The vanishing knife.

Joined
Oct 2, 2004
Messages
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I know that I am dating myself, but growing up in the time period that I did, if a man had pants on, it was a very safe bet that he had a pocketknife in one of those pockets. That's what men did. You carried a knife. It was actually expected of you to have a pocket knife available for use if something needed to be cut. It didn't matter if it was a small two blade jack of some sort, or it you where a blue collar type, maybe a bigger knife of some sort. A large hack or folding hunter, like the big two blade Case. When Buck came out with their 110, it quickly became the knife of construction workers, truck drivers, soldiers, firemen, and anyone who may need a knife in their daily routine. Of course, then came Spyderco, and Benchmade, and the the rest of the one hand openers.

But...these days I don't see many people at all carrying a knife. Any kind of knife. Even the blue collar guys seem to have gone to the folding replaceable blade utility knife while on the job. My next door neighbor is having their kitchen remodeled, and I was sitting on the front porch smoking my pipe, since the better half decreed that there will be no smoking in the house. So, if I want to enjoy my pipe, I'm exiled to the porch. At least the dog does not mind accompanying me. So I'm watching the guys who are doing the granite counter tops, and some cardboard needed to be sliced up, and I see him reach for the pocket clip on the right pocket. Out comes one of those big box hardware store folding utility knives with the replaceable blades. They both are carrying them, and it seems to have become the go-to knife of the working man these days. Lowes and Home Depot carry them, as does Walmart. Stamped out metal handles, and a double sided blade that can be reversed when they get dull, or tossed in the trash and a new one installed.

A few back when I had our kitchen redone, it was the same. The Husky, or Super Knife was used by the crew. I see a lot of these now, and these same guys when off the job don't bother to carry a knife at all. On rare occasions, I see the smaller pocket size box cutter size utility knife in use. Now I know we all here love our knives. I often think of us knife nuts as the 1% of society that seems to recognize the need of a cutting tool in day to day life. After all, we're here on a knife based forum, and we are the ones afflicted with the obsession for the sharp blades. But have we really grown as small as 1%?

I think of all the people I know that carry a knife daily, and I realize that number is very very small. Even in my own family, where I have done my best to spread the love of sharp tools, I have to admit some degree of failure. The teenagers seem to want the latest smart phone or iPad, or Iwhatever that is the latest techno gizmo that is being hyped. So I look around at this forum, at the Spyderco fans, the Benchmade fans, the Kershaw fans, and even the old crocks like me that stick with the traditional knives made by Case, Camillus, Schrade, GEC, or whatever, and wonder where they all are in the real world.

In the 1960's, when Buck seemed to rule the trades, and every working man wasn't fully dressed without the black pouch on his belt. Buck must have sold a million of those things. But they all seem to have vanished. Replaced by the folding replaceable blade tool with about as much character as a Crescent wrench. I don't even see any Smith and Wesson or brand X from a Peoples Republic. Just the folding utility knife. I find it kind of depressing. Conflicts with my memories of working men with the name of Hank, or Smitty, embroidered over the shirt pocket of Dickies or Carhart's work shirts. When some insulation had to stripped off some wire, it was an old well used barlow type jack that did the deed, or maybe a well kept old Schrade with the jigging on the bone scales worn almost smooth from years of use. These knives lasted for years because the owner cared for his tool, and maintained it. Now I guess they don't even want to sharpen it, so they use a disposable blade knife. Times change. The pocket knife, like the wrist watch, is slowly going extinct. I hope I'm wrong, and I pray I'm wrong. A while back we wanted to give a young man nice watch for a graduation. He told us not to buy hime a watch, he had his cell phone/magic box in his pocket, so he didn't need an old fashioned watch. If a watch is old fashioned, I wasn't going to ask him what a pocket was. So we gave him a gift certificate to Apple, and he had a fit of ecstasy that I only thought possible for religious fanatics.

I can only wonder when, we who are the afflicted, the genetic mutants who still are misguided enough to think a knife is important, pass on, what will become of our knife collections? Or, I wonder if someone needs a knife in a desperate situation, will there be an apt on their magic cell phone to cut with?
 
As people migrated to the cities and suburbs (from agricultural to industrial societies), they had less need for knives as a primary tool. Honestly, I don't NEED to carry a knife, but I want to. Primal instinct, I guess. Call me an ape man :)
 
I always have a pocket knife with me but if I had a blue collar job where I was cutting drywall, boxes, strapping etc etc etc all day every day, I too would probably use a folding utility knife. They are just too darn convenient to just change the blade when it gets dulls. There isn't a pocket knife out there that can stand up to that amount of use day in and day out without significant maintenance on a daily basis.

