Anybody else get "tired" of the knife hobby?

[glennbad]

Don't get me wrong. I'm a knife nut through and through, and don't have plans to sell anything. Just seems lately I don't have the same lust for knives as I have in the past.

I'm sure recent events have played a part. For instance, there aren't any flea markets, or maybe they have only just started back up, so I haven't been on the hunt, except cruising around ebay a bit. I also haven't been to an antique store in ages. My buying has been reduced to new GEC models, second hand customs, and the occasional AAPK or ebay bargain.

I have been working on a kitchen reno project for the past few months, so that work, plus yard and garden work does take up a bunch of my spare time. I've also been getting a little bit more time in the shop lately, so picking away at my backlog. One benefit to not getting "new" old knives, is that I have spent some time with my accumulated knives that haven't been "processed". Meaning cleaned, de-rusted, oiled, etc. I have also been enjoying the collection I do have more lately. And since my collecting doesn't really have a focus, I get to discover knives I forgot about. So I guess I haven't lost the bug for sharp things, just paying more attention to what I have.

I'm sure we all hit that wall from time to time, and I'm sure I'll bounce back. Maybe it's just the overall melancholy of current world events weighing on my mind. I'm weary of everything associated with life as we are forced to live it right now. I just want a "normal" back.

I can't be the only one...Anyone else feeling a little blah about knives right now?

[jerryd6818]

You're not the only one, Glenn. I noticed that lately, I'm spending more and enjoying it less. Is that the addiction phase?

[Papa Bones]

Definitely not tired of the hobby, but like you, just tired of the current situation of the New Not So Normal. Hopefully this will pass.

Last week, I went down to the southern part of my state to visit and stay with my 90 year old uncle while my Aunt had knee replacement surgery. While I was there, the weekend we did go to a flea market and a couple of shops. That was the first weekend they had opened. Of course like other states, ours has mandated wearing mask when in public. But it was the first time I had been out to a flea market or visited a indoor collectibles mall since all this has been going on.

Just hang in there, hopefully things will start opening up some. Get you a mask and head out when you can. Cabin fever was getting to me also. It did me some good.

[steve99f]

Me too.

And not THAT me too. I'm thinking a second wind will come along. One good old knife at the right price could do it.

[Mumbleypeg]

I got “tired” of it and quit it altogether for a couple of years after learning that someone I thought was a friend ripped me off on a knife. He was a dealer and prominent NKCDA member (NKCDA is correct, that’s what it was called at the time in the 70’s) who evangelized against counterfeits. And then he sold me one. I now don’t believe for an instant that he didn’t know it was a fake. I was real proud of it until both Jim Sargent and Tony Foster told me it was a fake. When I told them where I got it, they didn’t say anything but they exchanged a knowing look. After that experience I quit the collecting end of the hobby altogether for several years. Then I decided to get better educated and jump back in.

I think the demise of knife shows, the lack of flea markets and the demise of small independent retailers has negatively affected the hobby. And the rise of on-line sellers like eBay have not helped. People don’t have occasion to get together to talk and swap, show off and “coon-finger” lots of knives like used to be the case. Once was, you went to a trade day or flea market and looked forward to seeing folks you knew, and brought along some knives to show and trade. Those opportunities are few today. While eBay has widened the opportunities to find knives, the “banter” I enjoyed so much is not there. And it’s much more difficult to find those little gems we used to discover in the flea market bins marked “your choice, $1” or such.

Those were the experiences that kept me on the hunt. Nowadays if you find anything like that they want $10 or $20 for a knife so rusted you can’t even open it. And the seller has no clue - if you say, or ask, something about one of the knives they look at you like you have a third eye in the middle of your forehead.

So for me a lot of what I enjoyed about the hobby is gone. AAPK and all of y’all is about all that keeps me engaged.

Ken

[Railsplitter]

I stopped buying knives for about 3 months when the all the shut downs started happening. I wasn't really sure if my job was secure because a bunch of people at my workplace got furloughed.

