Knives making a comeback?

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I worked in a petrochemical plant from 2002 to 2010 and in refineries from 2013 to present. Many people around me carry a knife. At the petrochemical plant, I was on the fire crew, and almost everyone on the crew carried a knife. They wouldn't be much use in a fire, but several guys talked about using a knife to cut themselves out of a hazard suit if they were stuck inside and no one could help them out. I carry pretty regularly even though I don't have to use one very often.
 
I work security in a desalination plant, and pretty much everyone carries knives. Mostly Gerbers and some multitools, but at least they have a blade on them. Sadly, I've yet to see a Spyderco or Benchmade.

It's disappointing I can't meet more knife enthusiasts locally, although I have recently met a federal prison guard who is just starting to forge his own knives. We've chatted a bit while we waited in line for our sandwiches, and he brought a small boot dagger he was working on to show me.
 
Since prehistoric man discovered sharp rocks could aid in cutting things, 10,000+ years ago, knives have been a part of man's culture and history and have evolved tremendously over the years from the stone age to the bronze age to the iron age to modern "super" alloys, folks use knives to cut stuff.

Knives are certainly not making a "comeback" because truthfully knives have never left our culture... Sure some subgroups within our culture may have lost touch with knives, so they say, but even they far more often then not still have kitchen knives and table knives.

The market alone will show you that knives never left, from machetes to folders, flea markets to free lance forgers, $10 - $10,000, knives never left... How else would the Buck 110 still be in production after more the 50 years?

Maybe some deep city folk lost touch for a bit in their convenient settings, but do You think the hunters, fishers, farmers, mountain folk, swamp folk, desert folk, etc, millions upon millions of "folk", (billions world wide), ever stopped carrying knives???

If you seriously think knives are "making a comeback", then I say maybe you were the one who might have lost touch, and to that I say, welcome back! Enjoy the scenery.....
 
strategy9 said:
Since prehistoric man discovered sharp rocks could aid in cutting things, 10,000+ years ago, knives have been a part of man's culture and history and have evolved tremendously over the years from the stone age to the bronze age to the iron age to modern "super" alloys, folks use knives to cut stuff.

Knives are certainly not making a "comeback" because truthfully knives have never left our culture... Sure some subgroups within our culture may have lost touch with knives, so they say, but even they far more often then not still have kitchen knives and table knives.

The market alone will show you that knives never left, from machetes to folders, flea markets to free lance forgers, $10 - $10,000, knives never left... How else would the Buck 110 still be in production after more the 50 years?

Maybe some deep city folk lost touch for a bit in their convenient settings, but do You think the hunters, fishers, farmers, mountain folk, swamp folk, desert folk, etc, millions upon millions of "folk", (billions world wide), ever stopped carrying knives???

If you seriously think knives are "making a comeback", then I say maybe you were the one who lost might have lost touch, and to that I say, welcome back! Enjoy the scenery.....
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I was speaking on the social acceptability of knives nobody here is debating how useful or the history of knives. You're speaking from your own personal experience. Which is not mine, or most of the worlds. Locking blades are illegal to carry in the city in China(example) or the UK has had many laws restricting knives since the late 1980's and many places across the world have extremely strict knife laws. From that I would argue knives socially have become less, and less acceptable. So, who is out of touch in this statement? I would argue, you. As you put it "deep city folk" have lost touch with knives, well majority of the worlds population live in the city... making most of the population out of touch with knives. In a 2010 census in the United States, 80.7% of the population live in an urban environment, and that number is growing. I think you should look at your examples, and understand how you just proved the opposite of your argument.
 
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80.7% live in "urban" environments according to the census bureau includes all the "small towns" littered across the country. According to the census, "Urban areas" are over 50,000 people, but "Urban Clusters" are areas with at least 2,500 people and <50,000 people, and those "folk" according to the census still live in "urban areas".

Ever been to a town of 3000 people? They usually don't feel very "urban", 2, maybe 3 stoplights, and oftentimes they are the town centers of more rural surrounding areas... shoot, I live in a (small) "city" of more then 25,000, but leave the city limits in any direction and you'll find cows, corn, and forests...

In any case, I wasnt trying to start an argument, just saying, knives never left society. Even in places where laws are strict, say Philadelphia for example, where all knives are banned from carrying, yet many of the 1.5 million people living there do still carry knives. Just more Quietly. I frequent Philly as I have a brother who lives there, and I live only 1.5 hours away, and I don't remember ever going there without a knife or 2 on my person.... now I'm not saying "most" people do it, but plenty do, of that I'm sure. The "deep city" folk I referred to are the ones so caught up in the hustle and bustle of city life, their starbucks, smartphones, and brief cases, the ones who are so completely out of touch on their subway rides they think their food comes from the grocery store, forgetting that someone somewhere farmed it first. Certainly not all city folk are "deep city" folk. Remember that drugs are illegal, yet plenty of people still do drugs, and they are far more "unacceptable" then knives...As for being "Socially acceptable", it depends on where you are and who you ask. Sort of like guns in Cali or NJ vs. guns in TX and Montana...

