Ugly vs Pretty

I agree with Mark. Most naturally want to baby the pretty stuff and not push it too hard, but with an ugly knife it's no-holds-barred. With that, it may seem as though the ugly knife will do more than the pretty, but only because we held back when using the good lookin' one.
 
... It's almost like we should have an ugly high performance knife in the hat contest or something?

The "UHPKITHC".

What's up with that?

I've known some pretty ugly ones.
 
The same principles hold true in guns too.
I am old school, I like wood on guns and scales on knives.

I like engraving and shiny stuff.

BUT I've hunted with Beretta Onyx for fifteen years or so down the Mississippi river in brackish water.

Old my buddies have lectured me for years that it's a clays gun, all the while shucking a 870 to death in the blind.

Tools are to be used.
 
I'm sharpening up a rusty leaf spring with my non typing hand right now for the UHPKITHC!

It is going to get an antiqued electrical tape handle with a duct tape bolster!

EDIT: I'm not going to straighten it, or ht it; I will use an arcane method used by the masters on sawzall blades...

It will be like a big grapefruit knife!
 
I don’t think a knife needs to be pretty to get the job done,… but a pretty knife might be more fun to use.
 
Tai Goo said:
... It's almost like we should have an ugly high performance knife in the hat contest or something?
Click to expand...

That's actually a really interesting idea. Just to get people's thoughts on what makes a knife perform very well.
 
Los Angeles said:
It's my belief that pretty knives cut much better than ugly knives.

but it seems that I know how a knife will perform when I inspect it. the best performers go up on the pretty scale. Some knives look more difficult to use, less comfortable, have bad grinds, awkward edge, shows up dull ... you get the idea ... doesn't matter if it's the most difficult damascus pattern ever or covered in jewels or hand sanded to 10,000 grit. It's still an ugly knife if it won't do the job.
Click to expand...

OK, the ALL we have to do is define "beauty". That should be easy! I can't tell you what it is but I know it when I see it.

I vote for ugly knives cutting better because a knife made of the finest most expensive materials, with the finest design, fit, and finish doesn't cut beans when it's tucked away in a collection or hanging on a wall.

- Paul Meske, Wisconsin
AKA LonePine
 
lonepine said:
OK, the ALL we have to do is define "beauty". That should be easy! I can't tell you what it is but I know it when I see it.

I vote for ugly knives cutting better because a knife made of the finest most expensive materials, with the finest design, fit, and finish doesn't cut beans when it's tucked away in a collection or hanging on a wall.

- Paul Meske, Wisconsin
AKA LonePine
Click to expand...

Agreed. Kind of like the "best" self defense gun is the one you have with you when you when you need to defend yourself....
 
Tai Goo said:
I don’t think a knife needs to be pretty to get the job done,… but a pretty knife might be more fun to use.
Click to expand...

I agree. That's one of the reasons I like making kitchen knives: I can make
them reasonably pretty (yeah, mirror finishes are right out) and use them
all the time.

Though I do wonder how often the super fancy $3000 kitchen knives are used.
 
It's all mindset. Like driving a really nice car vs. a beat up old rust-bucket. The beater car gets driven hard, parked in narrow spots, beat up, banged into, and hailed on while the nice car gets driven on sunny days.

Personally, I'd rather drive a really nice car every day and enjoy it. It's almost a relief when that first door ding, scratch, or rock chip happens.

As for knives, I love carrying and using a beautiful (or at least aesthetically pleasing) knife. I won't carry a knife that is, in my mind, ugly. Sure, they get scratched up, but they bring satisfaction. And when they get dirty, I clean 'em up. I guess that's why I don't let myself buy $1000 knives. For one, I can't afford it, and two, I'd hate to have a knife that I was afraid to use.

--nathan
 
My love affair with knives began with my best friends Dad's Randall knife. He had promised it to me but alas when he died unexpectedly my (err)friend kept it. A few years ago I was looking to buy a Randall No1 Fighter for my pack/hunting knife. The knife dealer thought I was nuts to even consider USING such a beautiful knife.....
I think we should have a take a pretty knife to work day....
 
I love putting those first new scratches on a knife... But in that respect if I had a platinum shovel and a old rusty one, you would see me shoveling dirt in style....

Great thread Tai!

Thanks Daniel, I shot coffee out my nose when I read the "arcane" comment..
 
From a pure performance stand point the higher the finish the better the performance. Two knives, equal heat treat, equal grinds, same steel, everything the same, the one with the mirror finish will out cut the one with the rough satin finish. Of course the one with the rough finish is more likely to be used though.
 
my 'ugly' Tai Goo knives cut better than my 'pretty' collectiky knives. In fact, my Tai Goo knives are all in the top five most used, and I have 3 of them...

But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I would never classify ANY of my knives as ugly, although others probably would.

When I see beauty in a knife, it usually has more to do it's 'lines' and less to do with it's, well, um beauty? If beauty has anything to do with embellishment, that is. Which to me could really describe anything beyond the actual shape of the knife, embellishment that is. Not a big fan of embellishment here, you should understand.

I've seen, to me, many ugly knives. Some are very expensive and some are very cheap. I'm not picky. A good looking knife, to me, is a good looking knife. Ugly or pretty:D
 
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