Back before they had folding utility blades, people really had no choice but to use a pocket knife.

I would never carry a folding utility knife or a box cutter out in public but on a job site, they are tough to beat.
 
I kinda feel like I'm in the wrong time, myself. I'm 25, and have yet to meet anyone my age in real life that self-identifies as an everyday knife carrier. People often react with mild to severe surprise when I use a pocket knife, as if I've just brandished a sword or a gun.

I think it's a sign if changing times. The blue-collar jobs these days often require more computers than cutting. I work retail, so there are always packages to open and unfinished plastic edges to trim - but there really just aren't that many jobs that require a real knife. Even I carried a box cutter until I got sick of the cheap, chipping rusty blades and bought a Tuff Lite.

People often only need knives for remodeling, and haven't needed them much outside of that. That lack of experience makes a utility knife perfect - mo sharpening, and no concern for the aesthetics of the knife or the longevity. It's a shame, but it's entirely in line with their needs.
 
As people migrated to the cities and suburbs (from agricultural to industrial societies), they had less need for knives as a primary tool. Honestly, I don't NEED to carry a knife, but I want to. Primal instinct, I guess. Call me an ape man :)

Another proud ape man here, then!

(I have a bunch of other stuff in the pockets, too, but that's for another part of the forum)
 
Was on the sidelines of my daughter's soccer practice last night and overheard two parents talking. The mother is telling the other mother that her boy is now in the boy scouts and that he was asking about having a pocket knife. It was encouraging to hear the excitement in her voice and she was clearly supportive of him asking for such a thing. I believe I heard her say, "when he turns 10".
 
There is a spiritual or existential component to knife carry. Part of the reason I carry a knife is ancestral recall. It's a tangible connection to the distant past and to my forebears.
On a more mundane level, Locutus is right: urbanization, the "advancement" of technology, and sociocultural changes have combined to marginalize the utility and perception of personal knives.
 
I've carried a knife most of my life (I'm 34). Never a second thought. Its hard here in the Chi to carry a knife, as people are so liberal and paranoid about anything pointy or possibly threatening. Once you enter the city limits, you can only carry a knife with a blade with a max of 2.5" its ridiculous. That's why I live in the subs where I have a bit more freedom. Illinois has no blade length rule thankfully. They leave it up to the individual municipalities to choose if they want any restrictions.
 
jacknife well written story. So true what you wrote, I to carried and still carry a pocket knife. I guess growing up on a farm and still own one makes carrrying a knife essential for daily activities. So many changes in this last generation, hell they don,t even teach cursive writing anymore. Just progress as they say.
 
Not all youngsters are lost. Myself (18) my two best friends, (also 18), and my brother (15) all carry daily. Our obsession with knives was spurred by our love of the wilderness and backpacking. This is where most of my knives see their heaviest use, though I do find myself using my edc at least twice a week-whether it be opening packages, trimming a loose thread, or even using my strider to pry a screen door back onto track a month ago for my cousin.
 
I prefer to call it the 'pussification' of society. Throw in a hoard of 'metrosexuals' and you have the makings of a true disaster should things go south. Perhaps it should be mandatory that each young person watches a season of MacGyver. :)
 
I'm definitely in the wrong time/age bracket for the knife hobby. I'm 21 years old and no one in my family (minus one or two cousins) carries a knife. I very rarely see any good knives on people I meet in my travels and the only people who think knives are cool are limited to two extremes: the cutlery enthusiast or the guy who collects fantasy blades or blades he's seen in games and movies (to be fair, I still want a Mercworx Sniper from RE4) and couldn't tell you a thing about them. People carrying knives is dropping off because no one thinks they need one anymore and society has done such a good job painting them as dangerous weapons. Hopefully though, we the enthusiasts star to rise again as the fantasy knife generation gets greater interest in the good stuff!
 
