Kodiak PA
Gold Member
- Joined
- Dec 3, 1998
- Messages
- 2,447
I was thinking this morning that knives that are mainly produced to be stared at and admired are usually made of more expensive materials. Damascus, silver inlays, rare stones, etc. I guess more expensive material do not mean better material for actual cutting.
How can one prove that these knives can even act the way a knife is supposed to? You could take a persian dagger, make the blade out of chrome and if it sits there for 100 years it will be as pretty and shiny as the day it was born but it wouldn't perform the way a knife is suppose to. How can one prove the edge holding ability of any damascus blade that sits in a safe? How do we gage the ability of a custom folder not to fail if we don't use it?
My feeling is this. I would much prefer a using knife over a viewing knife. As man's oldest tool, a knife has to prove itself and how can an art knife or even a nicely made hunter do that if its owner is too afraid to use it? I know there are other collectibles that are made just for looking at isn't a tool made to be used?
When we get an art knife, are we just taking the makers word for the quality of the knife? We test a lot of knives here guys and post the results....it seems like the pretty ones collect nothing but stares and dust. Don't get wrong...I have drooled over many a knife that the ownere would never even think of using and would not have minded to own this at all.
Is there any way to objectively judge a knife that no one uses? We never take the word of a maker from a using knife....we use it and let them know if the knife can perform.
Just some thoughts I had on a Saturday morning. It is not meant to be controversial but does anyone else think the way I do or have I been around the bears too long?
Regards,
Greg Mete
Kodiak Alaska
[This message has been edited by Kodiak PA (edited 10-21-2000).]
How can one prove that these knives can even act the way a knife is supposed to? You could take a persian dagger, make the blade out of chrome and if it sits there for 100 years it will be as pretty and shiny as the day it was born but it wouldn't perform the way a knife is suppose to. How can one prove the edge holding ability of any damascus blade that sits in a safe? How do we gage the ability of a custom folder not to fail if we don't use it?
My feeling is this. I would much prefer a using knife over a viewing knife. As man's oldest tool, a knife has to prove itself and how can an art knife or even a nicely made hunter do that if its owner is too afraid to use it? I know there are other collectibles that are made just for looking at isn't a tool made to be used?
When we get an art knife, are we just taking the makers word for the quality of the knife? We test a lot of knives here guys and post the results....it seems like the pretty ones collect nothing but stares and dust. Don't get wrong...I have drooled over many a knife that the ownere would never even think of using and would not have minded to own this at all.
Is there any way to objectively judge a knife that no one uses? We never take the word of a maker from a using knife....we use it and let them know if the knife can perform.
Just some thoughts I had on a Saturday morning. It is not meant to be controversial but does anyone else think the way I do or have I been around the bears too long?
Regards,
Greg Mete
Kodiak Alaska
[This message has been edited by Kodiak PA (edited 10-21-2000).]
