Things you like in theory, but not in practice

[Wowbagger]

you’re going to like balisongs. By design no touching the blade both in use & storage/carry, and cleaning is also easy.

Oh mannnnnn
Don't get me started looking at those again.
There is a lot of goodness there . . . but I just said I just ordered my last knife. I'm trying to cut down . . . errrr . . . I mean stop buying knives.
Oh mannnnn

 

[hank_rearden]

High wear-resistant blade steel, which is basically how blade steels are ranked. It doesn't matter how long a blade can keep its edge cutting rope or cardboard. What matters is just how sharp you can get it for a certain geometry of the blade, and how it avoids things like chipping and rolling.

 

[tuica]

Yes, Neck knives. Own a beautiful, functional, Murray Carter, but have a problem with both a very sharp object being manipulated about my neck, heart, and lung repository - as well as that stout cord around my neck. I am about the only one at my workplace that clips an ID badge to my coat. Call me paranoid, but in the right circumstances, that neck strangler would be problematic.

 

[Wowbagger]

If it had been a blade, I would have had an inch to an inch and a half deep hole on a straight line towards my heart.

I'm guessing you're not big on anatomy or you have massively thick pectoral muscles.

Going to take more than a little flip to drive a steel blade an inch and a half through your ribs . . . (actually sternum . . . your heart is in the center of your chest).

So . . . good news ! You will never stab your heart flipping a little knife . . . you will have to get one hell of a run at it first.

PS: must be why Bob provided later humanoid like critters with a sternum . . . his earliest creations were always stabbing them selves in the heart while playing with their knives.
?

 

[Wowbagger]

duplicate post

 

[FullMetalJackass]

as well as that stout cord around my neck.

Why using paracord or something similar? Ball chain is what should be used with anything dangling around your neck.

 

[A.L.]

I gotta weird one! Natural handles. I love wood, bone, and stag. I love the idea of aging with the knife, I love seeing old pocket worn bone and old yellow stag!

Buuuut in use I find I much prefer plastic or similar handles. Micarta is okay but I love Moras rubberized plastic. Much easier to use and I don't have to worry about breaks or cracks. That said, it causes much anxiety choosing a "soulless" plastic over a natural material!

I hear you. I have plenty of knives that have scales that live due the weather changes (dry winter) and putting big money to wooden handles is risk although I have never hade one break.
However, plastic and especially rubber can eventually deterioate and weaken just by itself. I remember finding my old Nokia phone when I moved and it had turned into yuck sticky from the plastic shell.

 

[tuica]

Thanks Full Metal, but still have a deep seated fear of anything around my neck. And have no logic for that. Just don’t feel comfortable with it and no reason to do it. Except it’s a dandy place to hide a small blade, as most non knife folks would not consider it there.

 

[Owen K.]

Cheap blade coatings... They look so cool, but then look like trash in a few days of use.

 

[Wowbagger]

It doesn't matter how long a blade can keep its edge cutting rope or cardboard. What matters is just how sharp you can get it for a certain geometry of the blade, and how it avoids things like chipping and rolling.

To you.
Right ?

To me it MATTERS. I put high wear tool steel to good use at work and actually need that extra durability.
E.G. :

• Case SS or CV lasts about a day or less at work between sharpenings. Edge gets so dull I loose control of the cut and have to sharpen.
• BD-1 or 440C or similar lasts more than a day; two or three.
• M390 goes a week or so.
• M4 can go two weeks or more and still maintain a high enough degree of sharpness that I can cut with precision.

PS: and all of them started out exactly the same sharpness. With the right tools even obtuse edges up in the range of high 50° inclusive can whittle hair but the down side is they take more power to drive through the material.

 

[MolokaiRider]

Not a big fan of forward finger choils. Seems like wasted real estate for a longer cutting surface in my uses.

 

[sabre cat]

I've found there are a few characteristics of knives that seem desirable to me, but, once I actually have a knife with that characteristic and try to use it, I find I'm actually just not into it at all.

The foremost example I can think of is that of dagger grinds. I have owned something like a dozen dagger-ground folders, and I always end up eschewing them in favor of other knives because of a combination of (1) having nowhere to put my thumb and (2) the knife looking overly stabtastic. I'm talking Paragon Warlock, Stedemon Han, even a full custom fixed blade I had ordered. I very nearly bought a Cold Steel Tai Pan, but just barely managed to talk myself out of that.

Another one is that of clip points, which is actually what prompted me to make this thread. I have one of the newer S35vn DLC clip point Cold Steel Recon 1s on its way to me, slated for delivery today, and I'm suddenly having flashbacks of the Emerson CQC-13, Cold Steel Espada, and Kershaw-Emerson CQC-10K that I was disproportionately excited about the delivery of when compared to how immediately I disliked carrying them. The tip always seemed too delicate, and the blade shape always seemed awkward as the tip had too much curvature to it.*

*I'm less worried about the Recon 1, since the tip is notably less swept back than the aforementioned models, but... I have concerns, nonetheless.

What are some knife characteristics you think you want, but dislike in practice?

I love the look of daggers but find them really impractical as an EDC. Not something I can picture myself using.

A few years ago I had plans to collect three knives of each major blade style. A dress knife, EDC, and a fixed blade, for example. When it came to my clip point knives, it dawned on me that I only had to purchase one fixed blade to complete my set but, I just could not do it. Thinking about how often I used the clip points I owned, I realized that I really dislike clip point knives. Drop point blades are more my style.

The biggest thing I like the characteristics of but, dislike in practice is traditional knives with nail nicks. I love the look and feel of a traditional knife in my pocket. I like the simplicity of design and the fact that even non-knife sheeple don't seem to be bothered by them. However, nail nicks and my nails don't get along at all.

