Black blades and sheeple

Appearance has a huge impact on whether or not something looks "dangerous". The black handle looks "scarier" than the yellow one. The black blade might look scarier than the shiny one. People associate certain ideas or feelings with colors. If you ever watch Restaurant Impossible or cooking shows you'll see how important the appearance of the food and the restaurant are with how the customers feel about the place. The designers always make the restaurant brighter. They use bright colors and add more light to the space. It makes people feel more comfortable and at ease. I think the same thing goes for knives. Black handles are associated with crime or "scary" things. Bright colors are less scary.

I'd love to try out this theory with a black spyderco military and a yellow handled one. I bet people would be less scared of the yellow handled one even though it's still a huge knife. I bet if gun manufacturers had various bright colored guns people wouldn't be as scared of them.
 
Ankerson said:
Maybe you all will be lucky and she will go back to NY were she belongs.

Well you know they know everything about everything and are so worldly because they lived in NY. ;)

The NYers that live here..... OH GOD help me.... And one can really tell that's were they are from too. :rolleyes:
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Yep, she acts every bit of that. I'd do cartwheels if she packed up and headed home, or at the very least just got a job somewhere else. :D
 
RevDevil said:
Yep, she acts every bit of that. I'd do cartwheels if she packed up and headed home, or at the very least just got a job somewhere else. :D
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Sadly they do seem to be very predictable, at least the ones I have run into anyway.
 
Fanglekai said:
Appearance has a huge impact on whether or not something looks "dangerous". The black handle looks "scarier" than the yellow one. The black blade might look scarier than the shiny one. People associate certain ideas or feelings with colors. If you ever watch Restaurant Impossible or cooking shows you'll see how important the appearance of the food and the restaurant are with how the customers feel about the place. The designers always make the restaurant brighter. They use bright colors and add more light to the space. It makes people feel more comfortable and at ease. I think the same thing goes for knives. Black handles are associated with crime or "scary" things. Bright colors are less scary.

I'd love to try out this theory with a black spyderco military and a yellow handled one. I bet people would be less scared of the yellow handled one even though it's still a huge knife. I bet if gun manufacturers had various bright colored guns people wouldn't be as scared of them.
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This is the reason I bought a pink Izula. Of course, the small size and lack of any flicking open or other motions with negative connotations probably factor in as well - knife comes out of pocket, gets used for task, and is returned to the pocket. I think the act of flicking open a folder reminds people of switchblades and balisongs and kids playing with knives.
 
While we're on the subject of "intimidating" blades, would a waved knife be considered threatening to non-knife people? To me, even if it's pulled out in a non-threatening manner, a waved blade is more scary than an automatic because it's way quicker.
 
Hadji Flip Me Over said:
While we're on the subject of "intimidating" blades, would a waved knife be considered threatening to non-knife people? To me, even if it's pulled out in a non-threatening manner, a waved blade is more scary than an automatic because it's way quicker.
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Come on now, some people think of any knife, even a Buck 110 as a "switchblade", you really think they know what the wave is going to be used for? The fact is, some people have no knowledge of what a knife or does, etc. They just see them as weapons (1 of many possible funcrions). Yet the same people will more than likely not think twice if they see a Glock 19. People are strange that way, and they don't want to learn. The question is, do you force them to learn, or do you modify your behavior to preserve the peace?
 
Personally I always prefer a coated blade but I have both. At work I really havent noticed any difference in the way people react to either one. Most of those who work with me are cool and even ask to borrow my knives for opening things and what not, ive given blades as gifts to some of them and they carry and uzd them daily. A few years ago, we had a tax audit and those guys were in the office for about 2 weeks, on the first day one of them spoke out and asked who I was planning to kill, it was a black serrated endura, I just laughed and said ” what, this, I wouldnt use this to kill anyone, I'd use this, pointing to my ball point pen in my shirt pocket, yeah its a lot quicker and easier to hide, I just plunge it (now in my hand, click click, click click) into their juggular vein, stab, stab, hey ever see the movie Casino, the fluted barrel can bleed them out much quicker than this thing” he was horrified and speachless. Everytime i walked past that guy, id have my pen in hand, click, click click, click. I could see him squirm every time but he never mentioned the endura again.
 
Hadji Flip Me Over said:
While we're on the subject of "intimidating" blades, would a waved knife be considered threatening to non-knife people? To me, even if it's pulled out in a non-threatening manner, a waved blade is more scary than an automatic because it's way quicker.
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If I waved blade is pulled out in a non-threatening manner, it will not be waved out but rather pulled out with a finger on the spine and opened like a regular pocketknife. It's all about how you present and handle yourself and the knife. And in a lot of instances, keeping the knife in your pocket is the better part of discretion, no matter if the chance presents to use your uber tactical blade to cut a piece of string.
 
In my experience, folders that can be opened/closed one-handed, as well as most locking folders in general have the potential to make some people gasp when they see it. Coated blade or not, just the sight of such a knife can cause them concern. They're not as familiar with such knives, so they are more likely to think of them as weapons rather than tools. (Most people, at least in an urban office setting, don't carry knives nor have any concept of an EDC blade.) Traditional-style slipjoints, SAKs, and even multi-tools, which could potentially have a larger blade than your regular folder, tend to be the "safe" knives.

Context is important too. If I'm out in the field or in a warehouse cutting cables, breaking down boxes, etc., nobody really cares what knife I use. If I'm in an office opening a package around other office workers (think administrative staff types), I use my SAK, and nobody gives it a second thought.
 
RevDevil said:
Too true. A person I work with, likes to use scissors to open boxes. One day she wanted to open a box that had packing tape with the fibers inside it. She reached for some very pointy 6" office shears, in a stabbing motion, she hacked her way through the box. I watched as she had 2 near misses to her misection with the shears and finally cut her hand.

