Buying knives by the way they look

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ONEEYEDJACK

Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Messages
9
Hello everyone very excellent forum.i have learned a lot.Does anyone here buy knives by the way they look as opposed to the way they perform,now I am talking about quality knives not cheap junk.I find that if a knife does not appeal to me cosmetically I will not buy it,anyone else?
 
My biggest considerations are blade steel and use, behind that is lock type, while I guess you could consider looks in with intended use I've never bought a knife just because of how it looked, its gotta have the whole package.

After you get your perfect EDC knife (for me my CF Sebenza) I really have to make sure I'll like a knife before buying it otherwise it won't get any pocket time.
 
Since all knives basically perform the same function, cutting things, even if with slightly different methodologies and philosophies, aesthetics play a very important role in which knives I choose to purchase. :thumbup:
Aesthetics of the overall 'flow' and design, aesthetics of color, aesthetics of materials... The visual attractiveness of materials is especially important to me when choosing traditional pocketknives.
 
First thing I look at is design then the steel. Cause if you don't like the way it feels or looks probably won't use it much. But both the steel and design are important to me.
 
Some of my purchases are driven by functionality, others by looks alone.

For instance, I really like the Protech Godfather so I bought one. I can't say it's useful to me at all, but I enjoy it a lot. On the other hand, I've got a few knives like the Spyderco Delica which I find ugly but really practical and use them quite often.

Luckily there are lots of knives which are both attractive form an aesthetic point of view and very good tools as well.
 
I'm more to the negative, I won't buy a knife because of its looks more than I will because of its looks. My number one is still function over form.
 
There are enough choices available that you should be able to find something that covers all of you needs and still appeals to you visually. Some people are happy with a mechanically sound car regardless of what it looks like while others take more pride in the appearance. Seems like you may fall into the latter category
 
I buy according to the maker of the knife, even if it is not a user, the value of the knife will hold if I decide to move the knife. Yes, I've bought beautiful knives that will only sit in a safe, but given the right time, will increase in value. I have CRK's that will never be used by me, I also have CRK's that I carry daily.
 
I'm only interested in knives that look good to me, but sometimes function will make its case, like the hump in the spine required to accommodate a Spyderhole. I used to not like them until I actually had to use one. After that, materials, design, and quality come into play. Customs are a good example of this. Almost all custom makers will try to use top-notch steel and materials, but I won't even bother to find out what they are if the knife doesn't look good to me.
 
The trick is to find the perfect balance between aesthetics and function that we all long for.

Barely there.:D
 
+1 to Birnando.
Function first. But since there are so many choices, you can afford to indulge aesthetics at the same time.

Only a few things need to be cut--paper, trees, rope, flesh. But 100,000 choices past and present to choose to do it with.
 
I buy based on how I think the knife will function. If it just so happens to look cool, that's a bonus, but not a deal breaker if it doesn't.

I have got ahold of plenty of knives that didn't appeal to me aesthetically that turned out to perform so well I didn't care. Perfect example: Al Mar Sere 2K. I thought it looked "dorky" in pictures I had seen. It looked like a dorky, little, long-handled, short-bladed, little peter pan wienie knife to me! (just look at it! Ugly as a mud fence if you ask me!) I got one in a trade and because of how well it functioned I fell in love with it. In person it is a looker too. It looks completely different in person than it does in pictures. It has been in my pocket for almost 14 years. Nothing has been able to knock it out of my pocket for more than a week or two.

You've got to give everything a chance - even if it doesn't appeal to your eye. It just might turn out to be the most fantastic knife you've ever used.
 
I try to go for both, but my taste changes as I learn. Function is more important than looks, but with all the great options out there I can usually find both. One knife I never liked the looks of was the PM2 (and the millie). I just thought they looked weird. After someone let me hold one(pm2) I was impressed enough to buy one because I liked the compression lock and its smoothness. It has grown on me considerably, and know I find my all black para2 quite aesthetically pleasing.
 
It depends on if I'm buying it as a "user" or for collecting purposes. If it's for the collection, it's going to have to have an interesting design. The manufacturer, materials and country of origin are factors too, but I don't make a point of collecting knives that I find boring or downright ugly. For getting actual work done, I believe in function over form, and I actually find that a knife that is comfortable to use and has a suitable blade and handle shape for its intended task is appealing in its own way.
 
I'd never buy an ugly knife. Looks matter to me in appreciating the knife.

Like many here, I have more knives than I need, so looks play a part in any new purchase.
 
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