How many knives are enough?

Okay, since I got into this fascinating world of high-quality knives a couple years ago, my knives have imcreased tremendously, both in quantity and quality. I have some great knives, in a variety of lengths and blade types, including Devin Thomas, Kono Fuji, Shig, Takeda, Carter, Marko, Hiro, MAC, JCK Carbonext, Tanaka, McLean/Harner, Fujiwara Terayasu, and some others (my best knives are my gyutos, which is where I think most people should make the biggest investment). Sure, I know there are more expensive knives out there, but I have a drawer full of steel that many can only dream of. I'm a home cook, and I rationally know that my collection is well beyond adequate, yet when I see something new pop up in B/S/T, I'm always interested. Why do I keep looking? (And yes, I realize that the members of the forum may have the disease as badly as I do, but perhaps some of you may have an understanding that would be helpful . . . )

Maybe try diverting your attention by getting into natural stones. I have way more of them than knives.

I too check B/S/T all the time hoping to find something I haven't used or a good deal. I think its in our nature to keep on trying knives to find the magic steel, geometry, or grind. This is our hobby its why we keep on shopping. We are constantly researching looking for new next thing. Just because we have 5 gyutos doesn't mean we don't want to try a new steel, HT, or new maker. All those things that attract us to knives and we are on quest.

I also think of it like cars. You only need one to get around (Torjiro) but lots of people have weekend sports cars (Konosuke) or collectors cars (Devin ITK). Why? Its because they like having performance their daily driver does not have. Something with a different characteristic

If I stopped where it was practical I wouldn't have 4 gyutos in 240 with the potential for another. The only thing that keeps is in check is I tend to sell what I am not using otherwise my collection would be a bit bigger.

Aside from a few typos, you guys have the best grammar and sentence construction I have ever seen on a forum.

I have wondered what drives this high-end market and I think it has something to do with our own education. It is an opportunity to refine our perception of the craftsmanship (refining taste perceptions in food); the subtle differences in grind, geometry, and steels. Then we get to practice our mini-hobby of taking care of these things.

Regarding the above paragraph: man's ability to bullsh1t themselves into buying new sh*t is awesome.

Seth said:

Aside from a few typos, you guys have the best grammar and sentence construction I have ever seen on a forum.

Click to expand...

I don't think you meant me, as my post was short. However, I'm still proud that it was 100% error-free.

I'd echo what rogue108 said, if it's a knife and a good deal, I'll probably pull the trigger. Which is what scares me about finding this forum. Up until recently that has meant pocket knives, hunting knives, a german papatrooper knife, etc. I can only imagine the accumulation that will happen as I learn on this forum.

The question offends me.

I thought it was a straight-forward question. My answer is 1,472.

toddnmd said:

Okay, since I got into this fascinating world of high-quality knives a couple years ago, my knives have imcreased tremendously, both in quantity and quality. I have some great knives, in a variety of lengths and blade types, including Devin Thomas, Kono Fuji, Shig, Takeda, Carter, Marko, Hiro, MAC, JCK Carbonext, Tanaka, McLean/Harner, Fujiwara Terayasu, and some others (my best knives are my gyutos, which is where I think most people should make the biggest investment). Sure, I know there are more expensive knives out there, but I have a drawer full of steel that many can only dream of. I'm a home cook, and I rationally know that my collection is well beyond adequate, yet when I see something new pop up in B/S/T, I'm always interested. Why do I keep looking? (And yes, I realize that the members of the forum may have the disease as badly as I do, but perhaps some of you may have an understanding that would be helpful . . . )

Click to expand...

From the opening statement i still feel some pending tension in this thread probably nourished by the dim hope there might be some knife leaving your drawers towards BST?

One more than the number you currently have.

Meh. I look at knives like I look at photography gear. Owning 50 lenses is not going to eliminate the fact that you take a $hity exposure.

Getting out (or in) there and putting in the time to better your technique is what matters otherwise you run the risk of being a poseur.

FWIW, I have five knives for the kitchen (not counting butchering tools). For the advanced technician I think it's reasonable to expect him/her to own a handful of knives.

For the collector? As many as you want.

My answer is 1,472.

Click to expand...

