Two knives morphed into one?

[tirod3]

The blade guard is from a turn of the century folding hunter.

Side from a few exceptions, like Spyderco, there really are no new ideas in knifemaking styles. They have been around for centuries, and most of it has been done, and overdone.

Sheffield swamped the few American Bowie makers with thousands of cheap, gaudy knockoffs in the 1840's.

German imports were the bulk of the Sears Roebucks trade in the early days.

Remington started up with about 60 designs that came with the master cutler from Boker Tree Brand. NOTHING original for years.

The Gerber MK 1 boot knife was dumped on by cheap imports from the east, brought in by Parker and others. Now they copy anybody, too.

Blackjack copied Randall.

EVERYBODY copied the Loveless drop point hunter. And EVERYBODY copied the Buck 110 even more. And EVERYBODY copied the Cold Steel Tanto. (Now they copy themselves.) By "everybody," I mean it's easier to count those who didn't make a copy.

So, unless there is a patent liability to protect the design, everybody will keep copying everybody, because only the few here care. The public votes with its dollars, and originality lost hundreds of years ago.

Darn few original hammer designs these days, too.

 

[S. Brown]

Lets all get pissed off at Benchmade because they just "stole another design"

 

[J85909266]

Lets all get pissed off at Benchmade because they just "stole another design"

I don't think Benchmade stole any designs.

What Benchmade has done that is regrettable is stop making knives the way that people grew to love them for, and instead started borrowing and copying the key features (some legally trademarked) of other brands, in turn losing their Benchmade appeal and leaving their fans as well as the people that never cared for them a bit upset.

Basically, they aren't staying true to who they are which sucks for fans and non fans alike.

 

[killerskill]

I like that knife. 2 good designes, I allways love the Crawford/Kasper handle, and wished they'd make a model with better steel. I like it.

 

[killerskill]

and ''EVEROBODY'' copied the Cavemen's flint.

 

[tirod3]

Precisely. If you believe in cavemen.

The point is that knives are a business, new design ideas are scarce, and the unknowledgeable knife buying public spends money on New! because they don't have a clue.

Benchmade doesn't plan on just making the same old stuff. They're in it for the money, and you have to turn over poor sellers for New! to keep the grinders going. Only the slipjoints revere timeless designs.

I knew a flintnapper once, he always brought back a trunk load of rock from Ft. Hood every time we trained there. But his stuff aways looked the same.

There's only so much you can do with a blade and handle.