The disposable knife.

I read Amazon customer reviews for the entertainment value. ;') It's mind boggling how many of these dimbulbs buy a knife which is clearly indicated as carbon steel, then gives it one star, and rails on about how miserable the manufacturer is....because it developed a few rust spots. Ugly is skin deep but...Stupid goes all the way to the bone.
 
Actual Amazon Customer review of Boker Beer Barrel Whittler: (quoted in full)

"After a month it got rusty it's fake"
 
Buck Bantam travels in my checked bags when I fly, rides in my pocket during my trip, flies home in my checked bag. Once in Poland I was not flying but went to the airport to see my daughter off, for some reason they had set up metal detectors at the front door. I hide the knife in a crack in a retaining wall and go in with my daughter, retrieving it later. If it had disappeared I'd have had only a small loss.

When planes and metal detectors are not involved I carry more expensive knives.
 
It's kinda funny. I've come across lots of people who treat knives as disposable, but my dad was never one of them. But maybe that's because he takes such good care of all his tools. Sure he's busted a few leathermans, and won't hesitate to use the blade to clean something, but he does it like a surgeon. I dunno, maybe it has more to do with how the person views the world, do you look after and maintain, or do you replace? A lot of people move from one to the other for all kinds of reasons, nothing wrong with it. Just what happens.
 
When I hear "disposable knife" what comes to my mind is one of those cheap plastic handle box cutter things with a blade you break off 1/2 inch or so at a time, when it gets dull, and something like a Stanley box cutter with replaceable blades. (preferably one that does not require a screwdriver to change the blade).
 
Buzzbait said:
More to the point, I think we live in an age where sharpening is no longer common knowledge. People don't actually know how to sharpen a knife, or even know that knives need to be periodically sharpened. We stopped passing down this knowledge a generation or two ago. So now we buy knives that don't need to be sharpened, hence disposable blades.
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I think the knowledge of sharpening knives other than sliding the knife through some kitchen type sharpener has been lost. I have seen folks that would normally be carrying a regular pocket knife pull out a utility knife at times. I don't find them particularly useful except for precise cutting where the small blade is useful or where rough cutting is done such as when laying carpet.

Most do carry cheap knives (as in under $30) and many carry the <$10 knives. To the young, they are not disposable, but to older folks with regular incomes they do tend to be disposable. I always take notice when somebody pulls out a better knife to use, but this is not common. The standard is ... do you have a knife I can borrow?
 
The "Do you have a knife I can borrow?" was pretty common back in the 60's through 80's, too. However, at least back then (in the 60's anyway) we young ones were taught by our elders how to sharpen a knife using a (sometimes) generations old and used stone, and a somewhat newer strop. (the strops I used when I was a kid were usually less than 10 years old) "Heirlooms" I think they called the stones back then. Unfortunately, I was too young to receive one when my grand parents and great grand parents moved on to the next level. No idea who has them now ... probably some kin I've not seen in 50 to 55 years, or one of their kids I've never met.
 
gadgetgeek said:
It's kinda funny. I've come across lots of people who treat knives as disposable, but my dad was never one of them. But maybe that's because he takes such good care of all his tools. Sure he's busted a few leathermans, and won't hesitate to use the blade to clean something, but he does it like a surgeon. I dunno, maybe it has more to do with how the person views the world, do you look after and maintain, or do you replace? A lot of people move from one to the other for all kinds of reasons, nothing wrong with it. Just what happens.
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That thinking is derived from experience. I learned many years ago that buying quality pays in the long run. A look at the stuff sitting at the local recycle bin or dump tells us the story.
 
There are still a few inexpensive knives around. They have decent abilities as they always did. But you have to look for them.

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They were inexpensive, but disposable? I'm thinking that would last a boy many years if he was taught correctly how to use and care for it. This one is over 100 years old.
 
Codger, I'll give you a quarter! ;)

There is still a market for the inexpensive, yet still a real knife, variety (as opposed to the interchangeable razorblade style) -- Home Depot sells a pretty good variety. I think checking out their selection is a good way to take the pulse of the "average workin' guy's" knife consumption. People do still buy and use actual knives in their trades/work, even if most are pocket clipped one-handers. It is undeniable, however, that our throw-away culture has impacted the market.

