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

[bigmark408]

What ever happened to " Beauty is in the eye of the beholder "

Bottom line for companies ...... the mighty green backs.

How many folks watch those late night channels selling gadgets...how many folks have ever picked up the phone and bought a gadget.

How many folks buy popcorn when they go to the movies...do you have alot of butter or a little butter.....do you have a coke or a bottle of water.

How bout makin luv...do you like it with the lights on or off.

Lots of choices and opinions and all i can say is no matter how bad some folks think we have it...I am proud i live in a country where we can make choices and have opinions.

 

[John T Wylie Jr]

sport the usual ridiculous hardass military image

yet you still bought into the hype and bought them , while questioning why others purchase what they purchased.... ironic ? or double standard ? or just going with what you like ?

In short, they're fun toys. Ugly? Perhaps. Aggressive? maybe, if I carried 'em.

You answered your own questions to this thread right there.

If all knives were the same , it would suck , plain and simple. If the only knives available were bright handled polished blades knives , it would suck , if all that were available were beadblasted blades with G10 handles in black , it would suck.

Lucky for us , we have a very large selection to choose from. With posting your collection ( nice by the way ) , you have shown how your tastes are not narrow , and are actually pretty far apart ( but no slip joints pictured ? ).

Ford vs Chevy , tactical vs traditional vs modern , custom vs production , stock removal vs forged , blonde vs brunette ( ha ! trick one there , we all know its red-heads ).

Options , man we gots to have options , the more the better.

 

[flatgrinder]

Just a reflection of clever marketing replacing skill.

 

[bigmark408]

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.

Well said.

 

[ZombiesEatFree]

It is hard to separate oneself from personal feeling to give an unbiased idea of why this is trend. Kinda have to play the devils advocate! But like I said, it seems to be the trend with everything. Who makes the market, the buyers or the marketers? hmm..

Maybe the fear of worldwide terrorism has fueled the need to overtly state that "I am man, hear me roar!" The global epidemic of terrorist acts have left society feeling vulnerable and products that say don't F with me help to curb some fears in a subconscious way. Having had the worlds greatest superpower attacked on it's on soil has spoiled the idea that we are impervious! maybe?? Prolly not! but who knows!

Or has the sensitization of men by Dr. Phil and Oprah led us to the fruits of Freud?? I mean come on, doesn't the blade of the ZT 302 imprint a phallic into ones mind???

Shoot man, what do I know?!?!?! just thinking out loud! All I can think about now is how SWEET that Todd Begg piece is!!! Give me a Sebenza and that and I'll be golden!!

What I find kinda funny is that t\Rick has already said he has fallen prey to the woes of superb marketing. So it would be tough for him to explain any better than I or anyone else the whys. I think he's just trying to get any idea of why this trend started and why it has been going so strong. I do have a question for you though Rick, do you feel that micarta is a poor choice over wood for something like a everyday hard use knife? I tend to think that good raw micarta is superior to wood for a knife that might see minimal car. It's grippy, tough as nails, can withstand water/heat/cold and it really easy to care for.

 

[Bushman5]

Because I'm genuinely curious. Why discuss anything? But to answer your question: Yes. I'm a member of this culture. When a large demographic follows a certain trend, it effects all of us, however indirectly, so I'm trying to understand its underlying cause.

how do other peoples knife choices affect you? There is how many hundreds of thousands of knife people in this world, if not millions. 99% of them DO NOT LIVE NEAR YOU....so HOW can they affect you?

 

[Rick]

Knives are tools. They are made to cut things. From the looks of the pics you posted those knives were never used. Do you use any of those knives or are they just to look at?

Knives are tools, and historical artifacts, and personal heirlooms, and art objects, and investments, and playthings, and...

Most of the knives I posted are, or were, case queens. FWIW, these are my current EDCs (many of 'em photographed when they were new):

 

[John T Wylie Jr]

From the looks of the pics you posted those knives were never used. Do you use any of those knives or are they just to look at?

We all are pretty much guilty of posting picts of them in their new condition , myself included.

Rick, do you have a side by side of the Otha , Zscherny and Menefee together ? Nice representation of wharnnie slips !

 

[Gadgetaholic]

I own a BK7 & a BK9 - they are tacticool looking knives, they are also functional & practical & best of all they don't look fugly :barf: like the knives above!

