How many people in the world wear shoes? When considering those that also have Internet access, just about everyone in the world wears shoes. But how many of them are "into shoes"? How many of them collect shoes, or care about shoes enough to join a shoe forum? Very few.
Knives, unlike shoes, are not something everyone uses every single day. 99.9% of people use knives VERY rarely.
Just as we use shoes, but don't really lust over them, most people use knives when they have to, but don't really care about them beyond that. They don't care about good knives, or good steel. Just as we don't care about whether our shoes are made from the finest leather.
Now, if something that everyone uses every day doesn't attract millions of people to a forum, then you shouldn't expect something that very few people use more than a couple times a month (and only for a couple seconds each time) to do any better.
To us, knives are very useful tools. That is why we are here: we do things that require the use of knives. But to the *VAST* majority of people in the world, knives are pretty useless. They only use knives to cut their food every once in a while, and if they didn't have a knife they could have used a fork instead. They don't care about the difference between 420 and D2, and they shouldn't, because for them there is no difference and there is zero need for anything better than a butter knife.
Why doesn't the whole world lust after knives? The same reason you aren't a member of a jigsaw forum, or a hammer forum, or a resistor forum.
You don't have to tell me why knives are great. We share a common interest here: KNIVES! But it is foolish to think that other people should enjoy your interests any more than you should enjoy theirs. And if you were actually wondering- Sad but true... knives are a VERY unpopular interest.
I have wondered why knives fascinate me as well. I think it is because they are so beautiful and elegant. A hammer is a tool, but hammers rarely have the beauty of a knife. Knives are precision tools, not blunt ones. Knives can be wood-handled and traditional, or amazing modern gizmos like a Ken Onion AO, or a G&G Hawk ET. In another universe, it could very well have been the hammer to develop the following of the knife. The hammer could be the beautiful instrument, or the modern marvel. But I think the fact that knife requires precision (when made and when used) lends it better to that role.
Also, I often need knives at work, but I have never needed a hammer. I think the knife is honestly one of the most useful tools in daily life and most jobs. It is also very portable and remains very function when made small for EDC. An EDC hammer or drill doesn't make as much sense.
I grew to love knives out of necesity. I work at a newspaper in the packaging department, so I need a knife fairly often. I don't need other tools.
As hobbies go, I think knives are great. I can enjoy them in my home, by myself, and at any hour. I can take them with me outside of the home, at least as a fashion accessory. And I often have to use them as a tool at work. They are always with me. Compare this to hobbies like paintballing, autocrossing, and football- they depend on other people, and the time of day. Things like videogames can be done solo, and at any hour, and can even come with you when you leave your home (with portable games), but they can't make your job easier. I spend so much time at work that having a hobby that helps me at my work is very cool.
