If you have all the SAKs you want, then what?

[FolderBeholder]

Not sure what era your most coveted SAKs are from but maybe only collect that era?

That's the kicker, I like many of the era. 

Who am I kidding... the whole thing is out of control...!

I can totally relate. 

[Chako]

If you have all the SAKs you want, then what?

Why, you can enjoy them.

I have reached my saturation point and am not really adding many knives to my collection these days. You realize you can't really collect them all. I am a generalist collector anyways, and have a little bit of everything. I guess it all depends on what you want out of your collection, and what focus you wish to take.

[The Lone Wanderer]

I'm happy where I am now. I've got a few Wengers I wanted and I'm done for now. I worked back to square one, a Tinker and got my EDC cemented and that's all folks.

[El Corkscrew]

I'm happy where I am now. I've got a few Wengers I wanted and I'm done for now. I worked back to square one, a Tinker and got my EDC cemented and that's all folks.

Yeah, right. 

[glenfiddich1983]

(...)

And all this allows me to fullfil my TRUE ADDICTION............ "The Thrill Of The Hunt" 

Nuff said 

The hunt itself is at least half of the fun!

[ThePeacent]

I reached that point as well, when my Swisschamp, Explorer, Handyman, Executive, Minichamp, Classic, Rambler, Champion, Waiter and Cybertool made my "10 for all" SAKs. Needed nothing more, and really wanted nothing more as I thought I had given a try or a look at everything Vic had to offer at one time or another



Then I got the Wenger bug, started with one, quickly got another Wenger as the new implements and weird tools fascinated me. Three Wengers more, four in a week, and the ball keeps rolling down the mountain and getting bigger each month!



It's a matter of switching direction, changing objectives of the collection: Limited editions? If not, maybe discontinued SAKs? What about country specific ones? Or Olympic events classics? Maybe if none of that excites you anymore change styles: Modern folders? Have you looked at those fancy traditionals? Ethnic blades and all time classics make a nice collection too.
Or you can start with multitools, or flashlights (that's a very dangerous one, tho, be advised  )

[Poncho65]

Great topic I would suggest new in the box old school Leatherman

I am also about the thrill of the hunt but the catch is I want to find it but for cheap If I find something  I have been looking for a very long time then yes I might splurge and spend silly money on it but that is rare I love searching ebay and different pawn shops etc. For SAKs and MTs  What makes it more exciting is finding the same item for a cheap price though  Hope you find a new direction or enjoy the ones that you do have FB

[NorCalJim]

I agree with Poncho65 that this is a great thread!  I also agree that the underlying motive for collecting is key (trill of the hunt vs. acquisition).

In my case, the underlying motivator is nostalgia.  My father was a WWII and Korean veteran and was in the service during my early childhood and my grandfather was the predominate male figure and role model in my life.  My mother and I spent months aboard his 55' boat and lived with him in his 3 story home.  After my mom and dad (plus the recent addition of my younger brother) had settled in California, my grandfather came to live with us.  He contributed so much to my development and that of my brother.  Much of what we learned came through observation.  My grandfather's practice of carrying a pocket knife and using it for several daily tasks is a precious memory from my past.  Collecting and using SAKs is one way of connecting with those precious memories.

I have to admit that I have most of the SAKs that I would want.  I fully expect to add more copies of models that I own.  For example, I just purchased my 7th Swiss Champ last night because of its walnut scales.  The previous day, I purchased yet another Explorer due to its white scales.  Behind all of these purchases is the satisfaction that I have my own folding knives for daily tasks just like my grandfather.

[El Corkscrew]

May I suggest buying used? 

There's probably a lot more possibilities out there. And I love knives with a little bit of character and story.

One of my most favorite activities is bidding on Lots of several SAKs with very limited pictures. It's kind of a grab bag that way.   I understand that doing this is kind of a financial and time commitment but I find it to be a very exciting and rewarding hobby. 

[VICMAN]

I agree with Poncho65 that this is a great thread!  I also agree that the underlying motive for collecting is key (trill of the hunt vs. acquisition).

