Materials or Design, which influences your choice more?

K

Kn1

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Apr 22, 2008
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I ask this because we dont often find exactly what we desire, off the shelf.
We can find a knife we like design&ergonomic wise, but blade &/or handle material, may not be our ideal, or visa -versa.
Interested to see how-what keen knife people tend to put more priority to, when making a final choice.
 
It depends. Sometimes I have bought a knife in order to try a particular blade alloy.
But if it is for actual use, it is a blend of both.
 
Materials and design are pretty much equal, but if i REALLY like a design I might put it over materials.
 
I won't buy a bad design regardless of what it's made of, but I might try a great design made from ordinary stuff. I guess that makes design more important to me.
 
Interesting question & good post.

The two go hand in hand of course, but if forced to separate them I would pick design over materials. My EDC Darrel Ralph trigger is made of the best materials, ti framelock, S30V blade, DLC coat. I like the design and would still choose it if it were made of, say, aluminum and ATS-34, as long as long as it still had the pivot bearing (I categorize that as a 'design' feature).

A super-steel like zdp can provide such an advance in function that it outweighs design considerations. I'm not that thrilled about the overall design of William Henry button locks, but I still carry a small one, mainly because I like the zdp-189.
 
Quality..... Quality is my decision maker. If it has good materials, or looks great, but has blade play, difficult to open, etc, then I will not buy it. For instance, I just purchased my first Case knife, I dont necessairly like the colors of the handle, or the fact that the blade material is (on bladeforums) crappy, But I know Case is a reputable, quality manufacturer, and I enjoy knowing i got my moneys worth.
 
Design is first, even if a knife meets all other criteria if it isn't designed to do the job I need it for then why own it.

Blade steel is a priority, I dislike most stainless and prefer carbon steels.

Handle material follows steel, I really don't care what a handle is made of. If it is too slick I know how to stipple it for a rougher finish.
 
I'm probably more interest in design than materials. I'll admit that I'm a steel snob to a certain point but the design can make or break a knife.
 
Design influence my interest in the knife the most. If I do not like design, I would never buy a knife, just to experience materials. If I like design, than I check on materials, they should be acceptable as well.
 
Design There are may great materials but the best material in the world is worthless in a bad design or one that doesn't suit your usage.
 
Materials count most for me as well as price. However, if it isn't designed and put together right then I don't want it. I'll try a cheap knife if it's made of good materials and looks good. I've found some good knives that way. I'm not a knife snob. A good knife that can be purchased cheap is more impressive to me than an expensive knife that is purchased just for show and tell.
 
To me a knife is like a woman, each one has a difference balance of assetts. When I see the right balance I know right away.
 
elkins45 said:
I won't buy a bad design regardless of what it's made of, but I might try a great design made from ordinary stuff. I guess that makes design more important to me.
Click to expand...

I agree with this except that I don't often find a great design that is not high quality in material.
 
Certainly a mix of both, but the bigger influence is going to be the design by far.
 
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