Some people just don't understand.

B

bladeboss

Joined
Mar 6, 2012
Messages
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Hello there all. I figured I should share this in a place where someone will understand "my pain".
Yesterday, I went to an elderly woman's house (a friend of ours) to look at some old knives and guns that she was selling.
I dug out a big tote full of knives, and began my descent into thrashed china junk.
I looked through hundreds of knives and managed to find a Leatherman Kick, some Western knives, a couple of Old Timers, and a Buck knife that felt as though it came out of a gumball machine.
I purchased the old Western knives and moved out of the way so the other people I came with could look.
He crouched down and began digging.
The first thing he grabs out is a knife resembling a lobster claw that was about a foot and a half long. I had serrations on the HOLES IN THE BLADE!
It was the trashiest, junkiest knife that I think I have ever seen before.
But he thought it was awesome.
"I don't know if this is a utility knife or a meat cleaver!" he said.
So I spoke up and said "it's a gimmick"
He didn't say anything and put the knife back.
So out comes a Bowie knife with a kangaroo type second sheath hooked to the front of it.
"Woah! Check out this one! It's a bowie knife!" he said
"It's a no-name though"
"Who cares!?"
So he went back to digging and found a Large Toothpick style knife.
It looked okay, but when you were really checking it out, it was nothing at all.
"I really like this one...." He said
"But that is a no-name too" I said
"What does that matter?" He said, angrily now.
"Quality and blade steel is what matters"
"Quality my ass! You pay for the name on it. It's the same thing as this would be. Look at this thing! It is quality. See, ya' got brass on the ends and this blue stone on the handles."
I thought, "Yeah. Ok. A no-name knife with real gemstones inlayed in the handles"
I didn't say anything after that.
Then, as I was waiting for the others, another person spoke up and said:
"Out of all these knives, you only got like 5 of them!?!?"
"These are the only good ones" I said. "I know what to look for. I study knives all the time on Bladeforums and all over the internet. I go for the good brands."
Just as I said that, the "toothpick guy" started chuckling.
And when I dug out the Leatherman, the lady selling the knives said:
"Oh! I got more of those up here!"
"I already looked through those, this one is a real one"
I got lots of mixed replies to that one.
The "toothpick guy" was wearing $150.00 sunglasses (that he owns 3 pairs of), and had a Droid clipped to his belt.
WHY. WON'T. PEOPLE. UNDERSTAND????!!!!
 
Lack of knowledge goes a long way in the overall ignorance.
 
If the lady is a friend of yours then I think that you at least should be glad that she got to sell some of them! So what if the knives he looked at were garbage, he liked them :rolleyes:
 
I feel that that would indeed be a frustrating experience. It helps to remind yourself that most people don't care near as much as we do about quality and blade steel. To me, these can be good teaching moments if the topic is approached correctly.
 
See now this is where I think my signature line is kind of perfect.

" In the beginners mind there are many possibilities. In the experts mind there are few. " The quote evidently comes from Zen practice haha.

I am by no means an expert, but you get the idea of the quote. Basically with more knowledge, options narrow down to what you know is good, or works well.
 
Some people just don't understand that they should mind their own business. At least she didn't kick you out for insulting what she was selling.
 
hardheart said:
Some people just don't understand that they should mind their own business. At least she didn't kick you out for insulting what she was selling.
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+1, you got the good stuff, you should have let the other guys pay for their own 'tuition.'
 
You have to understand that people with no knowledge of knives can't tell the difference in features, qualities of steel, geometry, none of that. But they don't care, either. I have friends with knives duller than a broomstick, but they won't know because it "cuts," sorta. They always cut themselves on my knives because they are used to testing their knives by dragging their fingers along the blade (yes, as if they are seriously trying to cut their fingers) and they wonder why I keep them so sharp. People just have different standards. The same way I don't see any difference between blu-ray and DVD, and they make fun of me. The only difference is I don't cut my fingers on blu-rays. :)
 
Most people use a knife to pry open paint can lids and dig a hole to poo in while camping... I guess the cheapos are good for that.
 
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Your eye likes quality and good names. Their eyes like the sheer look of something regardless of what the mechanical quality behind it is.
 
If everyone had superpowers, there would be no superheroes.

Knives, cars, guns, food, electronics...as with anything, there will be knowledgeable people, and then there are those who look to those people for opinions, and there are the rest who choose to remain ignorant.
 
im pretty sure everyone has gone through that faze when the more holes and serrations in the better. it usually lasts a short while. i'm embarrassed to say to that even I went through this... thankfully i was able to sell these off to 18 years olds at flea markets who were pumped at getting a knife with a 10" blade for $5 and will in turn sell them off to other 18 year olds. thus completing the circle of life.
 
Look at it this way: He likes what he likes and he can buy what he wants. If it frustrates you or bothers you, walk away and don't pay any attention. He has a right to buy whatever he wants.

When I first started collecting I didn't know anything. I simply bought what I though looked cool or liked. Most of my original collection (I still have it) is complete junk. I know that now, but I didn't know that then. Experiance comes with time.

Also with my financial position I can only afford mediocre factory produced knives or second hand knives.

In order to get anything of decent quality I look for things that other people think are "junk". I bought four Buck knives that other people thought were junk because they were worn, the blades were dull and a little lose loose. I bought them for about 15bucks in all.

I then tightened the blades and sharpened them. Two hours later I had four decent knives.
 
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I showed my neighbor my Spyderco PM2 one day. He said "How much?". I said, "120". He almost instantly replied with "NO knife is worth $100" I said, "Wow, I'm glad I didn't show ya my Strider".. lol

He eventually came around and started appreciating some knives,.. but yah, ppl don't know..
 
You can't expect everyone to know or love everything that you do. There are always going to be folks that know less and the "masters" far above what you or I know now.

It's an evolution, each of us must go through certain steps as we learn. Owning crap knives, guitars, cars, etc.. is just part of the process. Be glad your friends are into knives at all, but be careful letting them use yours. They may not know what "sharp" is, nor have any idea of the limitations of a particular blade.

I showed a guy a tomahawk made from S7, told him it was the steel used in jackhammers. He said "so, it's indestructable!" I just had to let it go.
 
hardheart said:
Some people just don't understand that they should mind their own business. At least she didn't kick you out for insulting what she was selling.
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Zackly. Who cares if the guys isn't on forums and thought the knife was cool? Way to help support knife owners. No matter how good you think your knives are, someone else thinks they are turds...
 
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There are lots of people clueless about lots of things. Sometimes it matters sometimes it doesn't. People have their priorities, some people want the expensive sunglasses for their image but are satisfied with junk knives. Other people buy expensive knives and don't show them off but get pleasure in owning and using them. I had a rich boss that drove a cheap ford but bought expensive paintings for his house. I would have skipped the paintings and bought a better car. I do feel sorry for people that spend too much on a cheap junk knife or whatever thinking they are getting something of quality.

Look at the people that drive hyundais or Kia's.
Look at the people that buy clothes at Walmart and target.
Look at the people that buy $5 watches.
Look at the people that buy the cheapest tools at home depot.

But if I was at a business I might make discreet comments to the people with me, I would not comment on another persons sale merchandise to bystanders that I didn't know.
 
bdmicarta said:
Look at the people that drive hyundais or Kia's.
Look at the people that buy clothes at Walmart and target.
Look at the people that buy $5 watches.
Look at the people that buy the cheapest tools at home depot.
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I see where you are coming from but I disagree with some of it. I look at "is it worth the price". For instance if I was a Do it yourself guy and I needed tools I would go with something like Craftsman but if I was a professional that used the tools every day I would buy something like Snap-On. You don't need the biggest and most expensive tools to get the job done.
 
FrankieSchwartz said:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Your eye likes quality and good names. Their eyes like the sheer look of something regardless of what the mechanical quality behind it is.
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One persons junk is another one's treasure. ;)
 
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