Knives making a comeback?

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I don't think that knives have ever come and gone and come again.
I think that until the early to mid 1900's most people needed a blade of some sort or another in the majority of everyday life. Then generally speaking life got easier for a lot of people. Now due to hipster culture, or whatever, it's become cool again to be somewhat self reliant.
 
3fifty7 said:
I don't think that knives have ever come and gone and come again.
I think that until the early to mid 1900's most people needed a blade of some sort or another in the majority of everyday life. Then generally speaking life got easier for a lot of people. Now due to hipster culture, or whatever, it's become cool again to be somewhat self reliant.
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I think that is what is meant here. It was acceptable before, then it was somewhat not so acceptable, now it is... somewhat more acceptable. Not a huge amount of change. Just on what is “hip” and cool now.
 
Leo3an said:
Yes. I think the whole point is to seem... sort of clean & modern lumberjack. Not sure how that works.
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I don't know what's wrong with 'play dates' but the rest is spot on.
 
Leo3an said:
When i see the whole hipster thing, i see, lumberjack, nature, axes, knives, manual operation of stuff, vintage, beards, flannels, leather, and camping.

So to me, it does seem knives are a comeback of sorts for thus type of culture.

Im not sure if... normal, everyday, non-hipster urban people are into this though. So i guess it is making a come back on a very small scale.
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Let me introduce you to the "Lumber Sexual"
https://gearjunkie.com/the-rise-of-the-lumbersexual
 
I think that would require a webinar on how to open and use said knife first ...
^^^^^
Alberta Ed said:
I did see a book about the venerable SAK in a Chapters the other day... but it lacked anything about sharpening! Go figure.
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I don't think they ever went anywhere. I also think there are a couple of opposing forces at play. They have on one hand been vilified as weapons which set them back but on the other hand the internet has spawned this new term/hobby/lifestyle that has been coined EDC which has created a new market (as well as giving us ridiculous things like tactical hankies, single finger knucks, animal cracker bottle opener pry tools and 1/4 pound copper fidget spinners). In the end we can agree that knives are on the uptick and that the industry is thriving. Exciting times for a knife nut!
 
I brought this up because especially in Canada, it seems many people have a very negative view or association with knives. So, if they become more "mainstream" that may lead to be more socially acceptable which I'm all for.
 
I dont think this is as much of a hipster thing as it is a transition of the mall ninja to a demographic that now has access to social media and anything and everything in titanium.

Some of the funniest posts I see on FB are “pocket dumps.” Every “tactical” doodad you could think of, not a single thing looks used at all...

Hipsters, on the other hand, are into the handmaking, do it yourself side of things and do use knives as tools, not social status, from my experience.
 
bearfacedkiller said:
If you are from Canada is sounds like you just took a giant step backwards.

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/cn-ad/cn18-01-eng.html

Only time will tell how this plays out. It doesn't effect any local or federal laws but it changes the way customs interprets them.
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I am from Canada and indeed it does. However, since this has gone into affect I've seen multiple dealers get flippers, assisted open knives etc in stock, so unsure exactly what to think.
 
I didn't realize knives needed to make any sort of " come back ", did they stop being " in " or some crap ?

A " man " should have a knife in his pocket and that's all there is to it, a knife is an important everyday tool that " Man " has always had and will always be important regardless of popular cultural status.
 
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Hickory n steel said:
I didn't realize knives needed to make any sort of " come back ", did they stop being " in " or some crap ?

A man should have a knife in his pocket and that's all there is to it, a knife is an important everyday tool that " Man " has always had and will always be important regardless of popular cultural status.
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Even women too!
 
Hickory n steel said:
I didn't realize knives needed to make any sort of " come back ", did they stop being " in " or some crap ?

A man should have a knife in his pocket and that's all there is to it, a knife is an important everyday tool that " Man " has always had and will always be important regardless of popular cultural status.
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I dont think the OP was talking about the essential value of a knife, but rather the social acceptability. Yes, knife is a valuable tool, but socially, there will be people who freak about things. And it is the burden of a bearer of the item to be careful; not to be a douche in society. And the level of freak-out that some people were having is a bit less now, due to... hipsteriness(?) or lumbersexuality(?) or whatever fashion or manerism that is popular. Whether true or not (i believe it is) OP is talking about the modern urban society view knives not as negatively as before.
 
Hickory n steel said:
Well of course they should, everyone should so they don't have to depend on others or use their teeth.
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I very much agree. People know that I always have a knife with meso they ask for it.. it would be simpler if they just had one and was ok with it.
 
Hickory n steel said:
I didn't realize knives needed to make any sort of " come back ", did they stop being " in " or some crap ?

A " man " should have a knife in his pocket and that's all there is to it, a knife is an important everyday tool that " Man " has always had and will always be important regardless of popular cultural status.
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DUDE! Quit acting like the first tool created ever created (on purpose) by man was a sharp cutting edge! .......
Oh wait my bad, that was the first tool created by man!
 
Minnesota Man said:
DUDE! Quit acting like the first tool created ever created (on purpose) by man was a sharp cutting edge! .......
Oh wait my bad, that was the first tool created by man!
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I think we learned to hit things with rocks first, but knives gotta be the first tool we ever made.
Not sure how it happened though, I'm assuming someone broke a rock using it as a hammer then cut themself on one of the pieces.
Realizing they could cut things they sought out a rock who's shards were sharper and stronger, then from there realizing they couldn't rely on the rock to naturally form sharp shards when smashed and learned to make them sharp.

I wonder if cave men sat around talking about their latest knife ?
If you had an obsidian blade with an antler handle were you the cock of the walk ?
 
I've been carrying a knife of some sort since I was 10 years old, when I got my first SAK as a gift. Over the last 35 years, living primarily in the suburbs, I rarely noticed anyone else carrying one, unless they were in the trades, or true outdoorsy types. i have definitely noticed more, younger, 'office' types carrying a folder clipped in their pockets. Guys who, traditionally, you wouldn't see carrying them, and not just the 'hipster' set. I work as a designer, and am always pleasantly surprised when I meet with clients, and see an account rep, CEO, marketing director, etc, EDC'ing something.

I suspect, for a lot of them, there's a bit of man-jewelry going on, but so what. Many of my watches are man-jewelry as well. Doesn't make them any less functional. And I'm glad to finally not be the only one walking around an office with a knife clip showing out of my pocket.
 
I think that the whole "look at me, the rugged blue collar guy" will go away. It always does. As a blue collar guy I have watched the "rugged" look from LL Bean, Land's End, Cabela's, and Ralph Lauren go in and out of style. Lower end guys go to selected mall stores that have lines of clothes that look worn, faded, etc., to look like they have been put to use. Me and mine laugh pretty hard sometimes to see some unshaven guy that is carefully put together to look like an outdoorsman or blue collar worker when they have pink little hands, have great hair cuts (made to look tousled) play with their cell phones constantly, and whine about heat/cold/rain etc. while they are drinking imported beers in a Irish pub themed bar smoking their vape gizmos.

I rarely see any of them with knives, and the guys that have them seem to look for a chance to whip them out so all can see. Makes them feel dangerous. The lumberjocks see knives as a fashion accessory (don't believe me? check the edge!) so as soon as their girlfriends want them to go in another fashion direction they will.

Robert
 
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