Knife collecting is a hobby that includes seeking, acquiring, organizing, storing, and maintaining knives.

Knives remain one of the most basic and essential tools even in this modern-day and age. Since the time of the ancient civilizations, metal blades have been an essential key to human survival. We use knives for hunting animals, cutting meat and other items, and protecting ourselves. From war to cutlery, the knife as a tool has a rich history. The first knives were flints, sharp stones used for hunting boars and other animals. Today, there are hundreds of types of knives with various usage, design, and features. It has also become a hobby known as knife collecting.

The History of Knife Collecting

Throughout history, different peoples have had their knife history. The early civilizations usually lived in villages, farmed the land, and raised animals. In such an agrarian society, they also needed tools to help them work the land and harvest the fruits of their labor. The Scandanavians, for example, used an all-around knife called Seax. The Ancient Egyptians used the Khopesh. The 19th century Rome was a violent period and period would carry knives called “Santa Smacola, a curved dagger. By the 20th century, wars and conflicts have ushered in a new era for blades and knives. Bayonets, utility, and military knives were developed from all across the globe. Specialty knives used in cutlery and carving also evolved, ever-expanding the long list of knives for knife collectors.

“Knives have been collected by individuals since the 19th century, with formal collecting organizations beginning in the 1940s. The custom knife-collecting boom began in the late 1960s and continues to the present.” (Wikipedia)

There are many reasons why hobbyists collect knives. Some collect knives for their historical significance. Knives have played important roles throughout humanity’s history. Some collect the blades because of their artistic and aesthetic value. There are thousands of knife designs of different materials. Some of them are even adorned with ornaments or intricate patterns. Of course, while many modern knife collectors are into custom knife collections, some still collect knives because of their antique value. 

Although knives from the Bronze and Iron age are hard to find, others represent the long and rich history of knives, and they sure are valuable additions to any collection. From the 11th century, we have the Karambit (used by the people from West Sumatra. We also have the 16th century Kukri, used by the Gurkhas. The Dirk is a prized weapon of the Eastern Europeans. From the Middle East, we have the Pesh-Kabz. Modern knife collectors tend to lend towards acquiring Bowie knives, the French blade Douk-douk, the South American gem called the Faca, and modern blades, the Trenck knife and military combat knives.

Honing and Sharpening Knives

Of course, knife collecting is not complete without knowledge of how to keep it sharp and intact. Preserving a knife’s sharpness as well as its prized material is quintessential for any knife collector. In the old days, whetstones and leather strips were the common tools for sharpening blades. As the technology evolved, grinders, steel rods, and electric knife sharpeners became available. However, all these sharpening tools also tend to damage the knife slowly rip off the blade’s metal.

Some years ago, RC LeBeau developed a revolutionary knife sharpener used by most chefs, hunters, and knife enthusiasts. LaBeau’s Honer is a professional sharpening tool that uses nitride rods set at perfect 21 degrees. It can sharpen scissors, serrated knives, butcher knives, hunting knives and even restore the puncture power of fishhooks and arrows. It has flex and is easy to use. What makes this technology superb is that it’s also portable and lightweight. There is honor in honer with LeBeau’s unique product as it has a lifetime warranty, and the Nitride rods take five years to wear down.

For knife collectors, LeBeau’s Honer is the perfect partner to keep your knife collections sharp and protected. To know more about this fantastic product, visit LeBeau’s website for more amazing details.