What aspects of your knife 'threaten' people:

My fiancee just got a knife, and one of her questions while deciding on which one to get was "Is this threatening? Am I scary with this?" As the blade is intended for self-defense, her first thought was its use as a deterrent.

Surprisingly, she *did not* end up with a black handle ... it's Titanium, actually. But that does *nothing* to detract from the surprise of a girl her size (5'7", small stature) flipping open a 3.75" SOG.

Oo-rah.
 
I am sure my experiences echo most people's here. Black coated blades seem to set of alarm bells - something to so with it seeming more covert/military/ninjaesque???? I don't understand why serrations add to the scare factor but they do as do tanto blades - again is it the martial arts connection??? Having said that I am presently carrying a Cold Steel Voyager with a partly serrated tanto blade - maybe I should shut up? Before I put a knife in my pocket I try and think where I am going and what kind of people will be there. If am going out to dinner a gents folder is in order but if I am off to the gun range then a BM722 or cQC7 is not going to elicit any comments (well except positive ones!).
I was reading the thread entitled 'Paranoid?' or something and people were talking about keeping knives by their bed - for self defense reasons (though they were outnumbered by the gun users). Now if a sheeple read this would it confirm their fears?? A knife has been used (and continues to be used) throughout history side by side as a tool and a weapon and I hear (some) people on the forum talk about their knife as a 'back up', talk about self defense situations so it is clear people view their knives as more than a tool or view it differently from their Leatherman 'tool'. I am not knocking anyone, myself included love the big, black tactical folders but we live in a world with an irresponsible media (ninja crazes, Rambo), where pc has gone nuts and politicians with hidden agendas are out to rob us of our personal freedom. I would love to carry a Sifu to the office (heck I would just love a Sifu!) but it is going to set of alram bells. It's sad but true. Great thread Think.... would be interested to see what reactions other people get from a similar test.

Colin what country do you live in?? It sounds tight over there man.
 
I was just now looking at my REKAT Pocket Hobbit (black blade), AND my REKAT Sifu. Now I am wondering how sheeple would react to a Pocket Hobbit that was the size of the Sifu.
cool.gif
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...That's an evil thought, huh?...
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Dann Fassnacht
Aberdeen, WA
glockman99@hotmail.com
ICQ# 53675663
 
Concerning my green BM940, plain edge. A comment was made that it looked "military", I guess because it was green. Another time I surprisingly had a colleague of mine, who carries a small stainless steel by Buck in his pocket and a leatherman tool in his briefcase (read somewhat knife-friendly, I thought), examine my 940 and immediately measure the blade length with a ruler to see if it was "legal"--my presumption there is that the size of the knife concerned him.

Regards,

David
 
My primary carry blade is an Emerson SOCFK
it's all black with the tanto blade, but what's scares people the most "the wave"
either you love it or hate it!

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JimBob
 
Great thread. I'd be interested to see you repeat the "experiment" with a couple of other non-knife people. Several folks I know would immediately see the handle design of the Balisong as threatening. If it's not wood or red plastic, then it must be a weapon.

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Jay
 
The woman whom I asked to do the experiment said that it was a hard thing to do. She said on different days she would probably line them up differently.

Concerning the balisong: had she seen me open and close it, I'm sure it would be more 'scary' to her. Keep in mind that I just had these sitting on the counter and asked her to rearrange them.

If I get a chance soon, I will ask someone else to line them up and see what kind of results I get.

Now I just need to think of a 'utilitarian' use for the Gunting ramp in case I ever have to explain it to someone. You think it could pass for a marlin-spike?

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Karma is only justice without the satisfaction
 
Sheeple were always a little put off by my Strider/Buck. It was the only knife (besides SAKs) I owned at the time, so whenever I needed to cut something... out snapped the Strider. I even used it for a eating utensil, the knives at thr dorm dining hall are too dull to cut warm butter.
Their main beef was that it looked "too military". My method of carry (Black leather Gould & Goodrich mag case) could have added to that.

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Spydies... Bet you can't buy just one.
ICQ# 117419996
 
I know...you can say the Gunting ramp is an ice axe!
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The SAK has all of that stuff, "just in case". Why not have an ice axe handy?
 
"What aspects of your knife 'threaten' people:"

Probably the weirdo on the other end of the knife!

Brandon
 
One thing I've noticed that people seem to find threatening is a knife with a thumbstud. Many folks have never seen a onehand opening knife and some ask me if it's a switchblade. Others are unfazed. Some people have a great interest when they see one of my knives and others look uncomfortable.

The best thing I can suggest is to educate people every chance you get. I usually emphasize utility and my interest in the materials, especially if there is wood and titanium involved. BTW, I find that beautiful wood on the handle usually overrides any concerns of blade size or shape.

