What are knives to you?

Comeuppance

Comeuppance

Fixed Blade EDC Emisssary
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
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This thread was inspired by a recent acquisition of mine - a Protech Godfather with Maple Burl inlays. It's a gorgeous knife:

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So, I was very excited to show it to people and gush about how infatuated I was with it. While literally everyone said it was a gorgeous knife, the most common following comment was something along the lines of "Yeah! You could totally kill someone with this."

... I suppose it's due to years of handling knives, but I never saw it as a weapon. Never even thought about it or considered it as such. I saw form and function, I felt the quality and the craftsmanship, I appreciate the attention to detail and the reliability. The fine grind lines, the flawless inset maple, the gorgeous contrast, the excellent and comfortable handle.

I see it as a finely crafted tool, a refined mechanical device that also cuts stuff. It inspires pride of ownership and suits my EDC needs without issue. It's a little disheartening that I hand it to someone and their first reaction is to make jabbing gestures with it, stabbing an invisible person. It made me think, though, about how differently people can see the exact same object.

What are knives to you? Do you have a collection, a rotation, or both? Bags of knives that you fondle? A 1-2 knives that you use constantly? How do you use them in your life? Where do they fit in your own personal hierarchy of needs and wants? Are your knives tools? Showpieces? Defensive aids? Gadgets? Feel free to share pictures, as well :)
 
Using knives is a permanent and necessary part of my life. My knives are all those things ("Are your knives tools? Showpieces? Defensive aids? Gadgets?").
 
Man Jewelry and very useful/fun tools.

Each quality manufactured knife is a work of art in itself.

I use most all of my blades regardless of cost, but I enjoy the sexy lines and curves as much as using them.
 
They serve many functions for me, it would be difficult to define in a few words. Cutting tools, yes, but my SAKS and scout knives are also bottle openers, screwdrivers/pry tools. My traditionals are also worry stones and occasional conversation pieces. Some I collect, most I use, some I have just for fun. Some are projects to mod, others I would never disassemble or sell for sentimental reasons. My daily use is pretty mundane and I could get by with a slipjoint for almost all of it. When I am hunting a fixed blade is essential. My EDC varies day to day, but is usually a combination of a Bark River City Knife and a SAK or scout pattern in a pocket sheath. They all mean something, but that "thing" can vary greatly from one knife to the next.

 
Comeuppance said:
I see it as a finely crafted tool, a refined mechanical device that also cuts stuff.
Click to expand...

ourgon said:
I just like nice things which are by the way sharp tools.
Click to expand...

22-rimfire said:
My knives are all those things ("Are your knives tools? Showpieces? Defensive aids? Gadgets?").
Click to expand...

Firestrike said:
Man Jewelry and very useful/fun tools.

I use most all of my blades regardless of cost, but I enjoy the sexy lines and curves as much as using them.
Click to expand...


Toys...umm...errr... all of the above.
 
Knives are one of the most essential items other than my nitecore flashlight I never really realized how many times a day I really use them til I began carrying them. I view them as tools, not as weapons as I would never ever think of causing any harm, though it is comforting to know that knives also can be there for us in a last ditch moment of self defense. I had family from Italy visiting me the past week and one of my cousins shoes broke while walking around downtown, as I used my Yojimbo 2 to help repair it became clear that non knife carrying folk really do simply view them as strictly weapons as my cousin looked at me with her mouth wide open, but thought differently when she saw the knife used as a tool to help in a repair and me explaining my thoughts behind it all. Great thread.
 
I see them as the amalgamation of tool, weapon, artistic expression, and to no small degree, an object of self identification
 
When I first got into knives, they were tools for using creatively, later on I started getting into the whole 'knives as self-defense' thing, now I've gone back to knives just being tools.
 
I could totally kill someone with a rock, or my bare hands for that matter... What a silly ignorant statement to make...

To me Knives are Knives... They are my friends and lovers, er, I mean they are Cutting and slicing and chopping tools respectively... I don't see them as weapons persay, but rather respect them as "potential weapons" same as I do a brick, a shovel, a fireplace poker, a softball bat, etc... Anything I can get my hands on is a potential weapon, but a knife us just a gorgeous sharpened tool.

Beautiful knife by the way...
 
Cutting tools.

I use knives at work (for cutting food), and found myself needing a knife to open lots of boxes we receive daily. Box cutters are terrible for opening boxes compared to a nicely sharpened and polished knife.
 
A wonderful and diverse tool for any task that requires cutting/prying/chopping.

A tool that is in my pocket 24/7 - 365 and just helps me get things done...Something I can count on, even if it may not be the best tool for the job, it's with me, and does the job.

A hobby that I enjoy personally and with others.
Sometimes even works of art that are a joy to own and use.
(Sometimes visually, sometimes mechanically, sometimes both)
 
I have an EDC, which is quite sheeple-friendly and I use on a daily basis with people around, while working or at home.

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I have a smaller, even more sheeple friendly cutting tool (Leatherman Micra, SAK, Opinel, something along those lines) to use while on public places or surrounded by strangers, and it usually has many functions (adding to the utility point of view of knives).

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If someone asks for a knife or asks for me to cut something, I'll take the less scary option to do it. I've used knives all my life for utility and will keep doing so. But, as I've grown and learned that the world is not always Teletubbieland, and after witnessing some pretty tough things, I decided to carry also a knife the only purpose of which would be Self Defense. Concealed, but ready.

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Nobody will know I carry it, nobody will be afraid looking at it and it won't ever be shown or used in public. Only if things get really, really bad or I am in an extreme need will I resort to that option.

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So, for me, they are:
A: Useful tools.
B. Beautiful and fun collectables.
C. Gifts, to me and to others.
D. A hobby
E. A self defense option in a country where guns are not allowed for us civilians.


Pics please! Every good thread needs 'em. And who in a knife forum doesn't like to see knives!? :thumbup:
 
I hunt, kinda hard to dress out game without a knife. I fish, kinda hard to fish without a knife. Hiking, not much knife needed for that unless you do lots of overnight stays in the woods, but you still need them for various tasks. I go camping and that's mostly hand saw, a small knife and a small tough blade to dig out fat wood when I find it.

I find my hobbies and interests require the use of a knife, so I have some. A pocket folder is there for them times I'm not around a fixed blade and they get used often. They're just things I need around to conduct my normal life.
 
You are right in that it's a beautiful, well-crafted knife with super wood...
OTOH, you gotta realize that it is a "Protech Godfather" and this carries a certain recognition factor along with it. It's not the kind of thing that you clean your nails with, although you obviously could.
Yes, it's a great knife, but "folks" are "folks."
 
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