Gripped by addiction

[David Bowen]

I have many knives in my collection, more than I'll ever need in a lifetime. They range from cheap stuff to very high end stuff that costs more than I can afford the way things have been. I feel I have a steel addiction, doesn't matter if it's a sporting goods store, Walmart, etc I always need to check out the knives. I don't just oogle at the Benchmades but also the stuff that is usually sub 50 dollar range. I so want to walk home with a new blade but deep down I know it'll just go in a drawer and be used just and hand full of times. Buying a new knife is like Christmas to me but like a child the feeling is rapidly gone and I'm left realizing I shouldn't have bought it. I have and addiction and it's sad and I need a 12 step program! Like the emerson/Kershaw knife a walmart.... ugh

Anyone else have this issue? Is there a cure?

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

[Kampfer]

 

[jerseydevil]

I don't have a problem, I can stop whenever I want!

[Etherealicer]

I have many knives in my collection, more than I'll ever need in a lifetime. They range from cheap stuff to very high end stuff that costs more than I can afford the way things have been. I feel I have a steel addiction, doesn't matter if it's a sporting goods store, Walmart, etc I always need to check out the knives. I don't just oogle at the Benchmades but also the stuff that is usually sub 50 dollar range. I so want to walk home with a new blade but deep down I know it'll just go in a drawer and be used just and hand full of times. Buying a new knife is like Christmas to me but like a child the feeling is rapidly gone and I'm left realizing I shouldn't have bought it. I have and addiction and it's sad and I need a 12 step program! Like the emerson/Kershaw knife a walmart.... ugh

Anyone else have this issue? Is there a cure?

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

Before we can offer help and discuss a cure we need to assess the severity of your addiction. Or as Kampfer has put it so eloquently:

 

Do you carry / use them all? Why not? What do you like about those you carry?

[pfrsantos]

I have many knives in my collection, more than I'll ever need in a lifetime. They range from cheap stuff to very high end stuff that costs more than I can afford the way things have been. I feel I have a steel addiction, doesn't matter if it's a sporting goods store, Walmart, etc I always need to check out the knives. I don't just oogle at the Benchmades but also the stuff that is usually sub 50 dollar range. I so want to walk home with a new blade but deep down I know it'll just go in a drawer and be used just and hand full of times. Buying a new knife is like Christmas to me but like a child the feeling is rapidly gone and I'm left realizing I shouldn't have bought it. I have and addiction and it's sad and I need a 12 step program! Like the emerson/Kershaw knife a walmart.... ugh

Anyone else have this issue? Is there a cure?

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

I don't see the point of starting a thread just to say you're a normal person, just like everyone here... What are you trying to prove?!

 

[PTRSAK]

[PTRSAK]

Incomplete photo of my "It's just a few pocket knives, leave me alone, I don't have a problem." not a collection.



and I'm just a dabbler compared to some of the good folks here.

So, we at MTO are possibly not the best people to ask these questions of.

You're welcome

[NutSAK]

I have many knives in my collection, more than I'll ever need in a lifetime. They range from cheap stuff to very high end stuff that costs more than I can afford the way things have been. I feel I have a steel addiction, doesn't matter if it's a sporting goods store, Walmart, etc I always need to check out the knives. I don't just oogle at the Benchmades but also the stuff that is usually sub 50 dollar range. I so want to walk home with a new blade but deep down I know it'll just go in a drawer and be used just and hand full of times. Buying a new knife is like Christmas to me but like a child the feeling is rapidly gone and I'm left realizing I shouldn't have bought it. I have and addiction and it's sad and I need a 12 step program! Like the emerson/Kershaw knife a walmart.... ugh

Anyone else have this issue? Is there a cure?

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

I'm not sure what you're talking about, but those Emerson/Kershaw collaboration knives are awesome. 

Seriously, though...  If it's truly a problem and/or you can't afford it, you need to start avoiding the stores and focus your mind on something else.

[cbl51]

I have many knives in my collection, more than I'll ever need in a lifetime. They range from cheap stuff to very high end stuff that costs more than I can afford the way things have been. I feel I have a steel addiction, doesn't matter if it's a sporting goods store, Walmart, etc I always need to check out the knives. I don't just oogle at the Benchmades but also the stuff that is usually sub 50 dollar range. I so want to walk home with a new blade but deep down I know it'll just go in a drawer and be used just and hand full of times. Buying a new knife is like Christmas to me but like a child the feeling is rapidly gone and I'm left realizing I shouldn't have bought it. I have and addiction and it's sad and I need a 12 step program! Like the emerson/Kershaw knife a walmart.... ugh

Anyone else have this issue? Is there a cure?

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

All kidding aside, I know how you feel! I used to be an an addict and had way moreknivs than I needed, or could ever use. The fact that you feel bothered by this is what is significant. Some people don't feel at all burdened by a large collection, but some do, and feel it's got out of control. I was in the second class.

