Aesthetics of benchmade v spyderco v CRK v Striders v others

[pleeho]

hi, I'm been mostly a reader here but I'm very curious about personal/subjective perspectives on various high-quality knives. I've noticed how so many knifenuts seem to mention how "ugly" Spydercos are or how some don't like the looks of Benchmades or Striders or whatever.

I like how certain knives "feel" in the hand, especially the high-quality workmanship/build-quality of certain knives, the ergonomics of other knives, but I think the "look" or visual appearance of certain knives certainly don't always accord with the hand feel of the knife. Examples: personally the SNG Striders and Sebenzas or Umnumzaans look visually ugly/awkward, yet I agree the feel of the knives bespeaks quality. Benchmade Griptilians and 940 Osbornes similarly are visually awkward/ugly, yet feel better in the hand. For me Spyderco millie/paramillie, endura/delicas, salt/pacSalts all "look" beautiful and are beautifully ergonomic in the hand, though perhaps without oozing quality workmanship in its "feel" the way CRKs might.

My overall knives of choice are Spydercos - the Endura/Military-type design feels great in the hand ergonomically, the light weight is fantastic, the blade design is absolute perfection. The overall "look" is so beautiful aesthetically that it makes me want to bite myself - I can't figure out how anyone can't see the beauty of these knives, yet find the rough/awkward look of a Strider or a Benchmade Grip appealing.

 

[Ankerson]

The Spyderco forum is here.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=726

 

[wongKI]

I like the looks of some Spydercos, like the Kiwis, Kopas, Military and Manix.

Most others are butt ugly, but feel great.

I also find lots of Benchmades ugly, except for the Rukus, 710, Skirmish and AFCKs.

 

[5.56]

Becareful over at the Spyderco forum, I went there, and now all of my knives have to have a round hole opener.

 

[berserk87]

For years I thought Sypderco models were the ugliest knives in the world. I couldn't understand why someone would want to carry one, nor could I comprehend all of the hype.

That was until I actually held and handled a few, and then the quirks that made them previously seem ugly made sense.

Now many of their models are my new frame of reference for coolness in a knife.

The funny thing is, several other more conventional designs now seem either boring, or not as functional to me.

I still like many other knifemaker's designs, but Spyderco has become my favorite in terms of number of "gotta haves". I think the standard of "beauty" for me followed function as my tastes evolved.

 

[orthogonal1]

...

Examples: personally the SNG Striders and Sebenzas or Umnumzaans look visually ugly/awkward, yet I agree the feel of the knives bespeaks quality. Benchmade Griptilians and 940 Osbornes similarly are visually awkward/ugly, yet feel better in the hand...

So what is so "visually ugly/awkward" about the knives mentioned?

Beyound the Striders, Sebenzas, Grips, and the 940 are pretty sleek in visual attributes.

 

[SHADOW84]

So what is so "visually ugly/awkward" about the knives mentioned?

Beyound the Striders, Sebenzas, Grips, and the 940 are pretty sleek in visual attributes.

+1 the 940 series are very sleek and elegant looking IMO (certainly better than most spyderco models.. ) and serves very well in a EDC situation..

 

[Mark J]

I was not a big fan of Spydercos precisely because of the hole/hump profile. It kept me from buying one for many years. Then I finally broke down and got a Delica and loved it. I've sort of gotten past the aesthetics at this point, but they're still far from my favorite in the "looks" dept. Undecorated Sebenzas are boring to look at, but not ugly IMO. Of course in both the Spyderco and CRK cases, the quality more than makes up for the aesthetics. YMMV

- Mark

 

[Odds]

It's funny how we are all different. I like Spyderco knives but don't care much for their looks. In contrast with the OP the knives he thinks are ugly and awkward I find visually appealing. To each their own.

 

[harkamus]

I will not go into detail regarding the makers that you listed, but I will say that I find beauty in symmetry, which is why I will not own most framelocks unless they have some kind of scale covering most of the lock bar (like Mnandis, some of the knives Kirby Lambert makes, gold class Benchmade mini Skirmish, etc.). Regarding the actual look of the knife, I'm a mixed bag. I like knives that are rugged and can take hard work, like Zero Tolerance, Strider and Crucible Forge. I also like elegance like the Mnandi or the Burger Exkelibur, the latter of which has a unique opening feature akin but not quite like that of a flipper. I also like simplistic looks like the Todd Begg Glimpse (I'll have to commission one of his linerlocks but where both scales are identical instead of the pocket clip scale having a different pattern to make room for the actual clip). What thread is complete without pictures?

