I like knives because... ??

A lot of great posts, and a lot of excellent points. Thank you all for you input so far. Its been a good read!

I like knives, just like I like women. There are plenty of good reasons (and some not so good ;)), but those reasons are not why I like knives. They are what I like about them, but not the reason I like them... if that makes sense.

As stated above, its like some primal attraction. A knife makes survival/life possible/easier imho, and we are instinctively attracted to those things that perpetuate life.

And dallastxco, I prefer to look at the knife as a tool (possibly life saving), so perpetual preparedness can also work into your theory.

knife = Tool
Tool = preparedness
you + preparedness = increased confidence
Incresed confidence = decreased stress
decreased stress = decreased cortisol = increased endorphins = increased peace of mind

See? The thoughts that have arisen as a result of this thread, are the reason I like the philosophical aspect of knives.


:cool::thumbup:
 
dallastxco said:
I don't know. I'll ask my psychiatrist tomorrow.
In the mean time, I came up with a theory:
knife=weapon
you+weapon=increased confidence
increased confidence is the result of an in increase of serotonin in your brain... so knife=increased serotonin which feels good to the brain.
Is just a theory but I think it might be right.
Click to expand...

I think there's more to the equation...

knife=weapon

you+weapon=increased confidence

You+weapon+increased confidence= mall ninja!!

:D
 
Mike157 said:
Half the fun is just using the solid metal tools/wrenches. Knives just take it to a whole other level especially with the modern steels. So many shapes, styles, and designs. Being able to take something that looks like a piece of worthless scrap, shape it, and put a mirror finish on it is pretty close to magical for me - and then being able to put a razor edge on it (not that I'm very practiced at these things) so that it will glide through all sorts of materials makes me giddy (if I'm allowed to use that word here). They're such basic and useful everyday tools and can also be incredibly fine pieces of art. Mike
Click to expand...

This! I also just look at knives as functional art. For some reason, I just find knives visually appealing. To be able to stare at something and be in awe of how cool it is and then pick it up and put it to use is just awesome to me. And the variety always keeps the hobby interesting.
 
this one's hard to narrow down. it's a comfort thing... and a mechanical thing, and a "i appreciate quality" thing, and a security thing... and a "hey check this out" thing. i have no idea what makes knives so appealing to me personally, but 35 years into it, I still can't stop playing with them (even the crappy ones) right this minute, I have one beside the sofa so I can play with it while i watch tv... maybe it's a "slightly retarded" thing???
 
The_Guide said:
A lot of great posts, and a lot of excellent points. Thank you all for you input so far. Its been a good read!

I like knives, just like I like women. There are plenty of good reasons (and some not so good ;)), but those reasons are not why I like knives. They are what I like about them, but not the reason I like them... if that makes sense.

As stated above, its like some primal attraction. A knife makes survival/life possible/easier imho, and we are instinctively attracted to those things that perpetuate life.

And dallastxco, I prefer to look at the knife as a tool (possibly life saving), so perpetual preparedness can also work into your theory.

knife = Tool
Tool = preparedness
you + preparedness = increased confidence
Incresed confidence = decreased stress
decreased stress = decreased cortisol = increased endorphins = increased peace of mind

See? The thoughts that have arisen as a result of this thread, are the reason I like the philosophical aspect of knives.


:cool::thumbup:
Click to expand...

LOL
I'm making mine

knife = Tool
Tool = preparedness
you + preparedness = increased confidence
Incresed confidence = decreased stress
decreased stress = increase in well being
+

Incresed confidence= increase in dopamine (pleasure pathway in brain)
Increased dopa = increased well being

It JUST MAKES US FEEL GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I like knives for the same reasons I like women. They are just sexy to me. And just like women, once you've had one you want them all ;)
 
...and just like women eventually you'll get bored of handling it no matter how good you thought it looked to begin with and find a new model that piques your interest.
 
Knives are in our human DNA. They existed before recorded human history. A cutting instrument was nearly the oldest tool pre-historic man fashioned for himself and had need for. His first tool was probably a rock, then he broke the rock and discovered a sharp edge. This pre-historic man, Walter (or Wally, as he preferred to be called), improperly played with the broken rock, and cut himself with the sharp edge. Unfortunately Wally died (horribly and painfully), two weeks later from a terrible infection. That probably would have been the end of it but his buddy, William (or Willy), had observed Wally with the sharp edged broken rock. He also noted that Wally died from the cut. Willie put two and two together, introduced it to the tribe and was made King, granted the right to mate with all females in the tribe along with various stock options, patents, royalties, etc., as a reward for his great contribution to the group. As a memorial to his deceased friend, Willie named his newly discovered tool a Wally.

