I know this could be a huge topic in itself, and probably comes with experience. But just like to toss some of my immature thoughts and questions out, and mainly prevent my impulsive buying disorder 1) Currently, I have a handful knives made by Case, GEC and Queen, and personally felt in terms of quality, GEC is better than the other two manufacturers. Right now they are a mix of patterns/covers/colors/brands, I know traditional is a very vast universe, but what(brand/pattern/cover etc) would you particularly recommend to look for/collect?2) What brands would you trust to buy used/mint? What brand/period would you avoid and why? I know in recent decades, some makers have changed hands, and quality may have declined.3) I notice some earlier GEC small productions seem to demand a high price on evil bay, would it be wise to just stick to new in this case? Or evil bay could be a wrong place to buy altogether? 4) Some traditionals I have for about 8 years, but not enough data to know better--what would you do for long term storage? I know from my fixed blade/MT that keeping them in leather sheath is a big no-no, and carbon blade needs more attention than stainless, how often do you actually re-oil them?Thank you, I know it is truck load of questions, but any idea you could contribute is much appreciated!
comis, sorry I meant to answer this yesterday but got sidetracked 1) Barlow's, Stockmans, Whittlers and Jacks are all good patterns to collect. 2) Hard to say3) Definitely cheaper to buy when they are released as they usually go for a lot more later.4) I use all my knives except one special knife given to me by a good friend tht'a new in box. I check it every couple of months and re-oil the blade and backsprings if needed.I don't know what the used market is like where you are or your access to E-Bay for older knives but that is what I'm mostly interested in is the older American made knives. Camillus, Imperial, PAL, Remington, Case, Western, Schrade
Comis, I have to say that I love my whittlers, however I usually carry around a large Stockman. Barlow's were my first pattern that I started with. It shouldn't matter what someone else has to say, you should collect what you like. I do dearly love CASE knives, along with Great Eastern and Queen. If you're experimenting with different patterns, why not try a Rough Rider? I know they're Chinese, but the quality is great and you can try out several patterns at less cost.Internet can be a good place to buy, but I want to hold one before I buy. Got an Eye Brand Whittler that's on display on my computer desk. It's there to remind me of the pitfalls of internet purchase. (That's a story for later.)Storage kind of depends on the knife. I keep many of my users in rolls or other storage cases. Many NIB knives Ill store them in stackable ammo type boxes, though plastic pistol cases are also handy. If you're collecting, for investment, take care of the boxes that the knives come in. Having the box can increase the selling price by a bunch, in some cases.Clean any users after use. Carbon takes extra care, so keep them oiled.
+1 on the Rough Riders! I'm a Trapper fan, and have a special place in my heart for Case since I live relatively close to the plant. I also love the Schrader/Old Timer/Uncle Henry brand. Case has a great write-up on collecting in their online Case University. The main thing is to have fun!
I would say that each collector sets their own rules. I'm more of an accumulator than collector, but I'll share a few thoughts on what I let go, and what I kept. These are all generalisations, and I don't tend to stick to the rules - even my own rules...Aside from locally made knives, which I'm drawn to for reasons that might not apply elsewhere, Case is a brand I trust. I've had several knives from them, some of which I kept, and some I didn't. I've still got four of their knives.GEC and the associated brands, are not a brand I've tried. Carbon steel is the reason. I do have a limited amount of carbon steel blades, but generally prefer stainless. Out of my 20 or so traditionals, only three are carbon.Another thing I avoid, is knives with more than two blades, or knives with two similar blades. The stockman and whittler type blades that I had, have all gone. When I did carry them, I found myself using the same blade, time after time, after time. Nowadays, I either carry a traditional single blade knife, or maybe a two blade barlow, which has dissimilar blades. I even find myself gravitating towards Swiss knives that don't have the redundant pen blade. Exceptions to the rule for me, are small sleeveboard penknives. For some reason I don't mind those. I also have one Congress knife left that I keep trying to like....While UK law specifies a 3" blade for "carry anytime you like" knives, 65mm or 2.1/2" is my own personal limit. Beyond that, it just seems like too much blade for me. I'm not a fan of locks either, even though there's several traditional lock knives. For a larger knife, or a knife that isn't a slippie, or even a knife that I intend to use for food prep, I'd much rather have a fixed blade.As to maintenance, I tend to oil and sharpen when they need it, or when they aren't performing as well as I expect. I'm not very fastidious in this respect.
