Knife Collecting

[JonKerr]

So I've recently started a small knife collection. My Dad and I actually both have started collecting. I started with just having a couple of pocket knives that I liked to carry. But now I've started getting a few more here and there and I'm kind of getting obsessed. I have a couple pretty nice knives so far, a few nice basics I carry, and a few cheap swap meet specials that I thought looked pretty cool.

I love the Buck ErgoHunter Adrenaline that my dad got me for Christmas (the black handled gut hook) and the Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Knife is really cool.

But I think the Smith & Wesson M&P Police knife is by far my favorite. The open assist is awesome, it's sold feeling, and holy $#!t it's sharp!!! I'm talking razor blade sharp. Hold up a sheet of paper and swipe right through it.

My Dad has actually begun building knives. He's been buying kits with pre formed blade steel, and sharpens, forms the handles from various different woods, and assembles it all. I don't have any pics of his work, but the more he's doing, the better he's getting. He's done a couple of bowie knives and a couple of boot knives. I think I'm going to build a cool bowie knife with him soon with a custom handle formed to my hand. I think that would be kind of cool.

So anyone else a collector? Have any suggestions, tips, brands to stay away from, etc... As I said, I'm just now getting into this and learning about the various types of knives, brands, etc...

Here's a pic of what I have at this point. I want to build some kind of framed display for them. Something I can hang up and hang them in, and just pull one out if I want to take with me or need to use it. I don't want just show pieces, I want ones that can be used too.

 

[MichaelInVenice]

Benchmade. There is no substitute.

My two:

916S-ORG: I carry this one a lot. Basically any situation where I may need to render aid or otherwise assist in an emergency. Blunt tip makes it less useful as a weapon, of course, but much much more useful if you need it to cut clothing (or anything else) off a person in an emergency situation. Rope cutting hook can be a lifesaver too.

522S: More compact, but full metal grip and a stronger blade than you'd normally find on a knife this size make it one of the nicest utility knives I've ever seen. No open-assist, but with a very little bit of practice, you can learn to flick it open with one hand.

Others:

A fixture for my earthquake kit, camping, and everything else that might require a heavier blade is a Katz Black Kat with the 5" blade. A slightly downscale version of the super-premium Lion Cub that's just ridiculously priced for a working knife.

And of course the various miscelleneous Leathermans and other utility type tools that tend to be shoved into just about every work kit, every vehicle, under the seat of my bike, etc.

 

[MichaelInVenice]

For more in the "look amazingly cool but not at those prices!" category, check out Emerson Knives. Made in SoCal, they've got a very neat "auto open when you pull it from your pocket" feature. He leans strongly towards the "tactical" end of knifemaking and I tend towards the "practical tool for all sorts of things" end of things, so his products aren't all that optimal for me in any case.

I find best prices on most of these is at GPKnives.com. They also publish a neat email newsletter from time to time.

 

[jman]

Benchmade! Try to go with their d2 steel blades. Its a very hard steel that holds its edge forever. Another great very popular knife is a fallkniven f1.

 

[RoadTrip]

Knife collecting is apparently a huge hobby, there are endless videos of cutting tests and model reviews on youtube, mostly from pure collectors, but also many from field users. The guy I like is this Japanese hunter guy with youtube name 'virtuovoice', seems his top pick is the lesser known Blackjack 125, its an old school design and carbon (non-stainless steel), but apparently the high carbons sharpen quickly and get razor sharp.

