Define Gentleman Folder ?

[HotRodColt]

I won't get my undies in a bunch if you disagree with me about my ZT 0452LE being a gentleman's folder, because it isn't!

For the record, I don't have one, but I would love to carry one in fancy clothes!

 

[Mobster1983]

After a recent career change from Army Infantry to wearing a suit around people who don't even know which end of a gun to point, I had to really look for a good gentleman's knife. I wanted something that was very well made, and looked sharp.

I settled on the William Henry after reading through much of these forums. I absolutely love this blade. Very well made and sharp (in more ways than one). It is a lot smaller than I expected it to be, and is a little small for my tastes, but the look and feel is better than I thought it would be so this has become my primary EDC.

 

[bld522]

William Henry knives epitomize the category of gentleman's knives for me. And yes, they are superbly built . . . right down to the category they themselves refer to as their EDC knives (the E-series). But there are many, many others . . . one of which is the Small Sebenza.

 

[mnblade]

I tend to think of it as anything that's a little on the fancy side and won't raise any eyebrows if needed to be produced at a wedding reception, cocktail party, business meeting, etc.

^ This.

And weight. You have to be able to tote it comfortable in suit pants.

I have a nice little Buck 527 that fits the bill nicely.

 

[bld522]

And weight. You have to be able to tote it comfortable in suit pants.

Thank you. Some people say that if you're not willing to carry a folder in your pocket that weighs a couple of pounds, you're a wimp! (I exaggerate, of course. But you get the point.) I refer to those folks affectionately as "brickheads" . . . lovers of the folding pocket brick.

I work in an office, so weight is a critical factor in deciding which knives I buy. I rarely carry a knife that weighs more than 4 ounces and I never carry them clipped to my pocket. If weight is the measure, I suppose you could say that practically my entire collection of folders consists of "gentleman's knives".

 

[Sunyata]

William Henry knives epitomize the category of gentleman's knives for me. And yes, they are superbly built . . . right down to the category they themselves refer to as their EDC knives (the E-series). But there are many, many others . . . one of which is the Small Sebenza.

Small sebenza and Gayle Bradley Air is my favorite dress carry

 

[bld522]

The Air is a wonderful knife. But with a closed length of less than 3.5", it's just too darn short to get a good grip on. Same with the CRK Mnandi. I need about a 4" handle to get a stable grip with my medium-sized hand and I really prefer a handle length of 4.25". The shortest knife I own is a Benchmade Sequel 707. As much as I like it, it doesn't see much pocket time because its 3.8" handle teeters right on the edge of stability. And even though I like the design, I know better than to buy a Benchmade Valet 485. With a 3.73" handle, it would fall into the same category as my Sequel . . . rarely carried.

Just so we're clear, lightweight doesn't necessarily have to mean small. One of my favorite EDCs from the standpoint of size and handle comfort is the Benchmade Torrent 890. Look up the specs on that knife and you'll see what I'm talking about.

 

[stabman]

I work in an office, so weight is a critical factor in deciding which knives I buy.

What pants do you wear where the weight of a folder ruins the fit?
I have a Calvin Klein suit with very thin wool pants, and none of my knives (with the exception of a Large Espada or similar one) does anything weird to the fabric.

And those pants are thin enough to be about as warm as pure nakedness if a slightly cool breeze comes along.

 

[Carboniferous]

The Air is a wonderful knife. But with a closed length of less than 3.5", it's just too darn short to get a good grip on. Same with the CRK Mnandi. I need about a 4" handle to get a stable grip with my medium-sized hand and I really prefer a handle length of 4.25". The shortest knife I own is a Benchmade Sequel 707. As much as I like it, it doesn't see much pocket time because its 3.8" handle teeters right on the edge of stability. And even though I like the design, I know better than to buy a Benchmade Valet 485. With a 3.73" handle, it would fall into the same category as my Sequel . . . barely carried.

Just so we're clear, lightweight doesn't necessarily have to mean small. One of my favorite EDCs from the standpoint of size and handle comfort is the Benchmade Torrent 890. Look up the specs on that knife and you'll see what I'm talking about.

You need at least a 4" handle for a stable grip? That's interesting to me. I have no problem getting a stable three finger grip on a knife that's even less than 3" long closed like a peanut and my hands are just about dead average. Heck, I can get a stable four finger grip on this Opinel no. 6 that's just 3 5/8" closed.

 

[bld522]

What pants do you wear where the weight of a folder ruins the fit?
I have a Calvin Klein suit with very thin wool pants, and none of my knives (with the exception of a Large Espada or similar one) does anything weird to the fabric.

And those pants are thin enough to be about as warm as pure nakedness if a slightly cool breeze comes along.