At one time I had almost a hundred knives. Some customs like Randall, and some factory, some one off hand made's. The collection had started while I was in my later 20's and 30's. When I got older and into my 40's, I started looking at things differently. Then it was like coming out of a temporary insanity, and I looked at the large accumulation and thought "What the hell am I doing with all this crap!"

I figured out just that I wanted in my daily life, and all the rest got sold off, given away, or handed out to others. The custom stuff and high end knives got sold off through A.G. Russell's knife lists, and the toehtr stuff went to the kids, grandkids, nephews, nieces, friends and old co-workers. Some knives got gifted anonymously to unsuspecting folks. LIke the boy who was always fishing after school down by the lake in our neighborhood. Nice little lake with two wood fishing piers out into the water. I was careful to leave it laying at the end of the pier where it was easy to seem as off it had been dropped. I was off a ways watching through binoculars as the boy was thrilled by the find. Or leaving a knife laying on the picnic table where the boat launch ramp by the river, to be found by a bass fisherman or canoe folks.

I've got my knife collection down to where I can hold all my pocket knives in one hand, and I'm glad to be there. It makes me appreciate what I've got way more. LIke having a few really good friends instead of a lot of hanger on acquaintances.

When our possessions start to own us, it's time to get rid of the stuff.

Oh, the money I got from the customs, The wife and I took a month long trip around the country. Tossed all the camping gear in the Toyota and visited the Badlands, Custer, Yellowstone, Bryce, Grand Canyon, Arches, and Mesa Verde National Parks. Had a blast and made memories that will last a lifetime. Now when I feel the urge to spend money on a knife, we take a trip. A bed and breakfast down on the gulf, or a overnight stay in the lodge out at Big Bend National park, or a campout down on Padre Island. And a few SAK's always goes along.

[captain spaulding]

I have many knives in my collection, more than I'll ever need in a lifetime. They range from cheap stuff to very high end stuff that costs more than I can afford the way things have been. I feel I have a steel addiction, doesn't matter if it's a sporting goods store, Walmart, etc I always need to check out the knives. I don't just oogle at the Benchmades but also the stuff that is usually sub 50 dollar range. I so want to walk home with a new blade but deep down I know it'll just go in a drawer and be used just and hand full of times. Buying a new knife is like Christmas to me but like a child the feeling is rapidly gone and I'm left realizing I shouldn't have bought it. I have and addiction and it's sad and I need a 12 step program! Like the emerson/Kershaw knife a walmart.... ugh

Anyone else have this issue? Is there a cure?

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

All kidding aside, I know how you feel! I used to be an an addict and had way moreknivs than I needed, or could ever use. The fact that you feel bothered by this is what is significant. Some people don't feel at all burdened by a large collection, but some do, and feel it's got out of control. I was in the second class.

At one time I had almost a hundred knives. Some customs like Randall, and some factory, some one off hand made's. The collection had started while I was in my later 20's and 30's. When I got older and into my 40's, I started looking at things differently. Then it was like coming out of a temporary insanity, and I looked at the large accumulation and thought "What the hell am I doing with all this crap!"

I figured out just that I wanted in my daily life, and all the rest got sold off, given away, or handed out to others. The custom stuff and high end knives got sold off through A.G. Russell's knife lists, and the toehtr stuff went to the kids, grandkids, nephews, nieces, friends and old co-workers. Some knives got gifted anonymously to unsuspecting folks. LIke the boy who was always fishing after school down by the lake in our neighborhood. Nice little lake with two wood fishing piers out into the water. I was careful to leave it laying at the end of the pier where it was easy to seem as off it had been dropped. I was off a ways watching through binoculars as the boy was thrilled by the find. Or leaving a knife laying on the picnic table where the boat launch ramp by the river, to be found by a bass fisherman or canoe folks.

I've got my knife collection down to where I can hold all my pocket knives in one hand, and I'm glad to be there. It makes me appreciate what I've got way more. LIke having a few really good friends instead of a lot of hanger on acquaintances.

When our possessions start to own us, it's time to get rid of the stuff.

Oh, the money I got from the customs, The wife and I took a month long trip around the country. Tossed all the camping gear in the Toyota and visited the Badlands, Custer, Yellowstone, Bryce, Grand Canyon, Arches, and Mesa Verde National Parks. Had a blast and made memories that will last a lifetime. Now when I feel the urge to spend money on a knife, we take a trip. A bed and breakfast down on the gulf, or a overnight stay in the lodge out at Big Bend National park, or a campout down on Padre Island. And a few SAK's always goes along.

