Wear and tear, how do you feel about it?

[Mith Smithy]

How do you guys feel about wear and tear? I'm sure there are TONS of collectors around here so... genuinely curious. I've been guilty often in my life of getting a functional tool and never using it for fear if scratching it lol. I'd say I've almost entirely grown out of it with age. But not quite.
My few SAKs are scratched as hell (plastic covers) and I don't mind anymore but only because I can't care - it won't help, lol.  It's ironic because when it comes to damage on my body, I find scars are not desirable but great reminders of all sorts of things.
I recently had a very fancy key ring flashlight that was so fantastic and beautiful I essentially never used it. Kinda sad, right? But damn, these small, high quality items with incredible engineering and design just seem so precious lol.
So, how do you guys struggle (if at all) and overcome the struggle regarding 'breaking in' your multitools?

[Pacu]

I bought my Wave +  with knowing I'm gonna use the hell out of it. Getting it worn in and game used was fully expected as I plan to push all implements to their limit. The Wave + is gonna be my edc for years to come. Patina is welcome as it signifies i work for a living and demand top tier tools.
That being said I have several Swisstools im never going to lay a scratch on because they are collector items due to $ and rarity. My SOG tool clip is behind glass as it was very hard to find pristine.

[Mechanickal]

I buy my users second hand.

Collection pieces are to be found as mint as possible

[Ron Who]

I think most collectors will have a double of their users. Problem solved.

[Mith Smithy]

I think most collectors will have a double of their users. Problem solved.

My father had triples of everything. Including HP calculators worth thousands of dollars. That was arguably sad though. Lol.

[Sam Lim]

I buy my users second hand.

Collection pieces are to be found as mint as possible

Pretty much same here. 

[SteveC]

I use all my multi tools, I do have a couple of knives that are mint in the box that I don't carry and I feel conflicted about that   

[AimlessWanderer]

I do like the look of immaculate tools, but I like the looks of well used ones too. The difficulty seems to be in the space between the two.

However, for me, ownership alone is pretty dull. I get my enjoyment from using the tools, and achieving something with them. An immaculate item on a shelf or in a drawer might look nice, but for me is completely pointless, and I very soon get tired of it.

Getting the first few scratches on something used to be wrenching for me, and still is to a small extent, but much less so these days. In fact these days, when I look at any tools in my possession that aren't well worn, I often (but not always) think "I'm obviously not getting use out of this, so I might as well get rid of it". Wear and tear in something that you bought new, is proof that the item in question, be it tools, cars, or clothing, was the right choice for me to make, and shows that it have been a worthwhile addition to my life.

[cody6268]

I have those I use, and use regularly, not caring if I scratch or ding them. Then there's the shelf queens, which don't get carried or used at all. Then there's my rough, but rare that I try to avoid carrying, but they were used hard, and not exactly pretty--that includes my 1942 Elsener Soldier, a 1950s Victorinox Ranger, and a Remington Boy Scout from the thirties. 

[Aloha]

Getting those first use marks does take time to adjust to.  I bought nearly all my tools used so non were pristine.  I think part of this has to do with why you bought the tool in the first place.  Sure some buy the tool with the intention of using it then are shy to.  Many buy tools purely for collecting.  Doubles are the easiest way to feel ok about usage marks.  Not always possible with some tool because of expense or rarity.  I think there are those who had every intention of using a tool then began to think about further value.  As for me, I did struggle at first with tools I wasn't sure of their purpose.       

[Wspeed]

I use all my tools so a bit of
wear and tear doesn’t bother me 
It’s broken tools that I do mind

[smiller43147]

I tend to pamper almost everything I own.  Having that second shelf queen helps, as does only putting one thing in each pocket.

[Old man Chris]

I’m not a collector ( so I tell myself ) , my stuff is well maintained , but has work marks . Doesn’t worry me a bit . I might tend to baby a gift more than something I purchased . The only stuff I have thats near mint , is stuff I never made freinds with .

Best Regards,

Chris

[Vidar]

If I were a collector I guess as mint as possible for collecting purposes.

If bought for actual use I have little hesitation about using it to the fullest and maximizing value for my money. Any tool I have which shows off a long history of use, and is still precise and working, is most likely a preferred and great tool. Likely one I'd buy again if I lost it. To me personally those are more precious than the unused mint ones, but of course for others they will just look like crap 

Edit: A side note to that is that whenever come across a tool that shows little or no sign of use I tend to think I wasted money at some point I blame younger Vidar!

[Alan K.]

If it's a current production tool that can easily be replaced I use and abuse them. If it's out of production or hard to find I tend to be more gentle with them.

[Grant Lamontagne]

That first scratch is the hardest!   

I am also a fan of buying used tools because I don't feel bad about using them, but then the bottom line is that they are tools, and meant to be used.  If you don't use them then they are just art, which also has value, but won't open any bottles.

I have tools I will never use.

I have tools that some think I shouldn't have used.

I have shelf queens that won't be used even though there is no reason not to.

It all boils down to personal value, not collector value.  If a rare, hard to find tool is the one that works best for you, then use it, and if someone else doesn't like it, they can either buy the tool from you or follow you around with a different tool and do things for you!

Def

[Sea Monster]

I come across this problem more with knives than multitools.

