Intentional ( not forced ) patina ?

[Hickory n steel]

I'd agree with that, just as some handle materials just look much better with a bit of a patina/some wear, I think the same can be said about blades. If I carry a knife for two years straight, I want there to be some evidence of it having been carried and used - some evidence that it was present in my life, rather than just sitting in a box in a drawer.

And even more so if your someone like me who doesn't use their pocketknives for anything too rough.

I may open mail / boxes
Open a blister pack
Cut some string or leather here and there
Eat an apple / cut some salami for a snack
And sharpen a carpenter's pencil or whittle on a small stick.

That's about what I do with my pocket knives and they just don't get a ton of visible wear, patina gives them the evidence of use they wouldn't much show otherwise.

 

[NewBlades16]

Hess Mini Caper used to cut all kinds of meat!

 

[JohnDF]

That's like saying a woman is too beautiful to...

Not too beautiful for me to look at, but certainly too beautiful for me to get a date.

 

[black mamba]

Eighty plus year old patina:

Eight ounces of sirloin steak patina:

 

[kamagong]

Not too beautiful for me to look at, but certainly too beautiful for me to get a date.

That's crazy talk. The problem, for me at least, is that I'm too married these days.

 

[JohnDF]

The problem, for me at least, is that I'm too married these days.

Sorry, I was still talking about the knives.