I must be missing something – why do people have/keep/collect knives?
I live in the country and do lots of outside pursuits but have never felt the need to keep a knife (other than a stanley knife in my tool box), let alone knives of varying sizes.
What do these people do with them?

Murdering people of course.

Duh!

I have a collection of Ladybird Peter & Jane Books.
I don’t need them, as such.
I just like them. 😕

Same thing I guess.

How does the Valentines day rhyme go again?
Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
Get in the van,
I’ve got a knife…

Cut a jammed rope/sheet….oh and to kill people!!!

when out riding i use my Opinel to: eat an apple or cake; cut cable ties; push pistons apart when changing pads; and stab badgers.

Stanley knives are the worst.

You need a knife if you are called Mack the Knife.

Mack the Rolling pin just doesnt work.

Mack the laser death ray?

Use to carry one for work but got a Leatherman now as its more useful though the knife is still in the van. Used it to cut rope, Terram, bags, clear bail twine thats been wrapped around chainsaw sprocket, clear crap of boat screws/props, cut pork pie and a host of other things.

Fishing, hunting, bushcraft and cooking all have different style of blades…. wouldnt use a flat head screwdriver in a phillips screw…. it’ll work but not as well.

They are no different to any other tool. If you need to use one then you get the one that you need. If you have different uses (penknife for small cutting duties, skinning knife for dealing with game, woodcraft knife, etc.) then you will have different knives. If you don’t use them, but like them you can also collect them. You can insert any other tool in to this argument (drills, axes, planes, screwdrivers, etc.), but you will always get some nutjobs who get them because they think it makes them some way better.

A friend of ours has a son who has just made his first hunting knife. He has built a forge, made the handle, crafted a leather sheath and then uses it out when he is camping. That is a great range of skills for an 11 year old and he will use that when he needs it. Parents know he does not carry it as it is with the rest of his camping kit (stove, fire lighting kit…) so they are just impressed at what he has done. Is that wrong? Not in my view, but you may be different. It takes all sorts and I would trust somebody like that with as many knives as he likes.

A collection of knives of varying sizes and shapes in my opinion doesn’t make sense. Kitchen knives are different obviously. I could justify one utility knife with a serrated blade inter grated for certain careers (sea fisher, firefighter, wood surgeon etc..) but to have a collection is strange…

I have a rather battered Swiss Army Knife bought when I was a Cub and had to whittle a tent peg. Been used for a variety of tasks over the years, though mostly using the screwdriver blades.

Recently it has found use for keeping the washing machine button pressed down when we want to use it as the button won’t stay down and the body of the knife is just the right size to keep it jammed in place. Given me the best use per pound spend of anything I’ve bought I’m sure!

My knife, with it’s associated buddies, comes in quite useful for many things….

At the risk of throwing bait under the bridge for the……….troll?

I carry a knife pretty much all the time, there’s a leatherman wave in my crumpler that goes everywhere with me and a small Kershaw od-2 as below usually on the clip of my jeans pocket or apron at work – i guess i use it at least a few times an hour at work as i can hold something in one hand and flick it open with the other – very handy for me but then again i’ve had knives from the age of 6, and yeah…i also stay in the country.

Kershaw OD-2

I have one pen knife and one lock knife, the latter never leaves my property as it is matter of opinion wherever there legal or not. The laws says it is okay if you have a good reason for carry them. Most people I know carry one. I do live rural and use mine fo skinning and gutting rabbits pheasant and pigeons. And if I am really lucky a bit of road kill Muntjac. Anything bigger I have call someone as I only cycle. I don’t know of single rural stabbing and as I get about a bit ie I drink at more than 1 pub I assume I would have. I think in rural areas it may just be the norm, where ever you need one or not although there is always a time when you will. Saw someone stripping a wire with one once. Definetly not for stabbing people. Suggesting otherwise is a knee jerk towny/troll/middle class politically correct view!

There’s ‘collection’ as in a variety of knives, like having a variety of screwdrivers and then there’s ‘collection’ like some people do with stamps, or the like.
Collecting as a hobby is just like any other, there must be loads of different styles and makers to collect from around the world, or maybe making them is the hobby.
Having them as tools isn’t odd if you need them. I don’t do any work with timber as such so me having several different chainsaws would be odd but my arborist mates couldn’t get by with just the one.
I have multitouch all over the place so I never have to hunt for one, they all have knives on them. In the van, tool box, camelbak, work harness etc…. Also have a knife in the emergency kit for the kayak, a ‘rescue’ knife with strap cutter and glass breaker in my other work kit. Got the skinning knife in my gun bag, and at least 3 Stanley knives in garage.
I don’t carry them as such, they are there to do a job when needed.
I know I’m a bit odd, but my ownership of knives isn’t the defining item in that oddness….

Fishing, hunting, bushcraft and cooking all have different style of blades…. wouldnt use a flat head screwdriver in a phillips screw…. it’ll work but not as well.

A knife for bushcraft?
Things have moved on.

PS Stanley knife is hell of a lot more dangerous than a pen knife with no point. A killer if run across the Jugular vein

there’s a leatherman in my crumpler

That sounds filthy.

PS I have a mushroom knife as well.

Paté. Vital for paté.

Always had a blunt opinel in my pocket on the farm. Used to have to be careful to remember to take it out and put it away before heading into town.

PPS used my pen knife to turn my Rohloff to remove my gear changer the other day. Didn’t have any coins on me.

IanMunro – Member

A knife for bushcraft?
Things have moved on

Not sure but are remarks like this classed as Troll?

😆 at ianmunro…. I didnt mean topiary! !!

Paté. Vital for paté.

Plus 1

I’m not without my knife most days. Important for climbing and very useful for making lunch.

Vital for paté

and saucisson.

I feel a ‘what knife’ thread coming on.

Interesting. There’s obviously a number of jobs where a a knife is potentially essential.
TBH though when I think of knives I’m thinking more along the hunting knife type rather than a Leatherman (which is a multitool … I have one for sailing)

I think it’s a weird old person thing. Nobody I know carries a knife or multi-tool, other than the bikey kind of multi-tool.

I feel a ‘what knife’ thread coming on.

Petzl Spatha FTW

Saucisson?

Hell, yes!

Well, the target isn’t just going to jump in the van all by themselves now, are they?

I’m not without my knife most days. Important for climbing and very useful for making lunch.

You are Simon Yates and ICMFP.

Cheese requires a knife too.

“I think it’s a weird old person thing. ” exactly right I have carried a Swiss Army knife since I was 10 and am now 48 . I really can’t be bothered to list all the uses it has on a daily basis but the one thing I have never used it as is a weapon.

Bought my son his Swiss army knife when he was 8 .At 24 he uses it all the time and takes it when travelling

Hang on a minute, sharkbait has a Leatherman? Has he never used the knife blade on it? I’m pretty sure they all have one.

Can’t stop for a mid ride game of ‘Split The Kipper’ without a knife, can you?

Cheese requires a knife too.

So cut it up beforehand using one of the many knives that are usually kept in a kitchen?