How have you gained most of your knowledge about knives?

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Daddyo16

Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Messages
4,532
Have you learned what you know from this forum, other sources, or both? How do you sift through the information to determine what is accurate and what is not?
 
You tube video review and this forum mostly. Also by purchasing knives. I started this obsession 6 months ago and I now own a few popular options. I have an 2 opinel's and 2 Mora fixed blades as an example and I had never heard of them until I saw them on You Tube. They seemed to be very popular so I picked them up. You learn basics like Carbon steel versus Stainless. Flat Grinds versus Scandinavian grinds ect. It just becomes an addiction from there to learn and get more.
 
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All of my knife/woodcrafting skills and sharpening information came from my father and grandfathers. "How not to cut yourself" from experience. Knife geek stuff (steels, angles, etc.) from BladeForums.
 
Reading knife catalogues, forums like this, addict websites, and watching YouTube. The SHOT Show / knife show vids and others where the makers talk about the knives are very informative. Then, when I get a new knife, I take time to really study it, look, feel, compare to other knives in the collection. Have learned much from the process.
 
Started with my dad, he is a big traditional and auto collector. When I was a kid he would take me to a local knife makers shop. The guys name was Bob Enders. My knowledge and obsession has enabled by this forum. Ha!
 
Nearly all of my limited knowledge comes from the conversations on this board. If you read enough, you can find the guys who really know a lot and are willing to share it.
 
I hung out at local shows and talked with purveyors at the chicago custom knife show (when there was one) and the badger club knife shows in wisconsin. A lot of what I learned was simply reading as much as I could. Any time I could pick up a knife mag I would read it cover to cover. As far as knife construction and quality I learned by modding knives. And if the knife was something I planned on keeping I took it apart and examined the internals to see how certain mechanisms worked and developed ways to improve them if there was anything that could be improved.
 
Daddyo16 said:
Have you learned what you know from this forum, other sources, or both? How do you sift through the information to determine what is accurate and what is not?
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Yes I attribute most of my cutting tool knowledge to the reading of this site and the Tube....then going outside and actually using the tools. After a while you can make quicker and more informed decisions from the acquired knowledge base. With this said I have a lot to learn yet, although I am comfortable with were I am. I feel no need to learn about the molecular structure of steel X when steel Y meets my outdoor needs. Cutting tools aren't my primary or only interests, so I don't obsess over them....... usually.
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This site, and hours if research/ watching vids/ playing with sharp things
 
CJZ said:
This site, and hours if research/ watching vids/ playing with sharp things
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Same here, but also get yourself Levines Guide to Knives and ther Values, third edition or earlier. So much knife information and history in there.
 
I have been a knife user and collector for almost 20 years now.

I got into it because of my experience as a Marine Corps Infantryman.

I started out by seeing the knife magazines that were available in the PX and purchasing them.

Finding this forum around 1998 was another big step in acquiring knife knowledge.

The Internet knife forums and social media have replaced the magazines now for the most part.

I do subscribe to Blade magazine still, this time it is digital.
 
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If I like a particular knife I will generally buy it. I will often check here on BF if there is a thread on it, but not always. If the knife is common, it will be mentioned many times and folks will often make recommendations based on their use. The main things that I look up are comments on QA/QC issues, fit and finish, and blade steel. I am often somewhat knowlegeable about the manufacturer based on casual reading here over the years combined with my own experience.

The Benchmade 111H2O is an example of one that I liked the look of but after reading about it here, I am not sure if I will buy until I actually handle one in person.

Slip joints (traditionals) made by Great Eastern Cutlery are another example. I read some comments on BF about them. This is right after they started production, so the traditional forum was not filled with comments about them yet. I was at a show and handled them in person and was impressed with the quality. But I was uncomfortable with the pricing relative to Queen and Case knives at that time. Didn't buy. I later did more reading and decided I would give one a try regardless of the price. I bought in person, but was only moderately happy due to the extremely hard pull (aka nail breaker). More reading.... bought another and was very pleased. I have continued to buy them and have been very pleased and that first knife with the very strong spring just sits in my knife accumulation unused and never likely to be used.

I seldom look at You Tube videos other than for entertainment or if somebody provides a link on a knife that looks appealing and I never heard of it. I have bought a lot of knives and do have some good reference points.

If I know nothing and I like it, I just buy it and form my own conclusions.
 
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I've learned about what I like and what I don't like threw my personal experiences using knives. Also threw use have I learned what steels I like and dislike as well as what angles to use on what steels/blades.

YouTube and this place taught me to sharpen and the forums here taught me about brands and other styles of knives I don't have exp. with.
 
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