Is your interest in knives sometimes in the closet?

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Jun 6, 2002
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I live in a building with others in close proximity. News travels fast. All I need is for someone to whisper, so and so’s got a bunch of switchblades!! Guy’s got hunting knives!! Dude’ll go postal one day, watch out!! What a wierdo. Etc; etc.

Most of us are very responsible people who associate with those similar, some being friends and acquaintances. Do you find yourself withholding to whom you might otherwise share your interest in knives?
 
For me....sort of :) At work, my immediate supervisor gets a little paranoid with a folder that approaches a 3 in. blade, but this is also a guy who doesn't blink at using a 8 or 10 chef's knife at our coffee station to cut a sandwich - go figure. My wife is at the other end of the spectrum. If I'm close, and she needs a knife to cut something, she'll just grab one out my pocket and use it. I loaned her my Meerkat to cut a newspaper clipping the other day, and she was eyeing it pretty close....sort of the the CRKT/Elishweitz E-Lock that ended up in her purse :D I bought a second one on the weekend "just in case" ;) Everyone else is pretty cool with my folders.

- gord
 
I'm sort of half and half.

I tend to keep relatively quiet about my knives in general. My folder is usually hidden IWB, but my Swisschamp is on my belt in plain sight.

About a year ago, I started advertizing my sharpening skills at work (about 6,000 people work at my campus). I get a kick at seeing people come to work with 10in knives for me to sharpen :D Many times they'll ask how sharp I can get their knives. I then tell them that I'll show them my folding knife. I then slowly take out my decorated small Sebenza and slowly open it two-handed to show them the blade. I've done it to 60 year old ladies without having them bat an eyebrow ;)

I'm average height and build and usually dressed in business casual. Plus I'm soft spoken which makes me appear non-threatening, which may be part of the reason I seem to get away with it...

Guy
 
People know I'm in to knives. I just dont tell them how many I have in the truck with me. Reason: simple security of my knives.
 
Most of the women in the cast that I work with think I'm creepy because I carry a knife. :mad: I guess that they would think I'm three times as creepy if they knew I carried three knives. :D
 
Yeah.... sigh..

Gotta withhold the interest almost always... it is my impression that sometimes even the staff that sell us knives think we are weird, too. To some of them it's only a job and they are not knife persons actually.

Only have a guy friend who really enjoy playing with my knives, actually it was me who introduced me to the knives world. Still, up to this point, he thinks a Spyderco Delica is too 'big', hahaha.. well.. hopefully I will try to mold his mentality on that as time goes by. :cool:
 
gordonk said:
For me....sort of :) but this is also a guy who doesn't blink at using a 8 or 10 chef's knife at our coffee station to cut a sandwich
No kidding. I always amazed that the same people who bring in rather sizable steak knives to work have issues with a 3" folder. Is it more dangerous because it folds? Only to me. Of course, most companies don't think twice about handing out box cutters.
That's it!!! I should just say it's my box cutter, then maybe they will just shut up!
 
Yeah I keep it mostly to myself. I work in a hospital and have all manner of sharps at my disposal. Needles, scissors, razors, scalpels, etc. God forbid I'd pull out a small folder. :rolleyes:
 
over the years. When I was waiting tables everyone thought I was a wierdo but I was always the one they turned to when they want something opened. When I worked security I had a .357 on my hip, nobody said anything about a knife. When I did delivery none of the loading dock guys batted an eye. At the university I'm either the benevolent wierdo, MacGuyver or a collector (depending who you ask). As of late I've been carrying smaller blades (3" or under). I'm the one who opens all the inbound deliveries so the pocket knife has an obvious purpose and I don't tend to take it out just play with it. No serious complaints.

Frank
 
I'm in an office setting so I keep it discreet. Only my closest coworkers know I like knives, no big deal to them. And If I have to cut something open, I do it covertly.
 
Best to keep the interest in sharp objects in the closet. If you've been collecting, working with, or training with knives for a while, it's no big deal to flip out a 4-5" folder or to zip through the lines of attack with a 10" bowie.

To anyone else, it's just plain disturbing. To break it down, no one likes even the possibility that he/she can be subject to someone else's authority especially by force. It's best to hide any interest in all things sharp or potentially destructive, including firearms, unless you have a professional need. Even when you have a professional need, it's best not to overemphasize interest in knives/guns. Otherwise, you'll be categorized, which will negatively affect your employment. Even if no one asks or mentions your hobbies, they'll often think about it when they see a clip in your pocket.

