The End Game Knife

[SharpestToolintheShed]

Does it exist or is it a mythical state of being?
I used to be into watches. I figured if I got an endgame watch, I could quit the hobby and move on. I did. I got a Tudor BlackBay 36 and didn’t buy a watch after that. Ok it’s not a very expensive watch but it was enough to hurt.

Is there a Knife you can buy and then say…ok it’s done. I don’t need more knives. I tried that last year with TF Denka. I told one of my oldest friends (who is a chef ) that she will inherit it if anything happens to me.

Then I decided that I needed to get a ZKramer at Bob’s workshop. And I want a Steelport as a souvenir when I do a Portland vacation.

I’m currently waiting for my turn at a custom Edward Mayhew (yes I’ll be taking polls to see what I should get). Will that be my final piece?

Is there and End Game knife? Do you know what yours is?

 

[blokey]

Don't think such thing exist, there's super high end knives I lust over but too poor to get, but even if I get it won't stop me getting some wabi sabi stuff from KnifeJapan or auction

 

[mc2442]

I have been at this hobby since 2010......it takes a rare person to get to a point and just walk away. And it is probably a collection of average knives vs one holy grail knife.

 

[tostadas]

End game is Okubo. But there are infinite side quests.

 

[Vertigo]

You found your endgame watch because it fits your needs and every situation in which you'd wear it, but if you had the bug real bad couldn't you find excuses to keep buying? A casual watch, an underwater watch, a business watch, a black tie watch?

I've got my endgame gyuto in mind (though it's way outside the realm of reason), but I definitely need an endgame petty, an endgame suji, etcetera. And even if I collected them all, would the bug die down or would I need my "endgame gyuto for home, endgame gyuto for work" lol.

You pose a good question. I think you find your endgame when you're either waning out of the hobby or too broke to keep going xD

 

[aporigine]

Over the last months my knife-desires have undergone a sea change. I have decided that there is no end to the next adamantium unicorn differentially quenched in century-old Vega Sicilia Unico and handled with bog oak from the Ark.

Now I’m more into Knife Japan and Shibata.

Tho’ I am waiting for a Birgersson Space Laser to show up in BST …

 

[fortheloveofmoar]

I think you find your endgame when you're either waning out of the hobby or too broke to keep going xD

This +1

 

[fortheloveofmoar]

I think there are a few threads on this, but vertigo, I think may have said it best. There are some rare folks who said that they see some cool knives on BST but their thirst has been sated and they aren’t interested in buying more knives so I’d say there are few that hit that equilibrium. I think most of us are what vertigo said.

 

[bearhippo]

If within reason / accessibility then easily a Morihei TF Fine-finish (one of my keepers for sure); it's hand-laminated, has a nice polish with minimal low spots if any, nice heat treat, and has a yo-handle option. There's plenty of other knives that I own and keep for other reasons, but I would never go down to one knife. It is nice having variety and diminishing returns definitely do hit hard in this hobby IMO. I was once interested in trying Kamon for example but honestly don't think I ever will - or rather I'd never buy one myself to try - since I don't see the value proposition personally (e.g. would rather buy another Milan Totsumen for a fraction of the price).

 

[ptolemy]

I have done enough hobbies from watches to cameras to audio to other things, and my view is somewhat pessimistic. Higher end you go, the harder it is to use and requires more care and more of an expert to use it to the best of that product abilities.

As I was never one of those, I got the nice things, tried them, appreciated their value and moved on to something that's 90% of performance, 20% of the cost and something that won't me cry as I use it and see it loses value.

 

[daddy yo yo]

No.

Thread can be closed.

 

[fortheloveofmoar]

. moved on to something that's 90% of performance, 20% of the cost and something that won't me cry as I use it and see it loses value.

what price point would you put as that breakpoint? Roughly. I’ve posted my theory on it but I’d like to hear yours.

 

[aporigine]

I have done enough hobbies from watches to cameras to audio to other things, and my view is somewhat pessimistic. Higher end you go, the harder it is to use and requires more care and more of an expert to use it to the best of that product abilities.

As I was never one of those, I got the nice things, tried them, appreciated their value and moved on to something that's 90% of performance, 20% of the cost and something that won't me cry as I use it and see it loses value.

That has been my experience with audio. CD transports are a heartbreak.

 

[Vertigo]

As I was never one of those, I got the nice things, tried them, appreciated their value and moved on to something that's 90% of performance, 20% of the cost and something that won't me cry as I use it and see it loses value.

Same. By that thinking, I already own my endgame knife. Everything else I've bought has been splurging for the sake of splurging.

