knife...just a (ultimate) tool , or more ?

J

jacktrades_nbk

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Feb 7, 2007
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non knife people, either by ignorance, or whatever youd like to call it, use knives as all around tools just like an ordinary tool, like you use a hammer, and you dont think/worry about the hammer..
i use all my knives, with no fear, and i dont baby them , but i do care for them, and use the apropriate knife in the appropiate situation, i always sharpen them to keep the edge acceptable after some work with them, and seeing how other people treat their knives, makes me think i dont consider knives as just an ordinary tool
what i mean, is when i use them, i use them with care, even if its hard use, i watch for not putting stress on the lock too much, or in case of a fixed blade, with batoning, as example, i always watch to keep the right angle, and to strike with a wooden stick in a safe point for the knife...
those are just some examples
i never abuse them, by treating knives just like a piece of steel
this popped in my mind after i borrowed a zdp delica to a friend, for some work he had to do
well....he cut bitumen with it , stressing the lock like it was a fixed blade, twisting the blade in every direction...
i said nothing, waiting to see what would happen next
he the started to scrap pieces of cement with the tip , that were stuck on a hard surface
by observing his work, i understood that not even once he did care for that knife, and he uses all his crappy knives like that, which are just some no name POS steel, soft as cheese...that have no edge.
he never properly sharpened the knife, or any knives for that matter, ive seen him once try to sharpen a knife on cement, and he did put an edge on it, but ...you know what i mean...if i was in the wild, with no sharpening tools, i would use a rock, but at home...
so, i know there are many people who use knives just like that, careless, and treating them like just a crappy tool.
i for one, like to get the job done, but not by destroing the tools that i work with
anyway, the delica survived, some scratches, a not so pointy tip anymore, but i cleaned it and put a nice edge on it again, and its now in good condition
what do you think, or how do you use your beloved knives ?
thanks
 
While in construction, I'd use it just like your friend because, just like your friend, I'd take crappy knives to work. As you said "the apropriate knife in the appropiate situation". If he doesn't care for knives, like you said, then he may not know that your Delica costs upwards of a 100$, so he used it like he would any of his others. Hell, the handle is FRN, he may have figured it was a 5$ LOWES bargain bin knife. If in a construction site, I wouldn't expect any less than that.

mike
 
good point. i try to use them to their capabilities. but i often baby my knives because i dont have lots of money to spend on knives. i have one beater out of every collection which is generally a high vaule cheap fixed blade. like right now the one i dont baby too much and i use hard is the 20$ cold steel GI tanto with 1055 high carbon steel. but my spyderco tenacious. i try and use it to its potential. but im still easy on it. i find you dont have to beat them up to get the job done. works better if u use them correctly. and lasts longer.
 
oh shit it was your delica???!!!! oh my i would have been so pissed. i wouldnt have handed it to him in the first place.
 
i gave him the delica as a test, to see for myself what a non knife man would do with it
and as for the constructions...there is no knife on earth that would hold an edge , or last for long during that kind of use, IMO
 
Maikutis said:
While in construction, I'd use it just like your friend because, just like your friend, I'd take crappy knives to work. As you said "the apropriate knife in the appropiate situation". If he doesn't care for knives, like you said, then he may not know that your Delica costs upwards of a 100$, so he used it like he would any of his others. Hell, the handle is FRN, he may have figured it was a 5$ LOWES bargain bin knife. If in a construction site, I wouldn't expect any less than that.

mike
Click to expand...

even so, i believe someone like that would use ANY knife in that way, or he just wouldn't use it if i would tell him the costs
but that again, i could be wrong
 
I like knives way more than other tools. But in the end it is just that, a tool. So if I have to pry something open and I don't have a better tool handy I'll use the knife.(I draw the line at using a knife as a screwdriver though). I know a guy that wouldn't even use his knife to cut open a package 'cause "the cardboard would dull the edge". Please, that's what sharpeners and stones were invented for.

That said. People should use common sense and not use a knife for a job that would very possibly destroy it.
 
I treat all my knives with care so they last longer. My dad on the other hand could care less, I got him a CQC-13 last year and have had to sharpen it almost every day because its a butter knife by the time he's done with it. The most recent damage was to the tip that he snapped clean off, but he said that was from a drop on concrete. I watched him one time cut some string off a metal pole, instead of turning the knife over and pushing through with the tip he went edge first into the pole and started sawing away. I have had many talks with him about proper knife use but it gets me no where, some will never learn.
 
A good tradesman takes care of his tools, they are his livelyhood.

I did not lend my tools when I was on jobs. It was the fastest way to get them damaged or broken.

How many times have I seen hammer handles broken, because someone tried to pull nails with it, instead of reaching for a cats paw! And then they blame the hammer for being so poor!

And on construction sites you need to carry beaters for certain situations, whether it is an old chisel, a steel hammer or a knife.

Take care of your tools and they will take care of you!
 
Depends. I find my fixed blades, muti tools and simple folders (Sodbuster) to be tools. I think of my traditional slip joints as tools plus. Like a fine pen - yes it is a tool, but it is something more.
 
I don't abuse any of my tools whether they are knives, guns, cars, wrenches, hammers, axes...it is only right to clean and take care of your tools. I pay good money for them and letting the rust or abusing them is just silly and a waste of a good tool as well as a waste of money. Yes they are just tools to me with a couple of exceptions such as family heirlooms.
 
A man who misuses his tools do not deserve to borrow from others.
PERIOD
The same principle applies for all manner of personal property; be it a book, a vehicle or in this case a knife.
All things last longer with tender loving care.
Mistreat your kin and you're out of a family!
Mistreat a knife you've lost man's next oldest best friend.
 
I'm really enjoying this thread. I think it shows the two ends of knife users. On one side, you have a knife as "man's next oldest best friend" (I'd give that to the dog, but, hey) as Girlymann put it. On the other side, you have the "tool-is-a-tool" crowd.

Both sides love and care for knives (I think this is safe to say, we're all here on the forums, right?). Anyone else see this? This sorta pops up in a lot of threads, but it shines pretty bright in this one. Some of us will put a certain model knife in a safe, while others use the same model in the field.

Example? Not the most expensive knife, but I have a Benchmade 14210 that I got on the recommendation of a friend. He uses his only as a gentleman knife (wears it only in town, where it sees little use). I use mine at work. Both of us are in the Coast Guard, and the knife is constantly near/in salt water. I use it to cut lines that are old and full of sand and dirt. He winces when he sees me use it. He would be on one side of the fence, I on the other. Both of us drool when we see a new knife though, or find another shipmate that can tell the difference between steels.

Anyways, I guess I'm hijacking the thread a bit. Interesting to me though.

mike
 
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