Again, the market itself over the years will tell you that knives never were "gone" in the first place, despite what mainstream might try to sell, and ergo, can't be making a comeback. They've been here, they've been selling, and people are buying, and new ones are coming out every year, while classics are still proud as ever.
 
I live in New York City land of the unhippest knife laws in the country. Of my real friends and family no one carries knives and cannot understand the enjoyment that I get from collecting knives. I also collect Chef's knives which is easier for them to comprehend since my first passion is cooking.
I have acquired a few good knife friends through eBay, BF and YouTube. We have never met and do not know what the other looks like but we have a mutual desire to talk to each other about knives.
I have been collecting pocket & small fixed blade knives for 3 years but I've been carrying for 40 years.I have personally watched this industry grow by leaps and bounds.
The problem that we are having is not that we are loosing collectors, it is that there are so many new Chinese companies that make high quality folding and fixed blade knives and so many new Mid-tech knife crafters that it is overwhelming. I personally don't see a decrease in knife collecting membership, I feel that the market has become over saturated with product and the collecting membership is not growing at the same pace. At this point I believe that the manufacturers are just feeding off the same amount clientele which is being diluted by the abundance of new companies. An example would be the size of Spyderco's collection in their catalog, It's amazing. If they were the only company on the planet they still have enough diversity to keep almost everybody happy.

I know that their are many "Only Buy American" collectors but I think that their are many more that consider design, function and quality of build more than where it was made. Their are also the Chinese spin off's that just pop up such as Real Steel, Maxace, Tangram etc. I already own over 70 knives and have bought, sold or traded at least another 100 in the last three years. I check out the Forum and Youtube everyday and their are more new knives coming out on a daily basis than I can keep up with.
In conclusion I think the membership has grown but not in pace with new product.
 
WftRight said:
I worked in a petrochemical plant from 2002 to 2010 and in refineries from 2013 to present. Many people around me carry a knife. At the petrochemical plant, I was on the fire crew, and almost everyone on the crew carried a knife. They wouldn't be much use in a fire, but several guys talked about using a knife to cut themselves out of a hazard suit if they were stuck inside and no one could help them out. I carry pretty regularly even though I don't have to use one very often.
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Hope they would remember to wear the knife outside the suit while they were donning it.
 
strategy9 said:
80.7% live in "urban" environments according to the census bureau includes all the "small towns" littered across the country. According to the census, "Urban areas" are over 50,000 people, but "Urban Clusters" are areas with at least 2,500 people and <50,000 people, and those "folk" according to the census still live in "urban areas".

Ever been to a town of 3000 people? They usually don't feel very "urban", 2, maybe 3 stoplights, and oftentimes they are the town centers of more rural surrounding areas... shoot, I live in a (small) "city" of more then 25,000, but leave the city limits in any direction and you'll find cows, corn, and forests...

In any case, I wasnt trying to start an argument, just saying, knives never left society. Even in places where laws are strict, say Philadelphia for example, where all knives are banned from carrying, yet many of the 1.5 million people living there do still carry knives. Just more Quietly. I frequent Philly as I have a brother who lives there, and I live only 1.5 hours away, and I don't remember ever going there without a knife or 2 on my person.... now I'm not saying "most" people do it, but plenty do, of that I'm sure. The "deep city" folk I referred to are the ones so caught up in the hustle and bustle of city life, their starbucks, smartphones, and brief cases, the ones who are so completely out of touch on their subway rides they think their food comes from the grocery store, forgetting that someone somewhere farmed it first. Certainly not all city folk are "deep city" folk. Remember that drugs are illegal, yet plenty of people still do drugs, and they are far more "unacceptable" then knives...As for being "Socially acceptable", it depends on where you are and who you ask. Sort of like guns in Cali or NJ vs. guns in TX and Montana...

Again, the market itself over the years will tell you that knives never were "gone" in the first place, despite what mainstream might try to sell, and ergo, can't be making a comeback. They've been here, they've been selling, and people are buying, and new ones are coming out every year, while classics are still proud as ever.
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yes, however the clusters of over 50,000 people still account for 71.2% of the population and just the top 48 urbanized areas account for over 50% of the population. Either way, that is your experience as I stated once again, and if you read the thread many have different experience. Also, why are you only thinking of your own country? I'm not american. Either way, we're now off-topic and I never said knives were gone... I was just saying they became less popular and seem to be making a resurgence in MAINSTREAM MEDIA! THAT IS LITERALLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
 
I do feel that over the years, knife carry has certainly lessened among the general population, at least in the US. That's mostly obvious by the way that people view knives and knife carry in general, especially in big cities.