 

[jedy617]

dont think there can be an endgame for one knife, maybe for a collection though? Can't have a workhorse and laser, double and single bevel, sanmai+monosteel etc etc. That's what makes it fun. Tons of variations. Same for watches. I mean I guess you could do grand complications but unless you want one of those million dollar vacheron or patek 50+ complications in one....hard to do.

Like how can I compare a togo reigo konosuke fm vs a stone polished yanick damascus? Both are grailworthy, but I can't just pick any knife as a singular grail

 

[ptolemy]

what price point would you put as that breakpoint? Roughly. I’ve posted my theory on it but I’d like to hear yours.

I think everyone has to decide that for themselves. For knives, for example, I have handled a $1500 rex121 damascus san mai and it looked amazing and was super sharp and a great and balanced cutter. But, eventually, you have to sharpen it and I am not that good at doing a job that it deserves, so I would not want to worry about doing a piss-poor job.

For me, it's hard to say as a price point because 2 people can make a knife with same materials and one would cost 4x of the other because their name / knife is in demand. is it better? possibly... but all things being equal, for example, k390 san mai gyoto , my guess cheapest could be made for $500 but a well made one for maybe $600-700, so i'd imagine that would be my top.

That has been my experience with audio. CD transports are a heartbreak.

from my experience, audio is by far the biggest hole. I also know pretty well some very well known high end audio reviewers and reality is simple - most of them lie, or mislead or say things that are generic enough that don't offer much help. I could go on a much bigger rant on this subject, haha

Same. By that thinking, I already own my endgame knife. Everything else I've bought has been splurging for the sake of splurging.

That's perfectly fine and why not? I have known people with 100+ watches. At one point I owned at many as 22 watches...

 

[SharpestToolintheShed]

I have handled Bob Kramer’s Queen Bee as well as felt the blade on a Wizard Key variant he’s working on. They don’t feel like a knife I would want to use in a kitchen.

Audio equipment… my Fiio M11s with Sennheiser IE600 and I was done.

I wonder if Ed Mayhew would make a custom knife so good that I can quit buying more.

 

[aporigine]

I think everyone has to decide that for themselves. For knives, for example, I have handled a $1500 rex121 damascus san mai and it looked amazing and was super sharp and a great and balanced cutter. But, eventually, you have to sharpen it and I am not that good at doing a job that it deserves, so I would not want to worry about doing a piss-poor job.

For me, it's hard to say as a price point because 2 people can make a knife with same materials and one would cost 4x of the other because their name / knife is in demand. is it better? possibly... but all things being equal, for example, k390 san mai gyoto , my guess cheapest could be made for $500 but a well made one for maybe $600-700, so i'd imagine that would be my top.


from my experience, audio is by far the biggest hole. I also know pretty well some very well known high end audio reviewers and reality is simple - most of them lie, or mislead or say things that are generic enough that don't offer much help. I could go on a much bigger rant on this subject, haha

That's perfectly fine and why not? I have known people with 100+ watches. At one point I owned at many as 22 watches...

I learned real quick that while I could hear differences among components, $5k interconnects sounded indistinguishable from the ones that came free with my $79 VCR. Expensive lesson.

A $1500 (total) component system (with the lion’s share of that cost in a pair of decent speakers) in a well-prepared space will ime blow the silk underwear off a $150k system* shoved against the wall of a multifunction living room.

But hot diggity, that money system looks sweet, spoken without the irony inherent that looks mean diddly to what its purpose-by-design is.

sigh, I’m getting dangerously close to philosoraptoring about youth being wasted on the young. Time to hug my pup.

*year 2000 prices

 

[M1k3]

But there are infinite side quests.

Feels like there is no main quest line.

 

[sumis]

end game is anyone cooking their and your ass off with a vic.

.

 

[Jovidah]

<insert stereotypical 'it's not about the end, it's about the journey' comment here>

 

[SwampDonkey]

I don't think there's a single one. I've gotten pretty close with a few customs and could very happily fill out the "if you can only keep x amount" now but I still haven't sold off the rest of my collection. I put down my Munetoshi for 2 months to do other stuff, pick it up and fall in love again. Hell even my Shigeki Tanaka has me like "why did I ever spend so much money chasing all-rounder dragons?"

 

[Just a DK]

There is an endgame.. went from 1 guitar to 20 guitars/basses back to one guitar one bass (and various sound equipment, consolidated into just a line 6).

took 20 years to learn sound is a skill issue not equipment issue.

