A sincere thank you, to all of you.

[vivi]

I've been collecting knives since I was 4 years old.

I don't know what got me started.

I do remember my first knife. A victorinox classic.

The first thing I remember using it for was testing the edge with my thumb and promptly slicing it open and freaking out my mom.

I've been collecting different types of edged tools ever since.

I've gone through many phases. "Survival" multitools loaded with gimmicks like fish hooks and magnifying lenses to start fires, BudK specials, custom hand forged fixed blades, $300 choppers and everything in between.

I have knives my father gave me. I have knives my grandfather used to use. I have knives from my childhood, and a new knife in the mail as I type. I have so many memories tied up in my collection, memories that make me value my collection more than anyone else ever could.

You guys make me feel normal.

There's no where else in the world I'm as comfortable discussing what today is considered a weird hobby as I am in this forum.

Thank you. Every one of you.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

I agree and second that! And thank you for this post, Vivi.

[awa54]

lol!

We're definitely bumped on the head here, but you've got to have a hobby... and this one has the benefit of providing us addicts with a supply of very useful tools as well as an outlet for our acquisitive or OCD natures.

I for one am glad you're here, you always provide excellent posts and great company!

BTW, my first was a crummy little Imperial HC 2 blade jack, bought from the local Ben Franklin for something like $2.79 (no parental permission required!) when I was a Grade Schooler.

[Bloke]

Vivi, you’re a bloody character no doubt. Ah, hahaha!

I was the kind of kid you wouldn’t give any tool to, particularly anything sharp. I remember like it was yesterday getting a touch up off my dad for carving up a timber handrail on the stairs to our backyard and cutting myself in the process with his only pocket knife I found when he was asleep. I must have been about 4-5yrs old because not long after I bought a little folder with about a 1-1/4” blade, pressed metal scales with green pearl vinyl (?) stuck to them with money I got from collecting glass bottles.

How, times have changed! I used to hide my little knife from Mum and Dad and take it to school and no one batted an eyelid. If I played with it in class the teacher would take it and give it back at the end of the day.

Anyhow, thank you too mate ... no hands on SharpMaker. But, if I see that serrated H1 knife of yours again I’m likely to stab myself with something edgy and dull. Ah, hahaha! :p

[anagarika]

Vivi,

Thank you for your input, always meaningful the way you put it. My hand is small compared to yours but the learning is valuable.

I don’t have idea where this obsession with sharp knives is from, but I’ve been with a knife since teenager. We’re indeed strange compared to general population .

And I share your liking of Cara Cara handle

[Doc Dan]

Vivi, I always appreciate you.

My first knife was a little automatic with a 1/4 to 1/2 inch blade with pearl scales that my father gave me when I was 6 years old. I saw it and asked him if I could have it so he took it out of his pocket and gave it to me. There have been many knives since then and more to come.

[The Meat man]

Nice post Vivi. I really enjoy reading about your knife experiences and in my mind I consider you one of the more knowledgeable members here, especially when it comes to everyday knife use and performance. Thank you for that.

[JD Spydo]

I've even been told by members of my family that I'm just "too weird" :confused: And they base much of that on my hobby of knives and edged tools.

They've even compared me to serial killers and said that many of them started out by having the same fascination with knives as I do ( that's news to me I never heard that before) :rolleyes: I find that extremely confusing because I haven't even been in fist fight in over 20 years :rolleyes:

The more I hang out with you guys the more I feel like VIVI feels. It's only people who have little or no understanding about our hobby and fascination with edge tools that seem to have warped views on the subject IMO. Most of these modern edged tools are in many ways the same type of tools that go back to the beginning of civilization and are still as important today as they were then IMO.

[TkoK83Spy]

I also thank you Vivi! Your posts are some of my most favorite to read. Ive been around longer than my username shows. If I see a topic that I'm not subscribed to and see you were the latest to reply, I will certainly click and read. Also appreciate some of your recent videos as well. A great asset to our small niche of people!

