My personal foray into the world of Art knives was unintentional. I saw a pair of knives here with the same theme in different materials, and bought them both, expecting to use one and give my wife the other. When they arrived neither would cut paper and both had uneven grinds that were very well mirror polished. I don't believe in knives that can't cut, so now both have had their mirror polish marred by me having to reset the bevels and sharpen edges. If I had known up front that they weren't meant to cut I would have asked the maker if he could change that aspect or not bought it. A friend from the arctic made an ulu in her jewelry class, fully quenched but not made to cut, and she explains it as such. That, I think is the difference in the art vs working debate- disclosure. If your knife isn't meant to cut them please let people know that upfront. Then there can be no hard feelings. If you are embarrassed to say that there is no edge then perhaps looking at your business model again should be a priority, as the bad taste left from a dissatisfied customer lasts a long time. I know the maker I bought from is a good guy from following his posts here, but will not buy from him again most likely because of my initial experience.
I collect what I call "Blue collar gold class" knives. Ones that I find good looking that will still perform alongside more pedestrian looking knives. The looks good:works well does not have to be an either
r situation IMO. If I pay a lot of money for a knife (for me), I better be able to use it as a knife.
Disclosure again is key here I think, Tai. I once commented on a knife you posted, asking what the perceived purpose/use of the knife was. As I perceived it, you rudely blew me off with a "if you don't get it I won't explain it to you" type of responce. I only wanted to know if you had an end use in mind/ if it was meant as a show piece of your creativity, or if it was a mixture of the two. The way you responded to me struck me as arrogant and dismissive, when I was honestly just trying to envision how you came about with the final product. Not that you need me as a customer, but that kind of remark stuck with me and gave me a bad taste about you as a maker, as you came off as an arrogant snob where your work is concerned. I understand that you are a proud artist, but (IMO) too many proud artists come across as arrogant jerks in many fields, while most of the more pedestrian artisans come across as humble common people. This perception can be further extrapolated toward the entirety of the more art based makers and sour an individual toward the entire genre. Now I haven't heard negatives toward Gil Hibben as a person (for example) and try not to judge a person based on their niche, but it takes conscious effort at times to realize when I start to become judgmental- and many people I've met are not as introspective.
I find common perception to be a dangerous thing- at times new makers spend much effort on getting their knives to look like a Hanson/Fisk/Loveless..... in terms of cleanliness, lines etc. rather than finding their own style, and other times trying to find their own style moreso than finding what makes a good working knife. I'm not sure where I stand in that spectrum, but try and balance both, as I find many of my favorite makers do. To me true success is when you have quality workmanship in a style that is clearly your own- no matter if you gravitate toward the artistic or the practical side.
Enough rambling, back to your regularly scheduled reading from people that know what they are talking about.....
