Then why, as you proposed, didn't he like a SAK?
Off Topic No such thing as a bad/ "evil" knife , if it works !
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Then why, as you proposed, didn't he like a SAK?
It just boils down to people being annoying and emotional about everything. OMG ITS POINTY.
The fact is, these same people will rarely even see someone carry these scary looking knives, they just see a picture and immediately hate the idea of it and start crying and whining until they are banned.
The fact is, these same people will rarely even see someone carry these scary looking knives, they just see a picture and immediately hate the idea of it and start crying and whining until they are banned.
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I'll give my reasons: Too small in the hand, too slippery, bad ergos, too soft a blade steel, to slow to deploy and use (some people work in faster paced environments and using a two handed opening knife every 1, 2, or 5 minutes would slow us down beyond what we would like), aesthetically neutered, multiple tools I would never use (like a bottle opener - who really needs a bottle opener when you can open a bottle with just about anything from a pair of scissors to a bread knife to nail clippers? - I almost never drink beer anyway).
Exactly the point I am making. People choose knives for image/impression....some don't want something "aesthetically neutered."
Knives are not "all the same if they work."
Some knives we choose reinforce peoples' stereotypes against us.
While its great that someone helped someone with a knife...that hasn't helped the stereotypes.
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Cuz it doesnt look cool. Frickin duh.
Also harder to free people from seatbelts with than a karambit.
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I'm afraid that "image" is not poppycock to most. Knives are not dangerous until you use them "dangerously" (which is a perception) or a knife cuts you when you aren't expecting it such as opening in your pocket. It is just an object and sometimes considered a weapon. Karambits are usually viewed as weapons. Folks can carry what they want.
Harder to use a SAK on seatbelts...? Unless you have a seat belt cutter on your SAK.
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Again, exactly my point.
Seatbelt cutter would have probably worked even better. But I guess those don't look cool and are aesthetically neutered.
I'm not saying that you or anybody else 'should' like SAKs, but the tools on an SAK can be used for alternate purposes that the tool in question was not officially designated for.
For example, I use the bottle opener a lot of light-duty prying (such as when opening certain boxes), scraping, not to mention the large screwdriver feature. Light prying that could easily snap the tips off of many of the finer-tipped OHO knives. I'm sure others can name other alternate uses for that one implement alone. Plus, someone wouldn't have to use a pair of scissors or nail clippers on the rare instances one does need a bottle opener. Find alternate uses for all of the other tools, and a simple, basic SAK can be extremely versatile while taking up little real estate in a pocket. At one time, I got by ith a SAK Spartan as my sole knife for 10 years, and it worked out quite well. I still carry one.
I always laugh a bit when some youtubers post 'survival' videos of them using a tactical knife to open cans of food, and bragging when the blade comes out intact. Sure, food cans are made of fairly soft metal, but why use a knife blade when the SAK can opener can do it faster (within seconds if you know how), cleaner/more hygienic, and more safely than using a knife blade?
Is an SAK ideal for someone who is breaking down thick cardboard boxes all day? Of course not. But a standard SAK can accomplish many things that a single-bladed OHO knife cannot accomplish in a practical manner. That is why it's not uncommon for knife lovers to carry and use both.
Jim
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They certainly can. Just don't kvetch about "sheeple" when someone looks askance at you for whipping it out inappropriately.
Make a choice, take responsibility for it.
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I have said before that the world would be really boring if people only carried SAKs and all the knife makers would be very unhappy and probably out of business unless they made their own "SAK".
A karambit is just about the last knife design choice I would choose to carry. But I'm not 14 or 16 anymore either.
Ask me why I bought a blackjack and brass knuckles? Answer... for the hell of it. Never carried and I have no idea where they are these days. Probably buried in some box in my garage.
A karambit is just about the last knife design choice I would choose to carry. But I'm not 14 or 16 anymore either.
Ask me why I bought a blackjack and brass knuckles? Answer... for the hell of it. Never carried and I have no idea where they are these days. Probably buried in some box in my garage.
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So what changed between you and your knife choices at 14 and them now?
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Perception is reality unfortunately.
I carried a Case Barlow at age 16. I love SAKs now and I know you really like your Buck 110. But I carry other knives too from time to time. I carried a Schrade 250T for years working in the field and it is sort of a two blade 110 clone. Loved that knife, but that was then and now I have different needs.
I carried a Case Barlow at age 16. I love SAKs now and I know you really like your Buck 110. But I carry other knives too from time to time. I carried a Schrade 250T for years working in the field and it is sort of a two blade 110 clone. Loved that knife, but that was then and now I have different needs.
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The opposite of this is not "Tacticool" by default. Would you consider a Spyderco Military tacticool? What about the endura? I don't. To me they are clean designs with nice lines that actually look like they are comfortable and stable in the hand, and perform just as well (when you sand off the middle point of the endura handle that is!
