Did you ever got a knife just for the looks?

[Nathan S]

I am the son of Devin Thomas. I know that his steel performs just fine. The only thing better about S30V than my dad's damascus is edge retention, and that is because of vanadium carbides, which also make it harder to sharpen. His AEB-L stainless damascus (stainless, ladder, and some sharkstooth and basketweeve) steel will be extremely easy to sharpen, as tough or tougher than S30V, as stain resistant as 440C (excluding the carbon damascus), and have edge retention to equal 154-CM. I know this from use, toughness and edge retention numbers, etc. The biggest knock to damascus is that some people find that the soft nickel or 302/304 in damascus can sometimes give a "toothy" edge to damascus that some people don't like. However, in my father's damascus, the amount of nickel or 302/304 is usually around 8-11%, and I have never noticed any toothiness in cutting, though I may just not cut enough things. The 440C damascus my dad makes (the exotic patterns) will perform as well as 440C. So, if you consider 440C unfit for use, than I guess it's not for you. My dad has made some double high-carbon damascus in the past that Chris Reeve has used in very limited numbers (in fact, you may not know if you have it or not) that has no soft material that doesn't have a toothy edge if you don't like it. The soft nickel or 302/304 does add toughness to a blade; however, so it can be seen as an advantage, especially if you are of the crowd that prefer a toothy edge to a polished one. You'll find that people that say damascus shouldn't be used either have never actually used it, have a bias towards it in the first place, or used some second rate damascus.

I have a TNT with your Dad's sharkstooth stainless steel. It's badass. I'm not sure about the stain resistance, because I'm not in a hurry to test that, but I will say that it takes a great edge. Kinda toothy, which I love, and cuts like a dream. Two thumbs up ...

 

[voppa]

I bought a Microtech ut6 because I liked the look of it. (Also has a little COOL factor also) But I knew I'd never carry it because it is illegal. I just bought it to admire the mechanics of it really.

 

[Ebbtide]

Hey, ya gotta have some pretty faces just to look at
Me?
CudaMaxx (way over legal here, but very cool)
Bulldog 2000 Toothpick (just past legal & too pretty)
And this one...somehow I don't think it'll be in the woods anytime soon

 

[fruitbat]

I bought a Gerber paraframe just because I like the way it looks. After carring it a few times I decided I really don't like it at all. I use it for cutting up bait when I'm saltwater fishing. I figure if I'm going mess up a knife it may as well be that one.

 

[not2sharp]

With experience, what looks good and what is good, becomes one and the same.

n2s

 

[fudo]

Hello, the scenario goes like this:
You see this knife. You like the way it looks. And you feel the urge to have it. You already have your trusty EDC which jumps at every cutting chore. You know (deep inside) that you actually don't need another knife. You know that this new knife will never take the place of your EDC. Yet... you finish by buying it.

So did it happen to you? It happens to me all the time

All the time. Doesn't everyone?