Hi folks. I'm relatively new to the knife world. I've only fairly recently become aware of Randall Made Knives and their influence in the industry and the awe in which they are held. The attention to detail, the craftsmanship, the materials, etc -- it's my understanding that these are high quality using knives, each one ground for a specific purpose, yet whenever I see one for sale on the auction sites, or read discussions about them by their owners on forums, they almost always mention that the Randall knife in question has "never been used, never been sharpened", and many times even, "never been put in case". I've read of several instances where a hunter or a soldier had a Randall knife on them, but instead used another blade for whatever task was at hand, because they "didn't want to ruin such a fine knife". Doesn't this non-use of a knife kind of defeat the purpose of a high-quality, specifically-designed tool? I understand the high value placed on these things makes a person want to take care of them, but isn't the craftsmanship, experience, and attention to detail in manufacturing such a knife going to waste if the end user doesn't actually use it? I see it as like owning a Ferrari but not driving it: You have this highly engineered, highly desirable piece of equipment, designed for one purpose and one purpose only -- to go fast (in the case of RMK's, to cut well) -- and yet it's not being put to that use. I've heard the argument that RMKs are "works of art", and are best taken care of by putting them on display. This to me is like caging a wild animal; a knife was designed to cut.
I was in the Army and when I deployed to the Middle East we got issued a lot of high-priced, "high speed" gear designed for warfighting. At first I took really good care of my equipment and tried to keep as much of my issued stuff as possible unopened in its plastic wrapping or issued case because I didn't to "ruin" such good equipment. Months later I ran into one of my best friends on another base and his equipment was all beat up, scratched, used, and torn to hell. I asked him about it, saying, "Man, don't you take care of your stuff?" He said, "Lemme guess, you haven't even taken yours out of the packages." "Nope!" I said. Then he says, "Listen, this is WAR. THIS is what this equipment is designed for. THIS is its ultimate purpose. This is an actual WAR, and if you don't use this stuff here then there's nowhere else you're going to be able to. Stop 'taking care' of your stuff. Use it, abuse it, beat the hell out of it, because that's what it was made for, to be USED in a war!"
He made a lot of sense, and after that I took my gear out its protective packaging and started to use the hell out of it, and it was all to my benefit.
He was right that day, and now I'm wondering, in this instance, am I? ARE Randall Made Knives best put to use as a trophy item, as many people do, to be put on display and "never used, never sharpened, never put in case"? Or are they best used as a working tool, used to cut flesh, hide, bone, rope, plastic, cardboard, etc, the way they were designed to be?
I appreciate any input.
I was in the Army and when I deployed to the Middle East we got issued a lot of high-priced, "high speed" gear designed for warfighting. At first I took really good care of my equipment and tried to keep as much of my issued stuff as possible unopened in its plastic wrapping or issued case because I didn't to "ruin" such good equipment. Months later I ran into one of my best friends on another base and his equipment was all beat up, scratched, used, and torn to hell. I asked him about it, saying, "Man, don't you take care of your stuff?" He said, "Lemme guess, you haven't even taken yours out of the packages." "Nope!" I said. Then he says, "Listen, this is WAR. THIS is what this equipment is designed for. THIS is its ultimate purpose. This is an actual WAR, and if you don't use this stuff here then there's nowhere else you're going to be able to. Stop 'taking care' of your stuff. Use it, abuse it, beat the hell out of it, because that's what it was made for, to be USED in a war!"
He made a lot of sense, and after that I took my gear out its protective packaging and started to use the hell out of it, and it was all to my benefit.
He was right that day, and now I'm wondering, in this instance, am I? ARE Randall Made Knives best put to use as a trophy item, as many people do, to be put on display and "never used, never sharpened, never put in case"? Or are they best used as a working tool, used to cut flesh, hide, bone, rope, plastic, cardboard, etc, the way they were designed to be?
I appreciate any input.
) just like it ready to use, in case the worst happens to my favorite.