I figured if I wasn't going to buy any knives then I probably shouldn't look at any knives either so I didn't. That had the effect on me that you mentioned. I didn't really lose interest. I just wasn't getting excited about any new knives during that time frame.

I've always thought that I shouldn't spend so much money on knives so that little hiatus was probably good for me whether I liked it or not.

[Papa Bones]

I got “tired” of it and quit it altogether for a couple of years after learning that someone I thought was a friend ripped me off on a knife. He was a dealer and prominent NKCDA member who evangelized against counterfeits. And then he sold me one. I now don’t believe for an instant that he didn’t know it was a fake. I was real proud of it until both Jim Sargent and Tony Foster told me it was a fake. When I told them where I got it, they didn’t say anything but they exchanged a knowing look. After that experience I quit the collecting end of the hobby altogether for several years. Then I decided to get better educated and jump back in.

I think the demise of knife shows, the lack of flea markets and the demise of small independent retailers has negatively affected the hobby. And the rise of on-line sellers like eBay have not helped. People don’t have occasion to get together to talk and swap, show off and “coon-finger” lots of knives like used to be the case. Once was, you went to a trade day or flea market and looked forward to seeing folks you knew, brought along some knives to show and trade. Those opportunities are few today. While eBay has widened the opportunities to find knives, the “banter” I enjoyed so much is not there. And it’s much more difficult to find those little gems we used to discover in the flea market bins marked “your choice, $1” or such.

Those were the experiences that kept me on the hunt. Nowadays if you find anything like that they want $10 or $20 for a knife so rusted you can’t even open it. And the seller has no clue, if you say, or ask, something about one of the knives they look at you like you have a third eye in the middle of your forehead.

So for me a lot of what I enjoyed about the hobby is gone. AAPK and all of y’all is about all that keeps me engaged.

Ken

Well said Ken and so true. It's the same if you are in a Hobby with Curio & Relic Firearms, Numismatics, or Modern Rifle & Pistols. Your always going to run into your share of people set up at shows who know nothing about the hobby, elements such as grading, production numbers, or the many things we tend to take for granted that others who would be selling should have a clue about. But they always have the newest addition of the Appropriate Price Guide, and the only price they know is the mint price. Then they want to get insulted if you try to talk to them about grading or condition affecting value.

Our state usually has 4 Major Gun & Knife Shows and a couple of smaller ones. You would see a lot of the same old time sellers and some new ones. And you would always run into people you had met at the shows and talk guns or knives. Yes like you, I am missing that. But.....I do get some of that here on AAPK. I am thankful for finding this site. But as for Gun & Knife shows in my state, So far all of that is off. So I am hoping that there would be one by the end of the year. I plan on going.

Maybe if all this finally clears up some, we can plan a AAPK Meet & Greet Knife Trade & Barbeque.

[glennbad]

Glad to see I'm not the only one, phew!

I was looking forward to the Mystic, CT show this year back in May (or late April, I forget). That's when I have in the past got to meet up with all my knife peeps like Lee, Gene, Eric, Dennis, Tom, Neal, Steve, Wayne, etc.

I miss sharing knife finds and catching up on family and such...

[treefarmer]

Glenn, I won't go so far as to say I'm tired of the knife hobby but I have slowed down a bit with my knife activities. I don't seem to use a "fine tooth comb" to read the forum as I have in the past. There may be be a combination of reasons, it may be the weather, it may be the craziness of our country and the measures that seem to stifle some of us, it may be there are too many other jobs I feel I need to take care of or maybe bein' old and tired has slowed me down a bit.
I still try to check the Upper Room and the 1st Cup each morning and see how the regulars are fairing. Once in a while I get interested in doing a bit of research on a knife that is in the "spot light", that is one that someone would like to know more about. A lot of times somebody has already answered the question, so I just delete my thoughts if there is nothing to add. I've deleted lots of comments the last few months that had nothing to do with knives.
I suppose when I look at what you asked, maybe I'm just plain lazy.
Treefarmer

[ScoutKnives]

Around 30 years and still going strong for me , only difference is I’m a little more selective in my purchases

[Doc B]