To me a knife is a tool, if it also looks nice then that is fine - but as a tool it needs to be useful in performing its primary job of cutting stuff. To me impractical = undesirable!

To anyone that really likes the knives pictured: I don't mean to offend you but my tastes differ to yours and I personally think that those are horrendously ugly. I also don't get why anyone likes them - but it takes all sorts I suppose. The strider strikes me as useless for a user knife - who would want to bother keeping that stupid grind sharp? Unfortunately even closed when you can't see the blade edge - it still suffers from a tragically ugly appearance. :barf:

Luckily there are many other knives to look at that don't disgust me. I might have to go drool at www.himalayan-imports.com to sooth my eyes after looking at the tacticrap monstrosities pictured here!

 

[bigmark408]

I believe what draws people to knives like the Strider with the Nightmare Grind is the fact that they are hand ground and the grinds are difficult to do, hence the name. There is a certain artistry behind those grinds. The other knife is nice but a run of the mill production model.

I bought and used striders for a long time just because they tripped MY trigger...I didn't know Nuthin about the people that made them or there marketing.

I do admit that i fell for the flipper fad but became bored.

 

[Amaranth]

I own a BK7 & a BK9 - they are tacticool looking knives, they are also functional & practical & best of all they don't look fugly :barf: like the knives above! ...I also don't get why anyone likes them - but it takes all sorts I suppose...




Well said Gadget.

 

[Rick]

It is hard to separate oneself from personal feeling to give an unbiased idea of why this is trend. Kinda have to play the devils advocate! But like I said, it seems to be the trend with everything. Who makes the market, the buyers or the marketers? hmm..

Maybe the fear of worldwide terrorism has fueled the need to overtly state that "I am man, hear me roar!" The global epidemic of terrorist acts have left society feeling vulnerable and products that say don't F with me help to curb some fears in a subconscious way. Having had the worlds greatest superpower attacked on it's on soil has spoiled the idea that we are impervious! maybe?? Prolly not! but who knows!

Or has the sensitization of men by Dr. Phil and Oprah led us to the fruits of Freud?? I mean come on, doesn't the blade of the ZT 302 imprint a phallic into ones mind???

Shoot man, what do I know?!?!?! just thinking out loud! All I can think about now is how SWEET that Todd Begg piece is!!! Give me a Sebenza and that and I'll be golden!!

What I find kinda funny is that Rick has already said he has fallen prey to the woes of superb marketing. So it would be tough for him to explain any better than I or anyone else the whys. I think he's just trying to get any idea of why this trend started and why it has been going so strong.

Great post. Thank you for understanding my conundrum and my reason starting for this peculiar thread.

I do have a question for you though Rick, do you feel that micarta is a poor choice over wood for something like a everyday hard use knife? I tend to think that good raw micarta is superior to wood for a knife that might see minimal care. It's grippy, tough as nails, can withstand water/heat/cold and it really easy to care for.

FWIW, I like both. I appreciate wood (stabilized if it's porous) for its warm, organic and unique appearance, and Micarta for its toughness and traction on hard-use knives, as you pointed out.

 

[sambo.]

I've been staring at it (and yes that is kind of painful) trying to think of something positive that might be said for it.

you poor, poor sucker for punishment.

Best I can come up with is: For a fat girl you don't sweat much.

lol! that's the best laugh i've had all day.:thumbup:

 

[Rick]

Rick, do you have a side by side of the Otha , Zscherny and Menefee together ? Nice representation of wharnnie slips !

Nope, but I can snap a pic for you if you'd like. Which Ohta? The stag, or the ironwood?

Thanks.

 

[Rick]

how do other peoples knife choices affect you? There is how many hundreds of thousands of knife people in this world, if not millions. 99% of them DO NOT LIVE NEAR YOU....so HOW can they affect you?

It's at least conceivable that when a large consumer demographic demand that their knives are made to look as over-the-top ugly and menacing as possible, domestic manufacturers tend to commit more of their resources to developing and marketing that stuff. Soon the cheap and even uglier clones pour in from China so that every kid can afford their own tiger-striped Ultra-spec Death Claw.

