Is Dull, Drab, Ugly and Agressive the New Measure of Beauty?

mongomondo said:
I also have the freedom of choice to make fun of stupid looking knives. I hope those kids grow out of the tiger striped phase quickly.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, we complain about non-knife people not understanding our hobby(the "sheeple" word gets banded around alot:rolleyes:), and we can't even let others enjoy different knives without snobbishly thinking them stupid?:confused:
 
BenLankford said:
I do hope they wrote thank you notes :p
Click to expand...

Yup , hand written too.

Knives are knives.... sitting here I have a Case Sod Buster Jr , 1991 Remington Baby Bullet trapper , 3" D2 fixed blade with tan G10 ( made by me ) and a Strider PT CC..... tactical ? practical ? traditional ? just knives...

Diversity :thumbup:
.... don't get so wrapped up in one category that you can't understand why others may embrace/appreciate something else.

Not everything needs a type , group or a name. Knives works for me just fine.
 
John T Wylie Jr said:
And as for the picture , those knives were Christmas GIFTS from Mick & Josh at Strider knives a few years back , and they LOVE those knives....:
Click to expand...

Well that explains how you got 10 or 11 Striders that weren't poor quality or f&f. You friends with the owner. Good for you.
 
MikeC said:
[snip]

...but nice going in your attempt to bash everyone who doesn't think a yellow celluloid case slip joint is the king and sees no need for anything else. Never, on this site have bashed slip joints or the people who like em, if thats what suits there needs so be it, why do you feel the need to bash someone elses choices because you don't see the need? Are you that short sighted and insecure?
Click to expand...

That's mighty defensive, considering that I included myself - the collective 'we' - in this question from my original post:
Have we become so confused, fearful and insecure as a culture that we seek out the illusion of empowerment by purchasing utilitarian pocket tools that look like implements of war?
Click to expand...

I own a few black and gray Microtechs and customs, and if you've read any of my posts during the last twelve years, you'd know that I appreciate all kinds of knives, both modern and traditional.

My point wasn't to "bash" anything, but to question a long-standing marking gimmick that needlessly militarizes utility knives; the more intentionally belligerent and intimidating the appearance (as well as the maker's attitude and slogan), the more valid the product seems to appear in the eye of the consumer. What's next? An urban camo torque wrench with a blood groove called the "Semper Fidelis Nut-Breaker"?

In my opinion, examining our values, assumptions and purchasing motivations is not only interesting, it's a necessary part of maintaining our individuality and anatomy. If we buy into marketing trends complacently, we behave like sheep while the marketing weasels laugh all the way to the bank.
 
SteelSnob said:
Well that explains how you got 10 or 11 Striders that weren't poor quality or f&f. You friends with the owner. Good for you.
Click to expand...

ahh don't cry....

But not hardly there slick , but nice try. Seems that quite a few of the LE's in town who bought them haven't had an issue with theirs either , and if they did I would hear about it , since I sharpen them for them.

I don't own all of them still , some were sold to friends who desperately wanted one , a few were given to friends who went into the service , 1 was given to a local highway patrol officer , and a few were sold to buy different models ( wish i could afford to keep them all ).

But hey let me know when you finish saving the world , and I will be sure to send you a " Thank you " card. Good luck on your quest. :thumbup:
 
MY knives are better than ALL of y'alls!


Neener neener neener



/phllllllbttttt
 
If we buy into marketing trends complacently, we behave like sheep while the marketing weasels laugh all the way to the bank.
Click to expand...

Ever heard of a marketing slogan ? Nike - Just do it !
GE - We bring good things to life ? Chevy - Like a rock ? Ford - Quality is job 1 ?

Nothing more than a slogan , meant to catch the eye , and get your attention , and judging by your reaction , it sure did get your attention , positively or negatively , it got your attention didn't it ?

Catch phrase - slogan - marketing........

wait till I finish making my dura-coated s30v slipjoint with CF scales... :)
 
John T Wylie Jr said:
ahh don't cry....

But not hardly there slick , but nice try. Seems that quite a few of the LE's in town who bought them haven't had an issue with theirs either , and if they did I would hear about it , since I sharpen them for them.

I don't own all of them still , some were sold to friends who desperately wanted one , a few were given to friends who went into the service , 1 was given to a local highway patrol officer , and a few were sold to buy different models ( wish i could afford to keep them all ).

But hey let me know when you finish saving the world , and I will be sure to send you a " Thank you " card. Good luck on your quest. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

You say I'm trying to save the world because I brought up a important element of your receiving 10 good Striders story, that you left out. Since everyone else I hear from buys 1 or 2 and gets a bad one I figured you were a liar by comission rather than omission. But omission is just as good:thumbup:

Now this makes sense. You go tell or hope someone at Strider sees you defending him and then next Christmas Mr.Burger will hopefully send you some more free decent blades. While people that pay cash get crap knives. This kind of crap still goes on because it's been tolerated.

BTW Why would all the LEOs in your town keep you abreast of problems they're having with their gear?
 
well since you can't read , I said " quite a few " , I sharpen for free for LE , I make knives , its a hobby. Many shoot at the same club I go to as well.