That said, it's actually hard to say for sure who has a knife or not. Just because you don't see a pocket clip doesn't mean someone doesn't have one. Back when I was a kid, lots of other boys had pocketknives on them, but no pocket clips were visible because in the 1970s they didn't have them. Someone could well have a SAK or other traditional pocketknife and you may never know, unless perhaps they start using their keys or their teeth to open a package that might be better opened with a small, sharp blade.

I've heard that knife carry of any type is severely restricted in Japan, at least in the big cities.

Jim
 
A temporary uptick in attention to knives as an accessory isn't really a "comeback".

It's just the media machine hunting for a new trend then buzz about till the next new trend. And on it goes.
 
I'm in a big city and nobody carries knives. I'll do it occasionally but it's mostly just a SAK in my pocket and if I have something like a sebenza it's always in my bag and not my pocket. It's not that I'm afraid of cops but rather there's a lot of theft going on right now.
 
James Y said:
I do feel that over the years, knife carry has certainly lessened among the general population, at least in the US. That's mostly obvious by the way that people view knives and knife carry in general, especially in big cities.

Jim
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I see that, too. I use my larger knives in my construction work, but even down here in Texas when I go into certain places I make sure my knife clip isn't showing. I just don't need/want any kind of questions. Lots of guys carry SAKs, etc., but few carry nice traditionals like we used to. At 61 I'm not nearly as old as most of the frequent posters here but back in grade school I carried a knife every day. Even in construction, i don't know many that carry knives (the preferred tool being a box cutter) unless it is a beater.

What I DO see though is that a smaller group of people collect a lot of knives. All the way from the guys that want all the Busse knives made to the guys that collect Rough Riders. I was raised by Depression Era parents, so until I was in my mid 20s, I thought it wasteful to have more than three or four knives. I certainly can't say that I have held with that belief after all these years.

Today, on this forum, I read of guys that brag/joke that they spend a couple of thousand a year on knives, and already have a few hundred in their collection. Seems to me, especially when looking at the posted pictures of guy's knives, the have almost no signs of wear. Even the Busse guys send theirs back for "spa treatment" after they get them dirty, scratch the finish or dull the blade. To me, most knife carriers truly do see their knives as man jewelry, something a little racier and more dangerous than a diving watch.

But I am glad for all the collectors and light users as the keep the manufacturers on their toes. I think we see more innovative designs in a year with more choices of steels to boot than we used to see in a 10 year span. To me, this is a great time to be a user or a collector.

Robert
 
Gideons said:
I was speaking on the social acceptability of knives nobody here is debating how useful or the history of knives. You're speaking from your own personal experience. Which is not mine, or most of the worlds. Locking blades are illegal to carry in the city in China(example) or the UK has had many laws restricting knives since the late 1980's and many places across the world have extremely strict knife laws. From that I would argue knives socially have become less, and less acceptable. So, who is out of touch in this statement? I would argue, you. As you put it "deep city folk" have lost touch with knives, well majority of the worlds population live in the city... making most of the population out of touch with knives. In a 2010 census in the United States, 80.7% of the population live in an urban environment, and that number is growing. I think you should look at your examples, and understand how you just proved the opposite of your argument.
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Hi Gideons,

I’m in the UK, and although we do have restrictive knife laws, that doesn’t mean we never carry knives other than <3” slip joint folders. I took three kids to the forest for the day yesterday, and all of us had and used locking Vic Forresters, I also had a fixed blade - Grohmann no.3 as it happens, eh!

We have a big problem with knife violence here, particularly in London, where I live. But out in the country, if the knives have a purpose and you aren’t flashing them about in crowded spots, it really is not a problem.
 
Gideons said:
yes, however the clusters of over 50,000 people still account for 71.2% of the population and just the top 48 urbanized areas account for over 50% of the population. Either way, that is your experience as I stated once again, and if you read the thread many have different experience. Also, why are you only thinking of your own country? I'm not american. Either way, we're now off-topic and I never said knives were gone... I was just saying they became less popular and seem to be making a resurgence in MAINSTREAM MEDIA! THAT IS LITERALLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
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So in this question we have to consider just Canada because you the Op are Canadian? You should say that if that is what you mean. Or should we consider all the countries members are from? Or maybe people should consider their own country, city, town, community, etc...

Either be clear or don't get upset when people don't respond the way you want.
 
Well it's more of a violence problem for the UK view.

Well if only we got rid of guns there would be no crime. Well OK if only we got rid of knives there would be no crime. Scratch that if only we got rid of bricks and pint glasses there would be no crime and on and on.

Treating symptoms instead of causes only prolongs the issue.
 
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