Can you make ugly knives and still be popular?

[golok]

This is a hypothetical question. Is there any person out there who is known for making ugly knives and yet is doing great business.

Seriously, is that such a person? If there is, I would like to know him and his knives!

 

[Steven Roos]

Yes! Chris Reeve!

Many people seem to think a plain sebenza is "ugly," but that didn't stop me from buying one!

 

[Sal Glesser]

Hi Golok. Sounds like another "Golok question" to me.

Spyderco has been accused of making "ugly" knives for the past 20 years. I guess we're doing ok business.

sal

 

[corwin99]

Mike Franklin, Farid, Spyderco...

 

[golok]

Ah ha, you got me there, Sal.

 

[Buzzbait]

Definitely Spyderco. My Spydies are ugly as sin, but work great.

 

[rev_jch]

spydies ugly?.....mmmmm...I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder!!! I happen to think they're beeeeaaautiful!!!

 

[frank k]

Spyderco for sure – bad for lookin at great for cuttin stuff.

 

[fishface5]

Although I happen to like the looks of many spydies, I agree w/Corwin, I immediately thought of Farid & then Mike Franklin. Shudder. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

 

[Double Edge Dave]

Lacy Szabo has to warrant at least an honorable mention Have you ever seen an UUK? Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder and lord knows there are enough ugly forumites
Ugly Dave

 

[RH]

Most spydies are butt ugly, but the ugliest (ones with biggest humps) are in fact the most functional.

Rekat had a few "winners" too.

 

[Grapevine]

When I started buying more quality knives rather than Chinese ripoff POS, I resisted Spydercos for the longest time because I thought they were ugly. But boy I do love my Mini-Dyad and my Delica.

 

[tonyccw]

Phil Hartfield's stuff was consider very ugly and poorly finished way back when. Not goinf to argue about his popularity.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

My Spyderco Wegner, Gunting, Mini-Dyad, and Perrin aint considered to be real aesthetically pleasing, but damn, if they aint well loved!

Szabo definitely gets an honorable mention, even if I would own every knife on his site if I were wealthy...

There's also a real no name maker I've seen just about once or twice around here named Mick Strider, his knives are ugly too, but still have quite the following. ONE DAY I WILL OWN ONE!!!

I like to think that us more avid knife enthusiasts at least HAVE the ability to understand "purty is as purty does" Even if we sometimes fail to exercise it.

Personally, I think there will ALWAYS be room for "ugly knives" Imagine how "ugly" the first folding knife must have been...Ugly is often considered anything that's outside the norm. To evolve is naturally to push outside of that norm, which means making UGLY KNIVES.

I will now declare it in front of God and everybody...

I LOVE UGLY KNIVES!!!!

 

[flava]

What are you guys talking about? Spydies are cute.

 

[MercuryHayze]

the straight up E line is Ugly w/ a capitol U, awsome knives though.

 

[Duck]

I'll burn in hell for this but ive always hated the looks of Ed Fowlers stuff...

 

[wolfmann601]

As long as ugly does not effect function.......But if 'ugly' means poorly finished, poorly ground, poorly designed, and with generally bizarre geometry you cannot be popular unless you are only selling to your relatives.

none mentioned already fit my definition of 'ugly'

 

[bob bowie]

Sure, ask Frost cutlery.

I found that some of my best proforming knives were plain/ugly. Their beauty is their functionality.

 

[JohnnyLightOn]

I owned only Spydercos for so long that "good looking" knives didn't even seem like real knives to me! The Spydies are so functional that I found beauty in their design.

Johnny