To encapsulate: Willie watched while Wally was wounded. Willie won women, and wealth when he wound up with Wally's wonderful and well worshipped wakizashi.
 
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I love knives, but I don't really hoard them. I buy them every once in a while. Last one was a SAK in the summer. I enjoy having a knife as a daily companion. I think most men form a kind of of bond with their tools and knives happen to be a tool that may be carried daily.

Another possible reason is that many men today feel disconnected from a life that they may yearn for. As an office worker or what not, we are often detached from what we would like to be doing. Knives may be one way that some of us can connect and fantasize of a life that may not be easily possible in todays world.
 
Because a good knife is the complete opposite of most of the crap that passes for products in this modern age:

1. Most stuff is complicated and cheaply constructed, made with a hundred parts from a dozen different countries with the cheapest components possible to make the price as low as possible. A good knife is the definition of simplicity, one guy with a focus on a few premium components--the old-fashioned kind of way.
2. Most stuff is designed to fail or become obsolete within a few years, and then you have to upgrade or buy new. A good knife is designed to last for your lifetime and that of several generations down the road.
3. Most stuff is designed to be inoffensive and indirect in design. A good knife is a very straight-forward and direct thing: sharp edge, handle. The point is clear and obvious.
4. Most stuff is not necessary; it’s designed to amuse us or make our lives nicer in some pointless way. A knife is necessary. Without an edge of some kind, a human will die. Every culture--no matter how primitive or complicated--uses cutting implements.

In other words, I like knives… because they keep it real, very simply put. Knives keep it real.
 
A good distinction between the things we like about knives and why we like them. For me, it's a little bit of everything here =)

I'll pick one thing to elaborate on - a "what" rather than a "why" in this case - and that is the fact that with a knife, a gun, and things like that, there is always opportunity to change minds. In a time when it's a rarer sight to see these tools and weapons about one's person, the myth that they are no longer necessary and prudent has taken root. The seedling was transplanted in ground that should not have supported its life, save for artificial sustenance. It has imbued an imbalance into the foundations of our society, permeated the soil of truth with lies and infected the populace with the disease of fear. And so, they are afraid, unwarily feeding to others many times more than had been sown into their own minds.

But, there is hope! The shining light reflects from our polished blades, revealing the dark shadows behind a veil of deceit. The time has come. Swing with great justice, brothers and sisters! Fell this foul entrenchment, many yards thick! Do not tire, do not rest, for it grows even now. Let yourselves be as sharp as your edge, we cannot fail! For if we do, we are all doomed to eternal slumber six feet beneath this fallow earth.

Well, not really. But I'll be damned if a good-sized knife won't do a number on a 3-6 inch thick tree. Axes are cool, too, good to have around the house or shed.

-DH
 
I just love the idea of precision made tools made especially for the jobs I love to do. All of the variation and the infinite number of designs, and potential for designs....just all around coolness! Being out in the woods and having a beautifully crafted blade by your side gives you that adventurous butterfly feeling that can't be duplicated by anything else.
 
Right now I have a Becker BK2, a Condor Boomslang, an Ontario SP52 and a Spyderco Native on top of my desk now, and nobody thinks it's weird. Granted, everybody here uses knives and they know I'm the knife nut in the office, but they are also starting to see the usefulness of a knife for daily chores, even outside our normal duties. One of my co-workers even asked me what good fixed blade she could get so I could make her a pink kydex drop leg sheath with a strap.

Mom visited a couple months ago and was horrified at the wall where I hang my fixed blades. Before she left, she took home a Ka-bar Heavy Bowie as a gift after she cut some branches in the backyard with it and asked me for it...

My point is, even tho people question our obsession with knives, the ones that are around us are getting it. There is no denying the usefulness of a knife. To us, they are also the coolest tool ever, and it falls to us to educate the people close to us. It's not impossible.
 
and to answer the OP question...why? dunno, cool factor + usefulness = win?
 
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