Glenn, I could say I've experienced some of those same feelings and, like you, have found myself delving in to some of my older knives more. Unlike a lot of ya'll...I'm a relative newbie (approx 4 years) to knife excesses. Having retired, just a little over a year ago...I find myself with more time on my hands. Given current world order...that gives me even MORE time on my hands. I periodically try to cut back on the number of times I "surf" my handful of web sights, in a day. I try to limit the news; but, do check in, to see what's happening. Rest assured, theres nothing there, that will make you feel any better.
I think I kind of get "worn out"...when I'm stuck on the web. I find myself feeling better, when I'm actually engaged in doing something.
At 104 degrees this week, I'm probably on the web, more than I should be

[philco]

I've slowed way down on buying knives this year. I've only added three to my collection since the first of the year. I've become more focused in what I collect but that has resulted in far fewer new additions to the pile. I've also parted company with several of my knives and have more that won't be around a lot longer. It's not, for me a case of being "tired" of the hobby; more taking time to fall back and regroup a bit. Not having any knife shows to attend this year also plays a part. Hopefully next year will be more conducive to attending shows and hanging out with my knife buds.

[Stanwade]

I got “tired” of it and quit it altogether for a couple of years after learning that someone I thought was a friend ripped me off on a knife. He was a dealer and prominent NKCDA member who evangelized against counterfeits. And then he sold me one. I now don’t believe for an instant that he didn’t know it was a fake. I was real proud of it until both Jim Sargent and Tony Foster told me it was a fake. When I told them where I got it, they didn’t say anything but they exchanged a knowing look. After that experience I quit the collecting end of the hobby altogether for several years. Then I decided to get better educated and jump back in.

I think the demise of knife shows, the lack of flea markets and the demise of small independent retailers has negatively affected the hobby. And the rise of on-line sellers like eBay have not helped. People don’t have occasion to get together to talk and swap, show off and “coon-finger” lots of knives like used to be the case. Once was, you went to a trade day or flea market and looked forward to seeing folks you knew, brought along some knives to show and trade. Those opportunities are few today. While eBay has widened the opportunities to find knives, the “banter” I enjoyed so much is not there. And it’s much more difficult to find those little gems we used to discover in the flea market bins marked “your choice, $1” or such.

Those were the experiences that kept me on the hunt. Nowadays if you find anything like that they want $10 or $20 for a knife so rusted you can’t even open it. And the seller has no clue, if you say, or ask, something about one of the knives they look at you like you have a third eye in the middle of your forehead.

So for me a lot of what I enjoyed about the hobby is gone. AAPK and all of y’all is about all that keeps me engaged.

Ken

Well said Ken and so true. It's the same if you are in a Hobby with Curio & Relic Firearms, Numismatics, or Modern Rifle & Pistols. Your always going to run into your share of people set up at shows who know nothing about the hobby, elements such as grading, production numbers, or the many things we tend to take for granted that others who would be selling should have a clue about. But they always have the newest addition of the Appropriate Price Guide, and the only price they know is the mint price. Then they want to get insulted if you try to talk to them about grading or condition affecting value.

Our state usually has 4 Major Gun & Knife Shows and a couple of smaller ones. You would see a lot of the same old time sellers and some new ones. And you would always run into people you had met at the shows and talk guns or knives. Yes like you, I am missing that. But.....I do get some of that here on AAPK. I am thankful for finding this site. But as for Gun & Knife shows in my state, So far all of that is off. So I am hoping that there would be one by the end of the year. I plan on going.

Maybe if all this finally clears up some, we can plan a AAPK Meet & Greet Knife Trade & Barbeque.

I was thinking the same thing PB..I would love to go to an AAPK get together..I would travel almost anywhere in the contintal U.S. for it...