In my case, the underlying motivator is nostalgia.  My father was a WWII and Korean veteran and was in the service during my early childhood and my grandfather was the predominate male figure and role model in my life.  My mother and I spent months aboard his 55' boat and lived with him in his 3 story home.  After my mom and dad (plus the recent addition of my younger brother) had settled in California, my grandfather came to live with us.  He contributed so much to my development and that of my brother.  Much of what we learned came through observation.  My grandfather's practice of carrying a pocket knife and using it for several daily tasks is a precious memory from my past.  Collecting and using SAKs is one way of connecting with those precious memories.

I have to admit that I have most of the SAKs that I would want.  I fully expect to add more copies of models that I own.  For example, I just purchased my 7th Swiss Champ last night because of its walnut scales.  The previous day, I purchased yet another Explorer due to its white scales.  Behind all of these purchases is the satisfaction that I have my own folding knives for daily tasks just like my grandfather.

My father was a WWII vet also and he always carried a pocket knife. It was a really big deal for me when I got my first pocket knife.. My father taught me how to use it safely and how to take care of it as you would any fine tool. He taught me what features to look for in order to get a good knife. I have carried a pocket knife every day since I was 8 years old. Back then I even carried it in school, but I knew to keep it in my pocket and to only use it as a tool. I could not imagine not carrying a pocket knife. I use mine every day.

[Aloha]

I'm also in the situation where I have most of what I wanted.  I initially considered myself a user but seemed to always end up carrying the same stuff.  As I continued to accumulate I think I lost my direction.  My initial focus was on Leatheman tools.  I quickly acquired most of what I was after.  I was a regular on flea bay but I haven't been on there for a while now.  I still frequent the flea market and still buy here and there.  Mostly what I'm doing these days is enjoying what I currently have.  I'm also evaluating what I have.  I do have some tools that are "special" to me so I'll most likely keep those for a while. 

I have been letting many things go especially if its a double.  I have also been putting some tools that I havent tried to use.  Its a fun process and it lets me know quickly whether or not I should keep the item. 

I still get excited about new tools and especially seeing all the cool stuff y'all get and post.  I don't however feel as driven to get stuff myself. 

[pfrsantos]

Just wait until next year's Exclusive Alox Collection.

 

[ThePeacent]

Just walking had an unexpected flea market find: $1 Opinel and $6 Spanish Army Knife



couldn't resist the temptation even though I have dozens of multitools, knives and SAKs, it was the excitement of the moment that got me 

[pfrsantos]

Just walking had an unexpected flea market find: $1 Opinel and $6 Spanish Army Knife

(Image removed from quote.)

couldn't resist the temptation even though I have dozens of multitools, knives and SAKs, it was the excitement of the moment that got me 

Is that an Aitor? Isn't it marked €5?! Did you haggle the price up?!

 

[El Corkscrew]

Just walking had an unexpected flea market find: $1 Opinel and $6 Spanish Army Knife

(Image removed from quote.)

couldn't resist the temptation even though I have dozens of multitools, knives and SAKs, it was the excitement of the moment that got me 

Is that an Aitor? Isn't it marked €5?! Did you haggle the price up?!

 

 

Hey, I believe Peacent is from Spain so an Aitor is probably pretty cool for a Spaniard

That Opinel is pretty sweet tho

[FolderBeholder]

I sure have enjoyed reading each post, thank you!
I'm still at that cross-roads.  Work is getting stressful right now, so perhaps that has aided in my inability to get a plan together for my hobby.
For now, I'm enjoying the purchases I have made.

[cali-SAK-attack]

Just walking had an unexpected flea market find: $1 Opinel and $6 Spanish Army Knife

(Image removed from quote.)

couldn't resist the temptation even though I have dozens of multitools, knives and SAKs, it was the excitement of the moment that got me 

Is that an Aitor? Isn't it marked €5?! Did you haggle the price up?!

 

 

[ThePeacent]

Just walking had an unexpected flea market find: $1 Opinel and $6 Spanish Army Knife

(Image removed from quote.)

couldn't resist the temptation even though I have dozens of multitools, knives and SAKs, it was the excitement of the moment that got me 

Is that an Aitor? Isn't it marked €5?! Did you haggle the price up?!

 

 

An Aitor indeed, the third in my collection now
It cost me 5€ which I believed equaled to 6 dollars. They are so close in value today so that'd be 5€=5.3 dollars. Apologies to you all 

[pfrsantos]

Just walking had an unexpected flea market find: $1 Opinel and $6 Spanish Army Knife

(Image removed from quote.)

couldn't resist the temptation even though I have dozens of multitools, knives and SAKs, it was the excitement of the moment that got me 

Is that an Aitor? Isn't it marked €5?! Did you haggle the price up?!