Another thing I dislike in practice is all metal scales. Victorinox' Alox is an exception to the rule but they are in the same group as traditional knives because of the nail nicks. I want to like SAKs but I buy them to mostly sit lonely and unused.

 

[Tommy-Chi]

Neither does he.

I believe the comment made was that he does not like to draw an Emerson, and I was implying to carry TWO or more knives, and provided evidence that most BladeForums members do carry two or more knives.

What is your major malfunction?

 

[stabman]

I'm guessing you're not big on anatomy or you have massively thick pectoral muscles.

Going to take more than a little flip to drive a steel blade an inch and a half through your ribs . . . (actually sternum . . . your heart is in the center of your chest).

So . . . good news ! You will never stab your heart flipping a little knife . . . you will have to get one hell of a run at it first.

PS: must be why Bob provided later humanoid like critters with a sternum . . . his earliest creations were always stabbing them selves in the heart while playing with their knives.
?

It was a rising thing. It hit while rising, just under the ribs. (so not exactly in the chest...).
It hit pretty hard; I did get a little stabbed by the fork tines.
It would have gone in a good inch or so if it had been a pointy blade, and would have been in line with the heart pretty much...just with a whole hell of a lot of inches left to go.

Hmm, guess I'd be more likely to almost stab myself in the gall bladder or some other internal organ...I did dodge the fork coming right at my eye before.

Didn't say I'd stab myself and die if I had a balisong knife, just that I'd end up stabbing myself.
Which I know I would, because I did. With a fork.

Guess I'll have to stick with using the balisong spoon for my own safety.

 

[Chris "Anagarika"]

It was a rising thing. It hit while rising, just under the ribs. (so not exactly in the chest...).
It hit pretty hard; I did get a little stabbed by the fork tines.
It would have gone in a good inch or so if it had been a pointy blade, and would have been in line with the heart pretty much...just with a whole hell of a lot of inches left to go.

Hmm, guess I'd be more likely to almost stab myself in the gall bladder or some other internal organ...I did dodge the fork coming right at my eye before.

Didn't say I'd stab myself and die if I had a balisong knife, just that I'd end up stabbing myself.
Which I know I would, because I did. With a fork.

Guess I'll have to stick with using the balisong spoon for my own safety.

I’m not very much a flipper but the basic opening/closings. The benefit as mentioned by Wowbagger and the strongest lock in folder is the big plus in my view.

Oh mannnnnn
Don't get me started looking at those again.
There is a lot of goodness there . . . but I just said I just ordered my last knife. I'm trying to cut down . . . errrr . . . I mean stop buying knives.
Oh mannnnn

Unfortunately most production balis are thick and not good slicer and probably not in the steel you like. The benefit of never touching blade and keeping it away is so great for that particular use case. You need one. Or get one and reblade (Josh/REK)
BM53 has the most slicier profile I can remember.

 

[A.L.]

Do it all survival knife with thick long blade. One to grab when the end comes.
I haven’t figured out yet, what would that survival task be? Chopping yourself through ruins? Could be!
But I would always rather have short knife with thin blade that cuts well and pair it with axe.

 

[jux t]

In practice, I've found that I don't like Emersons for reasons already stated.

I don't care for overly thick knives that don't cut well. On the flip side, I don't like overly thin tips such as on the Kershaw leek.

No huge folders for me also. The biggest one I did like to carry was an original XL voyager, but only because it was so light.

I don't care for assisted/auto knives either.

To take the original question and reverse it, I used to think I didn't like upswept blades. Until I got a Becker bk5.

 

[unwisefool]

Bananas. I like a banana, but when you start putting it in stuff or get banana flavored whatever, its disgusting.

Pineapple on the other hand is awesome.

Also I like how liner locks look, with two matching scales, but don't like using them. But at least they aren't bananas.

 

[Petunia D. Feeble]

I believe the comment made was that he does not like to draw an Emerson, and I was implying to carry TWO or more knives, and provided evidence that most BladeForums members do carry two or more knives.

What is your major malfunction?

I was making fun of your nonsensical post... because it was nonsensical.

Your post doesn't illustrate that point well AND your point doesn't make sense. The solution to not liking a wave opener isn't to carry a second knife, it's to carry a different knife.

I don't like traditional two strap backpacks. I don't like that they sort of bounce with you when walking and due to the size and shape of my shoulders they continually slide off if I just use one strap.

Since I don't like them would you recommend that I use one of these AND a messenger bag?

 

[craytab]

I believe the comment made was that he does not like to draw an Emerson, and I was implying to carry TWO or more knives, and provided evidence that most BladeForums members do carry two or more knives.

What is your major malfunction?

I already carry at least 2 knives. If you would take the time and look around a bit you can see hundreds of pictures I have posted of the knives I carry. I usually carry a fixed blade as back-up SD option to my pistol. For me, a folder is generally pure EDC utility. I don't need it to be fast opening for SD, that is what my fixed blade and gun are for. So that being the case, I found a waved knife annoying and a bit dangerous to have opening when I didn't want it to. The solution to that problem for me certainly was not to keep carrying the waved knife.

I was making fun of your nonsensical post... because it was nonsensical.

Your post doesn't illustrate that point well AND your point doesn't make sense. The solution to not liking a wave opener isn't to carry a second knife, it's to carry a different knife.

I don't like traditional two strap backpacks. I don't like that they sort of bounce with you when walking and due to the size and shape of my shoulders they continually slide off if I just use one strap.

Since I don't like them would you recommend that I use one of these AND a messenger bag?

It was not only a nonsensical post with all the number gibberish, it was misinformed as I already carry two knives, one of which opens faster than a waved knife and only if I want it to.

Today I'm carrying the Spartan Phrike. Perfect for a hot day as it is light and slim. You might recognize that edge, TLE.