How did you get to this number? It's not even 39^2

52100

My assumption was that the 1,472 figure was arrived at through painstaking personal experimentation.

toddnmd said:

I'm a home cook, and I rationally know that my collection is well beyond adequate, yet when I see something new pop up in B/S/T, I'm always interested. Why do I keep looking?

Click to expand...

There's an old Irish saying about this [1]: You don't have enough until you have too many.

(If somebody asks why I need so many knives, I just say "Oh, I don't need them. I only need 3. The rest are just for variety." Needs versus wants, and all that.)

[1] The original, about whiskey: You haven't had enough until you've had too much.

no offense ,but you guys have a serious problem.I keep on buying knives because i`m a chef and i need them for work, at least that`s what I tell my girlfriend:lol2:

matt79 said:

no offense ,but you guys have a serious problem.I keep on buying knives because i`m a chef and i need them for work, at least that`s what I tell my girlfriend:lol2:

Click to expand...

Doesn't any new piece of gear put overhead of washing/maintaining/storing? I have noticed in some other activities (not chefs), that at the very high end of skill levels people try to minimize the amount of gear they have to haul around or to reduce the toolchain or whatever.

I have more knives now that I am semi retired than I did while working. Have bought some nice blades on BST. I keep some and rotate out others to cooks, students & relatives.

Here is the answer:

"Too much of everything is just enough"
- from I Need a Miracle by Bob Weir and John Barlow


Being serious, given your current collection I would consider more knives a "want" more than a "need". "Want" is ok, that is how I ended up with a high end backpack, table saw, racing bike ... You get the idea.

As many as you feel comfortable with...

I am at the start of my collection, only have 2, but already have my eyes on a third. And I am trying to attempt to justify the third to my wife with the description of "Yes I enjoy cooking, but these extremely good knives make me enjoy it even more, which means I want to cook more for you." It's a win win.

Reality is, everyone enjoys nice things relating to their passions. If you love cooking (as a home cook) I can easily see the link to collecting nice knives to use while cooking. The "do I have to many" only really comes into it if you don't ever use some, or you don't have enough storage space for them.

Bigdaddyb said:

The question offends me.

Click to expand...

My apologies. I left my computer on and signed in to KKF, and my wife got on and made that post . . .

:wink:

It's simply because the grass is always greener on the other side and you all have enough money to spend to buy a new one that you don't need.
Ignorance also fuels greed that we all have.
In retrospect, had I known all the knife related knowledge, what I would get is no more than 1. 300mm wider width Shige kitaeji yanagi, 2. 330mm mirror polished nenohi mizu honyaki, 3. 210mm kasumi shige mioroshi deba, 4. a 240mm workhorse kato.

As many as it takes to retain your sanity

Men need hobbies/interests/things they collect and become expert in. This is just one of them.

I do wonder whether, in much earlier times, men had more than one spear and one knife ... Then again, that was survival. This, thankfully for us, is not.

Cheers,

J

Hmmm, interesting thought. Maybe some had a 'workhorse' spear, and a sweet super sharp flint head they always sharpened but never used for the hunt. Makes my addiction feel more justified anyway.

How many knives are enough? For me, five. Big main knife (in my case, an Ashi Hamono cleaver), smaller knife (Tanaka petty), bread knife, stainless petty for citrus and suchlike, and a heavy-duty knife (I tend to use this for cutting pizza, rock-chopping, cutting up nuts etc.). Those keep me happy enough. I've got three or four decoy/guest knives, too. If I don't use something all the time and it just sits, it feels like a waste to me- especially if it is something expensive...

My knife kit weighs 30lbs. It doesn't include nearly all my stuff. Let's just say my wife has a better kit than all of may employees.

toddnmd said:

My apologies. I left my computer on and signed in to KKF, and my wife got on and made that post . . .

:wink:

Click to expand...

I suspected as much!!!


“Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans ... are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit.” ― Anthony Bourdain

Let's just say my wife has a better kit than all of may employees.

Click to expand...

+1

If you can't stop buying you just have to also keep selling.

42
Or maybe it's 42 of each style.
I collect old coins, although not lately, and I have more than 42.
Del

No such thing