- Joined
- Jan 6, 2003
- Messages
- 1,139
It's going to take a couple of days to get all the pictures posted, so please bear with me.
For me, the appeal of knives stems from their combination of beauty and utility. A knife is a tool that can look great and work great. There are many happy accidents in the history of knife making where what adds to the performance of a knife also adds to the beauty of a knife, for example the hamon of a differentially hardened blade, and, at least historically, pattern-forged steel.
For many higher-end folders, this connection between beauty and performance has been, if not lost, at least made tenuous. There are blade finishes that will be marred by cutting cardboard, and handle materials that will crack and discolor even if they are never used and cared for diligently.
Presentation folders are meant to be kept in safes. You might cut the ceremonial piece of laser printer paper, but you'd never subject it to the rigors of riding around in your pocket, much less actually use it for its ostensible intended purpose. If you look at the options on high-end folders, the things that increase the price are almost always going to make the knife more fragile and less suitable as an actual tool.
To get up on a high horse, this bugs me. And and and, most high-end folders are too dang small. This is petty, I know, but I have large hands and I think 2 7/8" or 3 1/4" blades are just puny. To get a decent sized custom folder, you have to go with a tactical folder. Makers like Jim Hammond and Phil Boguszewski make stunning versions of their tactical knives, but where are the large, durable, beautiful gentleman's folder?
To be continued
For me, the appeal of knives stems from their combination of beauty and utility. A knife is a tool that can look great and work great. There are many happy accidents in the history of knife making where what adds to the performance of a knife also adds to the beauty of a knife, for example the hamon of a differentially hardened blade, and, at least historically, pattern-forged steel.
For many higher-end folders, this connection between beauty and performance has been, if not lost, at least made tenuous. There are blade finishes that will be marred by cutting cardboard, and handle materials that will crack and discolor even if they are never used and cared for diligently.
Presentation folders are meant to be kept in safes. You might cut the ceremonial piece of laser printer paper, but you'd never subject it to the rigors of riding around in your pocket, much less actually use it for its ostensible intended purpose. If you look at the options on high-end folders, the things that increase the price are almost always going to make the knife more fragile and less suitable as an actual tool.
To get up on a high horse, this bugs me. And and and, most high-end folders are too dang small. This is petty, I know, but I have large hands and I think 2 7/8" or 3 1/4" blades are just puny. To get a decent sized custom folder, you have to go with a tactical folder. Makers like Jim Hammond and Phil Boguszewski make stunning versions of their tactical knives, but where are the large, durable, beautiful gentleman's folder?
To be continued