 

 

An Aitor indeed, the third in my collection now
It cost me 5€ which I believed equaled to 6 dollars. They are so close in value today so that'd be 5€=5.3 dollars. Apologies to you all 

Oops, my bad! Whenever I see currency, I just think Euro. You're posting the USD cost, I see it now...
 

I've heard great things about Aitor but still haven't got one. One of these days I'm gonna have to get some from Filofiel or the like.

 

[VICMAN]

I sure have enjoyed reading each post, thank you!
I'm still at that cross-roads.  Work is getting stressful right now, so perhaps that has aided in my inability to get a plan together for my hobby.
For now, I'm enjoying the purchases I have made.

You have plenty of nice SAKS to enjoy! That helps to take your mind off of work. Hope your work gets less stressful soon.

[NorCalJim]

I sure have enjoyed reading each post, thank you!
I'm still at that cross-roads.  Work is getting stressful right now, so perhaps that has aided in my inability to get a plan together for my hobby.
For now, I'm enjoying the purchases I have made.

I have been an avid hobbyist and am especially attracted by hobbies that are multi-faceted.  For example, I used to race slot cars in the early 60s.  The actual racing was only a small part of the fun.  I spent hours tinkering with the cars, painting lexan bodies, rebuilding motors (including rewinding armatures with hot winds and balancing the armatures).  Most of my time enjoying the hobby was spent outside the 1/24 commercial raceways at probably a 10 to 1 ratio.  In the late 90s, I discovered a local HO racing club and got to relive the enjoyment in a 1/64 scale.  My enjoyment was even more multi-faceted and included specialized tools such as a mini dynomometer, force gauge for measuring the spring tension of the pickup shoes, infra red thermometer, gause meter for measuring motor magnet strength for matching motor magnets and several other tools.  I especially liked the technical aspect and appreciated that it was unrelated to information technology that I was immersed in at work.

I offer this hobby example as an illustration of a satisfying and long-lasting hobby that stays fun and engaging.  I am still enthralled with having some very useful SAKs for daily tasks that has a strong nostalgic link to my grandfather.  However, I see additional facets to enjoy such as maintaining and refurbishing SAKs.  A while back, I purchased a Grand Prix where the photos made it look to be in much better condition.  Unfortunately, the Grand Prix's main blade was severely scratched and blemished.  Sanding it with 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000 & 2500 grit sandpaper and polishing it using Simichrome and a dremel restored the beautiful mirror finish of the blade.  I am delighted with the results and want to explore how far my abilities may stretch in refurbishing other SAKs. There is also the area of modification (not interested in modifying SAKs at present).

There is always the question as to whether our hobbies are working for us or whether we are working for them.  My hope is that you continue to find enjoyment with your SAKs well into the future.  I find that retirement definitely helps the enjoyment factor.

Just my $.02. 

 

[El Corkscrew]

I sure have enjoyed reading each post, thank you!
I'm still at that cross-roads.  Work is getting stressful right now, so perhaps that has aided in my inability to get a plan together for my hobby.
For now, I'm enjoying the purchases I have made.

Just my $.02. 

 

Why ya gotta make this about $??? 

[kirk13]

I sure have enjoyed reading each post, thank you!
I'm still at that cross-roads.  Work is getting stressful right now, so perhaps that has aided in my inability to get a plan together for my hobby.
For now, I'm enjoying the purchases I have made.

I have been an avid hobbyist and am especially attracted by hobbies that are multi-faceted.  For example, I used to race slot cars in the early 60s.  The actual racing was only a small part of the fun.  I spent hours tinkering with the cars, painting lexan bodies, rebuilding motors (including rewinding armatures with hot winds and balancing the armatures).  Most of my time enjoying the hobby was spent outside the 1/24 commercial raceways at probably a 10 to 1 ratio.  In the late 90s, I discovered a local HO racing club and got to relive the enjoyment in a 1/64 scale.  My enjoyment was even more multi-faceted and included specialized tools such as a mini dynomometer, force gauge for measuring the spring tension of the pickup shoes, infra red thermometer, gause meter for measuring motor magnet strength for matching motor magnets and several other tools.  I especially liked the technical aspect and appreciated that it was unrelated to information technology that I was immersed in at work.