There's a little more to it than that. I assume you don't work in an office and if you did, you wouldn't be whipping out a Large Espada unless you were looking to have a nice friendly chat with your HR department. Lightweight knives are generally less intimidating than pocket bricks.

 

[stabman]

There's a little more to it than that. I assume you don't work in an office and if you did, you wouldn't be whipping out a Large Espada unless you were looking to have a nice friendly chat with your HR department. Lightweight knives are generally less intimidating than pocket bricks.

I have worked in office environments.
I usually downsized to a ZT 0550 or similar size for them.
One of the knives you have referred in the past to as a pocket-brick.

Some offices are more annoying than others though.
Where my dad works, they have the old "3 inch blade maximum rule".
Ugh.

These days, as a university student (again...yay!), I don't have to worry about stupid things like dress codes, knife lengths...or even shaving if I don't feel like it.

 

[Ken44]

Something smallish, thin, light, and has a somewhat classy look to it.

This term has been around for a long while.
If you're a Gentleman and carry a large knife that doesn't mean it's classified as a "Gentleman's" knife. You're just a gentleman carrying a knife

 

[bld522]

I have worked in office environments.
I usually downsized to a ZT 0550 or similar size for them.
One of the knives you have referred in the past to as a pocket-brick.

Some offices are more annoying than others though.
Where my dad works, they have the old "3 inch blade maximum rule".
Ugh.

These days, as a university student (again...yay!), I don't have to worry about stupid things like dress codes, knife lengths...or even shaving if I don't feel like it.

A ZT 550 probably wouldn't go over very well here. Something like a William Henry or a Small Sebenza or a Mini-Grip is more like it. And to be perfectly honest with you, I don't need a knife as beefy as a ZT 550 anyway. Fact is, I can accomplish 95% of everything I need to do here with my Leatherman Micra and a pair of ordinary office shears. I carry a lightweight EDC because, you know, I like knives.

 

[stabman]

Fact is, I can accomplish 95% of everything I need to do here with my Leatherman Micra and a pair of ordinary office shears. I carry a lightweight EDC because, you know, I like knives.

And that is good enough. :thumbup:

I like a knife that can do the things I usually don't have to do as well as what I need to, but yes, for most day-to-day things, a knife that would fit on a keychain will do just fine.
In fact, if I worked at a really restrictive place, I probably would carry one that fit on my keys...hard to get scared of a keychain knife.

 

[bld522]

There's a little more to the story. I live in earthquake country and I take the threat seriously. I keep a flat of bottled water and a BoB in the trunk of my car and except when I travel, I'm rarely very far away from them. The primary blade I carry in my BoB is a Swamp Rat RatManDu. So it's not like I don't have access to a heavy-duty knife when I need one. It's just that I may have to go a short distance to retrieve it.

 

[stabman]

There's a little more to the story. I live in earthquake country and I take the threat seriously. I keep a flat of bottled water and a BoB in the trunk of my car and except when I travel, I'm rarely very far away from them. The primary blade I carry in my BoB is a Swamp Rat RatManDu. So it's not like I don't have access to a heavy-duty knife when I need one. It's just that I may have to go a short distance to retrieve it.

Having a car allows for thing like that.
Seeing as I do not have a car, all my preparedness stuff has to fit in my pockets or backpack.

One of these days I may have a car again...it was handy having one for that year I owned one.
Well, it was more like 1.75 years...so I'll round up to 2 years of car ownership.

 

[bld522]

Seeing as I do not have a car, all my preparedness stuff has to fit in my pockets or backpack.

That explains a lot. If I were in your situation, I'd be carrying more knife than a William Henry too. :thumbup:

 

[stabman]

That explains a lot. If I were in your situation, I'd be carrying more knife than a William Henry too. :thumbup:

Individual situational variation does make a difference.

Or the individual...imagine if Andre the Giant were still alive, and working in an office environment.
That guy was so literally gigantic that the Spyderco Tatanka probably would look a little small in his hand.

 

[bld522]

There's no doubt that picking up a big, well made, heavy-duty folder gives me a reassuring sense that I can handle just about anything that needs handling. I used to have a ZT 200 just so I could feel all that goodness from time to time. I sold it because I knew I'd never be able to carry anything that big. But I won't lie about it. If my circumstances were different, I might be singing a different tune.

 

[harronek]

In my mind I have serious doubts about a large heavy Folder being a Gentleman's knife .
I have a Gayle Bradley that is beautiful to look at , made from excellent materials , smooth as butter to operate , looks classy , butttt........ " It ain't no Gentlemans Folder " to my way of thinking , it's just to big .

Ken