Knife scratches and dings

J

Jared Leland

Joined
Apr 3, 2020
Messages
185
Ok, none of my knives are safe queens. I use them all. Why do scratches and dings still bother me?🤣 is it because most decent knives are generally expensive? idk. How do i get this to not bother me? Thanks in advance!
 
Scars are like tattoos, with cooler stories. Same for knives, and if you don't have a cool story to go with the marks, then make one up!

I don't believe in safe queens, either, but it's true that some of mine see much lighter use than others. Maybe it would help to have a few couple designated "get dirty" knives?
 
Shorttime said:
Scars are like tattoos, with cooler stories. Same for knives, and if you don't have a cool story to go with the marks, then make one up!

I don't believe in safe queens, either, but it's true that some of mine see much lighter use than others. Maybe it would help to have a few couple designated "get dirty" knives?
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But snail trails are like shit stains, they just show up and you're not too sure how they got there.
 
Have you talked to a professional about this:). If you use your knives they are going to get marked up. As a user you need to accept and embrace this.
There are however finishes & matterials that show marks less or in some cases more, such as stonewashed vs polished blades.
 
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If I had this problem, the most likely cure for me would be to procure a higher end model of the knife I was worried about and keep it new in the box. If I was worried about a titanium CRK, then maybe a box elder, Damascus, or engraved version in the safe would settle my anxiety.
 
Jared Leland said:
Ok, none of my knives are safe queens. I use them all. Why do scratches and dings still bother me?🤣 is it because most decent knives are generally expensive? idk. How do i get this to not bother me? Thanks in advance!
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If you’re really bothered, Flitz. To what won’t polish out…C’est la vie
 
Here’s an idea. Take your least favorite knife to the nearest gravel road (perhaps the one you live on) and chain it to the hitch of your truck. Drag it for 1 mile, back over it three times, turn around and drag it back. Unchain it, wipe off the big chunks of debris, and put it in your pocket.

Then you can consider your other knives “good knives”, and remind yourself, at least they’re not beat to hell like that one.

Parker
 
catspa said:
Here’s an idea. Take your least favorite knife to the nearest gravel road (perhaps the one you live on) and chain it to the hitch of your truck. Drag it for 1 mile, back over it three times, turn around and drag it back. Unchain it, wipe off the big chunks of debris, and put it in your pocket.

Then you can consider your other knives “good knives”, and remind yourself, at least they’re not beat to hell like that one.

Parker
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They are all good knives🤣🤣🤣 this doesn't help 💀🤣🤣🤣
 
As others have said its the patina of use! My daily drive has shrapnel and bullet/impact scars all left and valued by me and others who drive my type of vehicle. The "scars" tell a story like a good patina'ed carbon blade.
 
I don't mind a patina, scratches or dings on my knives, having acquired quite a few myself along the road. They add character, or at least that's what I tell myself ;).
 
For many people it's very normal and reasonable to want to take care of ones things, particularly expensive things. This includes wanting to avoid scratches and dings. In particular, people who have grown up poor can be especially protective of their belongings.

Of course some people become obsessive about it, to the point of being unhealthy.

And then on the other end of the spectrum there are people who don't take care of their property at all. They hardly ever clean their guns (if ever), they toss their power tools in the back of their truck, etc.

Any knife that gets carried and used will likely pick up dings and scratches. I say "likely" because some people carry their knives in pouches specifically to protect them from other pocket stuff, or they carry them in pockets without anything else, and they are very carful how they use them, where they lay them down, etc.

I'm not impressed with scratches and dings on a knife. I'm guessing most are from contact with keys or loose change, or bumping against a wall while clipped to a pocket, or dropped on the ground/floor. Not exactly exciting stuff loaded with bragging rights, "See this scratch on my pocketknife? It got there when I used it to disarm a terrorist".

I don't see the sense of intentionally scuffing up a knife to get over worrying about scratches, anymore than I would see the sense of keying ones own car to get over worrying about scratches. Also, intentionally scuffing up a knife certainly won't help the resale value if you ever want to sell it.

To me, scratches and dings are just the cost of doing knife-business. If it's a "user", they don't bother me, if it's a "treasure/showpiece" it would bother me and I'd be more careful to prevent them.

Everybody has their own way of appreciating knives, to each their own. Choose your own way, find your own middle-ground between "use" and "preservation", and don't let anyone else tell you that your wrong.
 
As long as I am using the knife respectfully and responsibly, the marks it gets just show that it is doing the job and is capable enough to be chosen and often used. There's no avoiding them if they are to be used, and an unused knife always makes me a little sad.
I consider them marks of pride.
 
Jared Leland said:
Ok, none of my knives are safe queens. I use them all. Why do scratches and dings still bother me?🤣 is it because most decent knives are generally expensive? idk. How do i get this to not bother me? Thanks in advance!
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Personally, it bothers me more to fork out a bunch of money for a nice blade and then don't use it. I was given a mini adamas for my birthday last year by a close family member. It took me a year to actually use it because I wanted absolutely no marks on it. Once I started using it, I appreciated it a whole lot more. The more I used it the more I developed a bond with it. As stated in previous posts, each one of those dings and scratches tells a story.
 
For me the first scratch or ding releases me from worrying about it. Meaning now I can really enjoy using it stress free.
 
“You think this scratch on my pocketknife is something, check out this stain on the back of my pants…”

Parker
 
Glenn Goodlett said:
But snail trails are like shit stains, they just show up and you're not too sure how they got there.
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Alright, alright, I must be anal retentive, I laughed out loud so hard when I read this. I guess my high school human is still alive.
 
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