I know how all of you feel as well. I am........ at a point where I could really, really, use the cash and feel burdened by my collection, but cannot bring myself to sell. I occasionally sell a few things here and there and have dwindled down my Leatherman collection to almost nothing with nothing to show for it now. When I sell a few things here and there the money is gone before I know what happened. That is why I have been debating on selling off pretty much everything I have and just keeping a few things. I mainly have SAk's now, almost all alox. I normally have sellers remorse and I just feel like if I sell off my collection (some things cannot be replaced) I will regret it forever, but at the same time I feel like if I do not sell off my collection it may just sit there until the day I die and nothing good will ever come of it. Its strange to have very positive and negative feelings about the same thing. Ugh.... I don't know what I should do.

[metasyntax]

I've been trying to stop the addiction for a couple years. For me, it's getting better, so here are the things that work for me.

1. I uninstalled Amazon and eBay from my phone. The temptation there is way too strong.

2. I take time away from MTO, EDCF, BF, CPF, WUS, blogs & YouTube. For me personally, there's a lot of temptation lurking here, especially when I'm having a bad day. I manage it by taking time off, and reading less obsessively.

3. I think about what else I can do with the money. It's easy to say "this SAK is only $50 and that's not too much." Technically, you wouldn't be wrong. Psychologically, it's easier to spend a small amount of money repeatedly, than to spend a large amount of money once. But it adds up the same. So instead of buying a SAK, I'll take transfer that money from my checking to my savings account. And next year, I'll be closer to that new deck. Or a down payment on a new car.

4. I recognize that I already have great stuff, and that nothing I buy is going to be leaps and bounds better than what I already have. I don't need a knife in S110V, a watch with a sapphire crystal, or a 6000 lumen flashlight. I get by just fine.

5. I realize that even the stuff that I really enjoy, my SAK collection, will never be complete. I can't possibly get every single thing from the past, so there's no reason to obsess over getting every single thing that came out this year.

6. I feel guilty about the money that I've spent which could have been invested in other ways. I really don't recommend this, because the depression can be a bit too much on some days, this is just how I'm wired. However, it has motivated me to sell some items, which has made me feel better, and made me appreciate the things that I'm keeping more.

Regarding possession reduction, this is how I've done it so far:

1. I set aside anything that I really enjoy. I love my SAK collection, and unless there's a duplicate, they're not getting sold. So now I don't worry about that. What's bought is bought, I'm not trying to undo that.

2. I sat down and looked at my stuff. I thought about what I carry and use on a daily basis. I compared everything against each other, and from that, decided what I really want to keep. For example: I had a Buck Spitfire. Putting it against a Spyderco Delica or Kershaw Piston, it would never win. So I sold it. Now I carry the Delica and Piston more often, which makes me happy because they're good knives. This also makes it easier to avoid buying stuff in the future, because I can make the argument that I already have a great knife that's defeated all challengers so far, and would probably do so again.

Ideally I'd get down a half dozen knives, lights, watches, and multi-tools (SAKs notwithstanding). I don't think I'll get there, but things can get better from where they are now.

[cbl51]

I'll tell you guys one other thing, and this was unknown to me until I became an old fart on social security. Have an extra 50 dollars? Don't buy a knife, but putthat money in a savings account for retirement. Take the word of a white bearded retired guy, I wished I'd have saved more when I was younger. With the wife and I both being fixed income senior citizens, that principle, no matter if savings, stocks, bonds, or gold coins hoarded down the basement, you're gonna need more cash in retirement than you think.

We have to budget our expenditures VERY carefully from month to month and social security check to social security check. Looking back I wish I'd not spent so much on knives, guns, motorcycles, and saved a bit more cash to invest in a retirement account. I wish I'd stopped my knife spending in 1969, when I had a Buck stockman and two SAK's. That's all I really eve4 needed in life, just like my oldman carried that little Case jackknife all his adult life.

Toys don't matter 40 years from now. Really. That knife collection is not going to help when you want to help your kid pay for school.

[pfrsantos]

(...)
When our possessions start to own us, it's time to get rid of the stuff.

(...)

I know this to be true. Starting to put some things aside to sell. Not only for the cash, also for the space.

I know it will not be easy. The most difficult part is beating the inertia. Still, baby steps...

 

[AimlessWanderer]

If the need to buy adversely affects your life, such as bills going unpaid as a result, it's a problem. If not, it's a hobby.

I'm looking at selling off some more surplus to raise some cash, as due to health issues I can't raise cash any other way. However, even if I had cash, I don't think I'd be buying much (if anything) as I've reached a level of contentment.

My "hobby" was the exploration, trying different tools to find out what works best for me and where/why. Some of the tools that really suit me have surprised me, as have some of the ones that don't. My exploration will continue in a way as I fine tune some mods, and maybe do one or two more, and I don't rule out more purchases in future.

