TRUTH or DIPLOMAT

Something about a knife photo posted just doesn't seem right, do you . . .

  • Tell the truth and say what you find wrong with it.

    Votes: 3 13.0%

  • Give it a "Like" but don't praise it in a post.

    Votes: 9 39.1%

  • Praise it in spite of your reservations and let the poster bask in the glow of acceptance.

    Votes: 4 17.4%

  • Some other response . . . be inventive!

    Votes: 7 30.4%
  • Total voters
    23
  • Poll closed .
It may be a specific pattern that a person has searched for for years and may have been willing to take it in almost any condition . I have a number of old knives that I knew were not perfect when I bought them . Who am I to criticize it . If he asked for an opinion , that is a whole other thing . Sometimes it might just be a great photo and then I will pass judgement on the photo .

Harry
 
My close personal friend Bing Crosby 🤓 has good advice in this regard:

(But I sometimes have a tendency to compliment someone's knife and then add something like, "and I personally might like it even better if ..." :rolleyes: )

- GT
 
lambertiana said:
This. I usually ignore things, but once in a while I see subtle signs of counterfeiting, especially in some of the "pristine" knives in the Old Knives thread. I paid a lot of attention to the lessons that BRL gave on spotting counterfeits. In those cases, I sometimes, but not always, reach out by PM. I don't believe in publicly shaming people, but at the same time I feel it is important that people learn to recognize counterfeits so that they won't be fooled in the future.

One of the most subtle counterfeiting methods is welded blades, but they can be spotted if high res pictures are posted and I can zoom in. I have seen a few of those in the Old Knives thread.
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I would always want to hear someone's opinion on the authenticity of any knife I post. I welcome the opportunity to learn.
As to aesthetic opinions, I'm fine with that too.
As long as it's given in a friendly manner.
 
If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all. That’s just the way I was raised.

I’ve seen many knives I had reservations about and spotting something I didn’t like or found to be lacking but it maybe someone who inherited it from a relative or friend and that’s how they received it so being critical of it would be very rude . It is better to compliment it as a treasured piece with fond memories associated with it.

But if the poster wanted an option about the knife then I would be honest and use tactful comments. No need to insult or disregard, just honest critique.
 
Lesknife said:
If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all. That’s just the way I was raised.

I’ve seen many knives I had reservations about and spotting something I didn’t like or found to be lacking but it maybe someone who inherited it from a relative or friend and that’s how they received it so being critical of it would be very rude . It is better to compliment it as a treasured piece with fond memories associated with it.

But if the poster wanted an option about the knife then I would be honest and use tactful comments. No need to insult or disregard, just honest critique.
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I agree.
 
I'm not here to talk smack about peoples' knives, candidly speaking. If I have any issue with it, I'll smash that Like then move on. I mean, what if you try to post up a comment criticizing someone's knife, only to have it turn out that that knife was given to them by a beloved child or spouse, or maybe it's an older knife formerly owned by a now-deceased parent, man I would feel like a tremendous heel doing that. Entirely too many other possible reasons abound, so it's just best to nod, say "Sweet" and keep scrolling.
 
Sometimes I can actually manage to do what my mom told me when I don't have anything nice to say.

If I have something nice to say I'll say it, I may mention some minor issue of personal preference in discussion of knives but I feel like ( I may still be guilty of this anyways ) it's best not to just ruin a knife for somebody if there's a flaw they're not noticing.
 
If I happen to like the knife, or the photo's presentation is quite attractive, I'll give it a like. Some people are excellent at photography and can make even mundane things interesting. Otherwise I won't critique other folks possessions unless specifically asked to do so. Help in counterfeit spotting is something that I'd be more likely needing than assisting with so it would be rare for me to pipe in regarding a possible fake.
 
I more often find myself in the opposite situation.

Someone will post a knife they just got and point out all the flaws in the fit and finish that bothers them (which are only visible under magnification). I look at it and think "Huh, looks pretty good to me, none of those problems are actually problems, the person has unrealistic expectations of the product." But I can't say that, because now I am criticizing THEM personally, not the knife. And maybe I just have really lax standards, and I should be ultra-critical of every little thing.

I remember seeing people post pics of liner gaps, or blades not perfectly centered, blade rub, or other little issues. Then I pick up a knife I love and have used happily for years and see "oh yeah, mine has that too." There is tendency for me to all of a sudden see flaws where I never saw them before, and no longer love and appreciate the knife as I did before. But then I think - this other person's perceptions and opinions do not in any way affect my enjoyment and appreciation of a favored pocket companion.

And in fact I get to experience happiness and satisfaction while he experiences annoyance and disappointment, and yet we both spent the same money on the same thing. Moral of the story - don't use extreme closeup photos of a pocket knife from every angle to look for imperfections if you just want to enjoy it.

And no, I don't tell them they are wrong and they should ignore those things. Unless it is a post that specifically asks opinions of "should I be concerned about [this thing]", at which point I will share my opinion as asked.
 
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jc57 said:
I more often find myself in the opposite situation.

Someone will post a knife they just got and point out all the flaws in the fit and finish that bothers them (which are only visible under magnification). I look at it and think "Huh, looks pretty good to me, none of those problems are actually problems, the person has unrealistic expectations of the product." But I can't say that, because now I am criticizing THEM personally, not the knife. And maybe I just have really lax standards, and I should be ultra-critical of every little thing.

I remember seeing people post pics of liner gaps, or blades not perfectly centered, blade rub, or other little issues. Then I pick up a knife I love and have used happily for years and see "oh yeah, mine has that too." There is tendency for me to all of a sudden see flaws where I never saw them before, and no longer love and appreciate the knife I did before. But then I think - this other person's perceptions and opinions do not in any way affect my enjoyment and appreciation of a favored pocket companion.

And in fact I get to experience happiness and satisfaction while he experiences annoyance and disappointment, and yet we both spent the same money on the same thing. Moral of the story - don't use extreme closeup photos of a pocket knife from every angle to look for imperfections if you just want to enjoy it.
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Now that I definitely get.
when they ask I'll say they're being too picky, but if they don't it's hard not to decide that they've opened the gate and just say what you're thinking.
Like when somebody goes to the Buck forum just to trash talk them.
 
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