Obsolete Knives

[Spyder59]

This is one I'd have to argue against. A considerable portion of bread still comes in loaves, buns, bagels, etc that need sliced.

But do you use that special designated, usually serrated, long bladed bread knife to slice your bread, or one of your other knives that is usually more handy.

 

[marcinek]

But do you use that special designated, usually serrated, long bladed bread knife to slice your bread, or one of your other knives that is usually more handy.

Yes. Why wouldn't you? Right tool for the job.

Far from obsolete = "no longer produced or used; out of date"

And they are probably used infinitely more often for slicing tomatoes. Its just a long serrated knife.

 

[B.F.U]

But do you use that special designated, usually serrated, long bladed bread knife to slice your bread, or one of your other knives that is usually more handy.

Mine isn't serrated, but yeah. It's longer and much thinner than my others, so it works better.

 

[marcinek]

I think there is a fundamental misunderstanding between "obsolete" and "not popular" going on here.

Something like a Prest-O-Lite key blade is obsolete (Prest-O-Lites were auto headlights that used on compressed acetylene gas in a canister that was fitted to the running boards of automobiles and then devlivered to the headlights through tubing. The key opened the canister. What could go wrong?!?)

Those are obsolete.

Bread knives, straight razors, tube amplifiers, turntables, manual typewriters, etc are not.

 

[Larcivs Lepidvs]

this one is definitely an obsolete knife. it's an Italian rural knife used in the 19th century for opening corncobs.
the blade alone is 8.6"

 

[Helleri]

@Larcivs Lepidvs
Wow, that's a good one. Today I found one while looking for other things on google images:

Beet Knife.

Not sure if these are obsolete (has industrial farming practices largely replaced the need for these?). While looking for a bit more information on them everything I read refers to their use in the past tense. But I don't see anything more specific about that. A few articles said that Ontario Knife Co still makes these. But I think at the very least it could be considered obscure. The hook is used to spike beets and the blade is for lopping the tops (greenery) off them.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Specifically they were most heavily used in sugar beet harvesting. They're not much used for their original intended purpose, as the harvest of sugar beets is largely an automated mechanical process at this point on any industrially meaningful level, but they make handy harvest knives for other produce because you can use the spike for light excavation around vegetables before cutting leafy crops or before pulling/topping root vegetables.

 

[Larcivs Lepidvs]

other examples of obsolete (yet beautiful and valuable) knives are the traditional Italian duel knives, that were used in Italy until 19th century, specifically as weapons for duels and street fights.
overall lenght up to 22", with 9.8" blades.

 

[Leftytwogunz]

Wow, those duel knives are nuts! I dig that second one down with the wood handle and bolster.

 

[Thumber]

I like the duelling knives, and here I thought the tip of my Leek was fragile.

 

[Helleri]

a Navaja is on my list of "to collect"...I found another one for the obsolete list:

Blood Letting knife.

Blood letting was at one time believed by physicians to release bad stuff from your body by getting rid of bad blood that contained it. Today even if a doctor would want to drain away internal fluids they would not use such crude implements to do so, and would definitely not authorize their patients to open wounds on themselves at home. It seems like common sense now. But it wasn't too long ago that taking one of these things to your person was considered a cure all.

 

[Faiaoga]

I am no soldier, but I suspect that a bayonet attached to a rifle can still be useful for crowd control and for guarding prisoners.

 

[heresthedeal]

Folding box knives are obsolete and cool. The end was a little hammer head, and had a nail puller/prybar blade, and they were used to open and reclose the little wooden boxes cigars, sugar, chocolate, and cheese came in.

I remember those, used to see them at flea markets when I was a kid, (Mid to late 70s) thought they were cool as hell then. some had the groove in the hammer head to hold tacks so you could push them in with the hammer because the tacks were so small.

Hadn't thought about those in years, thanks.

I'll throw 1/one out, electricians knives, 2/two blade, 1/one blade with a liner lock that was more of a screw driver.

don't see those anymore. I never did understand how it was listed as an electricians knife. I thought the liner lock was cool as hell tho.

 

[Armadew]

I have a 1930s Victorinox fleam. I'll try to scrounge up a picture...

 

[Armadew]

a Navaja is on my list of "to collect"...I found another one for the obsolete list:

Blood Letting knife.

Blood letting was at one time believed by physicians to release bad stuff from your body by getting rid of bad blood that contained it. Today even if a doctor would want to drain away internal fluids they would not use such crude implements to do so, and would definitely not authorize their patients to open wounds on themselves at home. It seems like common sense now. But it wasn't too long ago that taking one of these things to your person was considered a cure all.

My 1930s Victorinox fleam:

 

[DShiflet]

I think there is a fundamental misunderstanding between "obsolete" and "not popular" going on here.

Not really. If you look at the military definition of the term, there are many "obsolete" weapons that are still being used all over the world. They still work, they still kill people, but they've still considered obsolete compared to more modern technology. So going by that definition of the term, manual typewriters, turntables, etc are still considered obsolete, despite the fact that they still function and people still use them.

 

[sogflash]

Those duel knives are scary.

This is a interesting thread. I hope it'll go on for a while.

 

[pmel018]

Fleams were also used by vets, the same ideas on physiology persisted far longer amongst animal practitioners

 

[TsarBomba]

These Depression-era glass fruit and cake knives would be a good example. Commonly found in severely chipped condition, and their geometry is awful, though at the time they did their job nicely since carbon steel was still what was most commonly found in the kitchen. One might call them the predecessor of the modern ceramic knife.

Must be a bear to sharpen.

 

[Skimo]

They're still used in a positive manner by marine biologists doing autopsies, too! Don't forget the bright side of the situation.

(the flensing knives etc., obviously, not the harpoons!)

Also still in use by natives, killing whales is not bad.

Not really. If you look at the military definition of the term, there are many "obsolete" weapons that are still being used all over the world. They still work, they still kill people, but they've still considered obsolete compared to more modern technology. So going by that definition of the term, manual typewriters, turntables, etc are still considered obsolete, despite the fact that they still function and people still use them.

Obviously not obsolete to the people using them.

I am no soldier, but I suspect that a bayonet attached to a rifle can still be useful for crowd control and for guarding prisoners.

No.