However, as I become more comfortable with some items, I do look at others and wonder why they're still with me. "Collecting" was never my intention. Some items would pain me more to part with them than others, and not due to financial reasons either. It all depends on how well I "connected" with it in use. There are other things I should have sold, which I hung onto because they offer a potential that I don't need now, but might in the future - fearing they'll be the perfect tool for a scenario one week after I've sold it

 

Over the past few weeks, I've been compiling a "for sale" list/box, and some items keep going in and out of there with tedious indecisiveness 

I don't regret my purchases though. In one way or another, they were all educational and contributed to the cause. However, some have taught me all I can learn from them, and I can't envisage them being a valued part of my life in future, so those are easier to part with.

We all have different motivations and needs, and must find our own equilibriums. I therefore don't offer these thoughts as advice, merely as insights to my own journey. 

[Aloha]

Some very great responses. 

When I first began actively collecting MTs I was able to obtain most of what I was after reasonably fast and cheap.  I think starting with a plan helped me with buyers remorse.  Yes I have bought a few items at prices higher than my comfort zone but still not retail.  Over the past few years I've slowed considerably tho I do pick up a tool every now and again, adhering strictly to my budget for a tool.  When I do pick up a tool, its at a great price and typically trade bait or to flip.  I will hold onto the tool for a bit and play with it but eventually it will have to go. 

I bought my work boots and hiking boots with sales of tools.  I bought the tools at good or great prices then used the money to fund those items.  It felt great knowing the new owners of the tools got items they wanted and I got stuff I needed.

I'm pretty cheap/thrifty/budgeter so spending a lot on a hobby or anything else is not in my nature.  I love the flea markets and thrift stores too much to pay retail.  Whats been a wonderful option to buying is TRADING.  I have become a huge fan of trades.  Its a great way to try stuff without spending a bunch of cash. 

I have went thru my collection and assessed what still makes me happy.  The items that don't are the ones that get moved on or traded.  I have tools that will never be used by me.  They were bought with no intention of being used and I'm good with that.  I'll hang on to these items with no regrets till the time comes when I'll reevaluate them and decide what to do next.  The items that were bought to be used got used and enjoyed.     

Guys, if I may offer some personal thoughts.  Life is about memories and experiences not accumulating stuff.  Let the stuff go that isn't making you happy.  I know its hard but heck if you can sell and make your money back awesome no need to make a profit.  If you have to take a little loss then think about this, you got to play with a cool tool for a fraction of the retail.  You also got a unique experience and lesson in that the item didn't actually bring you the joy you thought it would prior to obtaining it. 

I really like what Metasyntax wrote


     

     

[Mercury]

Wow, there have been some excellent responses to this thread.   

I let go of collecting knives long ago.  For the last three years, I've really only had 1 Leatherman, one SAK, and a couple folders.  I have 1 folder and 2 Leatherman's that are sentimental and will never leave, but they aren't really users. 

Including my shelf queens I currently have:

3 LM's
3 SAK's
2 Folders
1 slippie

I plan to largely leave it that way.  I found that my huge collection of knives and tools wasn't worth any more than I paid for it, and it was all just sitting.  At one time I had well over 100, but none were particularly hard to find.  I just started selling them off to fund my other collecting passion: Lego Minifigs.  I think it's a safe bet that my collection of 200 minifigs is worth about 20% more than I paid for it.  They do the exact same thing for me that my knife collection did, they sit on a shelf.  But I have a ton of fun collecting them and my son loves it too. 

As for the "need to go home with a new blade", I totally feel you David.  It does feel like Christmas when I get a new knife, but the novelty wears off soon.  If i go back and really analyze my knife usage, I find that I typically use my Leatherman most(the tools anyway), and my tiny Executive SAK for nearly everything.  Nothing else gets used, even if it's new.  New stuff that gets carried just gets fidgeted with, since it's not what I'm used to carrying I don't reach for it when the time comes to use it, I go with what's familiar.  I actually use my folding utility knives(I have two) for most of my cutting needs since the blades are replaceable. 

None of this really matters though, it's just how I'm currently living.  Everything is subject to change and probably will change.  One thing I'm trying to move away from is attachment.  The Lego collecting is fun, but if it turns into an obsession then I will sell it all off and forget it.  Right now I'm pretty selective about the figs I buy.  They must be Superhero figs, and I don't have to have them all.  I buy the ones I can afford that I like.  But I'm not so attached that I couldn't sell them for the right price!

[cbl51]

One thing i noticed was, it IS hard to figure out what goes and that stays. I kept taking things out of the 'goes' box and then back in. Finally I found a way that worked for me.

For a few weeks going about my life, I had a box for what I used o n an almost everyday basis. It was a relatively small box. I found that I needed very little in my life as a retired gentleman of leisure. A fishing knife, a SAK or two for e everyday pocket use, a hard use knife that was a beater or two. At the end of a month, most of the knives were still in the "goes" box with my real users in the small "stay" box. Then I made a choice to NOT got back through the 'goes' box and stick with my decision that they go. A 'no turning back' mind set. No second guessing myself.

