Are you a hoarder or a user

[chip]

No offence taken either. 

Thanks Chako

[nmpops]

I have just 1 Leatherman, the Original, that I have owned for 25+ years and resides in my tackle box and is almost never use. I do own 40 SAK's and all get used to some extent. The Climber & Pioneer being the most used   

[kkokkolis]

I've been a Swisschamp user for 35 years. And then a small time hoarder for a couple of years, when I discovered this place. Now I'm still a user but I have more options to choose from.

[Max Stone]

I agree with a number of replies that the term ‘hoarder’ has negative connotations and is often associated with those with some form of mental illness, generally triggered by some unfortunate event in their lives. They tend to be indiscriminate in what they hoard, not recognizing their situation and having severe anxiety should anyone suggest they reduce what they have. They certainly don’t spend time discussing their newspaper collections or posting pictures of their latest dumpster haul on online forums (at least I hope not). While many won’t understand the interest we have in MTs, a collection of one or more products (be it stamps, coins, watches, knives, etc) gives the collector joy and MTo is a place to meet those with similar interests regardless of having a collection of 10, 100 or even 1,000 items. I’m sure we are all users, it’s just a case of degrees.

[chip]

I agree with a number of replies that the term ‘hoarder’ has negative connotations and is often associated with those with some form of mental illness, generally triggered by some unfortunate event in their lives. They tend to be indiscriminate in what they hoard, not recognizing their situation and having severe anxiety should anyone suggest they reduce what they have. They certainly don’t spend time discussing their newspaper collections or posting pictures of their latest dumpster haul on online forums (at least I hope not). While many won’t understand the interest we have in MTs, a collection of one or more products (be it stamps, coins, watches, knives, etc) gives the collector joy and MTo is a place to meet those with similar interests regardless of having a collection of 10, 100 or even 1,000 items. I’m sure we are all users, it’s just a case of degrees.

i worked for a small building company that renovated old houses as a carpenter and the decorator would often take the mickey about my love of multitools as it was no secret at work.
 But i had the last laugh as i lost count of the many times he asked to borrow my wave when he came across a rogue nail or screw when doing his prep work before painting.

[Max Stone]

“Natural selection will not remove ignorance from future generations.” – Richard Dawkins

[chip]

Double post again

[ezdog]

i worked for a small building company that renovated old houses as a carpenter and the decorator would often take the mickey about my love of multitools as it was no secret at work.
 But i had the last laugh as i lost count of the many times he asked to borrow my wave when he came across a rouge nail or screw when doing his prep work before painting.

"take the mickey" ?

[chip]

"take the mickey" ?

Make jokes at my expense

[ezdog]

Make jokes at my expense

Thanks!

[gerleatherberman]

I agree with a number of replies that the term ‘hoarder’ has negative connotations and is often associated with those with some form of mental illness, generally triggered by some unfortunate event in their lives. They tend to be indiscriminate in what they hoard, not recognizing their situation and having severe anxiety should anyone suggest they reduce what they have. They certainly don’t spend time discussing their newspaper collections or posting pictures of their latest dumpster haul on online forums (at least I hope not). While many won’t understand the interest we have in MTs, a collection of one or more products (be it stamps, coins, watches, knives, etc) gives the collector joy and MTo is a place to meet those with similar interests regardless of having a collection of 10, 100 or even 1,000 items. I’m sure we are all users, it’s just a case of degrees.

Well articulated post as usual, Max! 

I personally know three true hoarders, and am good friends with one of them.  The fact of the matter is that it is definitely(as you said) a mental illness with severe anxiety to changing their ways.

Based off of these experiences, I am certain, that while the underlying illness may be treatable to an extent, the behavior is life-long and unchanging.
I have tried countless times to help my friend organize and clean up, only to find out he went to the dumpster we took the stuff to the same night and reclaimed almost everything that was thrown away. When I confront him about it, he says stuff like "I had to find CC statements", and "There was money stashed in there" and etc. Full well knowing I checked everything AND he checked everything before it went out. What went out was bags of garbage to be clear. It took hours to look at everything making each bag of trash to go out.. And this would only pertain to maybe 1/2 of one room or the foyer of his home.
He is a decent person at heart, but the hoarding addiction is like a powerful drug. He even makes it a point to text me photos of stuff he drags out of people's garbage piles like he is proud of making his situation worse. Like a drunk who brags about being "F'ed up all the time" with no regret.

[nate j]

I dunno...

I own more knives and MTs than I could realistically use, including some I've purchased without a specific plan to use, yet I still acquire more.  That said, with very few exceptions for sentimental reasons (e.g. my grandfather's pocket knife, my great-grandfather's bayonet), I wouldn't hesitate to use almost anything I own if the fancy struck me.

[pipedreams]

I’m mostly a user, but I have a few put up. I do miss the simplicity of only owning one SAK (a Champion).

[Happy Gilmore]

Definitely a user. As I discover what I do and do not use I will sell and trade off extra. This is also why I mod, to further refine my edc

[SirVicaLot]

I collected until I found the tools that work for me. Now I have the few users and a lot in a drawer that are hardly used 

[gerleatherberman]

One could say we use our collectible Multitools to keep our furniture(or homes for some) from floating away.