Probably best to share your interest with like minded people. :D
 
Yeah, I've been in meetings for a couple weeks now over a big scholarship to my new university. I wore a less threatening knife, my minigrip, although in retrospect I wish I had loose pocket carried my urban shark. In general, I'm not too concerned with students figuring it out...I think they actually assume every fighter-esque person has an active inventory of melee "weapons." But if it's an "art" it's okay. If you just collect knives, well, you might be dangerous. I love being surprised though. On rare occasion, some one I know will see me use my M16 or something for the first time and be like "whoa." Then they want to know more. I think it's that people think that M16s are some kind of switchblade because they open ridiculously fast.

I definitely wouldn't bring it up on a first date.
 
Not only do neighbours "talk' but thieves will always be on the look-out for houses/apts. with high value items like knives and guns to burglarize.Be careful.And yes at work I'm very discrete as most people are not "knifenuts" and can feel threatened or uncomfortable with a person pulling out his very sharp ,tactical EDC.See other post about being fired for "Defacing Floral Arrangement with knfe"-there is a lesson here. :confused:
 
Yep.

I work in an urban area, and people with knowledge of, let alone who own guns and knives, are thought to be oddballs.

Naturally, when the power went off for about three hours at our building the other day, I was the only one who had a flashlight. When I went out to the truck and came back with a few more, it was like, "Oh, Mark's an outdoorsman, isn't he nice to have around."

Sheesh.

I'll only take my EDC knife (usually a Mini Ritter) out in front of people who know me pretty well and think decently of me. Anyone else might run screaming to personnel.

Places and times have changed. When I was in high school, I remember the farm boys carrying Buck 110s or 112s on their belts and having rings worn into their jeans pockets where they carried their Skoal, and no one gave a hoot.
 
No, I don't hide the fact that I'm into knives (and guns) from anyone. I really don't care if they like it or not. If someone is anti knife/gun, I don't want anything to do with them anyway.
 
I carry a BM42, Delica, Wenger Esquire, LM Fuse, a small keychain led and a bigger led on my belt when I'm at work. Minus the Fuse and big led when I'm not at work. Typically, everyone at my work carries a flashlight, some kind of multi tool, and a utility EDC. 99% of the people I work with, including supervisors, dont even mind seeing me flipping the 42, except for the general concern that I might hurt myself. I'm also known as the knifenut/sharpening guru. I dont keep anything a secret at work, and there is no issue with security. I leave my car door unlocked and the keys in the ignition when I'm at work. Outside of work only my friends will know what I carry.
 
I had a box of knives 'dissappear' from my cabin one time. The police figured "hunters" stumbled accross the cabin and pilfered them. That certainly could be, but it was common knowledge that I 'collected' knives, so there's always been a nagging in the back of my mind. Could it have been someone I knew?

Since then I've been wary of sharing my hobby with others.

As far as the social aspects of having so many knives, when I discuss knives in public I refer to them as "pocketknives", even though many are hunting knives, bayonets, and sheath knives. I wouldn't want people to think I'm some sort of Mall Ninja with a closet of fantasy daggers and swords.

Best Wishes,
Bob
 
Some good points are made in this thread; it's a shame that society forces us to be having this discussion at all, but, at least we are able to have this discussion...
I definitely wouldn't bring it up on a first date.
On the last first date I had, I actually did bring it up... it was the only date I had with her, too... :confused: Ah, well, there are more fish in the sea. And, she's back with her old bf anyways, so maybe it wasn't me that drove her off, after all... :eek: :D
As far as the social aspects of having so many knives, when I discuss knives in public I refer to them as "pocketknives"
Ditto!! I think that "pocketknife" is a much less threatening moniker than "folding knife" or "EDC"... "pocketknife" conjures images of a gentle, fun grandpa or uncle who would take you out fishing as a kid... and, that's one of the primary uses of a knife, anyways, so it's not an inaccurate image!
At the university I'm either the benevolent wierdo, MacGuyver or a collector (depending who you ask)
Haha! :D That's great, I especially like the "MacGuyver" answer, as I've been called that, too... it's actually a compliment, as I see it :cool: Yeah, my friends see me as unique, but not malicious... I can live with that :)

As a rule, I am "sociable" about my knife interests - I don't go out of my way to either hide, or emphasize, them. If it comes up in the course of conversation, I see it as an opportunity to lessen the other person's miseducation and misperceptions. I always approach the issue from a non-confrontational, utilitarian point of view, and throw in a bit of my own wilderness survival training as a reference. As far as I can tell, I've had a good response. I've also met a new friend, out of the deal. I enjoy being able to broaden a person's horizons, even if only in a small way. I understand that not everyone has this freedom, and am glad that I do.

The most important thing in addressing this issue with someone is your own attitude and bearing. This will say more to the listener than the words you actually speak...
 
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