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As your taste in knives changed ?

R.c.s

R.c.s

Joined
Dec 23, 2013
Messages
1,530
I got my first knife when i was about 6 it was a 2in penknife with a pic of a dear on it this was in 1974 when in briton ther were lots of shops that sold knifes and every time we whent out for the day or on holidays i got a new knife these were folding knives with no locks on them and most had a pic of some sort on them . Then when i was about 13 i got in to the ninjer thing and rambo knives and had butterfly knives and knives with surviviel bits in the handles . I whent in the army when i was 16 and started to collect military issued knives i got them from swapping kit and other stuff . Like the usmc ka-bar and commando knife am kukri and bayonets and lots of others . When i came out my wife at the time hated them in the house so they hand to go i still had a couple of knifes left . Some lock and some sak . But i stopped buying them for a long time . Then about 17 years ago a friend of mine whent to finland on holiday and brought me back a fixed blade knife with a curly berch and bone handle . This started me of in a new direction with my collection. the knifes i like today Are wood or bone or antler with differant tipes of blades . I still appreciate military knives but it is.nt what i buy any more . So i am asking as your taste changed . Mybe its when you came on bf or when someone gave you a knife that was not your taste at the time . Or like me you got old lol
 
I've just want more expensive knives now, but really didn't have too many knives as a child other than a crkt folder.
 
I can honestly say that my taste has not changed in the 57 years I have been here. It has always been the biggest folder I could stuff into my pocket. It wasn't until the late 80's and on that the knives started to become more "pocket friendly" with pocket clips. And a recent trend has seen some mainstream companies produce some really big folders. I cutrrently carry a folder with a 4.5" blade and think nothing of it. I have another folder coming that sports a 4.6" blade, a Spyderco Szabo, and will have no problem carrying it. Guess the bottom line is I have not changed my knife preferences, and I doubt that I will.
 
I went from switchblades to European folding knives. I love the art, the character, the histories and stories of European folders. Capucins, Resolzas, Laguiole, Le Thiers, Opinel, Douk-Douk, Mercators... I love 'em all. Military knives bore me.. I like the simple yet beautiful lines of these Euros. I love the Okapi from South Africa too.
 
My interests seem to shift with every thread I read on this forum.

I've been a mid-sized modern folder guy forever but have brief surges of small traditional folders and more recently mid-sized fixed blades. We'll see what next week brings.
 
I started with slip joints as a kid as probably many of you did. Things pretty much stayed the same for years with the only change being a slightly better (Case or Schrade) knife choice that fit my growing hands better. Then it was bigger fixed blades which I have pretty much come to the conclusion that I have little practical use for them other than to play with and fondle. Now I have been interested in better smaller and medium sized fixed blades (3-6" mostly, with an occasional 7") and a mix of traditional and modern folders. The trend for me is toward traditional folders more an more as they really appeal to me and work perfectly well using for EDC cutting chores. The main thing is that I like a four finger knife that fills my hand for most things and my choices reflect that in the last year or so.

I also like machetes a lot and find them immensely practical for chopping in my part of the world.
 
My favorite knives are fixed blades with decent steels and terrific wood grips. I started buying one or two for a relative's gift and then forgot to stop buying them. I have probably ten now and only one son-in-law who would use one.
I only carry a folder for EDC.
 
I' a newbie. I've only enjoyed EDC a knife as of March of 2013. It was very easy to soak up information due to BF and you tube though. In that time I've been able to narrow down my likes in knives if that counts as changing.

Traditionals - This is a tough one. I have learned that outside of the trapper pattern and little pen size blades which are the two perfect traditionals for me; I have no interest in other traditionals. This is due to those two patterns working really well for me functionally. I appreciate sodbusters and other pen knives though. But outside of this I don't feel an allegiance to any brand although I am drawn to Buck's and Rough Riders. The truth is I like moderns as well unfortunately and enjoy traditionals for their compact carry and excellent slicing abilities. I like Opinels too but I put them in a separate I don't know class. All I know is they cut awesome.

After trying out various steels to date VG10, 440C and S30V are my favorite steels. Solid balance of edge retention and ease of sharpening. I like 154CM as well just not as much as the 3 that I mentioned, I find it harder to sharpen. I'm quite ok with 440a too. Maybe I was lucky to get some decent HT'ed versions I don't know. I know its a low budget steel in the realm of steels but I like it for it's easy going, easy to maintain stainless usefullness.

I like knives with about a 4" handle and a 3" blade. And the top production knife Companies all have solid renditions of one hand opening EDC's. Neck knives rock. And I would love to love giant choppers but to date I haven't found a use for them as I run a small hand axe to do wood processing when I camp. I don't feel that I need to change that anytime soon and appreciate smaller knives in general.
 
As a child up till now first I bought knives based on looks, then bought them for quality, fit and finish and what not, nowadays as I've learned sharpening and the utilities, I've begun buying knives for them super steels, as I feel I am mature enough to tell the difference, it really is a fascinating arena to learn about
 
I still collect what I have collected for the last 40 years. I carried the same knife for 15+ years before making a change (got a new one of the same model), went another 15 years before changing and then only minimally and haven't really changed for the last 12 years.

I started out with some old, small traditional folders, Imperials, Camilluses (Camilli?), Uticas. They were already old and well used when I got them in the early 60s, as they had been the EDCs of my father and maternal grandfather They never used the phrase 'EDC" - they just said "My knife." and carried it everyday.