Semi-relevant cultural example:
There's an old joke that my grandfather taught us as kids. "What time is it, when the clock strikes thirteen?" ...Time to get the clock fixed, is the answer we were given. Recently, however, I heard my cousin's small children hear that joke for the first time, and their instinctive reply was an enthusiastic "Time to get a new clock!"
Sigh......
 
Sadly the majority of really cheap knives don't come with steel any better than chocolate..

Yeah, we've got opinel's, mora's etc, but there isn't really many option for less than a tenner. I do however have two mora's that are used for work/abuse. Those and some stanley box cutters.
 
The Zieg said:
Where do you teach, Chips?

Zieg
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I teach wherever anybody wants me to teach, and will pay what it costs to get me there. Often, when I am somewhere on some other task an informal class gets presented for free.

In the winter I am often in Arizona or California.

In the non winter months most of my carving courses and my sharpening courses are offered in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia or in the Vancouver BC area
 
I may have discovered the Achilles' heel of my enjoyment of knives - I don't have anything that I consider a "beater" knife. I've got some home handyman chores ahead of me where a pocket knife that I can use roughly would come in handy. And I can't pick which one of my cherished knives I would want to risk. I even have some I bought specifically for that purpose (plain black Case Sod Buster Jr, Case Large Stockman in a color I originally thought I wouldn't like) and I came to like those so much that I don't want to mess them up. Sad state of affairs I find myself in that I have venerated a simple tool to the point where I don't want to put it to hard use.
 
jc57 said:
I may have discovered the Achilles' heel of my enjoyment of knives - I don't have anything that I consider a "beater" knife. I've got some home handyman chores ahead of me where a pocket knife that I can use roughly would come in handy. And I can't pick which one of my cherished knives I would want to risk. I even have some I bought specifically for that purpose (plain black Case Sod Buster Jr, Case Large Stockman in a color I originally thought I wouldn't like) and I came to like those so much that I don't want to mess them up. Sad state of affairs I find myself in that I have venerated a simple tool to the point where I don't want to put it to hard use.
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Buck 301. It ain't fancy, but it is bombproof.
 
I have a few Chinese made knives that I use for work, or when I know I'll be doing something that could damage my knife. I use my Enlan El-01 and my Ganzo G710 for those tasks. I've done all sorts of things with them and still not ruined either one yet. I just can't bring myself to use a pricey knife to do anything that might damage it.
 
Yes, pick up a couple Rough Riders. As to JC above, I think I'd probably use the Sod Buster if it is big enough. I seldom use any knife that hard that I am worried about damaging it. The damage usually occurs on somewhat normal tasks and not paying attention like cutting into a screw or nail versus trying to twist a screw out because I'm too lazy to go get a screw driver.
 
22-rimfire said:
Jc, time for a SAK. Still a pretty good knife.
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Yep - grabbed my Vic Alox Farmer. Turns out the punch tool was just what I needed for the task at hand. Saw and main blade got some use too.

knarfeng said:
Buck 301. It ain't fancy, but it is bombproof.
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That crossed my mind, but my 301 is the discontinued yellow Delrin model. :) Rare collector's item you know.

22-rimfire said:
Yes, pick up a couple Rough Riders. As to JC above, I think I'd probably use the Sod Buster if it is big enough. I seldom use any knife that hard that I am worried about damaging it. The damage usually occurs on somewhat normal tasks and not paying attention like cutting into a screw or nail versus trying to twist a screw out because I'm too lazy to go get a screw driver.
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The Vic Farmer was up to it. That plus I had a paint scraper and a slotted pry bar for nail pulling. Needed to repair some old porch railing that had rotted out.
 
I own two disposable knives that are part of my edc. A Kershaw crown and a Kershaw emerson cqc 6k. Both are easy to sharpen and if I break them they are cheap to replace. Both knives have been used to cut carpet and drywall and any other need while working or remodeling the house. My other knives are more babied but still get used. I have open cans with the crown with no worry if it got damaged. I had a Smith and Wesson that i also used but the lock stopped working and it had been delegated to kitchen drawer knife for the few times I need a knife in the house and done have one on me.
 
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