Got Flow?

[ptgdvc]

"That knife has FLOW" or beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I am curious to learn what that statement means to different people, and also to see examples of knives that FLOW and are beautiful to them.

IMHO, FLOW refers to the harmony of a knife's outline. It just LOOKS right. But the real question is why does it look RIGHT? I know this question has been baffling auto and fashion designers for decades, but I thought it might be interesting to hear and see everyone's take on the subject.

Here is a photo containing three knives with a LOT of FLOW. The Primos Rifleman Bowie is right off the scale. The Newton is merely superb and the Knight is very good, but not quite up to the level of the other two. IMHO.

 

[Stumpy]

Three fantastic looking blades for sure.I'm not really sure how to define flow,it either has it or it doesn't.I think personal preference plays a big part.The Primos is primo though.

 

[HTMD]

Agree that flow is experienced by different people differently and no one definition is best. But, to me .........

this is flow ............


Flow is about visual balance of line and integration of design features such that the eye naturally follows a gently curving line, moving seamlessly from end to end and followed by (after a slight brain processing delay) involuntary movement of the lips to form what is commonly known as a smile.

and this is no flow ............


No flow is not necessarily bad - it just means the virtue of the blade is not in being naturally pleasing to look at.

Flow is an experience.

 

[HTMD]

Interestingly, I find the Jason Knight blade above gives the most "flow" experience when I compare them. But they all have flow. To be concrete, I think of flow as involving some sort of "S" curve. Flow is 'sexy' and titilating like the curves of a woman's body. Honestly, that's how I think of it.

 

[Mr.BadExample]

Flow (to me) has a lot to do with the cant of the blade, the grind, and the sweep of the handle. I like very mild recurve lines, both aesthetically and because for me, the angle just seems to aid in chopping and slicing. In the first photo, they all have it, from the angle of the handle and the sweep of the cutting edge. Very subtle but it's there, especially in the Newton.

 

[Megalobyte]

I am going to give a slightly different take upon what Flow is.

Flow, to me says something about direction, do the various parts of the knife, ie. pommel, handle, bolsters/guard then blade, flow in the direction of the tip of the blade, with no interruptions or anything to break up the line(s) the knife makes as it goes from butt to tip. Does it flow?

I'll give an example of a knife with a symmetrical handle, bolsters and blade. If flow only has to do with a certain type of curvature, this knife could not flow since it is straight and symmetrical, yet, I believe it does flow, especially with the way the pattern of the bolsters is literally flowing towards the blade.

Am I wrong?

 

[Danbo]

Pete, I want that little cherry burl Knight knife back someday. Keep that in mind. I'm only letting you borrow it for a while.

 

[Kohai999]

Flow to me is an organic/man-made conflagration in a knife.

All the knives pictured in the top, the Knight, Primos and Newton have rounded handles and tapering points. The Knight is my favorite for MY definition of flow, the Newton the least favorite. It is the least sexy.

Ari, I really like that Hanson knife, but I must say, the "flow" from handle to blade is something of an odd aesthetic. Don has this thing about squared off handle butts that are at odds with his beautiful "flowing" blades. A coffin handle(least preferred) or a multi plane, somewhat rounded butt would have been the icing on the cake for me.

That is why we do not all collect the same knife, although some of them do make the rounds, right Pete?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

 

[Steven Roos]

Interestingly, I find the Jason Knight blade above gives the most "flow" experience when I compare them. But they all have flow. To be concrete, I think of flow as involving some sort of "S" curve. Flow is 'sexy' and titilating like the curves of a woman's body. Honestly, that's how I think of it.

Same here. I've got a Knight Bowie, and that one jump out of the picture at me first.

Love the Keeslar above as well.

I fell in love with this one at first sight:

"The King's Dagger" By Robert Crowder

 

[SharpByCoop]

I think of flow and balance in my visual perception of custom knives often.

Flow would be the sculpted lines and profile of a knife blending and evolving with little disruption.

Balance is a visual perception that is prevalent and inherent in nature and most of us know what it is without being able to describe it.

Funny that Buddy posted a photo of Joe Keeslar's 'trademark' forged hunter. Joe gave a seminar at a hammer-in years ago that was simply on knife design and 'flow'. It's obvious he has a good eye. He talked in depth of the relationship of the ricasso width meeting the handle width at the guard being even and not stepped, and that the handle has a continuum in the visual flow.

Example: If you were considering a stag handle, it would make sense to draw your profile out with the EXACT curve of the piece of stag included. It would most certainly be an extension of the blade, and here is where I see a lot of knives that may otherwise have been perfect; but they lose that sense of flow as the blade backspine meets the stag and is disrupted. Your better makers consider this long and hard.

And some of the most interesting items in the world are a *departure* from these rules, so take my comments with a grain of salt...

Coop

 

[Megalobyte]

Same here. I've got a Knight Bowie, and that one jump out of the picture at me first.

Love the Keeslar above as well.

I fell in love with this one at first sight:

"The King's Dagger" By Robert Crowder

Steve, your King's Dagger is awesome by the way.

 

[HTMD]

William Scagel understood flow and I will admit to being influenced by his style. And I'm not the only one. This is the Scagel knife Bo Randall was so taken with that he in turn significantly influenced the style of many makers who came along in his wake.

I do believe flow involves a gently curving line of the "S" or sine wave shape. We shouldn't mistake flow with the 'holy grail' of knife design. The Hanson and Crowder daggers don't make use of flow as I percieve it. By the same token, a knife with 'flow' doesn't make use of powerful and dramatic straight lines either. One is not better than the other. One is more masculine (straight lines) and the other is more feminine (flowing curves). Nor should we confuse flow with integration of design. The beautiful daggers above are well 'integrated' with no one feature out of balance. Just some further ramblings among friends. I'm not trying to impose a view here. I enjoy hearing everyone's perspective.