Knife rags start pandering to the trend; spewing cover stories about the latest "hardcore" offerings (displayed at every newsstand). Soon every kid wants the "awesome" new gut-ripper 2000 knockoff, and the public perception of our vast knife community begins to fall in line with the absurd depiction of knife enthusiasts as dangerous thugs wielding viscous weapons that we're constantly exposed to in movies and TV.

Oh, wait. That perception is already reality to the masses. We've all seen the halfass attempts at useless feelgood anti-knife legislation - remember the Congress of the United States enacted Public Law 85-623 banning switchblades in 1958 that accomplished absolutely nothing in terms of crime prevention? Or how about the latest US Customs scare regarding one-hand and assisted openers?

Do we really need to keep perpetuating the whole...forgive me, "mall-ninja" image that no doubt scares the cr@p out of the misinformed? As knife hobbyists, we know that every inked-up teen with a shaved head and a "tactical" knife is essentially harmless (with the possible exception of Charlie Mike ), but that recent "stupidest knife comment" thread clearly shows that the average Joe is frightened. Fright leads to anger and the usurpation of our rights. When you're hangin' on for dear life, ya don't go waving your arms around.

 

[mmarkh]

Knives are tools, and historical artifacts, and personal heirlooms, and art objects, and investments, and playthings, and...

Most of the knives I posted are, or were, case queens. FWIW, these are my current EDCs (many of 'em photographed when they were new):

All the knives you have posted are nice. I just think you came off wrong at the beginning by generalizing why people buy certain types of knives.

 

[A.P.F.]

It's at least conceivable that when a large consumer demographic demand that their knives are made to look as over-the-top ugly and menacing as possible, domestic manufacturers tend to commit more of their resources to developing and marketing that stuff. Soon the cheap and even uglier clones pour in from China so that every kid can afford their own tiger-striped Ultra-spec Death Claw.

Knife rags start pandering to the trend; spewing cover stories about the latest "hardcore" offerings (displayed at every newsstand). Soon every kid wants the "awesome" new gut-ripper 2000 knockoff, and the public perception of our vast knife community begins to fall in line with the absurd depiction of knife enthusiasts as dangerous thugs wielding viscous weapons that we're constantly exposed to in movies and TV.

Oh, wait. That perception is already reality to the masses. We've all seen the halfass attempts at useless feelgood anti-knife legislation - remember the Congress of the United States enacted Public Law 85-623 banning switchblades in 1958 that accomplished absolutely nothing in terms of crime prevention? Or how about the latest US Customs scare regarding one-hand and assisted openers?

Do we really need to keep perpetuating the whole...forgive me, "mall-ninja" image that no doubt scares the cr@p out of the misinformed? As knife hobbyists, we know that every inked-up teen with a shaved head and a "tactical" knife is essentially harmless (with the possible exception of Charlie Mike ), but that recent "stupidest knife comment" thread clearly shows that the average Joe is frightened. Fright leads to anger and the usurpation of our rights. When you're hangin' on for dear life, ya don't go waving your arms around.

I find it very hard to disagree with your observations here, Rick. As to what to do about it, I don't really know. In a free market, if a product sells, it is a pretty good indicator that the consumer desires it. That said, the consumer desired Corvairs, at least until they started going off the road backwards. Personally, I feel that the 'tactical' knife is a developmental phase, which leads to a more refined taste in knives later in life. However, if a person desires a collection of tactical knives which they enjoy, I say more power to them. Our passions should not be dictated from without, they should be honored from within.

 

[LUW]

If we're talking fugly knives, can we all agree this takes the cake:

Is that an Autobot or a Decepticon?

 

[Sep]

Knives, just like any other consumer product, is subject to fashion. You think this tactical/military look is confined only to knives? Go to your local Gap store and look at their men's clothing line up; much of them are military themed. Fashion has always been (and will always be) inspired by the real world and by the general theme of people's feeling. We are at war, there's no denying that, so you can't really blame the designers to reflect (or be influence by) that condition.

I personally prefer the dull drab look over the shiny flashy ones; my knife draws less attention that way. In fact, if someone invents an affordable yet usable invisible knife, I will buy it so I don't scare the young lady receptionist when I use it to cut my prepackaged roast beef lunch.

 

[stanley_white]

When your knife buying demographic is heavily represented by the Military and "This Guy" a smart company goes where the money is: