Patterned Blades - Good, Bad, Ugly?

Isaiah5411

Isaiah5411

Joined
Mar 24, 2018
Messages
37
Got bored one night, so...what do you do? Got on Benchmade's Website and started customizing Mini Grips and Mini Barrages.

Don't know whether I spent too much time doing it, but...I suddenly started liking the looks of adding a pattern to the blade. To further rationalize, I thought a patterned blade might also help hide dings and scratches on the coated blade...if you're anal about that kind of thing. o_O

So...whadyathink?

2I5HbK5
 
A crackled pattern will so some footwork for hiding scratches, but not as much as you might hope; scratches that go through a coating will be shiny, and will stand out.

Also, because it’s a typical strategy for raising the shelf appeal of lower-end knives, most patterned coatings will ultimately lower the initial impression of quality of a knife to those who have spent a fair amount of time looking at knives.

So, basically, my opinion is that it makes the knife look cheaper, and doesn’t add to the functionality is any way. My opinion, however, is worth exactly how much I was paid to write this, and you should just do it if you think you will like it.
 
I think they can look good on some knives. Most don't. The one in your picture looks fine to me, though. As Comeuppance said, the coating wearing away will show way more scratches than the pattern would hide. Personally I like the way some coatings wear. It creates its own little pattern, haha.
 
I'm another guy in the "cheesy" camp but that's a cultural thing, like all other "what do you think of how this knife looks" questions. If you like it, buy it!
 
I vote for ugly, but, as many of my colleagues above have indicated, if you like it go for it. To each his own. :D
 
But I worked sooo hard to get the BM butterfly and Osborne logo positioned perfectly in the pattern and have the two sides match. Ha...

You guys are right, and...I'd probably never do it...unless the urge to buy something overwhelms me (ever get that feeling? o_O) and I decide that my other dozen (or so) knives are just too plain looking. Hey, whatever rationalization works, right?
 
Just ugly. I also don't like dark/black coatings on blade. Give me a bright or satin finish - something that looks like a knife blade.
Rich
 
I prefer a satin finish on my blades, I've slowly warmed up to black blades but that's pretty much it.

It's your knife, get whatever you want on the blade. It's not going to change its performance.
 
i vote ugly. those who like 'em. great. i just dont like the look...not for me.
 
Guess there was no need to set this post up as a poll. LOL I'm seeing now that I was in a buying mode semi-coma. An image of Oprah on the knife might have looked good at one point. o_O

Sidebar: Just wondering...do you guys feel the same way about custom handles? I've seen some on the forum that the term "cheesy" would be an accurate description.
 
Patterned blades are not for me -- I'd take an evenly coated blade over damascus, tiger stripes or other patterns, though prefer a gentle stonewash, or a medium (not too shiny) satin finish. Highly polished looks great until the moment anything greasy touches it, at which point the only option is to get the whole blade dirty or cover it with fingerprints. And visible grind lines, if well done, are sexy. But to each their own.
 
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