Is this the Golden Age of Knives?

Julian Elliot

Julian Elliot

Joined
Jun 29, 2003
Messages
428
All things considered, I can’t help thinking that this is a very good time for knife users and collectors. Yes, there is a proliferation of mostly bad laws which hinder law-abiding people from buying or carrying any kind of knife they might want, but the internet allows many people to learn about and obtain virtually any production knife they desire (and can afford). Also, from what I’ve read, the number of custom makers producing knives is at an all-time high (post-industrial revolution anyway). Plus, the available range of production and custom knives is enormous – no one could possibly hope to use or collect more than a tiny fraction of the available knives.

I realize those in the UK, where knife laws are particularly draconian, and possibly other countries may think differently, but things look pretty rosy to me. Am I right, or do things just seem great to me now, because now is when I happen to be into knives?
 
I agree, these are "the good old days" for knives. The variety, quality, and materials are amazing. The current situation cannot last. I expect extreme fallout as makers and manufacturers are unable to make a profit with the competition level. There will be a dot-bust for knives much like the dot-bust of the stock market. We will be able to grab a lot of knives for below cost in the debacle, but the selection will go down and prices will go up in the future. The internet helps us to find great deals and locate smaller makers, but profit margins aren't there to support these good times. Our knife manufacturing benefactors will move on to find more profitable enterprises as the market matures (the novelty of the products wears off) and contracts. Enjoy it while it lasts.
 
I agree that the variety of and quality of knives is better than ever before, but the best may still be yet to come. Maybe one day there will be home knifemaking machines where you design a knife on a computer, put a piece of metal in the machine, and have the machine do the rest including the heat treat. :D Of course, if they can do that making your own guns would only be a little more complicated. ;)
 
There are a plethora of choices available to knife lovers these days, in fact more than there ever has been before and the variety of materials available, quality steels make this truly the best of times for knife lovers everywhere.
 
I remember when my list of "knives to buy" was reall short, but now it's so long that it will never be fulfilled. Of course that could just be pre-BFC. The Internet also makes it a lot easier to find custom makers who may otherwise have remained in the background. Whatever the reason for it, I'm glad that we have such a huge selection of knives available to us now.
 
Only historical hindsight can determine if this or any other period is a "golden age" for knives or anything else for that matter. But I do agree that we have a wider array of quality knives available to us than at any other time.
 
I sincerely hope there is never a golden age of knives, I hope that the knive industry continues to grow and change, and come up with designs that will blow our mind, golden age always makes me think that something is done for, or its time has passed it by, I don't think that will ever happen to the knife business because there are so many guys and girls like us that will continue to push knife makers to dazzle us with the latest and greatest, therefore, every age will be the golden age of knives.
 
I guess it would be true to say that a knife collector today has more options than in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

From that perspective, it would be true that it could be described as a "golden era of knives" But then, all that glitters is not necessarily gold. :D
 
Originally posted by Benjamin Liu
I agree that the variety of and quality of knives is better than ever before, but the best may still be yet to come. Maybe one day there will be home knifemaking machines where you design a knife on a computer, put a piece of metal in the machine, and have the machine do the rest including the heat treat. :D Of course, if they can do that making your own guns would only be a little more complicated. ;)
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One step further, if you don't mind.

A tri-D printer. It takes things you put in it--whatever, hunks of lead, pairs of jeans, the garbage you didn't want to take out--and it restructures its component molecules turning them into component atoms and component protons, neutrons, and electrons. It then rebuilds those sub-atomic particles into whatever your computer tells it to--be it a nifty diamond encrusted knife or a glass of water. Joe User who can't program this make-things-machine-from-the-future downloads "object files" off whatever passes for the internet in his day and age and the machines makes the physical object from the digital "object file."

With chemistry, physics, and a lot of engineering, everything should be possible. Ought to be, anyway. I want one of those machines. :)
 
Well, certainly things have never been better. Steel has never been available in as many varieties or with as consistent quality with a variety as it is now. Same goes for handle material, even considering the fact that endagered species laws have made a few traditional ones harder to get. Same once again with the equipement used by commercial manufacturers, that allows them to turn out better knives faster and cheaper than ever before. And the good news is that things probably will get even better.

On the other hand, I'm not sure technology that would allow a ten-left-thumbed klutz like me to produce a knife equal in quality to the finest custom makers would be such a good thing. It would take a lot of the "WOW" factor out of seeing a really well made custom knife. I'd think instead that software that would allow the "average-joe" to design his or her dream knife easily, then send that design out to several custom makers for quotes on what it would cost to have that design translated by talented hands into steel would be great.
 