Knives and guns just kind of go together.

Ever went to a knife show ? You should check it out sometime , you can walk right up to the table , handle a knife , give them cash , and walk away with a new knife.... imagine that ? What a country !!
 
I shouldn't have to go to a knife show to get a decent product. Imagine if all products were like that from now on. Society as we know it would shutdown. It's the burden of the company to produce a consistant product and most companies go to great lengths to do that. One of the main goals of most manufacturers is to produce a consistant product.

Don't get me wrong I have all kinds of knives including tacticals but I find some companies make their tactical folders and produce a consistant quality product and others not so much quality but they sell a image and get by because of the tactical image. I tend to stay away from tigerstripe and black coated blades if I can (some cases I can't like the m4 Ritter) simply because the coating comes off and I have no need for it.
 
SteelSnob said:
You say I'm trying to save the world because I brought up a important element of your receiving 10 good Striders story, that you left out. Since everyone else I hear from buys 1 or 2 and gets a bad one I figured you were a liar by comission rather than omission. But omission is just as good:thumbup:

Now this makes sense. You go tell or hope someone at Strider sees you defending him and then next Christmas Mr.Burger will hopefully send you some more free decent blades. While people that pay cash get crap knives. This kind of crap still goes on because it's been tolerated.

BTW Why would all the LEOs in your town keep you abreast of problems they're having with their gear?
Click to expand...


WOW, this post is a little abrassive...sounds like a little sand needs to be removed from the slot. :thumbup: :)
 
Rick said:
If you look at the popular knives of yore, the steel was more-often-than-not brightly finished, and they were handled in beautiful natural materials, polished metals and attractively colored celluloids, etc.

So why the current trend toward dull, drab, belligerent-looking "tactical" cutlery with overblown military motifs and juvenile marketing slogans (""Death is our Only Competition," etc.) that look like something broken off of an old rototiller?
Click to expand...

I have read through this entire thread and am confused about what the issue is - surely there are still plenty of choices for those that like 'pretty' knives? Doesn't Ken Onion design some fancy looking ones?

Personally I avoid the pretty knives in favour of the subtle ones. Most of my handles are black and my blades are more often dull (in appearance, they are all sharp edged) or satin or black. I don't like to attract attention to myself and I especially don't like to attract attention to the fact that I have a knife - generally no one walks around 'armed' in this country.

I do agree about disliking marketing slogans though - does Coca Cola really think I would believe that drinking their flavoured fizzy sugar-water will bring more happiness into my life? I don't need the extra calories, thanks all the same. Luckily not one of my knives came with any juvenile marketing slogan - I guess I somehow dodged a bullet on that one.
 
jonnymac44 said:
Surely though, you can't think that applies to all knife companies and models. Don't you think it's a bit unwise to make a blanket statement like that? It's abundant enough in the production knife world that i will stick with my statement

Do you think a Spyderco Military with a black blade is finished more poorly than one with a satin blade? How about a Benchmade sprint run in M4 that's coated to protect the blade from corrosion due to the makeup of the steel? What about a Kershaw ENER-G II? The satin bladed model is beautiful.....do you think I need to worry about how well my all black models were finished just because I can't see underneath the coating?
Click to expand...

You can worry about what ever you want...i don't worry about pocket knives...i have destroyed my share of spyderco and benchmades....and I'm not predjudice...i'll beat the hell out of it no matter what color the blade is. :D
 
I like reading threads like this but they always get very personal and aggressive.

I might be a tool but I myself don't care for colors and shiny blades in my knives. That sort of things serves no purpose to me. U have a polished blade and it looks like crud after years of use. I find a dull finish to be far better for me personally. But that's just me. The stripes I don't care for really but a coating id *OK*. The coating for me could go either way, seems like a waste since it's just going to come off anywho. I don't really like the whole tactical thing but whatever. Drab dull things often require less care and maintenance. Maybe that's the real thing!! We have all become so pressed for time in today's busy world that we either A) don't have the time for caring for frills or B) don't want to waste time caring for things that with other products don't need caring for.

I'm not sure what effects my choices the most; looks, function or practicality (be it use of time, money or variants of use).

It's just how things work I suppose. Consumer wants aren't static you'd be hard pressed to find products that haven't changed. It's difficult to say if it's great marketing or just businesses giving the consumer what they want! Like many things I'm sure the knife trade will have some type of cyclic rhythm. If you look at most products that have been in the market for a long period of time it follows some time line cycle.
 
Thanks, Zombie. That was exactly the type of informative, levelheaded response I was looking for. :thumbup:
 
bigmark408 said:
WOW, this post is a little abrassive...sounds like a little sand needs to be removed from the slot. :thumbup: :)
Click to expand...

Really? I think the sand in the slot comment is not only abrasive but also vulgar and stupid.

And frankly with the whining you did about the A.G.Russel Frmelock and what you just said you're aperfect example of the pot calling the kettle black. And furthermore you didn't even own or handle that knife. I got a Strider that came bad, it's over two months I'm still waiting, having to pay $15 for shipping and they won't return emails or calls.
 
We're all going to wind up paying for those who need hyper agressive super scary knives to bolster their masculinity.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top