Knives that all look the same (Aston Martin Syndrome)

I guess I don't mind knives that look the same I like useful knives. Lately that has been small droppoint knives with FF or hollow grinds and durable / comfortable handle material. Haveing a knife that is unique does nothing for me I'm a function first kind of guy though.
 
The way I look at it, a set of similar knives is indicative of a designer's touch. For instance, many Kershaw/ZT knives are Ken Onion designs. That's why knives like the 0200 and 0300 or the Leek/Scallion/etc look similar: same designer. Becker is another example, where each is primarily one of Ethan's creations. But I find that even though they look similar, each is different enough that I'd like to add it to my stable. I actually prefer having a set of similar looking knives - perhaps all designed by the same person - rather than a hodge podge mix. Call it brand loyalty if you want, but that's why I have multiple Beckers rather than one Becker, one ESEE, one TOPS, etc.

Creativity wise, well, that's a truly subjective matter I believe. Design cues that are shared are a bonus in my opinion, such as Becker handles. However, each knife is different enough that I'd never mistake it for another; they are relatively unique, yet share genetics. For bigger brands, such as Kershaw or Spyderco, with multiple designers, the creativity is much more apparent. Yes, all Spydercos have the round hole, but that doesn't mean squat when it comes to creativeness, at least in my view. Compare a Gayle Bradley to a PM2 to a Chokwe. All Spyderco knives, but very different. The ZT0200/030X vs ZT056X vs ZT0400 is another comparison.

I guess I just fail to see how sweeping generalizations can be made that so many companies make knives that all look the same if you do anything more than glance at the knives. Yes, some companies do have parts that are very similar/the same for many of their knives, but they manage to maintain a strain of uniqueness for each so that each is useful in a different way and not redundant.
 
Tony8179 said:
All knives look the same to me with their steel blades and their handles made for gripping. :rolleyes:

If you want a huge (and useless) variety that all look different (and useless) then I suggest looking into wall hangers sold by United Cutlery.

Glancing at knives is the first mistake. You don't glance, you handle and study. If different knives made by the the same company are all looking the same to you then you aren't looking hard enough.
Click to expand...
I'm not asking for a huge variety, but having at least a few different designs and combinations of materials to match those designs really goes a long way towards making me want to buy from a particular company.

You have a valid point, but when a company consistently makes several products that look very similar to each other and they only appeal to a niche market or they don't have an accommodating variety, then they tend to lose potential customers that don't like what they see. If they don't like what they see at a glance or a quick inspection, they won't bother to look any closer and they'll move on to something else. That's where design variety comes in. Would you make only one style of knife, have it be unsuccessful, then insist on keeping ONLY that style of knife in production? I know I wouldn't, because it's not good for business.

Even though we don't have the same opinion, I would like to thank you for taking the time to voice yours. I enjoy hearing what other people have to say. :thumbup:
 
15 different versions of the same knife...are still basically the same knife and inherently "look alike".
 
bladeboss said:
I guess I dont see how Kershaw looks the same.
speedbump.jpg

chive.gif

topknifes012.jpg
Click to expand...
That's easy. On all your examples the pointy end is on the left. Therefore all Kershaws look the same.
 
Hadji Flip Me Over said:
I'm not asking for a huge variety, but having at least a few different designs and combinations of materials to match those designs really goes a long way towards making me want to buy from a particular company.

You have a valid point, but when a company consistently makes several products that look very similar to each other and they only appeal to a niche market or they don't have an accommodating variety, then they tend to lose potential customers that don't like what they see. If they don't like what they see at a glance or a quick inspection, they won't bother to look any closer and they'll move on to something else. That's where design variety comes in. Would you make only one style of knife, have it be unsuccessful, then insist on keeping ONLY that style of knife in production? I know I wouldn't, because it's not good for business.

Even though we don't have the same opinion, I would like to thank you for taking the time to voice yours. I enjoy hearing what other people have to say. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Kershaw has literally dozens of patterns with different blade steels, different handle materials, different locking mechs, and different colors that they produce as well as Benchmade and Spyderco. Is this not variety? The loss of customers doesn't seem to be a concern considering the fact that Kershaws are in high demand and are sold at big box stores. Which design has been unsuccessful for Kershaw yet they decide to keep selling it? They discontinue popular designs all the time and then come up with new designs they want to create.

In my eyes, there is no validity to what people are saying in this thread. Everyone says "Kershaws look the same" or "Benchmades look the same". I'm asking, what is it about these knives that make them look the same? So far there are three pages of posts and I have yet to see anyone actually give details about what makes these knives look the same.

All knives have a handle and a blade. Companies usually want the handle to be comfortable and the blade to be sharp. Considering that most human hands look the same, you are going to have handles that are made to fit into the grip of a human so weird shapes that aren't comfortable to grip are out. Different grinds are utilized on many different blades, but this is usually for function and not form. You can finish a blade only so many ways so obviously the majority of finishes are going to look similar such as satin, bead blast, stonewashed, and coated.

What is it that you want from these companies? You've got companies like Mantis and Dark Ops that try to buck the norm and they are ridiculed and mocked constantly on these forums. Should Kershaw, Benchmade, and Spyderco fall into line and start creating useless patterns for the sake of looking different or should they stick with what has worked for them for decades and continue what they are doing?

I still say that there is a huge amount of variety if you look past the Flagship lines from these companies.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top