[cudgee]

Very interesting question and comments. In my experience i do not think i am getting tired of the knife hobby, it is access and cost. We have very limited retail supply in shops over here, particularly for traditionals, and i like to be able to pick up and feel a knife, and we do not have many knives at flea markets. So having to buy online, with the conversion rate is very expensive. especially when the knife arrives and you are not happy with it. It is far to expensive to send it back with me having to pay all the postage, so you just have to wear it. But when, which is rare, i find a shop with a selection of good knives i really enjoy browsing, and if i can find a knife at a flea market that i like, i am in Nirvana, but that is very rare. Great idea for a thread, and enjoying everyone's thoughts.

[bestgear]

Around 30 years and still going strong for me , only difference is I’m a little more selective in my purchases

I’m with Mike, I’m hunting for a few unknown to me examples of Official Scout knives but otherwise my buying is down. To answer the OP, I personally am not tired of the hobby but the pandemic sure has thrown a wet towel on the fire that was burning strong.

I’m worried that the “void” the pandemic leaves becomes permanent and knife collectors move on to whatever tickles their fancy that they can actually engage in. If knife shows don’t return soon to stimulate buying it may become a buyers market and prices should drop which isn’t good news for sellers that would like to keep their shirt.

[knife7knut]

After more than 65 years of "accumulating" knives,one would think I would get a bit jaded in my thoughts of them.....NOT!
This time we are experiencing now has actually been a plus for me as it has allowed me to go through my inventory;not only of knives but other ,"accumulations" and update the documentation of them.
I have been very fortunate in that I don't recall ever being taken on a deal related to knives;maybe I've just been lucky. I feel sad for those who have had that misfortune but I think I feel worse for those who have perpetrated the scam that they think that lowly of themselves.It all works out in the end anyway.
Luckily the antique shops have been open around here for awhile and the ,"estate"(fancy name for,get rid of all that junk NOW!)sales and yard sales are once again beginning to bloom.I've scored several very nice pieces for reasonable money of late. Just today I got a Remington/DuPont carving set(knife & fork)with faux stag handles for the staggering sum of three dollars!Some very tiny scratches near the blade edge but thankfully no grind marks.BTW the knife with it was thrown in as a bonus.
I think rather than use the term "tired" I think,"overwhelmed" might be a more apt adjective in my case.I seem to be running out of space to store them.I even considered buying another Kennedy machinists' tool box at the sale where I got the carving set;as if I don't have enough of them already.
Hang in there folks;it HAS to get better!

[Dinadan]

Don't get me wrong. I'm a knife nut through and through, and don't have plans to sell anything. Just seems lately I don't have the same lust for knives as I have in the past.

snip

I'm sure we all hit that wall from time to time, and I'm sure I'll bounce back. Maybe it's just the overall melancholy of current world events weighing on my mind. I'm weary of everything associated with life as we are forced to live it right now. I just want a "normal" back.

I can't be the only one...Anyone else feeling a little blah about knives right now?

I guess I am like a lot of other folks. I am not tired of the knife hobby exactly: but I feel like someone on the Titanic who is trying to enjoy a hobby while the deck is tilting under foot. And like some others, I am leery of spending a lot of money until I feel better about the economy. So I have not bought a lot of knives this year.

My interests do tend to wax and wane over the decades. I have always been interested in knives and in cutlery in general: that has not changed in sixty years. But yes, right now the interest has waned. But one nice new knife could change that in a hurry!

[Colonel26]

I wouldn’t say I’m tired of the knives. I haven’t been buying any for the last year or so due to some of life’s twists and turns. But I’ve been living vicariously through y’all. If y’all quit buying I don’t know what I’ll do. lol

Here’s to better and brighter days, and a return to knife hoarding, er I mean collecting!

[Lansky1]

I hear ya Glenn. I've bought & sold alot of Case knives over the past 10 years & through the process, have learned what patterns I really like and what I don't. What I have are basically above average examples of the 10 or so patterns I really like, almost all have been acquired through eBay in mint condition or in solid used condition with full length blades that I've restored to like new. I have a pretty respectable pile of Case knives, clearly more than I will ever need or use.

I'm an admitted bottomfeeder by nature - it just goes against me to pay full retail - all of these were bought in the $25-40 range - this takes a great deal of time and energy to scour eBay and set up all the searches to locate these kind of deals. Not to brag at all, but I've put in the time and have gotten deals that people wouldn't believe possible - that is half the fun of the knife hobby for me.