I offer this hobby example as an illustration of a satisfying and long-lasting hobby that stays fun and engaging.  I am still enthralled with having some very useful SAKs for daily tasks that has a strong nostalgic link to my grandfather.  However, I see additional facets to enjoy such as maintaining and refurbishing SAKs.  A while back, I purchased a Grand Prix where the photos made it look to be in much better condition.  Unfortunately, the Grand Prix's main blade was severely scratched and blemished.  Sanding it with 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000 & 2500 grit sandpaper and polishing it using Simichrome and a dremel restored the beautiful mirror finish of the blade.  I am delighted with the results and want to explore how far my abilities may stretch in refurbishing other SAKs. There is also the area of modification (not interested in modifying SAKs at present).

There is always the question as to whether our hobbies are working for us or whether we are working for them.  My hope is that you continue to find enjoyment with your SAKs well into the future.  I find that retirement definitely helps the enjoyment factor.

Just my $.02. 

 

Any pix of the slot cars? I raced 1/32 here in the UK,including one round of the national Porsche cup(I also came stone last),as well as doing a couple of rounds of the English HO racing club champs

[Steinar]

I was in denial for quite a while when it came to my knife collection. When I realized I was collecting, and I really had the majority of knives (I knew of) which I wanted, the fun in collecting by itself actually increased. I chose a focus for my collection, and started digging. To me, collecting is more about the hunt than anything else, so idly looking around is enjoyable and relaxing to me. I don't buy knives as often as I did when I started out, but that fits me (and my wallet) just fine. The great thing about collecting SAKs is that you can collect in so many ways, and quite a few of them never become extremely expensive. (Not all of us collect NIB Soldiers older than WWI and similar “rather expensive” targets.  )

[NorCalJim]

I sure have enjoyed reading each post, thank you!
I'm still at that cross-roads.  Work is getting stressful right now, so perhaps that has aided in my inability to get a plan together for my hobby.
For now, I'm enjoying the purchases I have made.

I have been an avid hobbyist and am especially attracted by hobbies that are multi-faceted.  For example, I used to race slot cars in the early 60s.  The actual racing was only a small part of the fun.  I spent hours tinkering with the cars, painting lexan bodies, rebuilding motors (including rewinding armatures with hot winds and balancing the armatures).  Most of my time enjoying the hobby was spent outside the 1/24 commercial raceways at probably a 10 to 1 ratio.  In the late 90s, I discovered a local HO racing club and got to relive the enjoyment in a 1/64 scale.  My enjoyment was even more multi-faceted and included specialized tools such as a mini dynomometer, force gauge for measuring the spring tension of the pickup shoes, infra red thermometer, gause meter for measuring motor magnet strength for matching motor magnets and several other tools.  I especially liked the technical aspect and appreciated that it was unrelated to information technology that I was immersed in at work.

I offer this hobby example as an illustration of a satisfying and long-lasting hobby that stays fun and engaging.  I am still enthralled with having some very useful SAKs for daily tasks that has a strong nostalgic link to my grandfather.  However, I see additional facets to enjoy such as maintaining and refurbishing SAKs.  A while back, I purchased a Grand Prix where the photos made it look to be in much better condition.  Unfortunately, the Grand Prix's main blade was severely scratched and blemished.  Sanding it with 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000 & 2500 grit sandpaper and polishing it using Simichrome and a dremel restored the beautiful mirror finish of the blade.  I am delighted with the results and want to explore how far my abilities may stretch in refurbishing other SAKs. There is also the area of modification (not interested in modifying SAKs at present).

There is always the question as to whether our hobbies are working for us or whether we are working for them.  My hope is that you continue to find enjoyment with your SAKs well into the future.  I find that retirement definitely helps the enjoyment factor.

Just my $.02. 

 

Any pix of the slot cars? I raced 1/32 here in the UK,including one round of the national Porsche cup(I also came stone last),as well as doing a couple of rounds of the English HO racing club champs

No pix of the old days.  I traded my commercial quality Bonzai Bucktrax (35' four lane circuit) for work on a commercial quality routed 1/32 scale track.  I have never counted my 1/32 scale cars but they are somewhere north of 100.  I am especially fond of NSR.

When the HO club was active, we had a former manufacturer team driver join us and it took several months for him to win his first race (we had an impressive group of racers).