What's the Size of Your Collection?

[Jovidah]

Actually if I had to give advice to my past self I'd just tell myself to buy a full set of Gingas in different sizes and flavors at half the price they cost now and just stop there. They're kind of my sweetspot of performance, usability, durability and price. When all's said and done I'm just a man of simple tastes.

 

[Homechef]

This was as of about a month or two ago - around 40. Been trying to reduce... Made it close to 30, but climbing up with 2 recent purchases and 3 on the way soon. 10 or less gyutos with about 10 “others” would feel good. I don’t think I’ll make it, but what’s life without some goals to shoot for!

P.s. if anybody is selling a kaiju hit me up, always room for one more

 

[DitmasPork]

I was waiting for someone else with more knives than me before I replied, haha. Currently at about 70, but aiming to reduce to under 50, while still buying more knives... I am sure the math will work out somehow...View attachment 293907

Bravo! I dig charts. Would love to see another couple of lines—one for money spent, another for market value.

 

[pgugger]

Oh no… I have one for money spent and I’d rather not look at it ever again, haha. Suffice to say it tracks the number of knives well with a different order of magnitude on the y axis.

I’m not sure if it would look better or worse if I adjusted for inflation and accounted for appreciation/depreciation.

Bravo! I dig charts. Would love to see another couple of lines—one for money spent, another for market value.

 

[DitmasPork]

Oh no… I have one for money spent and I’d rather not look at it ever again, haha. Suffice to say it tracks the number of knives well with a different order of magnitude on the y axis.

I’m not sure if it would look better or worse if I adjusted for inflation and accounted for appreciation/depreciation.

Impressed by your organizational skills. Honestly afraid to put numbers to my collection.

 

[CodyJ]

I have this "weird" perspective on knives.

But 20 knives is usually where I'm at. That's also considering simple knife block knives and work knives which accounts for about half (like dexters, mercers, victorinox). 25-30 was the most I think I've gotten up to.

I rarely keep knives for very long and I'm not sure how most people do it. I buy knives and end up selling/trading within a month or so. It allows me to take them to work and use them at home enough to understand the qualities and nuances of that particular knife. And once I find a similar knife that can be deemed as a replacement, I let the other one go. People tend to think "why is he selling that knife", it's mainly just to try something else. There's nothing wrong with it but if I get to use a Yanick for a month and don't like how the edge feels on the board for that particular knife (not all knives by the same maker are the same) why not trade/sell it to get something like a Heldqvist. Some of the fella's I've chatted with on here and super into a certain maker or want a specific knife. Why not send it their way if they are passionate about it? I don't hold strong feeling to any particular knife so around the hamster wheel I go.

After doing this method for over a year I've really honed in what I like in knife which has led me get some fabulous knives currently. I think Bidingers are absolutely at the top of the list and I really wouldn't have thought that a year ago. I may end up trading out this Kamon at some point because I just got a custom Bidinger. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just been replaced by a knife specifically made for me.

Rambling done.

Dude I do the exact same thing I totally understand.

 

[rogue108]

I am down to 25 knives if you include the petties and paring knife.

 

[SwampDonkey]

Oh no… I have one for money spent and I’d rather not look at it ever again, haha. Suffice to say it tracks the number of knives well with a different order of magnitude on the y axis.

I’m not sure if it would look better or worse if I adjusted for inflation and accounted for appreciation/depreciation.

The other day I looked at my overtime pay in ADP and was like huh why don't I have more money in savings then? Then I started tallying the value of the knives scattered across my walls and it started making a lot more sense

 

[pgugger]

The other day I looked at my overtime pay in ADP and was like huh why don't I have more money in savings then? Then I started tallying the value of the knives scattered across my walls and it started making a lot more sense

Haha, yup. I had a similar moment. @DitmasPork this is why you are right to be afraid.

Impressed by your organizational skills. Honestly afraid to put numbers to my collection.

 

[Cliff]

I can't face these realities yet

 

[Tekkz]

The other day I looked at my overtime pay in ADP and was like huh why don't I have more money in savings then? Then I started tallying the value of the knives scattered across my walls and it started making a lot more sense

I have all mine in a spreadsheet so I can see the damage to my bank account. I have to justify it in other ways.
"They help improve my cooking skills"
"These are investments and I can sell them eventually for a profit"
"Women will think I'm really cool when they see them displayed on the wall"

 

[ch_br]

Currently - 2 gyuto, 2 nakiri, 1 petty, 1 suji. Am expecting to add another 2 gyuto this year.

What he isn't saying is...

this ridiculously low number for a knife crazed man is due to his FREQUENT playing/testing/fine tuning of other people's rare and fine blades.

Thus making it THE ultimate thrifty cheat code for those who seriously play the Game of Steel & Stones!