 

[Matt Jacobs]

I am working on my "end game" knives as well. For me that means my main collection that I wont trade or sell. I think I will always have a small section that will rotate though as I want to try other makers.
Funny Steelport story. I am a Portland guy and started my knife collection at Portland Knife House with a Mazaki sold to me by Etyan himself. When he started doing Steelport I went into the Knife House to buy one and his employees talked me out of it saying I would not be happy with the performance . I ultimately ended up getting one and being part of a Portland State University marketing study regarding the knife. I still think its the best heat treat of any knife I have tried but I am surprised how thick behind the edge they are coming from a guy whos business is selling thin japanese knives.

 

[Corradobrit1]

I have done enough hobbies from watches to cameras to audio to other things, and my view is somewhat pessimistic. Higher end you go, the harder it is to use and requires more care and more of an expert to use it to the best of that product abilities.

As I was never one of those, I got the nice things, tried them, appreciated their value and moved on to something that's 90% of performance, 20% of the cost and something that won't me cry as I use it and see it loses value.

I was big into home theater so understand those sentiments. The jewel in the crown was a 9” Sony G90 crt projector from 1999. Originally cost $60k and I paid a 10th of that with less than 500 hours on the tubes. The black levels were its trump card but achieving the best possible image required a video processor to output 72hz, a hdmi input card for HD and most importantly a complex professional calibration. My guy used a $10k light meter and spent almost 12 hours without a break on physical setup and image calibration. Plus it had to be used in a room with total light control. Without all of these options I was leaving 30%+ of performance on the table. Owned it for 15 years and loved every minute of the 6000 hrs I put on the tubes.
I have also dabbled in watches, classic cars, keeping saltwater reef aquarium and getting into Koto Japanese swords. The kitchen knife collecting hobby is in comparison quite a bargain with far less depreciation.

 

[ptolemy]

I was big into home theater so understand those sentiments. The jewel in the crown was a 9” Sony G90 crt projector from 1999. Originally cost $60k and I paid a 10th of that with less than 500 hours on the tubes. The black levels were its trump card but achieving the best possible image required a video processor to output 72hz, a hdmi input card for HD and most importantly a complex professional calibration. My guy used a $10k light meter and spent almost 12 hours without a break on physical setup and image calibration. Plus it had to be used in a room with total light control. Without all of these options I was leaving 30%+ of performance on the table. Owned it for 15 years and loved every minute of the 6000 hrs I put on the tubes.
I have also dabbled in watches, classic cars, keeping saltwater reef aquarium and getting into Koto Japanese swords. The kitchen knife collecting hobby is in comparison quite a bargain with far less depreciation.

yep, for sure. the other issue is.. for me anyway, eyes and ears adjust, so unless you always have side to side comparison to reassure yourself that it's great, you never know.. this is what the big stores do to make you buyer more expensive tv's..

with watches, i have my own set of criteria what i want in a watch that I learned about myself over the last 20 years... knives, not so much, I am still a newb. I think with cookware I am more proficient . With audio, I am an expert in my own needs and desires

 

[Martyfish]

The total number of knives that I own has more or less stabilized, but I imagine that the actual knives that make up my collection will be in a state of flux until I'm too old or too poor to care anymore. Knives that I don't use enough or knives that feel redundant make their way to BST and new knives that catch my eye get purchased.

 

[Corradobrit1]

I have about 7 or 8 endgame knives. These give me the most pleasure when I use them or those knives I would instantly regret selling. It’s a highly personal choice and difficult to define certainly not the most expensive but probably some of the hardest to replace.

Similarly with watches. Sold the Rolex’s as they were more about the acquisition than the pleasure in wearing. Now I only have 3. A controversial Ginault Mk1 Ocean Rover (my daily beater), a Tudor FXD Marine Nationale with milestone year of manufacture (loving this more than any other watch I’ve tried) and a JLC sector dial chronograph (the movement has over 260 components ) from a haute horologie manufacture I was lucky enough to visit last September. Unlike most Swiss watch manufacturers components are all made in house. Such history and tradition encapsulated in a single timepiece.

 

[EShin]

I wonder if Ed Mayhew would make a custom knife so good that I can quit buying more.

Depends on what “so good” refers to. Performance? Performance for what task? There’s knives that can do a lot of different tasks really well but specialized knives will always be better for a specific task. And no matter how good the knife is it will need the proper maintenance. Also, you can get a lot of knives to perform exceptional if you have good sharpening skills. And then you need to build an end-game stone collection. Will keep you busy for some time.

 

[fortheloveofmoar]

a Tudor FXD Marine Nationale with milestone year of manufacture (loving this more than any other watch I’ve tried)

hell yea brother! Tudor FXD all the way.