All pics are taken from their respective owners websites.

<---Begg Glimpse:. Note, I am not that big a fan of damascus steels...and I wouldn't get any unless the price were the same as the other steels.

<---my 0350 with custom scales.

Strider EBDB (not from Strider's homepage...couldn't find it listed)

Burger Large Exkelibur (LEXK)

Darrel Ralph HTM Gunhammer bowie...has a freaking .095 inch titanium lock bar, which is bigger than quite a few framelocks.

Brian Tighe Coon...button lock

Not posting the Mnandi or Mini Skirmish...we've all seen those.

 

[LUW]

Most Spyderco folders are ugly IMO, varying from ugly to butt ugly. Benchmade's folders, on the other hand, are very pretty, varying from nice to even gorgeous. Still, I honestly can't say which of these two brands I like the most (being the Military my favorite folder ever - I'm a confessed fan boy).

So it's not just looks. Looks are important, but quality, overall design, ease of use and materials play a BIG part in making a folder nice or bad.

 

[A.P.F.]

Obviously I like the looks of my Spydies, but I guess that I am not that brand myopic, because some of the most beautiful knives I have seen are Striders and Sebenzas. We are fortunate to live in a world where we have such a great diversity of knives. It seems a shame not to take advantage of that fact.

 

[Dagon]

I think that, between the classic Spydercos, the Military and the Caly 3 look really good: purposeful, elegant in a way (even the Military), no-nonsense. I'd also add the G10 flat ground Endura, but it's relatively rare.

 

[Thalestin]

I personally love how sebs and striders look. Also like quite a few benchmades. I have grown to really appreciate spydercos as well. It comes down to personal preference. Your opinions are very different than mine, and thats just because you have different taste.

Im sure our choice in women would likely be different as well. Doesnt mean we both dont like hot girls, we just like different hot girls :thumbup::thumbup:

 

[Vivi]

If you asked me before I was "into" knives, I'd say Benchmades look better than Spyderco. Now it's the opposite. I look at Spydercos and I see such purpose-built design. It's rare on a Spyderco to see anything added for the sake of cosmetics, function is always superior in consideration. Not saying other companies don't design this way, but Spyderco is such a consistent example of this design philosophy. For the record I think Benchmade designs many functional knives too, I just see a bit more focus on appearance from them. Good thing to some, so they have their market.

I have a strong dislike for "aesthetic" choices that compromise function. For example Kershaw bead blasts many of their folders, which turns a steel with exceptional corrosion resistance into a blade that will rust the first day I carry it.

I also see MANY knives designed to have "pretty lines," that might appeal to the eye, but as soon as you hold it your hand will tell you something is wrong. Those knives are not for me. I buy tools, not showpieces.

To me the beauty is in the function.

 

[dangreco]

Some Spydercos look all right, like the Caly 3, but some are ugly, like the Captain. I really like the look of Benchmades and some kershaws, too. But I think there's no prettier folder in the world than the Damascus Alias 1 with the dark blue handles.

 

[DrOpPoInT1110]

For years I thought Sypderco models were the ugliest knives in the world. I couldn't understand why someone would want to carry one, nor could I comprehend all of the hype.

That was until I actually held and handled a few, and then the quirks that made them previously seem ugly made sense.


I felt the exact same way about Spyderco's. I didn't like how almost all of them looked so damn similar. they also looked very "cheesy" to me (which is not the case at all). getting your hands on one just makes evrything "mesh". why there is a friggin hole in the blade, why they use such a similar blade shape on alot of their models (endura,delica, police,military etc.), why they use the frn...it all just works! i still beleive that Spyderco could work on their asthetics without losing functionality but i digress. other companies have much more asthetically pleasing/interesting designs, but they aren't comfortable at all. Personally, i think there are better knives out there that strike a great balance between ergonomics/functionality and are still asthetically pleasing but spydies are just so damn comfortable

 

[bh49]

I do not care about look of Striders. I like the look of CRK, I handled couple of them on the knife show and wasn't impressed with ergos. The same with Kershaws. I bought three of them, great look, but only one feels good in my hand.

Becareful over at the Spyderco forum, I went there, and now all of my knives have to have a round hole opener.

+1

Some Spydercos may be ugly, but I own about 70 gorgeous Spydies.