In addition to Rough Ryder (IIRC they are changing the way they spell it, from "I" to "y"), Chinese-made Imperial knives can be another cheap way to try out a style. I did recently buy a GEC Sodbuster Jr and didn't mind the price because I knew I liked the pattern from using the cheap Imperial knife. You can give away those cheap knives or re-coup a portion of the price selling a bunch off at a show. The GEC (all one that I own) is a step up in quality over the Case knives I've had in the past, not that Case is bad or anything.I like carbon steel knives, and prefer them to the lower-end 440A stainless knives. For short term "user" upkeep, a wipe down here and there with WD-40 works just fine (folks either love or hate WD-40, it seems) That's not a long term storage option though, so I like Ballistol for that task. But I don't live by the ocean either.
Maybe you like the sleeveboard because it has mild resemblance to a SAK?
I think I am a little torn between keeping everything as traditional as possible(natural covers, carbon blade, etc) or allow some leeway for modern steel, so the upkeep is less.
Hmmm... not really. With Swiss knives, I prefer them to be different, such as having an awl or nail file instead of yet another spear blade, or having serrated main paired with a pruner blade, like on the Original Outdoorsman. Mine vary between wood, bone, plastic, and metal. However, your thread title asks about collecting, while this reply seems more about using.Everything I own is a user, or I wouldn't own it. The only things I tend to feel alright about owning, that isn't a regular user, is some of my Sheffield made stuff - and even then, I'm still getting annoyed with myself for owning stuff and not using it. This might be the first question to ask yourself. Do you only want to collect stuff you'll use, or do you want to have some users and a separate collection. You might find that what you want to use, is different to what you find yourself drawn to collecting. You might find happier using a Barlow, yet finding Stockman knives more appealing to collect, for example. In that case, you can have stainless users, and carbon in the collection.
Comis, sorry I missed this yesterday. In the modern world GEC is at the top but they are expensive.. If you decide to get into older knives beware of counterfeit knifes. Fakes are a real serious problem in the older collectible knives. Ebay is full of them. I've even got bit a time or two. It's a learning process. Here's your gold nugget for today. Learn how to read the knife. Till Later, Happy hunting!
There have been so many recent GEC's that I would have bought like a shot - if only they had a stainless option. The Churchill in ebony, #56 Bird Dog and Possum Skinner both in micarta (oh that possum skinner!) leap to mind but there were a bunch more. Such beautiful, useful patterns but 1095 doesn't do it for me. It hasn't got a single redeeming factor to excuse it's carbon steel IMO (runs and ducks for cover ).Here's a custom run Buck, not sure that Buck have been mentioned here yet?(Image removed from quote.)There is also Boker, I still wonder about missing their limited run of Bog Oak Barlows in 440C. Perhaps I should have got one while I could.There is a newcomer on the scene, custom runs from CollectorKnives from Italian factories. Some very nice Barlows, some weirder stuff (all in M390 steel) and some very nice and cheap D2 steel sodbusters. Here's a link: https://www.collectorknives.net/product-category/collectorknives-exclusives/
Hey, Big John. Thanks for coming in!
How did you figure it out?
Here I just remembered, like I know Mags have a thing for Y wing, PTRSAK is a serious biker, Wspeed may get another nuts, Zoidberg loves his lego, Max stone is a great cook and probably the best son-in-law, and people used to blame everything on Kirk(or they still do ), the list go on...I guess that is why they call this place a family.
Pretty sure family would remember the lower case z.
Ahh...I remember someone is case sensitive, the funny part..are you sure this is not my way to lurk you in? Got ya!
I'm laughing... all the way to the ban button!
Where's my banana dance emoji to derail this...
Brazenly attempting a derailment? It's off to the nick with you sonny!... (taps truncheon)... Watch those stairs now...
How did I know you'd be here as soon as I use that key word? Fuzz, zoidberg wrote you a notice about naughty steps here...
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