Anyone ever been embarrassed about fellow knife enthusiasts?

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I wonder if it's just more of a middle-age thing than a knife thing.

As soon as I hit my mid 20's it started to get a LOT more difficult to keep a handle on my weight. I remember eating 2-3 Double Double's at In-N-Out, and wondering why I couldn't seem to gain any weight.

Then I packed on 30lbs when I quit smoking. I've been trying to keep it off with regular exercise, but I'm still 5'8 hovering around 185-190.

Enough about me, I'm using personal testimony to illustrate what happens to guys when they start approaching 30. I could see it being really easy to continue packing on the pounds. It sneaks up on you.

Pretty soon you--the hypothetical you--is still into the same hobbies:they knives, cars, or what have you. BBut suddenly it's "Hey, look at the creepy fat guy!"


I could see being embarrassed by some knife owners. Especially the stereotypical Mall Ninja type mentioned a lot on here.

But again, there are embarrassing people in all walks of life, and they all have hobbies!
 
Imagine on the news "Knife addictions leading to weight gain", there are plenty of people that are overweight and love knives, but there are also plenty of underweight and fit people who love knives aswell.
 
I haven't read this whole thread but it reminds me of the question that popped into my head the first time I saw the Cold Steel knife fighter guy. He just seems a bit robust to be a spokes person for knife fighting. Who knows he may be able to hack us all up in a blink of an eye and maybe it's just my Americanized eyes but he does not look the part
 
This is a VERY out of the ordinary thread. A lot of good observations have been made but one I did not notice, is that obesity is a huge epidemic with our entire population. Not just knife collectors.

My observation based on my experience, is that for the most part, knife collectors are a great group of people. If anything about going to shows and being around collectors needs improvement it is women collectors! We need MANY more of them! I have noticed that when at a show and look around, there are very few women?

It is very easy to generalize and sterotype people, but I am very much of a people watcher when at places where there are crowds, or a lot of people such as airports. There are MANY more, large, out of shape people than those that are fit! I attribute it to the instant gratification, impulsive, throwaway society that we have evolved into.

Fitness has been an important part of my life, and because of that, I can't help but notice how obese the general population has become.

Peter
 
enderwiggin said:
Enough about me, I'm using personal testimony to illustrate what happens to guys when they start approaching 30. I could see it being really easy to continue packing on the pounds. It sneaks up on you.
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Heck, at 32 I'm twice as strong as at 21, with 15 pounds more muscle! Hooray for me!:)
 
Im not a skinny man by no means but I have a reason. I got sick about 2 1/2 years ago and I am still pretty much not active because of this. I have gained weight but I do try to excersise when I can. I live with alot of pain so I do what I can. Its funny because that is how i discoverd bladeforums because I was stuck in the house and got bored and found this site. I do wish I was slim and trim again and healthy like I use to be but due to my health problems Its just not happening. I was really healthy not to many years ago. I worked in Law Enforcement most of my life and then I got sick and just like that my life changed. Be thankful for your health. Not every one that is fat is because of lazyness. Everyone has there own problems so I try not to judge. You can lose your health in a matter of seconds. I collect knives and talk to you guys on this forum because I have no freinds now. When I got sick my freinds over time just went on with there life. Thank God I have you great people.
 
Wildone39 said:
Im not a skinny man by no means but I have a reason. I got sick about 2 1/2 years ago and I am still pretty much not active because of this. I have gained weight but I do try to excersise when I can. I live with alot of pain so I do what I can. Its funny because that is how i discoverd bladeforums because I was stuck in the house and got bored and found this site. I do wish I was slim and trim again and healthy like I use to be but due to my health problems Its just not happening. I was really healthy not to many years ago. I worked in Law Enforcement most of my life and then I got sick and just like that my life changed. Be thankful for your health. Not every one that is fat is because of lazyness. Everyone has there own problems so I try not to judge. You can lose your health in a matter of seconds. I collect knives and talk to you guys on this forum because I have no freinds now. When I got sick my freinds over time just went on with there life. Thank God I have you great people.
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Kinda puts things in perspective, in an otherwise potentially nasty thread:confused: wonder why the OP hasnt checked in to see how his thread has blossomed:( over 2,000 views
ivan
 
Kinda puts things in perspective, in an otherwise potentially nasty thread wonder why the OP hasnt checked in to see how his thread has blossomed over 2,000 views
ivan
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Because he's a TROLL... Nuff Said!!!
 