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Peter Atwood

email: fountainman@hotmail.com
 
"What aspects of your knife 'threaten' people?"

Thie Prices!! They say "you paid HOW much!!
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Hehehe
 
Since getting my Sifu, it has appeared on two different occasions on the bagel table at my health club. Previous knives were my old black Endura, my CS Gunsite II, and my pink Delica.

Since most folks have seen me there, and since it is a bit of an older crowd, and since the front desk lady is cool with my blades, so far everything is hunky-dory.

Yesterday morning (as I describe in my thread "Sifu Debuts at Bagel Table" in the REKAT forum) a young mom used it to cut a bagel for her daughter. A couple of neutral, or even positive comments ("what a knife this is") as she used it, then she thanked me as she left.

How many of you think it is only a matter of time that even at my friendly health club someone will FREAK?
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With hope, yet trepidation,

Karl
 
That I carry more than one blade. That's what seems to concern people that know me.


Blades
 
My first decent knife purchase was a multi-colored Kershaw Boa. I can remember thinking at the time that it was too bad I couldn't get a simple black frame without the black blade, but I really didn't want a coated blade so I put up with the brightly colored handle. Once I got the thing and started carrying it I realized that I really like the way it looks. My Boa is bright and cheerful and non-threatening, at least until I open it.
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My experience with the Boa shaped the rest of my knife buying. I am willing to take a plain black grip, or even a coated blade, if I really like the design, but I try to select knives that have some color and "style" too. It makes for a fun challenge in filling out my collection and it seems to have practical benefits in terms of public acceptance of what I carry.

I just looked over what I have and found only one that is only in plain blackL my Spyderco Military. (Maybe I'll ask Frank Recupero about putting lapis scales on it...) I do own two other all-black knives: a REKAT Sifu and an Emerson Commander. However, I also have versions of both knives with green scales.

In addition to my strange color fetish
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I try to always carry at least one knife that I don't think looks too intimidating. Sometimes that may be my main blade, as with the Boa. Other times, I carry a smaller second knife, usually my Spyderco Lum Chinese Folder, A.G. Russell One-Hand Knife, blue Spyderco Delica, or grey titanium Benchmade 330.

--Bob Q
 
I must say that I've never had a problem with people being "threatened" by my knives. What remains my favorite knife is the old BM manufactured CQC7, combo-edge, BT coating, the knife looks "mean" by most standards. Even so, when I use it I'm either ignored, or there's remarks of "cool", "nice", "let me see that", and so on. It may have to do with the area I live in. I live in southwest Colorado, and the majority of the people in this fairly small town are backpackers, hunters, ranchers, farmers, etc. Most know that a good knife is crucial, and on any given day you will notice that at least 3 out of 10 people you meet will have some kind of knife clipped in their pocket, and that's just knives with clips. When I was in high school you could find kids carrying around knives of all sorts, Spyderco was the most popular. I carried around a little gerber folder with about a 1 1/2 - 2 inch blade, even the school security saw it as no more of a weapon than a pencil(and of course, they are right). Most think it amusing that I sometimes carry around 3 or 4 blades with me at a time, but none I have seen are threatened by it. Even I have to admit that it is a bit hard to explain why I would carry around more than two.
 
Cool thread, and I completely understand. Being around so many knives, I've become unphased by them, so whenever I need to take one into a more public situation (with non-knifeknuts), I consult my roommate on which ones to take.

The 'black is bad' comes out quickly, and folders are often chosen, providing I don't look TOO proficient at flipping them open. Oddly, I guess sheeple seem happier if you look like you're not really sure how to use your knife?

cj
 
Without question the thing that makes Average
Non-Knife Person [tm] nervous around my knife
is how I choose to deploy and open it.

The more flourish and drama, the worse they
react. Most seem to prefer "Here is a handy
tool I have, let me use it" to "HEY EVERYONE
HERE COMES MY KNIFE, WOAH BABY, LOOK OUT".

T.
 
Rapidly presenting any 'tactical' folder with that audible snapping of the lock is guaranteed to shock the sheeple.

For work, I carry a Magna. Despite the overall size of the Magna and it's 4" blade, few people are startled if I simply draw it from my waistband and open it with two hands.

I'm quite certain that if I rapidly drew and snapped the blade open one-handed, the reaction would be quite different - whether it were the Magna or Military or Endura or Toad.
 
Think Aphthartos made a good observation about 'the area ' he lives uses his knives. In an area of ranchers/bacpackers and generally outdoors people, people are used to knives, they know the value of a good knife and a knife is part of the 'landscape'. If one were to whip out a Sifu or similar in dowtown NYC or similar big city where a knives are not part of the landscape or are associated with criminals it would be a different thing (I am guessing).The unfamiliar tends to frighten a lot of people.
 
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