word usage - Collection vs Set

I was wondering if it's wrong to say 'a set' instead of 'a collection'.

• I have a set of stamps.



• I have a collection of stamps.


• I have a set of sounds that we can use.


• I have a collection of sounds that we can use.


• I have a set of weapons.


• I have a collection of weapons.

I think that 'a set' mostly means an exclusive collection or a list of things.

Answer

In this context, the word set implies that there is some kind of relationship between the items that are part of it. It could mean either that

• there are only a limited number of different ones (for example pokemon cards)


• they are all in the same style or pattern (a set of cutlery, a set of spanners)


• you need all of the items to do something (a Lego set, a tool set, a chemistry set).

A collection, on the other hand, does not imply any kind of relationship between the items: they simply belong to one person or are in the same place. You could talk about an art collection (owned by one person) or a collection of junk (in one place).

Of the examples that you suggested (stamps, sounds, weapons), collection would work with all of them. Set might work as follows:

• stamps a limited edition of twelve special Christmas stamps and you had all of twelve them.


• sounds I can't really see this


• weapons a sword, dagger and shield made by the same armourer and bearing the owner's coat of arms. Fantasy gamers might talk about a weapon set in the same way as a carpenter might talk about a tool set, but that's a rather specialized usage.

Some firearms are available in pairs (shotguns, dueling pistols), but I don't think that two really constitutes a set.

If there is a set (for example Pokemon cards), you can collect items from the set, and it remains a collection until you have all of them, in which case you can refer to it as either a collection or a (full) set.

If you buy a set of tools, you can't refer to it as a collection. If you collect rare 19th century tools, that could be a collection, but never a set: a tool set is a set because it's something that you use, not something that you keep in a display cabinet.