I like knives because... ??

Thalestin said:
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.
Click to expand...

Perfectly said.
 
It's just an awesome useful and beautiful tool.
Why I dunno, I just like/need them. But I guess I can blame my dad a little for it giving my first knife at age 7 or so and rest has been nicely said by others.

When I don't have a knife with me it feels awkward, like something is missing (You now the feeling when you forgot your watch, you're checking every 5 minutes what time it is and think again.... "ah damn").

The thing I don't get is nice girls collecting shoes and designer clothing... they can do without... well ok they might complain even more often of being cold ;)
 
I couldn't give you a reason if I had all day. Great question though. I know when I leave the house and forget to put one on my belt or in my pocket (rare) and then forget to grab one out of the car (rare again) I notice all day long. Knives are useful. They make life easier. And hell, their just cool. I've spent thousands on them and the fact that I can't pin down a direct answer to this post makes me chuckle a bit.
 
I appreciate the design, the materials and metallurgy, and the manufacturing that brings it all together.

Oh, and they're cool, too. :D
 
Great thread, lots of good and thoughtful answers (or should I say non-answers since many people can't figure out why they like knives?) Of the various replies I like this one best:

jwh said:
I like knives because knives like me.

jwh
Click to expand...

Yeah, I do think my knives are more at home in my presence as opposed to other members of the family. Haha.
 
The_Guide said:
I like knives because...
Click to expand...
... because they give me options and greater capabilities than I would otherwise have, plain and simple.

Beyond that... I like finely made tools, purpose-driven designs, and I like being the one who is prepared. I kinda see myself as an "explorer", ready to go into the wilds with what I have on me, and just have a blast doing things the old-fashioned way :)
 
While I'm a self-described "gadget guy" and collect lighters, watches, good tools and knives I think it has to do with what has been said by others. A knife appeals to a basic survival instinct, a bond formed in prehistory. Ever since I was a little kid looking at knives in a display case saying "I want that one and that one and that one..."

I gave a presentation on knives to my Boy Scout Troop last night and for once had every single boy's attention as I showed them different blade types, handle styles, locking mechanisms, and even steel types.

Maybe there is a bit of "forbidden fruit" aspect to it, like "don't play with knives kid, you'll get cut", I'm not sure.

Maybe it's because knives are just darn cool!
 
Another thing I'd like to throw out there for consideration is the actual emotional bond that forms between a man and his blade. No matter how nice a knife is, it is only an object until it is used. Then something magical happens... An undefinable union of sorts, that gives the knife a life of its own. That moment it goes from "its a beauty" to "shes a beauty" if you get my meaning.

Those of you that have really depended on your knife know what I mean. It is my warmth, my shelter, and my food, among an infinite number of other unforeseeable eventualities.

After all is done, when sitting at home, you can feel the life in the blade. Its truly magical, but somehow undefinable.

Plus knives are just so damn cool!

:D:thumbup:
 
Most of my likes and dislikes I can explain, but knives are a different story. I have no explanation and gave up thinking about it many years ago. I can't remember ever not being into knives.
 
The_Guide said:
Another thing I'd like to throw out there for consideration is the actual emotional bond that forms between a man and his blade. No matter how nice a knife is, it is only an object until it is used. Then something magical happens... An undefinable union of sorts, that gives the knife a life of its own. That moment it goes from "its a beauty" to "shes a beauty" if you get my meaning.

Those of you that have really depended on your knife know what I mean. It is my warmth, my shelter, and my food, among an infinite number of other unforeseeable eventualities.

After all is done, when sitting at home, you can feel the life in the blade. Its truly magical, but somehow undefinable.

Plus knives are just so damn cool!

:D:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Great post.
 
There's not to ask or reason why, there's but to do and die... Such is the affinity for acquiring these sharp tools.
 
i think its something that is primal in nature. mankind has been the only toolmaking creature that has risen in the history of the earth. Its what separated us from the rest of the animal kingdom and from there to dominate all life on this planet. At some point long ago there was a early man with his stone knife and that was all he had, its hardwired in some of us to this day. I think we can all marvel at design and function, new steels and new toys, but the basic instinct of man is in building tools because he can. Using tools because he must. coveting them because they represent all that we are and ever were and ever will be.
 
Beckerhead83 said:
The feeling you get when you grip your favorite knife.
Click to expand...

I'm with Beckerhead83 here. Others have give similar answers, but I think this is what it boils down to for me.

Of course I admire the skill and craftmanship that go in to developing and producing knifes.
Of course a knife is a useful tool that makes life easier in so many ways.
Of course one could defend oneself or one's family with a knife, as long as one's not being attacked by anything more lethal than a knife.
Of course knives look cool and it's great to put them on display for oneself or for others to drool all over them
Of course it's interesting to talk about knives (that's why we're all here, right?)

But at the end of the day, most of these things are mere substitutes for (or derivatives of) "the feeling you get when you grip your favorite knife". For me it is, anyway. So maybe I could put it this way:

I LIKE knives because they're handy tools. And I LOVE knives because they're cool to look at, to talk about, to collect, to marvel at, to display, et cetera...
 
I'm a gear freak and I like cool stuff and hi-performance things and things with quality and craftsmanship.
And I also like weapons and tools.
I have no hesitation to buy cool stuff that I don't even need, or even really have a use for. I just want to have it because I like it.
I tend to agree with alot of things the other posters said on this thread too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top