What makes a collector ?

[eamo]

I have a few MT's and knives but I believe that doesn't make me a collector - they're users rather then shelf queens, so where does that line get blurred ?
What's the difference between someone who collects MT's/SAKs/Knives as opposed to someone who has a selection of tools and who uses them ?

[kirk13]

In all honesty,I think the line is crossed as soon as you buy one you don't actually need!

Any of the stuff I own is deemed useable,but when I reached the point where I'm choosing which SAK,or which MT to carry on a given day,well then that's a collection!

[Vidar]

I think there are lots of middle ground in between those.

I'd say that you're cleanly on the collecting side if you buy tools purely to have and not use them. And purely on the not collector side if you have very few tools which get used like you stole them. I guess most people on this forum are somewhere in between.

[Poncho65]

I am a user/collector and I suspect most people here are as well I use a lot of my tools but I am at a point where that some of them won't be used but I have had knives in my collection far longer than any of my MTs Nothing wrong with being a collector or a user and have never really looked at them that much differently If you have a few of each then you have a collection of them whether you use them or not Collector isn't a dirty word just a term used to say that you have a few of something to me

[Aloha]

I've read that collecting is primal.  We were once hunter/gatherers which is much of the process of collecting.

The line is where you tell yourself it is  .

I'm not sure really when one becomes a collector if we are discussing the grey area.  I have more than 4 kitchen knives so would I be a collector?  What about someone with 3 sets of golf clubs?  How about a person with more than one bicycle?

Do we make the distinction when an object is used yet there are multiples? 
 

[ThePeacent]

to me, you are a collector if:

a. you place more value, interest or appreciation in or for something than the average person does, and more attraction to that thing or things than the people around you do
b. you have a goal, aim, purpose or intention to possess in relation to that thing, and you want to have or experience that said thing above what others have, want or care for
c. you already have one of said thing, or the minimum required or considered normal, yet you still want or desire to have more, variations of it or similar versions beyond their pure utilitarian and functional value

but as others say it's a grey area in between, where most people seem to fall

[El Corkscrew]

My passion for SAKs as a user lead me to collecting for sure

Complete collection pics coming soon...

[captain spaulding]

to me, you are a collector if:

a. you place more value, interest or appreciation in or for something than the average person does, and more attraction to that thing or things than the people around you do
b. you have a goal, aim, purpose or intention to possess in relation to that thing, and you want to have or experience that said thing above what others have, want or care for
c. you already have one of said thing, or the minimum required or considered normal, yet you still want or desire to have more, variations of it or similar versions beyond their pure utilitarian and functional value

but as others say it's a grey area in between, where most people seem to fall

I would agree with this the most. 

[El Corkscrew]

to me, you are a collector if:

a. you place more value, interest or appreciation in or for something than the average person does, and more attraction to that thing or things than the people around you do
b. you have a goal, aim, purpose or intention to possess in relation to that thing, and you want to have or experience that said thing above what others have, want or care for
c. you already have one of said thing, or the minimum required or considered normal, yet you still want or desire to have more, variations of it or similar versions beyond their pure utilitarian and functional value

but as others say it's a grey area in between, where most people seem to fall

I would agree with this the most. 

that checks out.

[magentus]

Eamo is definitely NOT a collector.

[eamo]

Eamo is definitely NOT a collector.

Yes Mags we established that a long time ago.

[magentus]

I'm just reaffirming it as you seem interested in what makes a collector.

You are definitely Not a collector.

[eamo]

I'm just reaffirming it as you seem interested in what makes a collector.

I am interested in many things.

You are definitely Not a collector.

No one is disputing you on that.

[El Corkscrew]

I'm still unclear on this... is eamo a collector? 

[Poncho65]

I am hearing that eamo is a collector now

[captain spaulding]

I heard the same. 

[dks]

[eamo]

 

[dks]

 

[Grant Lamontagne]

I've heard that when you have more than three of something then you are a collector.

So I collect pants.

Def

[El Corkscrew]

Guess I'm an ex-wife collector 

[Don Pablo]

I've heard that when you have more than three of something then you are a collector.

So I collect pants.

Def

Looks like I'm on my way to NOT having a collection of socks then. 

[Syph007]

To me a collector targets rare and/or expensive items.

A hoarder on the other hand cares more about quantity than quality and will have drawers full of junk that has little value.

[AimlessWanderer]

At one point I started collecting Wenger Travellers, and I got bored very quickly and started offloading them again. I didn't find the ownership of them to be satisfying, and found the act of tracking down and accruing an illusive one to be very anti climactic if it was just going to sit in a drawer. Collecting is not for me. I have nothing against those that do, and it's wonderful to see some of the collections and individual treasures that some members here have gone to a lot of trouble and expense to obtain.

That said, I currently own WAY more knives and tools than I need or use - I didn't set out to accrue this many, I just didn't sell them as quickly as I was buying and trying new ones.

Once I have offloaded the "surplus", I will still have far more than I strictly need, but I will keep what I consider (and others will have different opinions) to be the cream of the crop in terms of meeting my needs from a particular type of tool. They will however all be users, though not necessarily with equal frequency. That doesn't matter though, as I see a tool that might only get used once or twice a year as equivalent to the wellington boots, spare fuses, evening suit, old overalls, gold plated pocket watch, or first aid supplies that sit there unused for most of the year. Just because they don't get frequent use, doesn't mean they're not users or not worth owning.

I get value out of the use of tools, and the improvement they make on my life through their function, not through ownership of them. I personally find the ownership of items that I will never use to be a pointless burden in my life, but I fully appreciate that other people  get a lot of satisfaction and pride from their collections.

We are as diverse in our ownership and purchasing philosophies as we are in our needs, skill sets, hobbies, and other facets of our real lives. This is a good thing, and we are a richer community because of it.

[Zed]

I'm a user with a few well tested MT's to choose from in my little collection,oops collection  oh I don't know 

[magentus]

I am hearing that eamo is a collector now

That's definitely the word on the streets.

[Chako]

I am strictly a user...I do not view myself as a collector!

 

[kirk13]

I am strictly a user...I do not view myself as a collector!

 

[Vidar]

It seems there is a need for a 12 step program on this forum? Many seems to be struggling in denial, some are getting self-aware, and yet others have accepted their fate and surrendered to their collecting instincts.

Now, the real question is where to find the shady cynical dealers that give out the few first multi-tools for free?

More to the point of the thread I guess you can actually be a collector even if you only have one multi-tool: The difference being whether or not you value the multi-tool more as an object (collector) than as a tool for actual use (far less of a collector). It is a mindset thing more than number of anything; if you just have one you can be a collector, just not a very good one 

[Chako]

Vidar, I have it on good standing that I am one of the biggest enablers on this forum. I often hear about that smurfer Chako being responsible for folks visiting and quite often staying here. I wear my collector pin with pride, and my  hand is never far from a lens! 

To me, there are all sorts of collectors, and the spectrum runs wide. Being a user and a collector often runs hand in hand. Rare is the collector who is 100% pure in collecting. I find myself using parts of my collection. Mind you, I also tend to get another user if I have intentions of EDCing something.

Here is a good example. I took my motorcycle out today, being one of the nicest days I have seen in almost 2 weeks. I ended up at the local pawn shop. I see something that astounds me hidden in one of the display cases. I know for a fact there was only one store that brought them in, and that there are only 3 of these in my City (Mind you, this could have been an internet purchase as well to be fair). I bought one of the three...and lo and behold, I see another for a measly 60 ducks.

Yes, I brought it home...and now that I have a copy...I am seriously thinking of EDCing one.