Once I did that, and really made a point to not second guess myself, it got a lot easier. A LOT! After, I felt liberated. LIke I had beat the monkey. Getting hooked into collecting is a trap, and these forums don't help. Thread after thread with all those nice pics of knives to feed our obsession. It wasn't unit I drastically cut down on my forums viewing that Imade real headway into keeping the accumulation down. There's some forums I don't even go to anymore because it's a real temptation. Do I really need 8 Case peanuts in chestnut bone, red bone, amber bone, yellow delrin, and stag? Com'on man.

I'm glad I woke up from the daze, I feel my life is way more simple now, and un-cluttered. I can leave my house for a week to visit family in another part of the country, and not worry about someone stealing my knife collection or gun collection. There is no more collection. And life's good.

[NutSAK]

  Great discussion here, and a lot of great advice!

[Ray S]

I too have more than a "few" knives in my accumulation of 60 plus years.I still possess the first knife I ever bought with my own money(98 cents) and with my grandfather's permission at the age of 10. It went MIA for about 20 years but that is a story for another time.
Having been involuntarily retired since the age of 50 due to some medical issues one of my favorite pursuits is the haunting of antique shops and goodwill stores in search of unique and different knives.My current passion is the collecting of unusual knives which can be mostly very inexpensive.
Do I have an addiction? No doubt in my mind. Do I have any urge to find a cure for it? For what reason? I don't buy anything I cannot afford. My needs are simple;I don't like and am not physically able to travel for any distance;I have a roof over my head that is paid for;I have food on the table and clothes to keep me warm. I have a small income that I derive from doing custom paint work on automobiles and motorcycles that supplements my Social Security. I used to do a lot of traveling to do this but now it is done mostly in my small shop/garage.
My philosophy on life is that it is way too short and you should make every day count as if it were your last because one day it will be exactly that. This came into being about 15 years ago when I was diagnosed with throat cancer. One thing after another(from the rapid spread of it to the long and painful radiation and chemotherapy afterwards)and today I consider it a blessing if I open my eyes in the morning and look down and see my chest moving up and down. I know it will be a good day then. It brings to mind a short poem I have painted on the side of my vintage Pontiac wagon(my shop truck as it were) by a genius named Michael O'Donoghue who died way too soon of a brain aneurysm: It is titled simply,"LIFE" and goes: " One thing led...to another and before we knew it...we were DEAD!"
At that time I had prepared in the eventuality that my wife would be left to get rid of my many accumulations(knives;watches;guns;model cars;art work;etc.) by contacting various people I knew and trusted who were conversant with these things to have them assist her in disposing of them fairly. I call that the "Seven P Factor" which translates to:Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.
So here I am sitting here at my key board after just finishing down loading pictures of a couple of my newest acquisitions of the edged variety and rambling on. Just the thoughts of an old man and knife nut.

[Sea Monster]

Heh,

Coming here, and making sure I play with/use what I have is what stops me from getting more all the time! - It gives me a fix without spending any more.

Especially the latter - I'll often see a nice blade or tool in a store, and I may even ask to handle it, but I remind myself "I have something this nice or nicer already" - and when I get home I get it out and do something with it to remind myself it's not a "void" in my life that needs to be filled - I've already got what I wanted! (This is one of those "keys to happiness" things - Take time to consider what you have, and how much you'd wish to have it if you didn't - If you still find pleasure in the fact that you have it, you've "re-rewarded" yourself for the find/purchase - If you don't, it means you can give it away/sell it!)

For me, an actual new purchase is (hopefully) to fill a specific need I've convinced myself needs to be met.
(or a great price. I'm a sucker for value. I rarely leave a pawn store without spending some dollars)


As for

I don't need a knife in S110V, a watch with a sapphire crystal, or a 6000 lumen flashlight. I get by just fine.

I'll agree with the knife and flashlight, because they don't interest me - but a sapphire crystal watch is....well you get what you pay for, and once I got tired of always having scratched watches, it was definitely worth the extra investment 

[AimlessWanderer]

One thing i noticed was, it IS hard to figure out what goes and that stays. I kept taking things out of the 'goes' box and then back in. Finally I found a way that worked for me.

For a few weeks going about my life, I had a box for what I used o n an almost everyday basis. It was a relatively small box. I found that I needed very little in my life as a retired gentleman of leisure. A fishing knife, a SAK or two for e everyday pocket use, a hard use knife that was a beater or two. At the end of a month, most of the knives were still in the "goes" box with my real users in the small "stay" box. Then I made a choice to NOT got back through the 'goes' box and stick with my decision that they go. A 'no turning back' mind set. No second guessing myself.