I did not pull my knife out at any point to help. She had previously attempted to insinuate to another coworker that I always carried a "weapon" while at work. I always used knives as a kid, growing up in this state it is not that far fetched an idea. This lady is from New York, has only been here for 3 years, and has decided to become the office taddle tale. To her, carrying a knife is unheard of, to the rest of us no one bats an eye. Knock yourself out with the scissors lady. ;)
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You know, sometimes that's what it takes. Learn the hard way why a knife is generally a better option for that. She doesn't sound like the type of person to have an epiphany on the subject, so maybe you need to help her reach that conclusion. It's bad now, but maybe in time, she'll come to understand what we understand about knife use. In the meantime, make sure to give her a big smile whenever you use your knife in front of her. She'll remember it when she accidentally cuts herself by misusing a pair of scissors and you ask, "How's that wound treating ya?".
 
I pulled out my all black srm710 at work to cut some shrink wrap and the new guy wen't woah that's awesome. Is that a kevlar knife?
 
DemonHide said:
You know, sometimes that's what it takes. Learn the hard way why a knife is generally a better option for that. She doesn't sound like the type of person to have an epiphany on the subject, so maybe you need to help her reach that conclusion. It's bad now, but maybe in time, she'll come to understand what we understand about knife use. In the meantime, make sure to give her a big smile whenever you use your knife in front of her. She'll remember it when she accidentally cuts herself by misusing a pair of scissors and you ask, "How's that wound treating ya?".
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I've always tried to be cordial and friendly to her, but things have a way of getting sideways in a hurry. If she is going to learn about knives, I hope someone with more time than I gets to show her.
 
After using my DLC Grayman Dua, a colleague asked to borrow a knife...I proceeded to hand over a cheap-o utility knife. - just thought I'd share that

Oh, DLC blades are awesome! They take wear quite well.
 
RevDevil said:
Come on now, some people think of any knife, even a Buck 110 as a "switchblade", you really think they know what the wave is going to be used for? The fact is, some people have no knowledge of what a knife or does, etc. They just see them as weapons (1 of many possible funcrions). Yet the same people will more than likely not think twice if they see a Glock 19. People are strange that way, and they don't want to learn. The question is, do you force them to learn, or do you modify your behavior to preserve the peace?
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It's funny you mentioned a Buck 110 being mistaken as a switchblade. A few years ago when I was on my first date with an ex, she bought a new set of headphones and asked if I had any scissors to cut open the package so I hand her my old Buck 110 and she asks why am I carrying a switchblade and gave me a weird look. Rather than risk freaking her out by going into detail explaining the difference between a folder and a switchblade, I just told her it was a "regular Swiss Army Knife" and she was OK with it. I waited a few dates before I told her about my small knife collection and when she saw a few of my larger fixed bladed knives, she looked at me like I was Ted Bundy. Eventually she just became indifferent to my knives but it was very amusing watching her initial reactions.

As for black coated blades, I really don't care one way or another as long as the knife itself is of good quality and performs it's intended purpous.
 
I think it needs to be more of a middle ground. We can't just ignore the people that react badly, because it is very easy to rewrite company policy, or even local laws to restrict use even further. Being in the military has taught me just how easy it is for one jackass to ruin it for everyone. New restrictions are added at the drop of a hat just so commander's can cover their asses. I imagine it is much the same at most civilian workplaces. It is much easier to justify restricting your knife access then allowing it when people are upset and complaining. You are almost guaranteed to be outnumbered by the "sheeple" that make/influence the rules more than you can.

At the same time, we need to show and use our rights in a positive manner to try to get it into people's heads that knives are useful and necesary tools in many ways. It is very easy for our rights to passively and slowly erode do to general apathy from the public. I am sure for the average person, it is more of them not caring enough to fight the restrictions on knives because they see them as completely unnecessary, than it is an aggressive push from rabidly anti-knife people that is the problem. Even if you can't convince someone to carry, you can convince them to think you should be allowed to carry if you want to.
 
I had a small incident just yesterday. A new coworker noticed the knife clipped in my pocket and said "Is that a knife in your pocket?". I said 'sure is'. She asked "Why do you have a knife in your pocket?!" I said 'because if I clipped it to my ear it would hurt and look really dumb." She looked at me for a second and started laughing. I never took the knife(American Lawman) out of my pocket and she stopped worrying about it. I only use a SAK while there and try to be respectable. I've received surprisingly little flak about knives considering where I work. (Large grocery chain....rhymes with 'soul dudes'.) Hell, I had a co worker who asked my advice for a $15-20 knife and ended up getting a Kershaw Half Ton. There are some characters who believe anyone who doesn't think exactly like they do is either stupid or mentally ill. Most people, though, if you are respectable and don't act like an a hole about your knives, won't give you problems.
 
The more timid (read:anti-fun) people I know are less opposed to my coated blades compared to my uncoated blades, one of them thinks my tenacious is more intimidating than my A100 which they thought looked elegant (true, but its definitely the more weapon oriented of the two IMHO). I think it has to do with the shiny blades appearing larger. Interestingly the same people are terrified of my yellow Tasman salt, which I actually think has a kinda happy Fugly look to it ;) . I also love that one of these guys went from thinking my La Griffe was harmless and a waste of money to being impressed with just how much you can cut with it as small as it is. Bear in mind these are friends who's opinion I asked forwhen we're shooting the S*$#

People are nuts :D
 
I carried a SOG Aegis for years everywhere I went. Maybe even high school? I don't remember. But I know I carried it my first two years of college and as I type this my Benchmade Ambush is riding shotgun (I'm a junior now). 99% of the time, nobody notices...but for that 1%, a ladybug as a backup never hurt anyone :P
 
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