).Yes and no. If we chose one with skulls, and drops of red paint, or slogans like "Molon Labe", "Para Bellum", etc, then yes, those are definitely "statement" knives, just like wearing an article of clothing that has a slogan. You wouldn't wear a slogan if it was one you were entirely opposed to. "Molon Labe" guy is, if not clearly itching for a fight, then at least responsible for knowing that his outward statement implies that much. I won't wear "Monster" energy drink branded clothing, for example, or anything that has foul language on it. Why? Because those things make explicit statements that are virtually impossible to disassociate from those choosing to display them about their persons, and they are statements I disagree with. "Unleash the beast"? "I have no filter?" How about I "control my emotions", and "default to giving others the same respect I would ask, which includes not exposing them to things I find offensive or degrading".
Really? Separating this from the explicit statement point just made, if someone looks at the shape alone of the knife, and thinks "Oh it's just a weapon, and he is only carrying it to be seen as a hardcase", even after he used it to potentially save a life, then I believe there is a clear disconnect from reality in the person's thinking who maintains that impression, despite the clearly altruistic act performed by the karambit user.
If I were in a gas station and wanted to buy a knife, and the only one they had was some red paint splattered used Spyderco UKPK, you can bet I would pass on it. If it was a G10 handled cheap plain jane Mtech karambit, I would be all over it. Because I do recognize that perceptions make a difference, and I do care what perceptions I make because I understand people respond according to perceptions, but I also have the ability and willingness to calmly explain the reasonable purpose behind a hawkbill blade, before I have to use it around someone. On the other hand, I don't expect anyone to take me seriously or give me credibility if I try to "explain away" the violent imagery of a zombie knife.
I still have not seen the news story, or a pic of the knife, but these are just musings about perception, and our responsibility to give a good one. I might see it and think it is a stupid knife that should never have been carried, or made in the first place, or I might not. But I think we have that responsibility because we cannot predict how we will be received if we just exercise our "right to do whatever we want" (not an actual right I believe in!
), and why should we risk generating panic or fear in others, even if we know we mean no ill intent?
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I would say perception has the ability to influence reality when people react based on their perceptions. But it is not reality in itself.
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So then what happens when people stop carrying "scary" knives and society starts thinking saks are scary? Are we wrong for carrying those when people get scared? My auntie is legit scared by ANY knife. They ALL look scary to her. Thats why laws are objective, not just based on what you think looks scary or tactical. . But i guess you think we should choose knives based on what other people would think instead of educating people that knives are tools.
This can be true but it is not entirely true.
It is true that any knife can be used as a weapon (for the most part).
But it is also true that many knives are designed specifically for tactical or martial use. And some knives are specifically designed to look threatening.
agreed, as long as it serves it's purpose, any knife can be a "good" knife. I honestly don't spend hundreds of dollars on knives. My ESEE5 is the most expensive blade I own, and truth be told, it rarely gets used. But my Kershaw gets used several times a week. And if I lose it, eh, buy another one.
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BenchCo Spydermade
Hmmm... I think one should choose a knife that fits the situation. If you like SAKs, great; if not there are many other choices. I know some people think SAKs are scary. I have seen their reactions a few times. But they think ANY knife is scary. I can't fix that. What people think with regard to knives can be one factor in choosing to carry a knife. In my state, carrying a sword is legal but I would strongly advise against it in an urban setting... a cop would view it strictly as a weapon and most of us don't need the aggravation that results from such things.I'm older now. If I were 12 to 16 now, I think I might still carry a SAK as an edc and something else in the woods or along the trail. I believed SAKs were toys when I was 12 and not real knives. I don't think I ever even handled one until I was in my 20's. I have learned just how convenient they are overall. I might carry a Spydie if I were 16 now (something along the lines of a Native or PM3) if I could afford one. I probably would shun the traditional knives out of ignorance as that was the kind of thing I did when I was 16. But they work really well.
How fast I could "deploy" a knife might matter to me at age 16 now. But for me now, it matters little.
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Some people already think that SAKs (and stockmans, trappers, etc.) are scary.
In my own workplace, everybody knows I carry knives, but nobody is afraid of them because of the way I've always used them, and the attitude I have about my knives. I've never made a big deal out of my knives, so neither have they. Over the years, those knives have included my Spyderco Military, Police, Delica, Tasman Salt SE, Caribbean, Para 2 & 3, CRK large Insingo, etc. I've neither flashed my knives around nor been furtive about it; I only use one when needed then quietly put it away. BTW, I work at a massage/wellness center, a type of place most here might imagine would be virulently anti-knife. I've been there for over 12 years. Had I behaved differently at the beginning, I very well could have given a poor impression, but as it is, my knives are seen and treated as normal.
Jim
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Very cool, and thats exactly my point! Its how the person uses the knife that should matter. And because you carried it DESPITE peoples possible fear, people got to learn from you that its just a tool.