Once I did that, and really made a point to not second guess myself, it got a lot easier. A LOT! After, I felt liberated. LIke I had beat the monkey. Getting hooked into collecting is a trap, and these forums don't help. Thread after thread with all those nice pics of knives to feed our obsession. It wasn't unit I drastically cut down on my forums viewing that Imade real headway into keeping the accumulation down. There's some forums I don't even go to anymore because it's a real temptation. Do I really need 8 Case peanuts in chestnut bone, red bone, amber bone, yellow delrin, and stag? Com'on man.

I'm glad I woke up from the daze, I feel my life is way more simple now, and un-cluttered. I can leave my house for a week to visit family in another part of the country, and not worry about someone stealing my knife collection or gun collection. There is no more collection. And life's good.

I get that totally! I'm at a potential turning point in my life, and at this stage am trying to get perspective of what opportunities are ahead. I my current health issues are here to stay, there is a large selection of axes, large fixed blades, and various other tools which I may never get enjoyment from again. If I am to regain some of my former abilities, I want to retain some of the tools. If not, I should close the chapter and offload the lot.

Right now, I'm not working. I can't work. I don't know what I will be able to do in 3 months, 6 months, or 18 months. I've gone from being able to swing a heavy splitting maul to chop wood, to walking with a stick and occasionally unable to stand within a matter of months. Will I be able to swing an axe again? Go camping again? Saw a length of timber again? Use a hammer drill again? How much force will I be able to put on a screwdriver or wrench or wire cutters without my neck giving way and me taking another unplanned journey directly to the floor.

Part of me is preparing for a vastly changed life, while another part of me doesn't want to let go. Surrendering tools right now (for me) has a psychological element. My future is unknown, thus my future tool needs are unknown. I know I have surplus tools, but it's incredibly difficult (painful) to say "I'll never need that again", even if it's a duplicate, because that tool is associated in my mind with an ability that I don't want to surrender.

Having so many tools as I have is/was empowering. It's like part of your mind is saying that you have options, no matter what life throws your way, or throws at your friends and family, you've got something in that drawer/bag/box that will help. I don't want to walk away from that just yet. Even if i do want to downsize and raise a bit of cash, there's a subtext which I'm trying to avoid...

[Aloha]

Thanks Ray glad you are with us ( in many ways )  . 

There are many sides to this or any hobby.  I read an article about a guy who obsessively collected tins.  He quit his job an started a museum and found himself in serious debt.  Yes he regrets whats he's done but continues on.   

There is another guy who has spent 1/2 million on his collection and today its worth 1.5 million.  He in no way is stopping.  The problem with some collections is when the collector passes on.  Will your family know how to liquidate it?  Do you want to burden then with selling it off?  We all know the funny urban legend about the wife of a gun collector who sold her late husbands ( priceless ) guns for fractions of what they were worth.  He told her he paid very low prices so she added 20% and thought she did well .     

I hope those of you who are struggling can come to a middle ground with your collections.  I like what cbl51 wrote on how to decide what goes.  It a process so maybe start with the stuff you know needs to go.

Sadly the obsession aspect is the unspoken ugly side of this or any hobby.  Guys great discussion thank you to the  OP for starting this.       

[cbl51]

One thing i noticed was, it IS hard to figure out what goes and that stays. I kept taking things out of the 'goes' box and then back in. Finally I found a way that worked for me.

For a few weeks going about my life, I had a box for what I used o n an almost everyday basis. It was a relatively small box. I found that I needed very little in my life as a retired gentleman of leisure. A fishing knife, a SAK or two for e everyday pocket use, a hard use knife that was a beater or two. At the end of a month, most of the knives were still in the "goes" box with my real users in the small "stay" box. Then I made a choice to NOT got back through the 'goes' box and stick with my decision that they go. A 'no turning back' mind set. No second guessing myself.

Once I did that, and really made a point to not second guess myself, it got a lot easier. A LOT! After, I felt liberated. LIke I had beat the monkey. Getting hooked into collecting is a trap, and these forums don't help. Thread after thread with all those nice pics of knives to feed our obsession. It wasn't unit I drastically cut down on my forums viewing that Imade real headway into keeping the accumulation down. There's some forums I don't even go to anymore because it's a real temptation. Do I really need 8 Case peanuts in chestnut bone, red bone, amber bone, yellow delrin, and stag? Com'on man.

I'm glad I woke up from the daze, I feel my life is way more simple now, and un-cluttered. I can leave my house for a week to visit family in another part of the country, and not worry about someone stealing my knife collection or gun collection. There is no more collection. And life's good.

I get that totally! I'm at a potential turning point in my life, and at this stage am trying to get perspective of what opportunities are ahead. I my current health issues are here to stay, there is a large selection of axes, large fixed blades, and various other tools which I may never get enjoyment from again. If I am to regain some of my former abilities, I want to retain some of the tools. If not, I should close the chapter and offload the lot.