[Max Stone]

Well articulated post as usual, Max! 

I personally know three true hoarders...

Points well made GLBM. It’s more a case of sensitivity and working within their self-imposed thresholds than trying to force a complete mind shift. It’s difficult to rationalize their behavior and until you’ve seen it first-hand, difficult to appreciate just how challenging it is for these individuals. One particular A&E episode was especially distressing as the hoarder, Sandra Cowart, was a recognized interior designer who fell from grace and lost her house to foreclosure after a long battle. I can recommend this particular episode to anyone looking to understand a little more about this sad compulsive disorder.

[comis]

Still think I am a hoarder. A hoarder with a little more directional sense. Mental illness, maybe a little... 

I think I am right in the same neighborhood with you, and yes, first and foremost, I think sorting out life priority and be financial responsible goes without saying, then how people deal with their disposable income is entirely up to them.  Even I might call myself 'hoarder', but I do take care of every tool I owned, each tool is tracked via spreadsheet with details of price/origin/condition/comments, and systematically stored and maintained.  So in that sense, I guess I am technically an accumulator/collector/hoarder?

Well articulated post as usual, Max! 

I personally know three true hoarders, and am good friends with one of them.  The fact of the matter is that it is definitely(as you said) a mental illness with severe anxiety to changing their ways.

Based off of these experiences, I am certain, that while the underlying illness may be treatable to an extent, the behavior is life-long and unchanging.
I have tried countless times to help my friend organize and clean up, only to find out he went to the dumpster we took the stuff to the same night and reclaimed almost everything that was thrown away. When I confront him about it, he says stuff like "I had to find CC statements", and "There was money stashed in there" and etc. Full well knowing I checked everything AND he checked everything before it went out. What went out was bags of garbage to be clear. It took hours to look at everything making each bag of trash to go out.. And this would only pertain to maybe 1/2 of one room or the foyer of his home.
He is a decent person at heart, but the hoarding addiction is like a powerful drug. He even makes it a point to text me photos of stuff he drags out of people's garbage piles like he is proud of making his situation worse. Like a drunk who brags about being "F'ed up all the time" with no regret.

Sorry to hear about your friend's situation, I am no psychologist, but wonder would this have something to do with insecurity?

I too have been using 'collector' and 'hoarder' interchangeably here just for humor, but didn't consider some friends here might have personal experience associate with the possible negative connotation of the word.  So a quick apology to that, and hope didn't offense anyone.

[Sam Lim]

I am hoarder. 

[ChopperCharles]

I’m not a collector, I acquire tools for a specific use. And like one of the previous posters, I’ve been getting stuff to try it out and see what I like, and I did gather more stuff faster than I could offload the stuff I ended up not liking. But, I have made a lot of progress in that lately.

Every tool I acquire is for a specific purpose. Be it EDC, motorcycle tool kit, first aid kit, to put in the Jeep, etc. I often buy SAKS, MP600s, and cheap multi tools to use for modding, and then it’s a while before I’m able to get to the actual mods. But it all has an ultimate purpose.

Charles. 

[gerleatherberman]

Points well made GLBM. It’s more a case of sensitivity and working within their self-imposed thresholds than trying to force a complete mind shift. It’s difficult to rationalize their behavior and until you’ve seen it first-hand, difficult to appreciate just how challenging it is for these individuals. One particular A&E episode was especially distressing as the hoarder, Sandra Cowart, was a recognized interior designer who fell from grace and lost her house to foreclosure after a long battle. I can recommend this particular episode to anyone looking to understand a little more about this sad compulsive disorder.

Thank you much, Max!

Definitely a recommended television show for anyone wanting to get an idea of jow serious hoarding can get.

And on a funnier note; everytime I watch an episode of Hoarders, I feel like cleaning something or somewhere in the house.

Sorry to hear about your friend's situation, I am no psychologist, but wonder would this have something to do with insecurity?

I too have been using 'collector' and 'hoarder' interchangeably here just for humor, but didn't consider some friends here might have personal experience associate with the possible negative connotation of the word.  So a quick apology to that, and hope didn't offense anyone.

Thank you much, comis!

May definitely be related to insecurity and compensatory behavior underlying major depressive illnesses. But, that said, he doesn't really seem to have trouble navigating the "normal world." If I weren't friends with him, I would bet he wasn't a hoarder.

No offense taken at all. It is kind of like I would ask a hoarder to not call themselves collectors. Collector implies value and care of specifically accumulated items for a designated purpose(in which collectors usually cite preservation and appreciation of accumulated items).
Hoarder(to me) means someone who indiscriminately acquires stuff they don't truly value and sacrifice their well-being to keep it. Just to generalize.

Indeed there are some cross-over aspects between collectors and hoarders, but they are definitely distinct behaviors.

[Dutch_Tooler]

Being from the Old World I hadn't realised the negative connotations to the term 'hoarder'. Thanks, guys, for enlightening me! I can now attest to not classifying myself as one in that sense of the word