How important is it that your knife looks cool?

[Jesse B.]

What sort of weight do you give to the aesthetics of a knife when selecting it for purchase and use?

 

[jfk1110]

Appearance is the FIRST thing one notices........If it doesn't appeal to the eye, no bueno
And everyone is different...

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

^ this right here. (See above)

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

That being said…a highly decked out knife that is comfortable in hand is just as attractive as a plain jane that is ergonomically comfortable in use.

 

[Hackenslash]

I voted for 6: “other” although 2: “a little bit” is really damn close to how I mostly feel. But…but…sometimes a butt-ugly knife has a beauty of its own and defies logic. It MUST be had because your hand needs the ugly. Hard to explain.

Then again, I root for underdogs.

 

[shinyedges]

I love when I get to use this pic. Just look at how this work of art resembles feces.


Life's to short to carry a hideous knife unless you're in prison and hiding it in your wallet.

Gotta have a good looking knife.

 

[killgar]

When there is an abundance of options that will serve my needs, and all utilitarian characteristics being relatively equal (steel, lock, grip, ergonics, etc), I will choose the one that I most like the looks of.

Often, characteristics I don't like on a practical level are also ones I don't like the looks of. Like jimping for example. I don't like how it feels (often too aggressive), and I don't like the looks.

Blade shape is another. When I was using knives all day at work any number of blade types would have worked just fine for me, but I like the look of some more than others. And some I would never buy.

I think choosing possessions based in part on looks is a normal part of being human, and one that occurs with many purchases. How many people, when they buy a vehicle say "I don't care what the color is, just give me whatever color you have"?, or, "I don't care what it looks like, just tell me the gas milage". How many people buy shirts based only on fit and material, with no concern for color or style.

Personal possessions are often an expression of the personalities of their owners, and as such it's not unusual for people to make purchases, even utilitarian purchases, based in part on appearances, including knives.

 

[Rupestris]

Gotta have a good looking knife.

Meanwhile, my knives…

 

[shinyedges]

Meanwhile, my knives…

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...

 

[DocJD]

Form follows function .

Often that correlates with looking cool .

But , if the appealing appearance is not accompanied by superior performance and value , not going to be a buy for me .

 

[norcalAF]

View attachment 2670637

I love when I get to use this pic. Just look at how this work of art resembles feces.


Life's to short to carry a hideous knife unless you're in prison and hiding it in your wallet.

Gotta have a good looking knife.

See, you can grab a turd by the clean end, but it will still bite you!

 

[NWFRS]

Yup. Aesthetics are my first criteria, followed by country of origin, build quality, cover material, blade material, blade shape, etc. If none of that mattered I might as well carry one of those little Milwaukee folding box cutters, which I did, in my last few years of factory labor.

 

[dmattaponi]

I would say that aesthetics are important to me and yet none of my edc knives are particularly pleasing to me, so ultimately when it comes down to users I go for function over form.

 

[beeinak]

There are knives that grab my attention of course, but I like knives that feel right and perform well, over looks. Some knives I like are not attractive (Terava’s) but perform beautifully. It is awesome when a beautiful knife fits and performs well.

 

[Triton]

As I heard somewhere, life is too short to carry an ugly knife.

 

[mitchnola]

Definitely aesthetically drawn to a knife first but if it just doesn’t function well then it’s moving along. For example my LGs are my favorite knives because they’re functionally executed so well and are such a pleasure to use but I wouldn’t really consider any of them my favorite looking knives.

My favorite looking knives are my Emersons. Really love his blade designs and ergonomics.

 

[LostCause]

Cool, boring, beautiful and ugly are different things.

There are beautiful but boring knives.
There are also ugly but cool knives.

My coated Spyderco Matriarch is kinda ugly - but really cool. And I love that about it.

Civivi Elementum for example isn't ugly, but it is plain boring unless you get the damascus version. So I don't own one.

To me, it is the most important for a knife to not be boring.

 

[AntDog]

View attachment 2670637

I love when I get to use this pic. Just look at how this work of art resembles feces.


Life's to short to carry a hideous knife unless you're in prison and hiding it in your wallet.

Gotta have a good looking knife.

Absolutely. Ain’t nobody got time for no shit lookin’ knives. I damn sure don’t, anyway. Also, usually if it looks good to the eye it’ll feel good to the hand.

I’ve been surprised by some pretty damn homely ones being ergonomic beyond what I expected, but it’s been rare.

 

[Hvactech]

Here's a few of mine... I would say that it matters!

 

[Hvactech]

Definitely aesthetically drawn to a knife first but if it just doesn’t function well then it’s moving along. For example my LGs are my favorite knives because they’re functionally executed so well and are such a pleasure to use but I wouldn’t really consider any of them my favorite looking knives.

My favorite looking knives are my Emersons. Really love his blade designs and ergonomics.

I usually always agree with you bro, but Emerson is the best looking knife? I think you need to get back to the optometrist my friend! I'm telling Les btw