No holds barred knife design critique

I actually did jac_solar consider the scales being made of the sharpening stone and firestarter themselves. And just being able to easily remove them to use. And I still kinda like the idea. But as I'm sure you know, eventually a fire rod will wear away and make the handle look cruddy. I also considered the clip idea. But I kept coming back to this design as an elegant and unique package.

As for changing what's in the compartments to suit an office type buyer Patrickknives, that is not a bad idea. Yeah I guess clippers could work. There could be a work and a play model I suppose :)

Good ideas guys.
 
The original design didn't even have the clip. It was like a grenade pin you stuck through. Which was pretty cool too. But the design was inspired by the German paramilitary gravity knife. Only I took that design, flipped it, made the knife a flipper, and made use of the scales for survival storage.
 
17 year old-girl performing movements most guys can't do :

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Ok spam removed
 
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A few items that would personally be an issue for me;
1) multiple sharpened edges are illegal in all municipalities I live & travel weekly.
2) flipper
3) stuff in handle potential rattle/vibration in use.
4) smooth handle for reduced traction.
But, most of the above seem to be selling points these days for lots of the crowd ;-) and I assume it would sell well.
 
It reminds me of the Buster Sword from FF7. Maybe "Baby Buster" or "Pocket Buster" would be a good name for it.
 
Lycosa said:
Make just the knife.
The 2nd design can carry all the cargo. :D
rolf
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are you saying KISS, good advice, get the first one then move on to the finer points. Also consider making a plastic model, easy, cheap and allows you to refine the design.
 
Braja69 said:
Thanks for all the info guys but I just found out that our house is getting foreclosed on so I have already filled out three job applications for the first three jobs I came across. So I won't be having any time to do anything. Except try to not be homeless. Thanks though really.
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Good luck with the job search. I've been there at least a couple of times, and I know how bad it can get.

Keep on keepin' on. When you get above water, I encourage you to get a hold of some knives that lend themselves to the functions you want to adhere to, and figure out why they are how they are.

You'll get there.
 
Thanks Stacy, sideways, and knife to a gunfight. I probably shouldn't have said anything, you know tmi, but I was aggitated. I'm gonna keep coming up with designs as much as possible cause I just love to do it. And I will submit them here for you guys to see and comment on no matter what the comment :)

Anyway, hopefully I will have time to at least be apart of the forum every now and again. Thanks for the kind words :)
 
It's very creative and artistic. However, the fire starter and sharpening stone inclusion would send this the way of the bushcraft crowd where a tanto blade will never go over. Leaving you with a curiosity. This design is very long on interesting design concepts with little left for practicality. Would Tom Hanks have been happy to find this in one of those packages that washed up on the beach in "Castaway"? Yes. Would you pick this to have with you on a desert island? I think not.
 
It looks like another design that doesn't know what it wants to be, a fighter?That's more or less what I associate a tanto blade with anyway. Bushcraft? Well, it does have stuff in the handle...if the blade were changed to a drop point or other traditional shape, you would go a long way in aligning the design with a function that fits it. Just my two cents worth...
 
Good luck on the job hunt and keep this knife designing thing in perspective. It's going to be a long time if ever before you see money from designing knives. I don't say that to be mean just realistic.

I have read all of your threads here and in Shoptalk originally. Here is my issue, you are not actually designing a knife. Rather you are designing an image of a knife and not a particularly realistic one at that. In order to design a knife one must take into consideration both intended function and materials. The good designers are then able to fit that into a package that is aesthetically pleasing. As mentioned by others on this thread regarding the design posted here, the function is not evident. Blade geometry of the edge and the profile are not a match for the stated purpose, or any purpose for that matter. You have to understand how the geometries work so as to be able to show them accurately in the design. Add even more variables for the handle design. That brings us to what materials one wishes to use. The function and shape of the blade should be matched with a steel that will best fulfill said role. Both of those things will determine how the bevel is shaped. Most of the knives I design and wish to make have a FFG (full flat grind) or a convex grind. I can represent the bevel with a straight line from heel to almost the spine or in the future make that a swept bevel. Hollow grinds and saber grinds most often exhibit a "shinogi" or top line of the bevel. That needs to be accounted for in the design both for function and appearance. That leads to the questions of steel thickness, distal taper, intended balance point, etc. Once again with the handle materials, multiply by a couple more variables including attachment hardware and material properties of many possible woods, animal parts, plastics, etc. In the design submitted here, what kind of pivot would you propose to use in order for those handle scales to swing?

You may respond that many of those considerations are up to the maker of the knife and you wish to only design the look. I can't imagine too many custom makers that would be willing to pay for a good complete design let alone one that they will have to figure out and tweak for one off or even small scale production. Big name knife making companies won't be interested because they already have experienced designers and really I suspect that often times it is the established knife makers name that is the main commodity when commissioning outside designs. What you have posted have been the equivalent of a concept car like shown at the international auto shows. Which is cool in and of it's self. As a matter of fact I do wish for more discussion and threads about design. I would advise that if you truly do have a strong passion for designing knives then you should spend a lot of time studying everything you can find about past and present knife design and construction/production. Also keep posting, this forum is the best single source of such an education as I've found. Just the knife maker's section stickies or the count's standard reply provides many years worth of reading and researching. Good luck and hope to see you around here on your journey.
 
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