Reason I bring this aspect up, is that those deals that I historically and consistently have found in the past 10 years or so have almost completely dried up in 2020 - only explanation I can come up with is I think with everyone housebound with the pandemic, people have more time to eBay. So for that reason alone, I find myself losing interest ... I really appreciate the knives I am fortunate to own and I'm seeing my knife collecting computer time winding down. I just find it annoying, as I keep thinking people shouldn't have the expendable income nowadays to continue in their knife collecting quite to the degree they may have in the past, but it's the opposite - seems eBay is going gangbusters at least for Case knives ... those epic deals are in my experience a thing of the past (in large part, still have a couple epic deals under my belt this year )

So, sorry for the longwinded reply ... I too am getting tired - at least of the eBay hunt / grind

[cudgee]

I hear ya Glenn. I've bought & sold alot of Case knives over the past 10 years & through the process, have learned what patterns I really like and what I don't. What I have are basically above average examples of the 10 or so patterns I really like, almost all have been acquired through eBay in mint condition or in solid used condition with full length blades that I've restored to like new. I have a pretty respectable pile of Case knives, clearly more than I will ever need or use.

I'm an admitted bottomfeeder by nature - it just goes against me to pay full retail - all of these were bought in the $30-40 range - this takes a great deal of time and energy to scour eBay and set up all the searches to located these kind of deals. Not to brag, but I've put in the time and have gotten deals that people wouldn't believe possible.

Reason I bring this aspect up, is that those deals that I historically and consistently have found in the past 10 years or so have almost completely dried up in 2020 - only explanation I can come up with is I think with everyone housebound with the pandemic, people have more time to eBay. So for that reason alone, I find myself losing interest ... I really appreciate the knives I am fortunate to own and I'm seeing my knife collecting computer time winding down. I just find it annoying, as I keep thinking people shouldn't have the expendable income nowadays to continue in their knife collecting quite to the degree they may have in the past, but it's the opposite - seems eBay is going gangbusters at least for Case knives ... those epic deals are in my experience a thing of the past (in large part, still have a couple epic deals under my belt this year )

So, sorry for the longwinded reply ... I too am getting tired - at least of the eBay hunt

It is very, very interesting that you say that about ebay. I also have an interest in model trains and am always scouring ebay for a bargain, this year since Corona virus arrived, bargains are no longer to be found, things that were i the $60-$80 range are now $110 - $140 range. I wonder if this is happening to other hobbies/objects on Ebay, i suspect it is, interesting observation my friend.

[Colonel26]

I too have noticed the prices on eBay as of late. Crazy high!

[Lansky1]

I too have noticed the prices on eBay as of late. Crazy high!

I'm glad I'm not alone ... it just seems counter-intuitive in these times - one would think it would be a buyers market

[1fartsmella]

Glad to see I'm not the only one, phew!

I was looking forward to the Mystic, CT show this year back in May (or late April, I forget). That's when I have in the past got to meet up with all my knife peeps like Lee, Gene, Eric, Dennis, Tom, Neal, Steve, Wayne, etc.

I miss sharing knife finds and catching up on family and such...

Glen, I feel your pain. I too, was looking forward to the Mystic show, and seeing all our knife buddies. I'm hoping the Marlboro show is on for September, but at this point it doesn't look good??

[1fartsmella]

I'm not getting tired of this hobby, but I sure do miss the Thrill Of The Hunt.

[Ivoryman]

Not that anyone should care, but 2 cents from me is they shut down my regular knife shows. That hurt. Then gun shows, swap meets, antique malls ad naseum etc. etc. you know. Get a few trolling the bay and AAPK but otherwise this stay at home has put the hurt on the hobby for me. You can still get knives, but loved the shows and they were cancelled. Also am sick GEC won't make Northwoods, Bulldogs, Maher Grosh, no more TC Barlows, no none of the main reason I like to hunt knives. End of an era so it will be a new norm and definitely different.