Off Topic How does external appearance determine / alter your perception of a knife ?

DocJD

DocJD

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Tactical knife or baby toy ? šŸ¤Æ

I just received a blaze orange handle and sheath , Cold Steel SRK-C .


Usually SRK are blackout tactical , associated with BUDS training etc . This bright orange knife looks more like a tool for the woods / emergency etc .

So , how do various colors , inscriptions , symbols , decorations etc, shape your (and the general public) impression and feelings ?

I'm thinking that knife knuts tend to more look past externals , but still can make a big difference IMO .
 
DocJD said:

Tactical knife or baby toy ? šŸ¤Æ

I just received a blaze orange handle and sheath , Cold Steel SRK-C .


Usually SRK are blackout tactical , associated with BUDS training etc . This bright orange knife looks more like a tool for the woods / emergency etc .

So , how do various colors , inscriptions , symbols , decorations etc, shape your (and the general public) impression and feelings ?

I'm thinking that knife knuts tend to more look past externals , but still can make a big difference IMO .
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I donā€™t mind the orange srk. Actually like it. But that dessert Kalashnikovā€¦ I donā€™t know šŸ¤£
 
Appearance can affect function. I want a knife that will be easy to find if I lose it out in a sheep pasture. If I can't find it, it has no function at all. That's why I especially like orange handles, although bright red or blue will do.
 
I think the orange handle makes sense. It's a Survival Rescue Knife. In an emergency extraction, I would hate to drop my knife on the dark floorboard of the car and not be able to find it because it was all tacticool black.

I adore the SRK as a real KISS tool. I've had mine well over 20 years. The orange looks good here :)
 
Another Shepherd said:
Appearance can affect function. I want a knife that will be easy to find if I lose it out in a sheep pasture. If I can't find it, it has no function at all. That's why I especially like orange handles, although bright red or blue will do.
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Very true in the woods also ! :)
 
I love the Dessert Warrior series, always makes me laugh. I'm not very high speed or low drag, so I'm personally happy to get more colors than dog poo brown, black or olive drab.

Honestly, I have enough practical knives for a huge variety of things to last me several lifetimes, so now appearance is much more important to me than it used to be.

Doesn't have to be one, particular style of appearance, but it does have to stand out from the crowd a bit before I'll drop cash on it.
 
Iā€™ll admit it, I rarely (if ever) buy a knife that I donā€™t find visually appealing. There are enough knives in the world that you should be able to find something for a particular function that also appeals to you aesthetically.

Lifeā€™s too short to but ugly stuff.
 
I bought all my knives with appearance a major factor, along with blade steel (or Damascus) and locking mechanism. This will sound weird but I am done with most framelocks as I don't like this "show side" business. I like both sides to look similar. I do like bolster locks and the Mnandi lock, where both sides are close in appearance.

On your knives, I like orange and other bright colors, especially if you are taking them in the woods. I don't consider my knives as weapons; I'm more confident with my hands if the need arises.
 
I instantly thought of one of my favorite folding knives to carry, the unfortunately named ā€œBroken Skullā€ from Cold Steel.

It had everything going for it: just over 4 inches of well heat treated CTS XHP, Tri-Ad lock, linerless G10, thin profile, thin behind the edge, 3 oz, $50 newā€¦

All ruined by a name only a middle school child would come up with. Does it bother me? Not enough to strip the DLC or not carry it. It is perfect otherwise.

I could swap the unsightly thumb stud out for the one that came stock, I have the screw for it, but this one works better for such a thin knife. And I figure itā€™s such a good knife otherwise that Iā€™m not too concerned with the appearance.

Took a quick and dirty photo of this beautifully functional ugly Betty:
4155D60F-E446-4869-A113-D5A7FD1C4EC4.jpeg
 
I'd love to say that I don't care at all what my knives look like, and that they are 100% strictly tools, but I'd be lying. Truthfully, I do care what they look like. I'm not too concerned about what other people think of them, however I think all humans have an inherent gene that makes you want to be accepted, which also carries over into our knives in most of us a bit. Honestly though, I've got some knives in my kinda "fancy" part of the collection that I bought since coming back here that I've never shared because I also have this other inherent thought where I don't want to look like some rich, spoiled person because I'm not. I live with roommates with cheap rent and every other faucet of my life is pretty humble, however I do love me some nice knives. I think my roommates think I just really like gas station knives because I don't tell them how much they cost. I showed one of them my new Spyderco Chapparal Sun & Moon the other day and he immediately asked how much it cost. I lied and told him $80 and he still looked at me flabbergasted and said "80!?"

But as Insipid Moniker Insipid Moniker said, I'm at the point in my collection where all my needs are covered and now I tend to be intrigued by cool different designs, materials, and just general things that pop out to me more.
 
The biggest reason I have so many more knives than Iā€™ll ever use is because I keep seeing stuff that looks cool. Iā€™d say at least the last 20 Iā€™ve bought, and several more before that. I just did a count - I know Iā€™m still a lightweight, but I have 45 knives, not counting 11 SAKā€™s, 4 multi tools, or 6 David Mary customs. Of those 45, two could easily fulfill all my knifing needs outside of the kitchen, maybe three if I figure in a separate ā€˜dress-upā€™ knife. The rest are work desk fidgeters, around-the-house stashers, lookers, a couple of drawer queens, and one mistake.
 
Oh it can drive me to buy it however all the charm can disappear after carrying and using it if it turns out to be more pretty than practical. That is when I gravitate towards something that just works without much regard for looks. I EDC a Carbon Fiber AD20.5 clip point in 3V with pocket clip and studs removed. Although I like AD20.5s the carbon fiber version is the least attractive (nice but too dark) to me but it's flat, very durable, lightweight, sharp, and very useful. It does not remind me that it's in my pocket all day and is ready when I need it.
 
Another Shepherd said:
Right. Bright blue might be better in autumn if there are colorful leaves.
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I learned this the hard way loosing arrows with green/ yellow fletchings. Orange is not much better. Might as well be camouflage. Depending on the flora.

Switched to blue fletchings, much easier to find strays.

I had a friend drop a cammo arrow from a tree stand and couldnā€™t find it. šŸ˜‚
 
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