This is a great thread, and I am glad someone had the guts to bring it up, no matter how misdirected or non PC some people may think it is..

But here is what I get embarrased about, I come across "some" knife guys who are pompas @sses. They think they are better than you, and often don't even give you the time of day. I sometimes see these guys in the positions of knife sellers, or purveyors, where they act no better than used car salesmen, and are often slippery than a snake.

Now, I took a long hard look at myself to see if there was anything I was doing to irritate these guys, but 3 or 4 other people told me they think these guys are jerks also.

This is not helping the knife community or its image.

I realize there is not much that can be done about these guys, except to never give these people your business... but...

The knife community is a small world, and I spend a lot of time in it, I just wish more people in this circle were friendlier and more sincere.

Sorry for the whining.
 
there is alot of truth to this thread, but as many have said before knife enthusiasts come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. the original post works just as well if you replace knife enthusiasts with baseball card dealers, imo
 
HattoriHanzo said:
This is a great thread, and I am glad someone had the guts to bring it up, no matter how misdirected or non PC some people may think it is..

But here is what I get embarrased about, I come across "some" knife guys who are pompas @sses. They think they are better than you, and often don't even give you the time of day. I sometimes see these guys in the positions of knife sellers, or purveyors, where they act no better than used car salesmen, and are often slippery than a snake.

Now, I took a long hard look at myself to see if there was anything I was doing to irritate these guys, but 3 or 4 other people told me they think these guys are jerks also.

This is not helping the knife community or its image.

I realize there is not much that can be done about these guys, except to never give these people your business... but...

The knife community is a small world, and I spend a lot of time in it, I just wish more people in this circle were friendlier and more sincere.

Sorry for the whining.
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Try and imagine on any given day how many less than intelligent knife shopping doorknobs your local knife dealer has to talk to. So many people walk in and ask the dumbest questions and then spend no money. A waste of time!!! Over the years these people become jaded. If you want respect from a dealer be ready to put up or shut up and do your home work before you get there. Alot of these guys are chatty cathy's but alot just want to do there job and sell you a knife. IF you know what you want????
 
soupah said:
First off, let me say that this post makes me sound like a jerk and a narcissist, plus I'm aware that it's a complete generalization and why should I even care? But...

Something has been bothering me lately, so I'll come out and say it: I can't help but notice that lot of the guys I've met over the years who are into knives are overweight slobs. I'm starting to be embarrassed to admit that I like and collect knives- not because I'm embarrassed of the hobby, but of the mental image a "knife enthusiast" label conjures up.

I've seen these knife guys at the sportsmans' shows, talked to them at the store counters while buying knives, and personally know some that are casual acquaintances. Almost all have big guts (even the younger guys) & poor muscle tone. The knife clipped in the pocket almost looks a little ridiculous, since the users seem to have physical limitations that would limit the effective wielding of a knife. My wife has met some of them occasionally and made the same independent observation. I'm not talking about the old timers, which seem to be in better shape than the youngins.

I'm no underwear model myself, but I try to keep fit and avoid the excessive use of stained flannel in my wardrobe. Maybe I'm being an elitist, but what's the deal? Anybody else notice this, or am I just imagining things?

ps- sorry to offend anybody here who is overweight, I'm just making an observation. I'm sure I have lots of personal shortcomings of my own.
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Sure do have a lot to learn don't ya sonny?
 
I've been here at the forum for some years now, though not the most active poster, and generally it's a great place.