I have had great difficulty getting some of the high end stainless steels razor sharp, and then the edge only last for one or less deer processing sessions. I bought a 125, but have yet to use it, but I can tell you it is scarey sharp out of the box (slices paper with just a push), and appears to have collector grade worth. You are supposed to hone it on a strop to maintain the edge, I have yet to do that as well. Anyway, DLT Trading has the best prices on the 125 with the exotic woods (although virtuovoice seems to favor the micarta versions).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcyohZKE-ug

 

[Pinarello Rider]

Checking in! My dad started collecting knives a couple of years before he passed, and got my brother and I a few knives. Started years ago with some Buck Knives that he kept at work and always had with him. He liked the old style locking blade with the brass (Ithink) ends and a dark wood in the middle. http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&productID=3044

In the last couple of years I've picked up a few more. My current favorites are Kershaw Leeks (Kershaw Leek Composite Plain Edge Knife at The Kershaw Store) - they are slim and fit really well in a dress pant. They are not crazy expensive (I don't consider anything over $100 to be a "pocket knife" because if you drop it and it gets damaged, you'll be pissed), but work really well. Easy one handed open with the wrist flick, and the shape of the handle really fits well in my hand.

One of my favorites is the CRKT mini Fulcrum (Fulcrum Pocket Knives | EDC Folding Knife) - it's not a great knife other than the really unique way of opening. It stumps people.

I recently picked up a Buck Lux Pro (BUCK) and it took a while for me to like it, but it has really grown on me. I bought it because of the carbon fiber inlay, and at first it didn't impress, but I have really grown to like carrying it.

I work in a "professional" environment, so I prefer to carry a knife that is useful, comfortable in my pants pocket, and elegant. When I pull it out to use it, it often becomes a conversation piece, and that's part of the fun. Sometimes it's an ice-breaker (do you remember your first knife?) and you can get to know people.

I also PREFER to buy American, and avoid anything made in China if I can (I'd be happy to discuss why, but start another thread, okay?)

I do most of my shopping with A.G. Russell - they have GREAT service, allow you to search by country of origin, and discuss where and how the knife is designed and manufactured. Not the best prices, but I'm one of those that will pay more for good service - I've never bought ANYTHING off of eBay or at Walmart. Yeah, I'm one of those. A.G. Russell is a bit of a Right wing nut, but his heart is in the right place, and he runs a tight shop. Anyone can appreciate that.

 

[MichaelInVenice]

Actually, slight correction, I grabbed the wrong image from the Benchmade site.

I actually have the 525S, not the 527S.

 

[MichaelInVenice]

Oh, and of course this one's always attached to my PFD. It's interesting how many unique designs there are out there for unique purposes. Safety orange of course...

NRS Pilot Knife at NRSweb.com

 

[2013 Fz6r satin]

My 1 and only kinda in the knife family,but then maybe not...

 

[roundhouse]

I love my zero tolerance fixed blade. for my EDC i have a Spyderco endura 4, or i really like my RAT folder ($30 it's a badass knife). I have some cheapies too but after owning higher end knives (not high end like an emerson or chris reeves)

best cheapie is a china made knife called enlan. they have better steel than most knives around $50 and have g-10 scales

i have several bushcraft knives. helle, becker, condor.

agree benchmade makes great knives. have a benchmade griptilian but don;t like the tanto blade.

 

[MichaelInVenice]

I love my zero tolerance fixed blade. for my EDC i have a Spyderco endura 4, or i really like my RAT folder ($30 it's a badass knife). I have some cheapies too but after owning higher end knives (not high end like an emerson or chris reeves)

best cheapie is a china made knife called enlan. they have better steel than most knives around $50 and have g-10 scales

i have several bushcraft knives. helle, becker, condor.

agree benchmade makes great knives. have a benchmade griptilian but don;t like the tanto blade.

I dislike Tanto blades in general.

Griptillian is the Benchmade "Blue" level, which are their "entry level" knives. Still really good quality. It's sort of like saying you own an "entry level" Porsche.

 

[roundhouse]

I dislike Tanto blades in general.

Griptillian is the Benchmade "Blue" level, which are their "entry level" knives. Still really good quality. It's sort of like saying you own an "entry level" Porsche.

oh yeah, i agree. but i would really love a porche boxster. it's a whole lot better than a 97 chevy cavalier.