man...my life has never been the same!

Permalink Reply by Robert O on May 11, 2009 at 16:54

I remember always liking weapons for a very long time. Knives are a very easy thing to collect. They can be very unique and are legal ( for the most part ) Well more legal than having guns lying around haha.

Permalink Reply by Randy Huckeby on May 12, 2009 at 15:59

I started collecting knives when guns got to expensive & all of the good old american gun companies went out of business.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Scott King on May 12, 2009 at 17:51

Really. I have been reading the gun values are holding up well right now...unless that is all hype. But the articles on the recent high-end gun auctions seem to be indicating prices are strong.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Scott King on May 12, 2009 at 17:53

Good story. Sometimes getting cut off is a good thing then, huh? Got a pic of the Benchmade min-ambush? I'm a newbie to any knife not at least 80 years old :)...well, not totally, but almost.

Permalink Reply by Wilma Slicer (Lynsie) on May 16, 2009 at 11:38

It's the one on the left! This is the only photo of it full size! I need to take more pics of my knives!

Permalink Reply by Michael B on May 26, 2009 at 13:22

I joined the bsa(boy scouts) and got a cheap folder,i watched cutlerylover's videos of zippos then started watching his knife reveiws and just got hooked.

Permalink Reply by ALEX TAKATA on June 11, 2009 at 11:48

wow this go farway in the past.
my uncle "a fisherman"had this bowie knive he always carried with him when fishing in Brazil,and i ,just a kid in the 9s,tought that as the "coolest" thing ever!
finnaly after,I ASKED HIM A THOSAND TIMES AT LEAST one day ,he let me keep it for while we were fishing togheter.
well the day went over and i didnt wanted to give the bowie back when we got home.after some talk and a lecture from my mom,i gave it back,not whitout show a little mugface.
the next time we spended the weekend togheter ,some months later,i noted that he had bought a new one.
i looked into his fishing bag and the old one was there waiting for ME, i asked him if he would give me the old one but he said no because that was his "talisman".
the rest of the day?mugface!!with me sad because i really really wanted that old rusted knife.
well long history short the 3 week weekend went over with my carring the old bowie everiwhere when we were togheter,but in the end of the day i always had to put it back in the bag.
in the last day,with us already doing the preparations to get back home,my uncle came close and ask me why i liked that knife so much.
i had no answers,not a clear one at least,i said "it was so cool and i didnt care that was already rusted and all marked",he looked at me and said "i let you keep it if you promisse to respect the blade and take care of it" .
isaid "YES!"of course and keeped my promise since then,i still have the old bowie in my house in Brazil hidden under my bed.
i guess i was fascinated for blades back then!

Permalink Reply by Frazer on June 20, 2009 at 8:33

I started when I got sick of buying utility knife blades at work and bought my first multitool a Swiss Army Swiss Tool. I loved that knife until I lost it when I passed out in the kitchen at work from heat exhaustion and the paramedics emptied my pockets of the knife because they didn't want it to get lost. They say they gave it to my boss but I never saw that $200 knife again! Of course that was when I found Leatherman, best multitools out there. Soon after falling into the knife buzz as I call it I bought some cheap Gerber folders but never found them to be good quality so I bought my Delica 4 about 2 or 3 years ago and it started my insistence on good quality knives instead of mystery steel cheap knives!

I think it started when I was a kid living on a farm though, my Grandpa always carried a SAK and we often had bonfires at night and whittled sticks to cook hot dogs. I'm pretty sure this is where my fascination started.

My collection is strictly knives that I can use in everyday life. Even if I can't use it right away for a purpose (say I don't plan on hiking for a while but find a good knife for sale for a good price) I have to see a use for it down the road or else I wont buy it.

Permalink Reply by hari urmeneta on June 24, 2009 at 9:07

.....so for all the beginers and not so beginers. The one thing I've focused on besides reading up on everything that I can about knives is to become very close friends with the shop owners and managers. It's a pleasant surprise how much you save over a period of time when you add up the "breaks" they'll give. Also..they're up on the latest as to what's coming and they also have access to prototypes that will not be available to the public. Also...go "old School"..and check the old tool, and fishing boxes at the flea markets and garage sales. Sometimes...you'll come up with some great surprises. A couple hunred of my old knives were found this way over the years at one small flea market. You can also come up with some good surprises at gun shows. I also find that if I'm willing to purchase more than one knive, the seller would give me a better deal. Learn something about knives also helps. Many sellers at the flea market, garage sales don't know alot about the old stuff and respect someone who does...they get breaks. Have fun through the whole process. Not all purchases will be a "win"..... but enjoy the thrill of the hunt, never the less...and you'll always enjoy the hobby!