Have we ruined our knife appreciation for the simple?

I carried four hatchets in a bag today through the snow to do a video. In my chest pocket was a worn fero rod and an Opinel #9. If it works well, I couldn't care less if it's a ten dollar knife.
 
Last edited:
Great thread. I EDC an Emerson, because I love the chisel grind, but there are days when I clip on my $20. KA-BAR Dozier lightweight folder or drop my AG Russell Cowboy in my pocket and they all work equally well, for what I use a knife for.
rolf
 
Blues Bender said:
If you can afford it, carry it!

If you could afford a Ferrari, would you drive your Ford Focus so it doesn't feel left out?
I sure wouldn't!

Now if you don't get any joy out of something more expensive, that's fine, but don't feel like you're "supposed to" be carrying a more expensive knife. Carry what you enjoy and can afford.

Many people are happy carrying a SAK everyday; good for them! SAK's are great knives.
But me personally, I enjoy my CRK's.
Click to expand...

:thumbup:
 
jimh0220 said:
Has becoming a knifenut, collector, knife snob, or whatever, made me forget what matters about carrying a blade: Reliable, sharp, and there when I need it?
Click to expand...

I have noticed this and it does apply to me.

Everybody has their own price range and should not feel bad about carrying knives within that range. I have my own price range and I've found that I just don't respect some of my knives that are below that price range. Fortunately I don't have any interest in more expensive knives. I've never been interested in buying a Strider or CRK, or even some of the more expensive Spyderco and Benchmade models. I have a Spyderco Tenacious and it is a very good knive but I just don't get as much pleasure out of carrying it as I do some of my other knives.

I don't spend time worrying about this though since I have plenty of mid-priced folders to carry.
 
I bought an opinel yesterday. I guess that says where I stand on the topic...
 
Pirsig said, roughly, that quality is that which produces peace of mind.

Like Upnorth, I generally carry an Opinel #9. It gets dull. I sharpen it. I replace it. I use it. I loose it. I replace it. One day, I'll be replaced.

I'm at peace. Seek peace. HYOH.
 
IMO a Sebebza is as simple as it gets. I've learned inexpensive is not always simple. The right tool for the right job gives me confidence that it will not fail the task at hand.
 
Ajack60 said:
IMO a Sebebza is as simple as it gets. I've learned inexpensive is not always simple. The right tool for the right job gives me confidence that it will not fail the task at hand.
Click to expand...

Yep!

To the OP,
This whole guilt thing that you're feeling is just your mind regressing to a time when you didn't have so many options, so you simply made do with what you had. I still remember the days when I carried a POS 10 dollar Mtech folder that had a paper thin liner lock, blade play in every direction, mystery steel, a truly awful grind, and an edge that wouldn't cut butter. But when I think back on those days I remember only one thing, and that's blissful ignorance. I didn't know that there was actually anything better out there, so I figured what I had was just fine. But this doesn't mean that it actually worked well...... It was an embarrassment of a knife, and sticking with it once I was aware that there were better things out there would have been absolutely rediculous.

Every once in a while I do the same thing you did, and have moments like this where I just wanna throw away all of the stuff I bought and every bit of knowledge I learned about knives and go back to using that one knife, not concerning myself with the name of the steel stamped on the blade or the smoothness of the action or the tightness of the tolerences. I get that overwhelming emotional response that makes me think something to the effect of : "IT WAS A KNIFE. IT WORKED TO CUT THINGS AND THEN BE PUT BACK IN MY POCKET. WHY AM I THINKING SO MUCH ABOUT EVERY LITTLE DETAIL NOW, WHEN I DIDNT HAVE TO IN THE PAST? AM I JUST WEIRD?"

But then I actually look at the knife in question and realize that it was all in my mind, and my memories of it are only fond because they were distorted by the fact that I was so ignorant of the knife world and its endless options. The knife I had wasn't actually any good, but when I think back on it, it SEEMS like it was because my mind only recalls the feeling of happiness from those days. But I have to remind myself that the happiness I felt only existed because I was blissfully unaware of what I was missing out on. So IMO, it wasn't TRUE happiness and in reality Im much better off now than I was back then, even though the countless options I have now sometimes make me feel like I'm not.

On the topic of quality........

I know that just because a new knife is expensive and cool, doesn't necessarily mean it's better...... BUT.......it also doesn't necessarily mean the knife is less capable of being carried and used hard. It can be just as functional and even more so than your older less expensive stuff.

The bottom line here is that I don't buy things that aren't functional. If you think your new stuff is just a bunch of fun toys, then you're really missing out on the advantages of all the engineering and advanced materials that went into building them. You have to remember the whole reason they cost more in the first place: which is that they are higher quality and (at least theoretically) should work much better than your older less expensive stuff, in AT LEAST a couple of performance categories.

So go ahead and put the dragonfly back on your key chain, it's not too flashy to use, and it's one of the best little Edc blades out there for pure utility. IMO it easily beats the things you used to carry. That's WHY it costs more and WHY you initially wanted it as a knife knut. Unless you're the type who collects knives just to display them, the reason you wanted them in the first place had something to do with thinking they would be better than what you already had

And they usually are. So use them:thumbup:
 
Over time my appreciation for more expensive knives has grown, and I carry a more expensive knife daily. But I also carry and use a SAK every day. I never get tired of it's usefulness and effectiveness.
 
I'd rather have a 5 dollar knife that has a lot of value to me personally than a brand new 500 dollar knife. The 5 dollar one will do all the same things, and I have an attachment to it. It's the same reason I despise the thought of ever selling my old Nintendo 64, I hardly play it any more because I've moved on to fancier game systems, but when I go back to the 64 I end up grinning ear to ear because, despite there being newer, better consoles around, I absolutely love my 64.

How did I get on the topic of video games?
 
I carry what I have, now with 300+ that leaves a lot to carry I have about 75% traditional, 15% modern/tactical and 10% fixed blades but I carry what ever strikes my fancy. I'm not a snob, I carry a tin shelled Colonial Trick knife and I carry a Sebenza. I carry fixed blade CRKT SPEW and I carry a custom Bud Nealy Aikuchi fixed blade. I don't pick on anybody for the knife they carry and I always try to educate and share knowledge.

So in short I don't think we have, I think those that do, never did in the first place.
 
So when you said simple, you meant cheaper. I could make the argument that the new sleek ZT knives like the 0450 are simpler than the Gerber Paraframe.
 
Although I derive satisfaction from the higher level of quality in my more expensive folders ($200-$300), I also get a lot of satisfaction from a job well done using a much less expensive folder ($25 or less).

Sometimes I feel a sort of "reverse snobbery", my attitude is "That's right, my cheap knife did the job just as well as an expensive one, and for a fraction of the price". I grew up poor, and I was raised with "poor man's pride", so I take a certain pride in not having to spend a lot of money to get things done.
 
Last edited:
Scurvy092 said:
So when you said simple, you meant cheaper. I could make the argument that the new sleek ZT knives like the 0450 are simpler than the Gerber Paraframe.
Click to expand...

Simple can mean carrying one slipjoint, which might be a $300 custom or a $10 Rough Rider
 
I definitely see my old knives in a different light now that I've held real quality stuff. And quality does not always go along with price as people have mentioned opiniel, mora, and sak, but I'll never look at a paraframe again with anything but contempt and a dull burning hatred :rolleyes:
 
Dantone05 said:
As I reach into my pocket two things come out of it...
A knife ...
And a smile...
:)
Click to expand...

This.

I actually think that the OP's original question is a reasonable one to ask.

I like, appreciate and use good tools. That applies to my knives more than anything but it struck me before Christmas when I was picking up an orange Spyderco Delica for my lady - I spied the Ontario Rat II, and (long story short) picked it up too - for me. Now it is one of my more frequently carried knives. I like a smaller, slicer for my rear left pocket and it fits the bill really nicely. Smooth, fast deployment, easy to sharpen and not heartbreaking if lost.

Not wanting to take this off topic but my Rat I and Rat II's feel the the folder equivalent of my Mora fixed blades re. bang for buck, etc.

Always nice to have choices!

Ben
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top