Most multis/saks etc are mass produced tools, designed and fabricated for a function.

Many knives are too, but a lot of knives seem to have a price/value that far exceeds their....knifeness.

I don't really buy those sorts of knives, and I wonder a bit at the people who do (or more realistically, the people who make/sell them)

No one is making a "functional knife, designed to be used" for $800+ dollars, they're making (as Def says) Art, and they may as well square up with that.

[gerleatherberman]

I think most collectors will have a double of their users. Problem solved.

That is precisely what I do with any tool I know I am going to use hard. I don't mind scratching and using them when I have shelf queen twins at home.

[ddogu]

I think Sea Monster has a point. That being said, I guess I put the SAKs also in the "knife" category; which means that a multitool being worn and all is OK by me but for a SAK -no matter how much worn- it is important that it is snappy and has an intact scale. Their precision-manufacturing and quality of material, the "feeling" that comes from all their details make them something more than just a knife/tool IMHO.

[CallsignBadger]

Whenever I get something new, I treasure it for a week or so until it inevitably becomes dirty and worn.

The Wave was easy to overcome the niceness due to the fact that the handles rub on the pliers 

[Aloha]

I quite like honest wear.  The patina that comes from a tool that has been utilized as it was meant is quite lovely.  I hope the tools I cherish and pass down are remembered by my kids and friends affectionately with all their bumps and bruises.  They certainly see me use them and talk about them enough   

[pfrsantos]

I think most collectors will have a double of their users. Problem solved.

My father had triples of everything. Including HP calculators worth thousands of dollars. That was arguably sad though. Lol.

Not a bad idea, lots of people around here do the same.

 

By the way, how are your two brothers?

 

[NutSAK]

For the most part, I consider the majority of my tools "users".  I keep the shelf-queens at a minimum, and buy tools that I think I might use, not just for their appearance or value.

It has amazed me how the value of some of my lightly-used SAKs and tools have increased since I've been collecting, but that hasn't ever encouraged me to retire them.  Life is too short to not use a good tool, and what does the value of a tool mean anyway if it is not going to be sold?

[Vidar]

By the way, how are your two brothers?

 

 

And who is the shelf queen?

[Mith Smithy]

Interesting points of view    I think as I get older I tolerate or even enjoy the well used look more. But as others have said, it's the in-between stage that's harsh. Just got another different flashlight today which I'm going to scratch as soon as possible though. And then I will be liberated. Just not only for the sake of it though

One brother is OK, but I never met the other sibling. That sounds creepy.

[gerleatherberman]

Interesting points of view    I think as I get older I tolerate or even enjoy the well used look more. But as others have said, it's the in-between stage that's harsh. Just got another different flashlight today which I'm going to scratch as soon as possible though. And then I will be liberated. Just not only for the sake of it though

One brother is OK, but I never met the other sibling. That sounds creepy.

I have tried fifty times to carry the shelf queens and it always ends the same. Not used at all.

Having shelf-queen clones is an expensive endeavor to say the least. 

It is good that you're moving into the realm of 'beausage'(usage beauty). I hope I can make myself carry some of the nice stuff at some point and be o.k. with it looking used. I don't make much money, so buying doubles is problematic for me.
I've got plenty of MT doubles, but 99% of my folding knife collection have never been enjoyed.
Even my stuff, that isn't particularly valuable, being used makes me nutty. 

[Mith Smithy]

It is good that you're moving into the realm of 'beausage'(usage beauty). I hope I can make myself carry some of the nice stuff at some point and be o.k. with it looking used. I don't make much money, so buying doubles is problematic for me.
I've got plenty of MT doubles, but 99% of my folding knife collection have never been enjoyed.
Even my stuff, that isn't particularly valuable, being used makes me nutty. 

+1 for 'beausage'
I understand not being able to get doubles, I sure as hell can't. But hey, Carpe Diem, my friend! Let's liberate ourselves 

[gerleatherberman]

 

[magentus]

As much as it's 'each to their own' a feel it right down in my gut that a tool is designed and made to be used. If it's stuck on a shelf somewhere doing nothing but being looked at or occasionally played with then it's not fulfilling its potential. To that end, I have no problem with scars/wear - in fact I love a tool to look its age and to tell the story of its use.

We have a show here in the UK called Antiques Roadshow. One thing I remember vividly from it was when they had three old toy trucks from three brothers all of whom had been given one as a christmas present. One truck had been played with extensively and was battered and scarred and the box had been chucked years ago.The second truck had also been played with but the box had been kept, and the third truck had never even been taken out of its box. Consequently that truck was worth lots more than the other two. I felt so sad for that brother though, the one who didn't play with the truck. All the toys I grew up with are now broken, worn out or lost, not because I didn't care for them, but because I played with them to the death! It's the same with tools. I have a very small collection of SAK's, some of them are unique as I modded them, but all of them get used and if they don't they get passed on. They all get looked after  but they were made to be used. Hopefully they'll last me, but if not I will try to find a way to replacing them. To me if something is pristene and never been used I feel sorry for it (Stupid I know - it's a tool and doesn't have feelings). Be like having a fun dog to play with but never letting it out the basket.

[SteveC]

Well said mags !