Explain knives to non-knife people

omg wtf said:
Alright folks, thread description is self-explanatory.

How do you explain knives (specifically "expensive" knives), to "non-knife" people?
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You can’t.

Could a stamp collector explain how the all natural gum on the back and the double thick ridged paper makes it more valuable?

How about that the print was done by a certain designer?

You might understand but I doubt you’d be interested.

Us explaining knives to someone is like them trying to explain magic cards to us. You have to be into it for it to make sense.

They will never understand what we find so interesting or why we would spend $500 on a knife.

I will never understand spending $500 on a magic card.
 
jmh33 said:
Why bother?? :rolleyes: Some think any thing over 20.00 is expensive!! Read gas station counter knives!!:eek:
John
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I have no problem with that. Few can appreciate the knives that we enjoy and we only got here after many years of immersion in the hobby. It is the people who question the need for any knife, even as they try to gnaw through some packaging, that I hold in contempt. Clearly, there is more than ignorance and innocents at work there, and some part of their mind is just failing to engage.

n2s
 
Everyone has their hobby I got off lucky and love knives. I can fit all my pocket knives in a shoe box and their cheap in comparison to most hobbies. It sure beats having to add on to the garage to fit more cars.
 
Few people in my area give knives a second thought. They are too busy smoking Facecrack. Sign of the times I suppose.
 
All good points.

I got a few double takes when I talked about my (modest) collection at work.

Not so much "why" but "how much?!" and "how many?!"

The Toyota vs Lexus works for the first one (or two, or three pieces). After that, it's "but why so many?!"

Explain may not be the perfect word for it (somewhat accusatory): I should say, how do you talk about the knife hobby to non-knife people without sounding "off?"

The stamp and Lego and Warhammer 40K analogies totally work.
 
I really like the "Rolex -vs- Timex" comparison, most people can understand that. That being said, I've never been asked to, or felt the need to, explain my interest in knives. Sometimes I'll geek out to my wife about a new steel or handle material, and she just chalks it up to me being a big ol' nerd.
 
omg wtf said:
...
Not so much "why" but "how much?!" and "how many?!"
…...
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That question goes to the heart of collecting. Some individuals are driven to collect. They seem to derive pleasure out of pulling together piles of items and assembling them into some kind of order, others are not. Science and history are in essentially about collecting, organizing and understanding things. It is an important evolutionary drive that many have shared , but that drive can never be understood by those who lack the compulsion to collect.

n2s
 
Stelth said:
I wouldn't bother trying. To me, it's like how I can't understand the popularity of superhero movies.
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Same answer applies to knives as superhero movies...because they're awesome! :)

(Except for the bad ones, like Mantis knives and Green Lantern :D )
 
omg wtf said:
Alright folks, thread description is self-explanatory.

How do you explain knives (specifically "expensive" knives), to "non-knife" people?
Click to expand...

It's a tool, it cuts very well. Higher quality materials with better performance cut better and last longer.
Then I bring up whatever expensive hobbies they might have. Ask them to explain their cars and car mods. Ask them to explain their shoe collection. Or their computers. Or their artwork. Or whatever.
 
I tell them it's no different than any other hobby people have. Most people don't get it, but it does arouse their curiosity and some want to know why I would pay 500.00 for a knife. That opens a window of discussion. When they whip out their knife and compare it to mine, they start to see the difference. Doesn't mean they will buy one, but at least they have an idea.
I have let some co workers use my Big Chris knives and have converted them to investing in good fixed blades. They don't get to use my good folders. I don't trust them that much.
 
Sometimes it is even difficult to explain to other knife users / carriers. I was talking to the counter guy at a sporting goods store last week where they sold mostly Benchmades and Spydercos, knives he said he collected and had about eighty of. It was my day off, and rather than a PM2 or other work knife, I was carrying a Darrel Ralph Dominator, probably the most expensive knife I own. He asked to see what knife I was carrying, and when I handed it to him, he looked at it like it came from another planet. I found myself starting to mention some of the different aspects of the knife, etc., but then thought, "Why am I explaining my knife to a knife guy?" If it had been most any of my other knives I think it would have led to some type of conversation, but a relatively expensive semi-custom folding knife seemed to be a non-starter, at least in the sporting goods section that day.
 
There is that first stereotype/barrier to break through. First, they have to see a knife as a useful thing to have on your person. So, just carrying a nicely sharp knife and letting people you deem responsible use it can be a start. When someone borrows a knife and there is that "snick" of a sharp knife opening that package (or whatever), you can sometimes see a light go off. If they ask how to get a knife that sharp, you can talk steels, sharpening media, etc. If they act like they want to bring you all their knives to sharpen, change the subject real quick.
 
I work in NYC and though the laws regarding knives are strict in NYC, at least the requirement that knives be totally concealed means there's seldom a chance of anyone noticing. And, being the tech guy, no one really suspects that I would have a knife on me. No one talks about weapons at all or if they do, they're very uncomfortable conversations. But I think that is the mindset in the city. Knives are weapons to the urbanites, not tools.
Upstate, where I live and play, knives are not remarkable so they seldom spark a conversation in public. The only ones who really know of my knife habit are family. Conversations with them are like preaching to the choir. Pure joy.
 
DB_Cruiser said:
I work in NYC and though the laws regarding knives are strict in NYC, at least the requirement that knives be totally concealed means there's seldom a chance of anyone noticing.
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That has been my fallback here. I have begun to question it though.
 
marchone said:
That has been my fallback here. I have begun to question it though.
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Me too, but the law being what it is at the moment and given the fear that has been planted in the mind of Joe No-blade, it has its advantages. At the end of the day, it really doesn't affect my life so much that I cannot live with it. I go there to make my fist full of dollars and get out. That's all that place has to offer me.
 
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