[SG89]

Growing up my dad was constantly confiscating my knives bc I would always cut myself accidentally with them. Jokes on him (and me) bc I never learned my lesson! :p

Also nothing quite beats the thrill of being in elementary school and bringing your pocket knife to school when it's against the rules and secretly showing your friends at recess.

[vivi]

Vivi, you’re a bloody character no doubt. Ah, hahaha!

How, times have changed! I used to hide my little knife from Mum and Dad and take it to school and no one batted an eyelid. If I played with it in class the teacher would take it and give it back at the end of the day.

Hah, nice one :p

I remember doing the same with some of my earliest knives. I'd bring them to class and show them to my friends and my teacher would say "You're not supposed to bring knives to school, let me hold it for you until the end of class."

They've even compared me to serial killers and said that many of them started out by having the same fascination with knives as I do ( that's news to me I never heard that before) :rolleyes: I find that extremely confusing because I haven't even been in fist fight in over 20 years :rolleyes:

A lot of people are weird about our hobby. So I'm an edge junky. Telling me you're afraid I'm going to go around stabbing people because I like tweaking my edges for optimum performance is, in my eyes, akin to telling someone who's really into working on his cars to tweak them for the best performance that you're afraid he's going to go around ramming people with his mustang.

Knives are fascinating. Watching designs change and evolve over the thousands of years mankind has been using them. Holding a replica of an ancient design and imagining the hunter gatherers that used them to provide sustenance for their village. All the interesting things going on with steels, like H1 & LC200N, or the crazy edge holding modern steels are capable of, or the extreme toughness of steels like S7, etc.

Thanks for the kind words everyone. You're a positive, welcoming bunch.

[JD Spydo]

One thing I can add to what you just said VIVI>> I've seen a lot of different knife designs coming from archaeological ruins and ancient civilizations. And what I'm finding extremely strange but yet coincidental in a cool way is how a lot of the ancient knife designs sort of mirror a lot of the new stuff we are now seeing.

Take Hawkbills for instance>> they aren't anything new really>> because just the classic linoleum knife for instance has been with us at least a century and maybe longer in other applications. People like Spyderco just take an older great idea and even make it even exponentially better.

Hey SPYDERGIRL!! :) I just wish you could have been around when our dear lady SIMONA was a constant contributor. Your tastes in knives and your observations about them are very similar to many of her posts and her tastes in the different Spyderco models. Yeah you two would make a great tag team :D We used to call her the "Gunting Girl" because of her intense fascination with the Spyderco GUNTING Model. She even carried her GUNTING models in a holster>> I was so inspired that I had one almost exactly like it made for my GUNTING model :cool: SImona my dear if you're watching and listening we would all like to see your return to Spyderville :)

VIVI one last thing>> the people that criticize us are usually the strange ones >> if you don't believe me just go look at what many of them post on their "Facebook" pages :eek: You won't have to look at more than two of the average facebook pages that these brainstormers put up for the world to view :rolleyes: Then the flaming idiots wonder why their identity is stolen >> and the girls all wonder why they end up stalking victims>> but yet they say someone with our hobby is weird or in need of professional counseling :rolleyes: I rest my case for now

[Bill1170]

It’s okay to be weird, and it is comforting to associate with others who share our weirdness! Sal has created a very nice safe space for knife knuts to enjoy one another’s company. I share Vivi’s sense of gratitude for this community. I only know two friends in person who love knives, so this forum and BF are wonderful places to banter and help other enthusiasts.

[Larry_Mott]

"Hi! I am Larry and i am a proud Spydie addict :)

[Jazz]

You're right, Vivi. It's a great place that I'm thankful for. Where else can you talk about and relate with others about this "odd to NKP's" obsession of ours? By the way, Thanks to you, I have a black blade SE Pacific in the mail. I always like your pics. Thanks bro, and everyone else. :cool:

[abbazaba]

I can relate, and still take out the leather pouch I made as a kid to store all my crappy childhood knife purchases and relive the memories.

Thank you Vivi for all your detailed posts and polls recently. It's people like you that contribute the most to the hobby.