I carry a knife daily. Which knife I carry defers from day to day but I always have one with me. My son, whom is 11 years old, has grown up seeing the knife in my pocket. One morning I had just gotten off of the treadmill and my son and wife had just gotten back from the store. He had some little gadget in a clamshell package. He asked me to cut it open for him. I was in running shorts and didn't have a knife with me. He looked shocked! He actually said " You don't have your knife? But you have your cell phone..." I looked at him and felt so proud that my 11 year old son gets it. He has his own collection of folding knives that we started when he turned 8. So now, when I go for a jog on the treadmill, my knife is sitting there in the cup holder :-)
 
Your points about teenagers wanting the latest technology instead of a new knife are, sadly, quite right. While there are a number of younger people on these forums, I can only think of a few besides myself that frequent the Traditional subforum. It breaks my heart. Old slipjoints with worn bone handles and gray used blades are much prettier than any new offerings by One Hand Wonder companies.

But even though I have as big of an interest in moderns as I do traditionals, I sort of like my slipjoints better. ;)
 
Even though I always carry some sort of folder at times the razor knife is the best tool for the job.

When I was doing drywall I used a Stanley 299 and I could go all day with one blade just by sharpening it with an old cutoff wheel.
I found that much quicker than replacing blades and more cost effective for my employer.

Even in the trades I see maybe 10% carry a blade other than a razor knife and that is a bit sad.
 
...

I can only wonder when, we who are the afflicted, the genetic mutants who still are misguided enough to think a knife is important, pass on, what will become of our knife collections? Or, I wonder if someone needs a knife in a desperate situation, will there be an apt on their magic cell phone to cut with?

Not so fast. I believe that there are just as many knife nuts now as there has always been, if not many more. But, because of the public persecution, people have understandably taken their hobby underground. They are no longer openly wearing or waving knives around, but that is not to say that they do not have knives on their persons, in their vehicles or at home. Clearly, someone is buying all of those knives at our local big box stores and flea markets, not to mention the many online sites. You cannot explain that away with the antics of the few crazed collectors on sites like this one; they are probably moving 10s of millions of units each year. So there are plenty of people with knives out there, although, these days, they may be shocked to see someone actually flash a knife in public.

n2s
 
As people migrated to the cities and suburbs (from agricultural to industrial societies), they had less need for knives as a primary tool. Honestly, I don't NEED to carry a knife, but I want to. Primal instinct, I guess. Call me an ape man :)

There is probably a ton of truth to this. The area where I live is primarily a ranching (and tourist - great hunting) area. I would bet that if I stopped 100 guys that live here full time, that 99 would have a knife on them and some more than one. It isn't unusual to see a sheathed fixed blade hanging from a guys belt in the grocery store, feed store or even the bank. And these knives are used. Not just man jewelry.

That fits perfectly with what Locutus suggests might be the reason for the change in much of society. This is an area that still needs knives and are considered daily tools, hence they still are common. Far different way of life here than in "civilization".
 
Straight up, we are turning into a nation of pansies. I carry my knife every day, no matter where I'm going or what I'm doing. I'll gladly raise my hand and join the rest of you ape men out there. It amazes me just how much a pocket knife comes in handy. I wish more people felt the way we did.
 
Not so fast. I believe that there are just as many knife nuts now as there has always been, if not many more. But, because of the public persecution, people have understandably taken their hobby underground. They are no longer openly wearing or waving knives around, but that is not to say that they do not have knives on their persons, in their vehicles or at home. Clearly, someone is buying all of those knives at our local big box stores and flea markets, not to mention the many online sites. You cannot explain that away with the antics of the few crazed collectors on sites like this one; they are probably moving 10s of millions of units each year. So there are plenty of people with knives out there, although, these days, they may be shocked to see someone actually flash a knife in public.

n2s

Agreed. I believe that many knife guys exist, we just don't notice because knives are usually tucked away in pockets, this is especially true for Traditional guys. I often ponder how many knife nuts i've passed in my travels, and neither of us knew that the other had a love for sharp objects. *sigh* But when you do see someone, it makes your day. :D
 
I'm gonna start wearing my fixed blades on my days off. I always have one at my waist while at work, one in the pocket and lately been messing with different carry options for boots. Of course everybody here is a knut, but I'm also wondering about stuff like the OP, what is gonna happen to my knives when I'm gone? will they be used or sold off, the money used to buy the latest thingamajig? I spread the love and steel on Christmas and ask about them when I'm with people that have received blades. I scolded one of my best friends because he bent really bad the lock of a rat 1 I gave him as i straightened it out, why wasn't he using one of the other knives I had given him? I'm also gonna start sending gifts to younger cousins in my family, one of thems shows promise as a future knut :D
 
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