Overused and/or trite words of the Knife World

Mecha said:
That is pretty cringe. But does it fire hydraulically?
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I believe they mean in a "rather slow and totally controlled way". Doesn't reduce the ridiculous factor in any way. This is niche language, hence the funny. Because nobody having the slightest knowledge of hydraulics (and how complicated and messy it can be) would use it to talk about knives.
 
herisson said:
I believe they mean in a "rather slow and totally controlled way". Doesn't reduce the ridiculous factor in any way. This is niche language, hence the funny. Because nobody having the slightest knowledge of hydraulics (and how complicated and messy it can be) would use it to talk about knives.
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The knife has hydraulic action. Like it's on 'dros.

The knife's action feels pneumatic with snap like a potato gun.

The action is electromagnetic. Ah yes, there it is.

Ahem... At Mad Science Forge, our Sharksbane©®™ tactical titanium double-smatchet kayak paddles deploy with speed that feels electromagnetic, guaranteed to make an attacking shark's hair stand on end!
 
Am I the the only one who thinks our language needs to evolve further around knives. On the one hand it is fair to ask, what more can be said about a wedge of metal designed to separate soft materials by applying pressure. But, there is a lot that we don’t know and that we have never had communicated. Like simple things, such as what is the handle size of this knife? If it were a tennis racket it would be easy to find a comfortable size, but with knives it is always a mystery. What would it be like if makers offered a range of grip sizes?

Then we can talk about the edge geometry. We can complain about terms like razor sharp or hair splitting sharp. But, this only underscores that the industry lacks a definition for sharpness. What if there were a standard medium, perhaps cutting 1” Manila rope, and each knife were rated on a scale which indicated the amount of force required to cut through that medium With the blade. Those looking for a particularly efficient cutter might choose the blade rated 1lb, over the one rated 7lbs.

Then there is the great unknown surrounding longevity. Just how long is your knife supposed to last? How does the shape and applied heat treat impact your ability to maintain and use the knife? How many times can you reasonably expect to sharpen a knife before you have worn through the fully hardened part of the blade or materially changed the edge geometry. How many cycles if this locking mechanism capable of enduring before it wears and deforms. Again, there is no standard for this. Am I looking at a knife that is rated good for 10 years or one that is good for 25 years. Your actually usage will determine the real world experience, but it would still be useful to have a standard comparison point for knives.

So to the extent that we see an abundance of marketing garbage, I believe that much of it fills in for the lack of practical missing qualifiers. We are tossing adjectives to express that which we lack the tools to properly express.

n2s
 
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I always find it amusing when knife "reviewers" think they are better at pricing a knife than the actual manufacturer.
 
Camp knife. Makers need a better name for this ubiquitous label.
 
RustyIron said:
Nothing grates on me more than reading about how everybody and his dog gets their blades "shaving sharp." WTF? (Wow, That's Fantastic).

I shave every morning using a VERY nice Japanese handle and Russian blades with Italian soap. The thought of whipping a knife out of my pocket and shaving with it is just absurd. If someone MEANS that their knife will cut the hair off their arm, then SAY it. If they're saying that they shave with their knife, then I'm calling shenanigans.
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I’m still working my way through this wonderful thread, but I had to comment: I use my pocket knife to shave spots I didn’t quite get if I’m out and about and it’s bothering me. I’m really happy for you and your multicultural shaving equipment (I happen to use a cheap electric), but in a pinch a sharp slip joint knife will shave my face. Does this give me permission to use the term? 😅

arm hair, leg hair, facial hair… does it make a difference? Is it the Italian soap for the face and Polish soap for the arms? Shaving hairs is shaving hairs.

I agree “shaving sharp” is overused and isn’t impressive anymore (certainly not here), but if it’s true, it’s true. I think you are splitting hairs ;)
 
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not so much a specific word, but rants using many of them listed here from "reviewers" who feel qualified because they have bought a crap ton of knives that sit unused in drawers, then FEEL the NEED to list them as a reference source...

"... the ergos, fit and finish, drop-shutty action is on par with XYZ from MADRANT (I happen to have their abc & def models in 10cr#molyzdp5000 limited runs) blahblahblah..."
 
I keep my grails like new in the box and only take them out for photos after which I have to wipe off the fingerprints and replace them in their coffins boxes until I have to sell them toward the purchase of another grail which just became available and which will only be taken out of the box for photos so I can sell it later on.

(Sometimes, though, I have to sell them because I've had a bad month of car expenses, (brakes are popular), or having to replace an appliance that just went on the fritz.)

Rinse and repeat.

(Sarcasm, in case there is any question. Sarcasm, I say.)
 
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