So I got home from the gun/knife/junk show late this morning all proud of my new toy - a nice Schrade folder. Looks good, feels good, works good. Stayed under $20. So proud. I go in to show the wife. "Look what I got!!", I said all excited. "Oh", she said making that little coughing sound. "Another knife?" So I came back with the standard guy response, "well, a guy can't have too many knives, you know." To which she naturally replied, "oh yes he can." So now, having just been trumped, I just say . . . "oh". So my question is - when is it better to share and just put up with the funny looks and the jousting comments and when is it better to just come in, sit down and grab up the remote?

If you have a use for, and are enthusiastically using, each of your knives, they are tools and not toys. If you have more knives than reasons for having them, then maybe it's time to rethink a purchase.

Unless you have some psychological "shopping" problem or real budget concerns, keep looking for new finds and share them with your wife. Maybe she was just sad you didn't bring back anything fun for her. You can always sell your other knives or give them away if she's really worried about it.

Ask her if she has enough shoes.

LOL

She was probably thinking:

"Well, it's a Schrade. It's made of inferior 440A steel and it's worse than no knife at all. If it didn't cost $1330.00 and take 10 months to make then it isn't worth owning. How can it possibly keep my worthless husband alive? As soon as he tries to baton with it it will fold over on him and sever both his hands! He should have bought a Swamp Ratt 6500 Combat Battle Weenie! That's the only knife that can keep you alive!"

Better take it back ASAP. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Regards, Vince

The answer to the standard question depends on the point of view:
an average urtban dweller: why would you need a folder anyway, let alone one more
a guy: maybe
a preparednes minded guy: not easily
a knife enthusiast: no way
As I'm a guy I know better than commenting on the women's point of view. You may already have found of about your wife's.
Apart from that a standard response says that you didn't bother to think about it. It may be different in your culture but in mine it is often perceived as a way to say "go away and quit bothering me".
I don't think that not sharing isn't a good idea as she's going to find out sooner or later. You should be able to judge the amount of trouble that would mean for you.
You might wish to consider two actions for the future. You could bring along something nice for your wife. And you might really give it a second thought before you comment on her most recent purchase.

OMG, goatrider ... all that would be left of me would have been for the paramedics to tag me and bag me ...

Shrade was a decent American company that produced decent knives. They had exemplary hiring practises and benefits. SNEARS and WALMART pressured SHRADE to reduce unit cost and/or move to RED CHINA. Shrade is now closed. I suppose someday we can drive our new CHICOM Cherry cars ( marketed soon by the man who brought us the YUGO) down to WALLYWORLD and buy a Shanghai Special eminently superior to that lousy old Shrade in 440. Then we can scrape the FREE TIBET and GREATFULL DEAD bumperstickers off the old Dodge Dart we are restoring out of nostalgia. Lousy hippies have no sense of true American pride.

Spoken like a true patriot, Chris... are you a closet PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER. <img src="/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />?

whats wrong with toys? <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

GREEN

Wildcard163:

PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER. extremists closed Shrade and Shrade helped by not keeping up with trends.

I have been in love with Parker ballpoint and fountain pens ever since I saw the first "T-Ball Jotter" commercial where they ran a stick of butter down a page of paper and then proceeded to write from the dry side thru the buttered path and on to the other dry side without a skip. Parker pen was responsible for its own downfall, but "Oshkosh by Gosh" jeans should have its moniker taken away because they are no longer made in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, but China.

Bountyhunter

Don't blame Sears and Walmart--blame the hordes of people you see trooping in and out of there every day.

Including me. I've been trying to cut down on my Wallyworld excursions, but they seem to be the only place around here that sells groceries and doesn't require some sort of "membership card". And while I'm there it's hard not to wander over to sporting goods.....

But I don't buy knives there. Like I said, I am trying.....

Regards, Vince

If I don't use something I feel guilty. So three folders that I have are taged for specific purpose: work edc (strider/buck, normal edc (microtech) and elegant night out (custom sebenza)... If I ever buy something else I will probably sell one of the above.

But I do understand the collector in somebody who loves to own a beautiful thing and doesn't mind not using them. I'm just not a collector.

Matt

I'm the same way. I buy a lot of knives but I sell a lot of them also and I try to keep current inventory to a minimum of what I use regularly or have an important emergency use for (such as my kit knife). I try to keep my overall inventory of not just knives but all kinds of "stuff" to a minimum. I kinda like to feel like Im going through life travelling light. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> But I still maintain that there's nothing wrong with having toys. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

It's true... you can't deny the fact that they are around and spreading like a disease because people shop there and give them money. If they weren't making money they wouldn't be around too long.

I have about 40-50 knives, with about 20 of them being SAKs. I'm kind of a collector, but even with this many I have been thinking of getting rid of a couple of the ones I don't like.


Robert

My wife complained once that I had too many tools until I remodeled out kitchen with them (made all the cabinets myself too).
Nothing wrong with a collection of knives, people collect things like Beanie babies or baseball cards so a knife collection should be fine.

The difference with collecting knives and beanie babies is pple's perception of "acceptable" collectables. Beanie babies are cute... whereas knives are dangerous weapons to them. So who would want a bunch of weapons in their home right? IMO the only thing dangerous is their ignorance.

A couple of years ago our family was perusing various Suttler?s wares at an 18thcen market fair. At one of the tents, I eyed a crooked knife, which I had just had to have. My wife quite loudly asks, ?How many knives do you need?? without blinking an eye, the Suttler answered for me ? ?one more then he currently has?.

?One more? is now my standard answer, whenever she asks - How many (fill in the blank) flashlights, knives, first aid kits, etc. do I need?<img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Good thing she has a good sense of humor, she needs it, living with me.

Pete

Read the country of manufactue on Beanie Babies. That is true danger.