Got my first fixed blade around age 11 or 12. Carried folders and the fixed on many a boy scout camp out, 2x to Philmont and 1x to the Charles L Sommers Wilderness Canoe Base at Ely MN, (in the late 60s/early 70s, before the PTB in scouting got a bug-up about fixed blades).

I got a Buck 110 for Christmas 1969 and carried that Buck 110 as my only EDC knife all through HS/college and 7 years of active duty w/ the Navy. I replaced it with a 1984 model and carried that for the next 16 years of active/reserve time and beyond, until I replaced it with a Bucklite 482.

After I left the corporate work place in 2001, I started carrying a Kabar 1232 fixed and the 110. When the Bucklites came out, I replaced the 110 with the Buck 482 for the reduced weight and pocket clip.

I'll rotate something else in for the 1232 every now and then, but not often and carry the 482 and a 484 as well, everyday.

Started collecting "sharp, pointy objects" in 1976 while still in college - Western and Kabar fixed blades, bayonets, and MK1s and MK2s.

My collecting remains as before, Western/Kabar/military, but has slowed down to
1) items desired to complete a series,
2) something unique I have never seen before (like today - I got a 1940s/1950s Western Shark that has GREEN wood for the handle.)
or
3) in better condition than what I have.
 
flatblackcapo said:
Yes, it has changed. I use to like tactical type knives and now I just like knives.
Click to expand...

I agree. Only really care for what could be seen as a couple of 'tacicals' at this point in my tastes. OHO, and over 3" blades. I've always had a soft-spot for SAKs, and find that I feel I am missing something w/o one (usually my magnifier or scissors, LOL). In trads, I'm like multi-blade stockman, or jack/trappers of some sort.
 
I think that my tastes have probably stayed the same, but the amount of knives I have been exposed to has just increased in width and depth. I have just refined my selection.
 
My taste is changing. But it's getting narrower. I love big folding knives but I don't like how they carry in the pocket. I'm leaning toward slim, with good ergo's 2 half to 3 half inch blades.
 
I've only been collecting/into knives for a couple of months, so my taste in knives is probably still very "unrefined" - I've noticed, in regards to "knife tastes", that occasionally I might look back on a knife/design/style that I didn't care for or like, and actually appreciate it/like it.

I do like a lot of the designs that people here would probably classify as mall ninja stuff, but I don't collect or like knives for their potential as a weapon -- in fact, a knifes usage, or potential as a weapon is something I don't even consider when it comes to determining whether or not I like that knife; it's the design, steel, and (Probably.) a little bit of brand and marketing.
 
I started with Benchmades and Spydercos not really knowing what I liked, only just that I liked them. I owned no fewer than twenty different BMs and Spydies, just trying everything that caught my eye and wanting to get a feel for a lot of different blades. I started progressing through higher-end production knives and mid-techs and really started figuring out what I like and what I don't.

I've always loved the Japanese aesthetic and style ever since I was a kid so I guess I naturally started to gravitate towards traditional Japanese blade shapes. I tried getting on Burnley's books but he closed them about two weeks before I contacted him. He suggested looking up Pohan Leu and that's exactly what I did. I got my first custom from Po and have been expanding on that since, mostly small fixed blades. I've come to the conclusion that for me, the perfect folder is a full Ti, IKBS framelock flipper...that I already have.

I've sold off all of my other blades because they just didn't do anything for me anymore (except my Edmondson pocket cleaver, that thing isn't going anywhere). I can confidently say that I've found my niche and I don't see it changing at all. I've spoken with a lot of different guys that have dedicated their lives to the art of Japanese blades. I've learned a ton and I'm excited to continue learning. There's an overwhelming amount of information on something that has it's roots dating back to the 10th century.

Looking back on my journey into the knife world and seeing where I've ended up, it all just feels like natural progression, nothing forced. I really enjoy focusing on one specific style, it allows you to appreciate the smallest details from piece ti piece that often go unnoticed. I think it's amazing to see different makers' interpretation of the style and I'm always on the lookout for new things.
 
I got into knives near the end of high school and looked for ergonomic/efficient knives. I really liked the geometric variety of Spyderco. Over time I decided that ergonomics are limiting and simpler knives are better. I went from back locks to axis to liner to frame locks; g-10 to plastic to titanium, big heavy choppers to smaller tactical fixed blades to moras.

Most of the knives in my small collection are Ti frame locks or mora style fixed blades.
 
Lately, I have gone from high $$$ customs and mid-techs ($500-$1000+) range to $100-$150 Spydercos, Mora's and Condor Machetes. Don't get me wrong, I still have a few customs, CRK's Busse's and such, but I seem to get much more joy lately from a Carbon Fiber / ZDP -189 Stretch than I did from the lg Sebenza that has stayed home for a while. I have also had a bunch of fun with a Condor Village Parang, Pack Golok and Engineer Bolo (total price for all three = less than $200). I feel zero guilt beating the snot out of them vs babying a $1,300 Rockstead or Busse B11 and worrying if they get lost / damaged / stolen.

I love great design, quality materials and amazing craftsmanship. I will always end up purchasing anything I desire, however, for the first time in my life, I understand how value fits into the equation.
 
My interests are always the same, but what I buy varies quite a bit to try new items.
 
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