So.. how many knives do you have?

Many. 

Quite awhile.

210mm isn't long enough.

After six or seven, unless you're a butcher and/or do exotic cooking with traditional utensils you're just screwing around. 

If you think you're wasting money now, wait until you start collecting sharpening gear.

I not only strongly support screwing around, but live my truth.

BDL

I'm not sure. For chef's knives/gyutos, I suppose (only) 4.  One of them doesn't leave the cupboard much  -- it's my "breaker" and since I've been eating veggie, don't have much call for it.  I'm even ok with using my CarboNext for butternut squash and kabocha.  No problem, actually.

(I have the same knives as you -- though a longer CN -- and also a Yoshihiro/Gesshin Uraku 270mm.  I lust after several others -- also like you -- but have run out of cash for just knife-lust without particular practical need).

Sharpening gear is another Acquisition Syndrome, as BDL mentions.  I had an inexpensive combo-stone that was serving me ok.  Bought a coarse (an expensive one).  Then over the course of a year, a medium and a high(er) to replace the combination.  Cost a fair amount.  And also have the DMT XXC plate for flattening.  (And some smaller DMT's for "lapping" -- made for skis, from what I understand).  And of course I *want* an Gesshin 8000 grit stone.  Don't have anything that high, yet.  But that might be the next one.  Before another knife.

The knives I lust after are pricey or very pricey.  Not much between.  But I also feel like I'm not a good enough sharpener to go "very pricey" yet.  So... stone lust, and more practice needed to justify such a thing.  And really, with my skill level, the Sab Nogent (which I had first) would have been plenty anyway.  Still, there's a Kochi out there, and a Gesshin Heiji out there... and a Zakuri, and a "laser" (one of the ultra thin Sakai Yusukes, or awaiting the new profile Gesshin Gingas....)  ALL of which I'd like for extra-necessary reasons.  But I want to be a better sharpener first.

I don't need a filet knife.  Have a bread knife that is plenty good (and never used!).  Good petties.  Or good-to-great petties.  Plenty-good paring knives.  And I don't core strawberries in-hand often enough to need higher-end paring knives. Which other than opening plastic packaging, is about all I do with them.  (For that, there's Forschner/Victorinox.  For strawberries there's a Nogent 3".  Barely touched).

I'd sort of *like* some more exotic knives, just to play with.  Like, I'd love to learn to use a Usuba properly.  But... don't see it happening.  So stones, and a bigger cutting board.

(The latest is also straight razors, which might require a 12,000 grit stone or something even more exotic.... but that's not in the budget....  Talk about "screwing around"!)

I think I've got 13 total, but five that I count as "nice."

The "nice" ones are a carbon petty, a stainless petty, a CCK cleaver, a Richmond Artifex gyuto (on the way), and a San Hang Nga heavier carbon cleaver. After being a cleaver guy for years, I'm getting the Artifex to see how I like gyutos.

Of the "not as nice," I've got a handful of Henckels (a paring that is a guest knife, a couple of serrated utility knifes, and a 6" chef- I find the utility knives and the "chef" pretty much useless, so they're looking for a new home). And, there's a truly awful stainless-steel Chinese "Sabatier" petty and a grocery-store serrated paring knife. For guest use, and I don't even care if they go into the dishwasher. Then a couple of smaller stainless cleavers (used to be my go-to knife, before I got interested in this stuff), and a carbon-steel cleaver at my parents' place for when I visit.

For me, the "core five" will probably be the "core six" at some point pretty soon, with the addition of a bread knife. So, it'll be slicer-cleaver, gyuto, heavy cleaver, carbon petty, stainless petty, and bread knife.

At some point, I'll probably get a nicer cleaver and a nicer gyuto. If I do, I'll probably clear out what I've got to make room. Unless my wife develops an attachment to the Artifex, in which case that will become her knife.

I've only been "into" knives for about six months, during which time I've bought five knives, but I think I've reached a nice plateau, and should be good for a while (aside from the bread knife). I'll just work on my sharpening skills. Some people are "collectors," but I'm not. I like to have stuff that gets used frequently. You sort of develop a relationship with it; you understand it fully.

John

All in all about 40

over 100 in my personal collection... and just as many stones if not more.

I recognize its a bad addiction at this point.  There was a point at which i sold a bunch, but now i'm back up to the same number and probably beyond.

Got quite a lot of knives and luckily it's difficult too find good knives here otherwise it would be a lot more, but not nearly as much as some of the above posters:

CarboNext gyuto 24 cm - like a lot

Forschner 21 cm - like

Victorinox 27 cm - no like, too big and too heavy for me

Global 21 cm - like

Global utility/petty - like

Fujiwara petty carbon - like a lot

Kiwi cleaver - like a lot

F. Dick utility/petty

Then a bunch of no name knives that I may or may not use occasionally (or take with me camping (although I normally use the forschner for that)). These consist of a heavy cleaver, another couple of chef's knives, a slicer or 2 and a serrated bread knife

But only one decent combi stone a 1000/4000 JCK.......

It's a slippery slope - I bought a couple of Shun knives, then a couple of Yoshihiros also in VG10,  But then I tried some Tojiro Shirogami knives and remembered what I love about carbon.  OK then came a couple of Tanaka's and a Yamawaku in blue steel and I just ordered my first Carter Sujihiki with a kuro-uchi finish.  So I've upped the ante somewhat, but I think I'm done for a while.  Or at least I hope so. 

Hmmmm...beyond counting, I imagine.  I have perhaps six or seven dozen kitchen knives, an another maybe 300-350 sporting/hunting knives.