Right now, I'm not working. I can't work. I don't know what I will be able to do in 3 months, 6 months, or 18 months. I've gone from being able to swing a heavy splitting maul to chop wood, to walking with a stick and occasionally unable to stand within a matter of months. Will I be able to swing an axe again? Go camping again? Saw a length of timber again? Use a hammer drill again? How much force will I be able to put on a screwdriver or wrench or wire cutters without my neck giving way and me taking another unplanned journey directly to the floor.

Part of me is preparing for a vastly changed life, while another part of me doesn't want to let go. Surrendering tools right now (for me) has a psychological element. My future is unknown, thus my future tool needs are unknown. I know I have surplus tools, but it's incredibly difficult (painful) to say "I'll never need that again", even if it's a duplicate, because that tool is associated in my mind with an ability that I don't want to surrender.

Having so many tools as I have is/was empowering. It's like part of your mind is saying that you have options, no matter what life throws your way, or throws at your friends and family, you've got something in that drawer/bag/box that will help. I don't want to walk away from that just yet. Even if i do want to downsize and raise a bit of cash, there's a subtext which I'm trying to avoid...

Your post is very close to home for me. I'm 50% disabled from active service injuries from my army days. I used to be able to do certain things even with the effects of the old injuries. I walk with a stick/cane, but I found that if I embraced ultra light backpacking, I could still go down the trail. But… and that's a big but, time took care of that. As I got older, I found that there was a growing list of things I could no longer do. I got a bit depressed over it. Took a bit to get over it, but I had to embrace what I could still do, and just modify my life. As I went through my 50's and into my 60's, I found that life changes for us all. We have to adapt to life as we live it year by year. Heck, as we age, there is always going to be list of things we can no longer do. When I sold off my backpacking gear, it was a hard thing to do, because it brought home to me, that a stage of my life has closed, and it was time to move on. Our mental health depends on how we can let go so we can indeed move forward. We have to evolve. Sometimes letting go is what we need to do. It took me two years of therapy to figure that out, and I'm glad I did.

Time is the greatest thief mankind has ever known. None of us will be exempt from it's effects. When I realized that I would never see the real wilderness again because of both advancing age and some health problems, I let go the heavy duty choppers I had. The big knives and hatchets. Besides, chopping is hard on arthritic senior citizen hands, and I discovered folding saws. Fiskars, Opinel, and others. Much easier. So I just carry my everyday pocket knife when I go walking in the woods with a folding saw in my pack. Lighter, more efficient, quieter, and safer. It was part of the evolution of my life that it was time for a change. And my SAK does whatever cutting I have to do. In 2013, the wife and I camped our way across the country, National Parks and state parks, and the SAK and sliding blade Fiskars saw did it all for firewood/kindling, camp cooking.

Did surrendering those tools upset me? Only for a day or two. Then I felt the feeling of liberation, and I realized that it had been the right thing to do. It was time to adapt to the changing stages of life. I haven't missed any of the tools I let go. I like that if I keel over today, the family won't be burdened with a ton of my possessions to be figured out what to do with, and who gets what. My guns, knives, tools and other stuff have already been given to the kids and grandkids, and friends. I had the extreme pleasure of seeing them thrilled to get the items I gave away. And there has been a huge bi-product of all this; the items I kept, are now used almost everyday, and have become more dear to me, and more valued as an everyday companion. Quartering an apple with my old Wenger Si to share with my granddaughter is even more a pleasure now, as I take out that old SAK, and when I pull open the blade, think back on all the places it's been with me. Or When I use my old Ruger .22 pistol that I bought new for 39.95 almost 50 years ago, and has outlasted all the other guns that have come and gone, but the old Ruger is still with me and for the duration now. The few possessions I have now are the ones that made the cut over the very long run.

I think in many cases, our passions change over time. Other things become more important to us as we go through life. I know in my case, I had a big heath scare, and all of a sudden all those material possessions meant nothing to me. Ziltch. Nada. Bupkis. All I could think about was the people I really cared for, and what I had done to try in some small way, to make the world a better place for my kids and grandkids. As it was, the scare passed, the CT scan showed all was just a small problem easily treated. But it had made me think.

We all respond to different things. What really matters is personal to each of us. And it's gonna vary.

[AimlessWanderer]

 

I know I'll be able to make the right decisions when I understand what the facts are established. I'm already thinking about how to adopt to "a life less able", but I can't/won't act purely on the "what if's".

I'm 43 next week. If this is fixable, it would be a crying shame to have disposed of everything I can regain use of.

The biggest hurdle at the moment is not knowing.

