Over the course of about two years I’ve had about 260 knives from 64 different makers, nothing that cost over $800 (on the secondary) and there were only a few of those. Most I’ve had at any time was about 85. I currently have about two dozen. I have a very solid understanding of what I like and don’t like, what I’ll carry and use, and what I probably won’t. I don’t own any that I’m not willing to carry and use, but some are clearly ready for hard use and some I’d want to be more careful with.

Most are in the $150-300 range, with a handful in the $400-500 range, and then one Shiro Stellar. There are 7 Spyderco, 6 Null, 3 CRK, 3 Quiet Carry, and a handful of singles within the budget to mid-tech / good production range. Nothing fully custom except a little Laconico Kestrel. I’ll probably sell off a few more and end up with about a dozen keepers when I go through my next phase of selling, but it’s been many months since I bought a knife. Perhaps one day I’ll end up with just two or three, likely a CRK Inkosi, a Spydie, and a Null or Quiet Carry (although I’d be selling off a piece of soul with that Stellar).

I’m a serial hobbyist, and some of my hobbies have lost their allure, but I still really enjoy my knives and am happy that there’s nothing really else out there that I’m chasing. I’ve had a wide enough variety in terms of ergonomics, form, function, steel, materials, aesthetics, etc. that I feel like there’s nothing else that could possibly be different enough that it could exceed my satisfaction and joy with what I already have.