"Gentleman's folder" nonsense.

Key words on this to me are "inoffensive" and "attractive". After all, a gentleman isn't brutish. Many knives are designed to look scary or aggressive these days.

I know that when I'm at work and I flip my ZTs open, people give me cross looks. They are probably a bit scary and aggressive to most women in my office. I pull out my case blue bone peanut and they hardly bat an eye. I even have had some of the comment on how nice the peanut or stockman look. I have never had anyone other than a knife guy tell me my ZT looks nice.


I think more traditional folders fit the "gentleman" tag than modern ones but there are good examples of modern gentleman's knives.
 
Funny because I was a little annoyed when a guy called my Spyderco Centofante 3 a gentleman's folder. He was carrying a Benchmade Adamas. I guess he meant my knife can actually be used to cut stuff. :D.
 
AF said:
Funny because I was a little annoyed when a guy called my Spyderco Centofante 3 a gentleman's folder. He was carrying a Benchmade Adamas. I guess he meant my knife can actually be used to cut stuff. :D.
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IDK, the Centofante 3 is one of those borderline knives. I would see why someone would put it in the "gentleman's knife" category but probably not what I would consider a gentleman's knife. It's small enough and not aggressive looking , but not overly attractive (IMO of course) so it probably fits two of the three main traits well.
 
Labels are simply informers of general characteristics. They have a little value for that reason.

Example:

If I had never seen an Al Mar Eagle and asked about one, a person could say, "it's a gentleman's folder", and I would know to expect a slender grip, great fit and finish, and probably a classic blade shape with little belly, as well as quality blade steel. I would know that it should look very different than say... a ZT 0550 or a Benchmade Rift, which are still quality knives, but have more aggressive blade shapes and more hand filling grips. Basically, "gentleman's folder" kind of implies that it looks less robust, and is a great slicer, and would be the kind of blade you'd expect Trump to carry.
 
mcrow said:
For me a gentleman's folder is a tradtional folder that is pleasing to the eye, with natural handle materials or a smaller modern knife of more elegant design but still functional.

I think they contrast in other knives, like a tactical, in that they are generally inoffensive to those who are not knife people and yet they are able to recognize the attractivveness of them.
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...and we have a winner!:thumbup: The operative word is "traditional". Insofar as the "Chappie" is concerned, it's a cute knife that one would give to a daughter...a lady's knife;)
 
If you're a gentleman, than any knife you carry is a gentleman's knife. ;)
If you're a stupid thug, then a Swiss Army Knife is a thug knife.

Label the human, not the knife.:thumbup:
 
Whenever I hear the term "gentleman's folder" all I hear is "man jewelry." IMO the only reason to buy said "gentleman's folder" is to show off wealth. Same as a fancy car or worse...a fancy watch. The idea that a gentleman needs to display wealth is a laugh riot. It's the exact opposite of what a gentleman does. But, in the end it's just a marketing term to get someone to buy another knife because they "need" to fill that niche in their collection.
 
Two criteria for a me "define" a gentleman's knife:

1. traditional
2. wouldn't be out of place cutting fruit in a business lunch meeting.
 
To this (former?) gentleman, a gent’s knife has the following attributes:
  • single-bladed
  • clipless
  • small enough to fit in the watch pocket of my jeans
  • non-threatening to non-knife people
 
A gentleman's folder to me is something that looks as classy, if not more so, than how I am dressed and prepped.
 
I carry any knife I own when I am dressed in a suit.

Maybe a gentleman is expected to carry a different item because he is dressed in nice attire and the full blown ordinary version of something would look out of place or would detract from his appearance. Maybe he can't carry a full size sidearm so he carries a small pocket pistol, maybe he can't carry a large wristwatch so he wears a thin dress watch, maybe he doesn't want to clip a large folder to his dress pants so he puts a small slippie in his pocket. So in a way the "gentleman" version of something is sort of like the "sissy" version of something.

Another way to look at it is that the gentleman is dressed in special attire, so he wants his accessories to look special too. Instead of a blued sidearm he might carry an engraved nickel sidearm. Instead of a big dive watch he might wear a thin gold dress watch. Instead of a big folder with rough G10 scales, he might carry a knife with smooth carbon fiber or wood or bone scales.
 
d0nut said:
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Excellent!!
 
Gentlemen's version of the D2 has nishijin handles. Got one about a month ago. Expensive, but my favorite knife. I don't think what makes a gentleman's folder is so much the steel as the handle material and its asthetic value, fit and finish.
 
I've always thought of a "gentleman's folder" as a Sunday-go-to-meeting knife... something you carry for special occasions like church, weddings, etc.

For example something with beautiful stag scales or a damascus blade or engraved fittings, as opposed to a delrin sodbuster or a celidor sak.


I'd say if you hesitate to use it because you don't want to get it dirty, then it might be a gentleman's folder.
 
IMO, if it has a pocket clip it's not a gentleman's knife... bails are ok, though
 
High on aesthetics, little anything else. Cuts ok, but looks better doing it. Small and ornate. The Benchmade 707 and Sage 1 are labeled gent's folders because of their size and looks, but they're some of the most capable knives out there. They're not tactical blades or hard use blades; I put them in the category of small, general EDC suitable for formalwear...that's not a gent's folder IMO.

In some cases I consider it marketing to certain groups of people. I like the aesthetics of William Henry's, and they're the epitome of a gent's folder. But look at their website. Gifts for upper class Beemer driving men like cuff links and $750 pens...seriously. Mad Men type stuff. I think the WH E6 and E10 are reasonable for us common folk, but a lot of the stuff on there is for men who have nothing else to blow their money on. Or men who wanna be James Bond or Don Draper. That's what I think of when I think gent's folder.
 
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