Thumb stud openers and one handed knives, custom made folding knives of all types, all these fancy steels, 'tactical' knives, automatics made in USA, internet availability of everything. I don't remember any of this stuff from, or prior to, the 'Beau and Luke Duke' era when people started carrying a Buck 110 in a leather sheath on their hip. If this isn't 'the' Golden Age of knives it's certainly 'a' Golden Age.
 
I'll probably really get thrashed for this, but.....I think the Golden Age of knives has come and gone. Now it's too easy to decide which knife you want and get on the net and in a few days it's shipped to your doorstop. You really miss the fun and adventure of collecting. I can remember when most people never heard of a Blade Show and Gun shows were infrequent and anticipated with delight. You might hear from someone that the knife you were seeking was available only two states away and you'd take a weekend trip in the car, enjoying the scenery along the way to see the KNIFE!! Your "Desire" list was very short, but you wouldn't pass up a bargain on a goody that could be traded on Saturday afternoons on the courthouse lawn. When you finally obtained the KNIFE you'd proudly show it off and carefully oil it and put it away, taking it out often to check it and just admire it. It seems that things are appreciated more when they are hard to come by. Most people only knew of one or two custom knifemakers and it took a lot of saving up in order to be able to afford one of these. When it was obtained it was immediately put to work and shortly the knife became like a third hand and you'd be lost without it.
OK, you're freee to "let me have it" now....but give it some thought. Surely there was something that you really wanted that it took what seemed like forever to get, and think of how you cherished it when it was finally obtained.
 
I'm a little surprised by responses so far. When I posted, I expected to hear from a lot more "old-timers" who remember back when every little kid carried a switchblade in their lunchbox that they ordered from the back of a comic book and used to skin small game at recess, when every mom could produce perfect edges on the kitchen knives with a flat stone and Dad could be heard in the bathroom every morning honing his straight razor. In other words, there were no super-stainless steels or pocket clips, but people sure knew their knives. Maybe that era never existed. Dummi makes a very interesting point, but his "Golden Age" sounds like a nightmare scenario to me: driving a couple of states to SEE a knife!? If I was a collector instead of a user maybe I could relate to the thrill of the chase that he describes.

Also, I had expected to hear more along the lines of what Jeff said: that the current retail situation isn't sustainable because there are just too many production and custom makers chasing too few customers. Hopefully the bust won't happen, and at most we'll only see production makers trim their product lines a bit. I could live without 4 variations of each model (combo vs PE vs coated vs satin).
 
Cross a couple of states wasn't bad, lots of folks came from the states of Washington, Oregon, Maryland, Ohio in their cars and trucks just to attend the once big Lake of the Ozarks gun show held at Bagnell Dam High School. The school wasn't airconditioned but some of the dealers brought fans. June (Father's Day weekend) is HOT in Missouri, but nobody minded, they just took it in stride, and considered it a vacation as well as a chance to buy and sell knives and guns. A few years ago the schools quit allowing the shows in the schools and it was moved a couple of times and I guess last year was the last show ever as there wasn't one this year. However this show went on for about 42 years and I guess all good things come to an end. In the Golden Years of the show vendors of guns knives and related material were set up in the school rooms, gym, and auditorium as well as in the parking lot and all along the streets that led into the show. Later it was all moved indoors and outside vendors were a thing of the past.
Of course good Case knives and cheap Imperial ones were in all the local hardware stores, so if all you wanted was a good carrying knife they were easy to come by, and no one thought anything about only having three or four styles to choose from. After all a knife was a knife and if it fit and it would skin a squirrel or a coon what more did you need? Most fathers had an "everyday" knife, usually a barlow, whittler or a stockman as well as a "Sunday" knife, usually a small pen knife that they could carry in their suit pocket when attending Church or some other function that required "dressing up".
 
Originally posted by Julian Elliot
All things considered, I can’t help thinking that this is a very good time for knife users and collectors.

I realize those in the UK, where knife laws are particularly draconian, and possibly other countries may think differently, but things look pretty rosy to me. Am I right, or do things just seem great to me now, because now is when I happen to be into knives?
Click to expand...


I've been thinking that a lot myself recently, I looked at some old copies of the 'Gun digest book of knives' and came to the conclusion that the knife industry has progressed LIGHT YEARS. There is so much choice and innovation in the industty nowadays. Not to mention many knives which are just plain good value.

It may not be THE Golden Age, but it's certainly a Golden Age.
 
I do think this is the golden age. I would say the 90's was the peak and we are spiraling down. too many gimmicks now, every one looking for a hit.



another golden age was probably when the first indian-or primitive man found obsidian, image the eye popping look.

and then when china or egypt(guess-timation) made the first steel knife. image
 
Dummi makes an excellent point. I used to love walking to the edge of town to the hardware store just to look at the CASE display. I still have the 70's era Case knives that I got from there and they are the 'jewels' of my collection to this day.
 
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