Hi all, am I the only one that only sees knives as tools?

Sounds like the OP needs to head on over to JK Handmade subforum.

Tools can be beautiful too! :p
 
TheStupid said:
...I enjoy handling and looking at those knives...
I guess for the OP, once you grow the appreciation of the aesthetics of knives and swords, you won't think they are as "just tools." In the old time, we used to say our knives or swords have souls.
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I've been using knives for more than 4 decades. I have one knife that was given to me by a friend a couple months before he died. I'd even use THAT knife if I needed what it was designed for, he would expect me to use it (it is a fixed blade, with 2 fold out blades and a corkscrew built into the bone handle).

I never said I don't appreciate the aesthetics, in fact I said "I (sic) .. appreciate the lines of a well made/designed knife."

I definitely know there are folks on this forum that collect/use some of their knives as collectibles.

The question I had was if there were others like me that saw knives as tools only.

My wife has a spoon collection, a precious moments collection, I have a friend that has a collection of old beer cans. I even have a bullet/cartridge collection (antique obsolete cartridges).
But knives to ME are tools. Somebody had posted asking how to keep from scratching his knife when sharpening it and I had to restrain myself from saying if he's worried about scratches, then it doesn't need to be sharp, because it isn't going to get used. I thought better of it, because we are all individuals and what he feels is important, is just as valid as what I feel is important.

Anyway, have a great day.

AJ
 
I have no problem using anything I own. But then again I don't own any single knife more expensive than around $300-$400. Though I have seen many knives in the $300-$10,000 range that are as much or more art, than tool. Sure they have a sharpened part, but that doesn't mean they were meant to be taken to a construction site. ;)
 
I see them mostly as tools.

Bladeforums = knife school ...knives are a *learning experience*, experiments and a subject of continued study and interest.

Certainty has it's limitations and I don't want to limit my outlook on bladed artifices by viewing them only as tools although that's most of what they are to me, i guess i'm always searching for the "extra" if you follow me.
As a mechanic I have listened to what tools say to me in their use, they teach ME half the time by observing how they work, sound, and feel.
 
I'm a spin doctor by trade so I guess my take ia different. I see knives as working pieces of art in some cases.

Art in and of itself is subjective. If you study European art then the value and beauty of that art is to preserve the object in its most original form.

But if you look at African or native American form, the value and beauty of that object is to observe it through time. An example is the passing of the Kings chair which is not exactly a sitting chair but an object of power respect. It's beauty lies in its ageing through time and history.

Knives are the same way. I wanted to say that I only see them as tools. But in use, I noticed that some knives were designed with a more beautiful form and function for me in contrast to other knives.

Take the ugly Spyderco delica, sebenza and rough rider half whittler. They're currently my three favorite knives, I use them all. Their attributes work so well for me in terms of slicing, weight and purchase and pocketability that I've literally learned to appreciate them as more than just knives after spending time on this forum. I'm quite attached to all three and use them often.

It's why certain knives can't and never will "do it for me" no matter how popular they are.

Btw I think the Delica is a beautiful working piece of art magnificently designed.
 
AJPeacock said:
Somebody had posted asking how to keep from scratching his knife when sharpening it and I had to restrain myself from saying if he's worried about scratches, then it doesn't need to be sharp, because it isn't going to get used. I thought better of it, because we are all individuals and what he feels is important, is just as valid as what I feel is important.

Anyway, have a great day.

AJ
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Yup. I've seen guys say that. They should avoid cardboard. :D On the flip side. If they remove minor scratches along the way it would probably improve the cutting performance. Too much maintenance for my liking though.
 
I hope no one takes this the wrong way, but anyone who really thinks of knives as just tools would not have even bothered to register on this forum. Are they tools? Sure they are, but knives are much more than just tools to all of us who participate on this forum. Anyone on Bladeforums who claims otherwise is delusional.
 
AJPeacock said:
The question I had was if there were others like me that saw knives as tools only.
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As others have mentioned, you wouldn't be here if you saw them as only tools, as the shovel, axe, screwdriver and hammer you mentioned.

To my father they were tools only. He and his brothers always had a Case knife on them and used them daily. He used it on his job as a mechanic, hunted and fished very often, used it in the garden, etc...

But there is no way he would've joined a knife club, signed up on a knife forum, bought a knife he didn't REALLY need, or even have a conversation about them unless he was showing you how to use or sharpen one.
He saw knives as only a tool just like he did an axe, shovel, screwdriver or hammer.
 
AJPeacock said:
New to the forum, thought I'd introduce myself.

Grew up on a farm/ranch in western Colorado, always had a knife with me.

Live in Michigan now and typically have a sub 3" fixed or folder with me and sometimes a simple pocketknife.

A knife is a tool to me 100%, which doesn't mean that I mistreat them or don't appreciate the lines of a well made/designed knife.

But honestly, until I started reading this forum, I never once considered a scratch on a knife to be anything different than a scratch on a shovel, axe, screwdriver or hammer!

I feel the same way about firearms and I've done some serious shooting with rifles that cost more than a lot of cars I've owned!

I don't 'mistreat' firearms either, but never really worried about a scratch here or there (other than making sure they were cleaned up so they wouldn't rust).

So, am I the only one?

AJ

ps: mighty nice forum you have here, so much great information available via the search facility, that there is almost no reason to post anything!
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I've found that I have a lot less stress when I stopped caring what others use their knives for....
 
I would join a shovel or hammer forum in a heartbeat. :D

The balance of aesthetic emphasis vs. function is a tricky one. In truly top-notch tools of all kinds there lies a wonderful synthesis of the two in what I like to call "functional beauty", which is to say that the efficient form of the tool takes primary emphasis while making small aesthetic touches when appropriate and not detracting from performance. The tool has become so streamlined in its craftsmanship as to become beautiful with minimum need for embellishment, and it's function speaks loudest.
 
I use some of my knives and I collect some as well. I used to have a coin collection when I was a kid and I didn't feel that I had to spend them.
 
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Both of these are tools but I don't treat them the same way.
 
As some have said here, knives mean different things to different people.

I personally like to have at least two knives in my arsenal. One knife that is strictly a tool and the other that I wear on weekends. Just like 2 pair of shoes.. But after I bought one nice knife, it grew on me like a fungus and then I bought a few more..

None of us need a car that goes faster than 55 mph. I pass people everyday doing that speed on a 70mph freeway.. But darn it, my car has a turbo in it and I love it. If I could afford two cars and had a larger garage, I'd have a Prius (tool) for commuting and 400+ hp car for fun driving (not tool).

My watch... A Casio would do the trick just fine. But I like a watch that makes me feel good. Mine was made in Switzerland and moves off the movement of my wrist and has no batteries. This "coolness" is not needed at all. But I like it. Scratches? Yep it has some..

My Dad had an accident and lost the use of his right (dominant) hand. I felt so bad for him, I bought him a Spyderco that was ambidextrous. After a few months, I sold my riding lawn mower and used the money to buy him a left hand Sebenza with Box Elder inlays. He never owned a nice knife like that, it almost brought him to tears. I did tell him to use it and scar the sh*t out of it..

But now my dad has 2 knives, 1 tool and 1 for pleasure.
 
According to those above, I'm Delusional and if I only saw knives as tools, I wouldn't have joined the forum.

Pretty amazing.

I see knives as tools.

I joined the forum because I wanted to improve my sharpening skills.

I'm Not Delusional. And I really do see knives as tools. Some of them are really nice looking, but it's just a nice looking tool for me.

I once had a rifle custom built for a specific purpose that cost between $6k-$7k that wasn't pretty at all.
It got scratched and banged and always (every single time), hit exactly where it was aimed.

Somebody was looking at it at the range one day and mentioned that if I sent the scope back to the manufacturer, they could refinish it and it would look better.
I just about fell down laughing. Why the hell would I take off a PERFECTLY mounted scope just because it had a few scratches!

I need some scotch.

AJ
 
As a couple of others have said, I am a user and not a collector. Maybe if my budget were different I'd feel different, but I won't own a knife I worry about using..
 
AJPeacock said:
According to those above, I'm Delusional and if I only saw knives as tools, I wouldn't have joined the forum.

I see knives as tools.

I joined the forum because I wanted to improve my sharpening skills.

I'm Not Delusional. Some of them are really nice looking, but it's just a nice looking tool for me.


I need some scotch.

AJ
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Nahh.. Brotha.. You are not delusional. Everybody has an opinion on this forum. No one is right and no one is wrong. I find your opinion interesting coming from my "angle", but I totally get what you are saying.

You are on a knife nerd forum and most of us nerds are bat shit crazy about our knives. So crazy that we come to this forum quite frequently and "obsess" over knives.

Some guys will spend all day waxing their $60k pickup and others will never wash it, because its a truck and a tool.. If you went to a truck forum filled with truck nerds, they would be bat shit crazy too about waxing their prize possessions I bet.

But if we were all the same, this place would suck.. So keep your opinions coming! :thumbup:
 
AJPeacock said:
According to those above, I'm Delusional and if I only saw knives as tools, I wouldn't have joined the forum.

Pretty amazing.

I see knives as tools.

I joined the forum because I wanted to improve my sharpening skills.

I'm Not Delusional. And I really do see knives as tools. Some of them are really nice looking, but it's just a nice looking tool for me.

I once had a rifle custom built for a specific purpose that cost between $6k-$7k that wasn't pretty at all.
It got scratched and banged and always (every single time), hit exactly where it was aimed.

Somebody was looking at it at the range one day and mentioned that if I sent the scope back to the manufacturer, they could refinish it and it would look better.
I just about fell down laughing. Why the hell would I take off a PERFECTLY mounted scope just because it had a few scratches!

I need some scotch.

AJ
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I think I see the problem now. You want everybody to see things your way...
 
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