 

[captaincaed]

40 or so knives. 100 or so stones. 300 plus straight razors. But I am addicted to buying old **** on ebay.

The Crystolon Kingpin right here

 

[NickMinton]

What he isn't saying is...

this ridiculously low number for a knife crazed man is due to his FREQUENT playing/testing/fine tuning of other people's rare and fine blades.

Thus making it THE ultimate thrifty cheat code for those who seriously play the Game of Steel & Stones!


View attachment 294441

Second style / justification is to upfront buy a lot of very nice knives, make friends with another individual with other really (but different) knives and trade them back and forth.

Bonus point is that your wife loses track of which knives are yours and which ones are from someone else that she just leaves you alone

 

[OkayMode]

Second style / justification is to upfront buy a lot of very nice knives, make friends with another individual with other really (but different) knives and trade them back and forth.

I owe you a DM about this actually…

 

[Baungaard3003]

5x Gyutos (4x 240mm 1x210mm) 1x bread knife 1x suji 1x hakata 1x Isana/hakata 1x nakiri 1x honesuki 1x petty- still room for 1-2 more, and planning on getting one more magnet

 

[nhb22]

5x Gyutos (4x 240mm 1x210mm) 1x bread knife 1x suji 1x hakata 1x Isana/hakata 1x nakiri 1x honesuki 1x petty- still room for 1-2 more, and planning on getting one more magnet

I like that bottle opener

 

[cooktocut]

29 gyutos, 8 cleavers, 2 sujis, 2 paring knives, 1 honesuki, 1 utility knife.

Need at least one more cleaver, then will be refining the rest of the collection from there. I don’t imagine having too many more knives that what I currently have, just perhaps swapping some lesser used ones out for makers I haven’t tried yet.

 

[nhb22]

29 gyutos, 8 cleavers, 2 sujis, 2 paring knives, 1 honesuki, 1 utility knife.

Need at least one more cleaver, then will be refining the rest of the collection from there. I don’t imagine having too many more knives that what I currently have, just perhaps swapping some lesser used ones out for makers I haven’t tried yet.

I recently went through a cleaver phase. one of the biggest challenges I had was storage. it takes too much space on my knife bar...how do you keep 8?

 

[cooktocut]

Well they took up too much room on my knife magnets too, so I created a shrine worthy of them. Bottom pegs are removed but there’s room for just one more…

 

[nhb22]

wow are there magnets or the cleavers are loosely placed? this thing can probably deter adversaries...

 

[xsmx13]

These "how many knives" threads give me anxiety...

 

[cooktocut]

wow are there magnets or the cleavers are loosely placed? this thing can probably deter adversaries...

My gf says it’s the better part of my collection. She’d rather display them in the next place we move to and tuck all the knife magnets away so when guests come into our kitchen it’s not so polarizing. We’ll see about that But yes, each peg has 3 neodymium magnets, and they’re angled in towards the board.

 

[nhb22]

These "how many knives" threads give me anxiety...

don't count then you won't know lol

 

[nhb22]

My gf says it’s the better part of my collection. She’d rather display them in the next place we move to and tuck all the knife magnets away so when guests come into our kitchen it’s not so polarizing. We’ll see about that But yes, each peg has 3 neodymium magnets, and they’re angled in towards the board.

View attachment 302837

this thing is impressive. did you make it yourself?

 

[cooktocut]

this thing is impressive. did you make it yourself?

Thanks! No, I didn’t. I sourced the live edge flamewood piece, sketched out what I wanted the pegs to look like, then spent quite some time finding a local woodworker whose work was up to snuff and would take on the project. Then spent equally as long finding a leather worker… settled on a guy in Georgia who I shipped all the pegs too. It really came together wonderfully and the end result is exactly what I wanted… perfectly suited for showing off my cleavers in all their glory, built to last, completely unique and unlike any storage solution I’ve seen to date.

 

[itzjustchris1]

61 - Gyuto
1 - Petty
5 - Sujihiki
1 - Nakiri
1 - Bone Cleaver
1 - Bunka
1 - Deba (on it’s way)

71 total. 2 years into this hobby and this is my 3rd year but I see myself slowing down on buying knives and yea I use all of them for work and I usually rotate knives everyday.

 

[Delat]

These "how many knives" threads give me anxiety...

Anxiety that you’re not keeping up with the Joneses? Or that the Joneses are catching up?

 

[xsmx13]

Anxiety that you’re not keeping up with the Joneses? Or that the Joneses are catching up?

Neither, it's more about avoidance.

 

[More_Gyutos]

Without actually consulting the spreadsheet and not including beaters or old work knives:

8 petty
1 deba
3 bunka/santoku
3 nakiri
2 tall nakiri
More gyutos
2 sujihiki
1 yanagiba