Good ole days?

Lottsa good points about misplaced nostalgia being made here.

But I will play devils advocate here and mention that the OP asked if we would prefer the knife world of 100 years ago or the knife world of today.
 
Ironically here in Kalifornistan the knife laws are not bad, no blade length limit for folding knives and fixed blades can be carried if not concealed, only knives we can't carry is balisongs & switch blades.....So I would rather be a knife nut today instead of 1914, because there are too many good knives in this era compared to even 50 years ago.
 
Woodcamo Nut said:
Ironically here in Kalifornistan the knife laws are not bad, no blade length limit for folding knives and fixed blades can be carried if not concealed, only knives we can't carry is balisongs & switch blades.....So I would rather be a knife nut today instead of 1914, because there are too many good knives in this era compared to even 50 years ago.
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But there are more bad knives too. And that's what the "unwashed masses" end up with. It's no wonder pocket box cutters are popular.
 
My Grandfather and my parents both told me stories of living on the farm "back then." Grandpa telling me rolling his own cigarettes with one hand guiding the mules pulling the plow. My Mother talked of saving the batteries in the radio for the weekend to listen to the radio shows of the time. Pump for water in the kitchen sink. And as mentioned the high mortality rate for children, and adults alike, of diseases that are routinely cured today. It's just progress. And progress has it's good & bad aspects. Hopefully, more good than bad. I'll go with with today since I'm stuck here anyway. Modern medicine let me beat throat cancer. Odds are woulda killed me in 1950. Need that Wayback machine. Lol.

As for knives themselves, it's quite easy to obtain knives in patterns that are quite old. Using 1095 steel, natural or bone handles. From both production companies as well as custom makers. In folding and fixed blades. Some are just really awesome. Check out maker Alex Moore and his line of fixed blades still made in a forge and using a hammer. He also has a method of aging your knife so it is new, but looks 59 years old. Nice. But anyway, those old patterns are great. I myself prefer the old patterns with modern steels, but do have many in 1095 too. Queen, GEC, Canal St., all produce reasonably priced new old knives of good quality. Check out the Traditional forum. Some awesome knives just like Grandpa used as a kid. :)
 
leghog said:
I'd venture to say a black man in Virginia might disagree.
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I believe we were talking about knives not every social attitude or problem.

best

mqqn
 
Hel no, i would not give up things such as Axis locks, linen Micarta, VG-10, and INFI for some bs nostalgia
Oddly enough my next knife is an old workhorse GEC

Up here i have met no one who got scared about ''weapons'' on my pants
Only down south in the large cities have such things occured
 
Knives-wise, now is better by far. Now we have the choice of all kinds of knives, including very high-quality traditionals.

Jim
 
I prefer the technology of today, but wish I had the freedoms of 100 years ago.
 
The world is relatively easy for some of us today who are older, retired with a pension, have a medical plan and a home that is paid for, but for many others who are younger I am not so sure that today's world is easier than it was 100 years ago. Back then and when I was young schooling was not important, the kids who finished or didn't finish school were on a level playing field for finding good work that paid well. Most of my peers including myself had homes with a mortgage by age 21, we were paying into our pensions buying our toys, and raising our own families.

Today's generation has too many expectations placed on them. Most go to post secondary schooling, and ending up spending their best years of their lives running up tuition depts sitting around in classrooms instead of being productive by raising families and their own homes with a decent job. Today they graduate and find themselves mired in dept and don't have a home to call their own often living with their aging parents. Worst of all a huge chunk of their lives have been spent, those young fertile years of strength, when one has the stamina to work hard and child/family rearing years. Instead they can look in the mirror and see the aging lines and gray hair and have yet to have start their lives and probably don't even qualify for a mortgage due the the tuition depts let alone hold a decent job.

And I have not even mentioned the loss of basic liberties that added spice to life that have since been eroded or mandated out of existence.

Given the choice I would rather be born and go through life a hundred years ago than to have to go through it today.
 
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There seems to be a healthy market for "post-apocalyptic," "neo-tribal," or just traditional knives in whatever sense. I was reading the other day about how GEC bought old equipment on purpose to try and make knives as they were made 100 years back. I also know that makers who specialize in old school designs and materials (ML Knives comes to mind) seem to sell very well.

So... do I prefer knives from the good ol days? I have no idea. I do know that I like modern renditions of traditional patterns or the concept of using reclaimed materials, hand-forging, and other methods that will always be employed no matter how technology evolves. I can appreciate a particle steel blade on a titanium framelock but will always gravitate to stuff that has a timeless look and feel and uses basic materials. There's really no substitute for a knife that comes to me smelling like a greasy shop and looking like it could be straight from 1860.
 
Good ole days eh? Well I've always dreamed of going back in time to the early 1860's with a couple a AK's and 5000 rounds of ammo, some grenades, and ESEE Junglas or two and help the south win the war.
 
mqqn said:
I believe we were talking about knives not every social attitude or problem.

best

mqqn
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Reread the thread. Most of it was was about romancing the past and waxing nostalgic.

But to your point, where I live, the knife is considered about the same as it was 100 years ago. Simply a tool and a rather mundane one at that. Here there are still small selections of knife choices at feed and tractor stores. Even smaller selections at most hardware stores. 100 years ago, we'd be stuck with selecting our pocket knife from those limited choices.
 
It is important to remember this thread is in the General Knife Discussion forum. Because of the thread topic, there is going to be some drift but let's keep it to a minimum. No politics and resist the urge to climb on to your soapbox. :)

Thanks

Jason
 
The only good old days I would wanna see is when knives could cut bolts.
So what if you can't sharpen them, I do believe they weren't so insanely priced as today :-)
Such knives would be inherently "tactical" given today's standards.
Yes, I do know these bolt cutting knives were a marketing ploy but it's too bad it wasn't a practical requirement for most....
 
I think I'd rather be in the present when it comes to knives. Granted there's far more crap to sort through, but at the same time we have so many places that let customers give reviews of the merchandise, so we can tell what is and isn't crap.
 
Basically the main point of the post, correct me if im wrong, is going back to the days when knives were as acceptable as cell phones are today. Well, you can have your cake and eat it too. It sounds like you live an area where knives are frowned upon... its not like this where I live (Stephentown, NY). Yes, I live in NY, and I see people with sheathed knives going into the convenience store every time I go there. So work your ass off and make it your personal goal to move somewhere rural, where you can have your super steel modern technology beast of a knife, carry it in public, all with less of the modern BS that prevails in todays society (people in Stephentown are pretty nice to eachother), yet still not die of small pox at age 30!
 
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