But today I was disturbed to learn that a member who shall remain nameless (ren) does stuff with certain animals (gerbils) and I'm worried it might not have been consensual.
 
razorsdescent said:
iThis doesnt seem like a troll post to me..... i think its an honest question.
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I agree. I'm not a thin guy, yet I'm not one bit offended by the OP's post/question. In fact, I find it made for a rather interesting, reasonably polite discussion.

Regards,
3G
 
Benjamin Liu said:
It isn't knife collectors that do that, it is the media/government/educational system propaganda.
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They push it publicly, but quite often there's someone's stupid actions that set it off. Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending them (either group). But the media/government/etc gets a lot of ammunition to go after knives because of idiots being stupid.

They've been at it long before "tactical" knives became popular with some knife collectors, and certainly before people started posting on knife-related forums.
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Of course. But at the same time, things are worse in a lot of ways (and continuing in the wrong direction) now than they've been in the past. A hundred years ago, a knife was considered a tool first, and no one blinked if you carried a knife. Now they're banned outright in many places (usually without much logic behind the ban), and frowned upon in most places.

I also don't know where people go to see all these guys with "tactical" knives making all knife collectors look bad, or overweight knife collectors. I occasionally see guys with folders clipped to their pockets or one in a belt case like with the Buck 110, but in my everyday life I don't see these people posters like to complain about.

Where does all this stuff take place? Not that I'd want to hang out there, but maybe just stop by to see what all the fuss is about.
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I saw it in a guy at Cabela's who wanted to check out some of the knives when I was there. The first thing he did was grab the biggest "tactical" knife he could, and start swinging it around. You see it in the mall ninjas. You see it here when posters are asking for help finding a 12" knife (blade length) for an EDC.

And for a more up-close example, I've seen it at work. I've carried a pocket knife for almost 20 years, and I've worn one daily to each of my past 7 jobs. I've never had a major problem with it. My boss also carries a pocket knife. A few weeks ago, a co-worker of ours decided he was going to carry a pocket knife, since we were. He came in with a big, cheap, 'tactical' knife that had a half-serrated tanto blade painted black. The blade is just over 6" long. Oh, yeah, we work in an office environment. And, since he's gotten it, he's taken every opportunity to whip it out in the flashiest (and most obnoxious) manner possible.

Now, I've started hearing rumblings from other people that they're uncomfortable with the knives all over, and they're starting to push for a new policy banning pocket knives at work. This is the kind of "knife is a weapon" knife collectors/enthusiasts that annoy me. Specifically because their actions impact me.

BTW, people who use American tantos have found uses for them that have nothing to do with fighting. I like using the 2nd point as a smaller blade.
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I don't honestly have a problem with tantos. In fact, I have a knife that I love that has an American tanto-style blade (SOG X-42 AutoClip). I also have a couple of knives that are serrated, and even one that has a black blade. I don't have a problem with any of these individual attributes. It's when they're specifically merged together, along with the name 'tactical', enlarged to ridiculous proportions, and then described purely in terms of fighting (hey there, Dark Ops!) that I think they're rediculous. And then the immature or silly people get a hold of them and make the rest of us look like raving psychos.
 
I'm finally checking in on this thread...to be honest, after I saw some the responses I felt bad enough about my OP that I just kind of checked out for awhile and let the discussion run its course. I am not a troll, FWIW- it should be evident from the efforts I put forth to suggest that this was a worthy discussion topic and remain as equanimous as possible.

On that note, it was wrong of me to be so judgmental. My apologies to those of you that I offended, and my thanks to those of you who contributed (except to Scraphogg- you, sir, are a complete idiot).

I will rethink my attitude towards physical appearance and adjust accordingly...change starts with the self.
 
There ya go.
A respected forum member said:
"I came for the knives & stayed for the people."
 
(except to Scraphogg- you, sir, are a complete idiot).
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maybe so, but i only bite when poked. so don't poke and you get bit. you made a conceited comment about an entire group of people based on physical looks. you may be contrite now that you have heard from other posters but too late too little for me. you go ahead and be sorry and start with "yourself" good call. me i stand by my original post "idiot" or not...
 
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