[Sazabi]

I'm somewhat in the same boat; I go... overboard... sometimes when it comes to collecting things.  I try to keep things in check by not going out shopping, or just abstaining from checking eBay and Amazon.  I've generally controlled my "want" to collect items, and have made steps toward decreasing my collection, freeing up space, returning money back into my savings.  It's just, sometimes it's a challenge.  I still find myself looking at safety razors at antique stores, despite rightfully selling the majority of my collection at a yardsale not too long ago.  Same goes with starting to go through my bookcase, putting together a donation pile for Goodwill, and just telling myself that just because I can get this for a good deal, doesn't mean I need it.  Hell, I have more SAKs and multitools than what I could use in a lifetime.  I am slowly whittling it down, but there's still some pieces I don't want to let go of quite yet. :/

[ETA:  Same goes with regular household supplies; over the past year, through coupons, I've accumulated about a year's supply worth of body wash, shampoo, razors, toothpaste, mouthwash, etc.  I've paid next to nothing on them, and have even used some of it as gifts and care packages; I'm trying to work through the items before I go about replenishing them, getting down to the last spare before I look about getting more, even if, as I've mentioned before, "it's a good deal."  I'm getting better, I'd rather see my "it's a good deal" as my bank account grows upward faster than it did before. ]

[Mercury]

I imagine I'll accumulate enough Lego in my life to have the liquidation problem, but not with Knives or tools.  My shop tool set is well established, and by the time I go it will be extensive.  I plan on building a small scale machine shop within the next few years for hobby work.  My family's obligation to liquidate will be minimal, because it's really simple.  Everything in my shop goes to my Son, and the Lego collection will be split between the two children, with the minifigs specifically going to my son as a whole collection.  My other possessions aren't a concern. 

[Aloha]

@ Sazabi

I totally understand the "its a great deal" mentality.  I've bought my share of necessities under that premise as well.  I've also accumulated other items as well when the deal was hard to pass on.  Part of my "issue" is I am a bargain hunter and was a coupon junkie.  I've been grocery shopping on many occasions and walked away having spend a fraction of my total. 

For me it was and at times is as simple as not wanting to part with my money when I can get it for way less that retail.    I also found it odd to run out of what I call "staple" items.  The "issue" was having a years supply IMO.  Having any amount tied up in stock of whatever amounted to cash tied up no matter the saving I enjoyed. 

I still have "staple" items stocked but I limit myself to a few months worth.   Running a business has taught me having stock items sitting on the shelf even at great prices is cash sitting on the shelf no matter how you want to look at it. 

If my house was to burn down, which was a real possibility living in a wild fire area, the loss would be a real loss regardless of the amount I spent.  This simple change in my mind set keeps me from "justifying" buying at any price point for the sake of "a good deal".

In the end the way I see it, if I have to convince/justify ( use whatever word you use ) myself to buy it, therein lies the problem. 

I pay myself each week/month when the urge to spend on stuff I think I want is high.  I find myself not really feeling like I want as much with time and it ( the feeling ) passing very quickly when I do feel the want. 
           

[Sazabi]

I know we're having a yardsale here soon, again (last? of the year), and that I'll probably be putting some things up for sale here within the week, there's one knife I want to get, which isn't too badly priced (at roughly $40, stupid surcharges for special-colored alox), but I think that, one, if I get rid of - let's say, for example - four knives, that getting one new one isn't a bad trade, and two, if I were to sell four knives, the money from that would still be a net positive in terms of return cash flow.  There's nothing much else on my want list, and if I still have a larger net positive in terms of freeing up space and money, then all the better.  I just used the ratio 4:1 for simplicity sake, I'd like it to be greater, truth be told. 

As for staples, along with you, Aloha, we have enough stuff in the downstairs pantry to last us a good while; I looked at the ads yesterday and scoffed; the "sale" prices listed are ridiculously high, and from knowing what all we have downstairs, with the exception of needing to pick up some milk and sugar today, there's not a damn thing that we need.  That's a feeling that I like; except for some basic consumables, I know very well that the great majority of my paychecks will be funneled into my savings.

And as an aside, I've not purchased any new clothes in well over a year or two, with the exception of two things:  two hats I got from CVS for a whopping $3 total.  I'm still trying to wear out shirts and shoes that I've had for over ten years now, which is frustrating, on some level.  In fact, the shoes I'm currently wearing are at their ten year mark, and have a slight spot where the stitching is coming undone on the front part of the sole/leather upper, which I don't think can be repaired due to the "cheap" construction of the loafers (they were a whopping $35 to $40 at Rack Room Shoes back in high school), and yet, while on one hand, I have been trying to wear them out, they still look alright, feel great, and are now costing less than $4/year of ownership and use, which I'm rather proud of acknowledging.  I think I'm going to go through my closet again and see what dress shirts I have that I know I won't wear.

I feel as if I veered off on what I was meaning to say somewhere along the line of the post, but I believe I'm going to publish this as-is.  

[Gerhard Gerber]

I have very serious buyer's remorse about 90% of my knife collection.

I recently bought a car and I only have 52 monthly installments left  , which means no disposable income for a while.

This brought into focus how much I wasted in 2 years.

The problem I have is this knife addiction took me down the road to knife making, one definitely wouldn't have happened without the other.......good came from bad.

Very conflicted