What constitutes a major breakthrough in the knife industry?

[golok]

Currently, so much progress has been made in the knife industry that most of anything you can think of, has probably been done by somebody somewhere.

So I ask myself what would constitute a major breakthrough in this industry.

Ever heard of a knife that never needs to be sharpened? Well, I think I may have one that could lay a claim to that.

About 10 years ago, I bought a kitchen knife (made in Japan) at a supermarket. The promoter claimed that "once bought never sharpened again" knife is good for many purposes. Then he proceeded to cut a nail which was hammered onto a board.

After that, he went on to cut a frozen fish in half and ended up slicing a loaf of bread in nice, neat pieces.

I still have that knife in my kitchen. Talk of a major breakthrough - that's what I call a discovery.

I know there are probably hundreds of knife makers out there, occasionally thinking of new ways to improve their steel products.

Now what would they be thinking of, in a major way, that is?

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Make Love your strongest weapon. Compassion your shield and forgiveness your armour.

 

[Cosmic Superchunk]

A major breakthrough is something that connot occur overnight. As knives continue to evolve in design and construction, we may see high tech developments in manufacturing, or perhaps new alloys. Perhaps someone will discover a way to permanently fuse diamond crystals to steel or titanium in order to produce and edge that will out cut any steel used today. Perhaps a new type of material will be developed for knife handles, or perhaps a new type of locking mechanism that will absolutely prove to be indestructible.


"Looking at the future is like looking into a cake. Until you try it, what do you really know? And then, it's too late." Merlin

 

[Pergatory]

That is, of course, a matter of opinion. A good starting definition might be, something that did not exist in the knife world until ........ introduced (or invented) it, and then everyone liked it and wanted one.
No matter how good an idea is, it is NOT a breakthrough unless it catches on and stays in the mainstream.

[This message has been edited by Pergatory (edited 05-24-2001).]

 

[Bronco]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by golok:
So I ask myself what would constitute a major breakthrough in this industry.</font>

No matter how good you are at sharpening a knife, with high enough magnification you can eventually get to the point where your prized, razor thin edge will appear to be nothing more than a field full of huge rocky boulders.

Imagine if the day were to come when we could utilize nanotube technology to create the ultimate edge. Perhaps, while others are busy using nanotubes to create incredibly powerful microscopic computing machines, some brilliant closet knifenut will figure out a way to combine, braid and reinforce these remarkable structures into a cutting edge the likes of which has never been seen before.

In all honesty, I don't personally know any more about the specific characteristics of these little tubes of pure carbon other than to say it may or may not be possible some day. To give you an idea of the scale we're talking about though, you could build a nanotube long enough to stretch from the Earth to the Moon, and then ball the whole thing up into a space about the same size as a grain of sand. Okay, sure; the whole idea is pretty far out there, but hey, it's something fun to think about.

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Semper Fi

-Bill

 

[not2sharp]

Then again someone might cobble together a working lightsaber.

You will never need to sharpen it and it will cut through anything without resistence, just remember to replace the batteries often.

 

[Keith Montgomery]

I think that major breakthroughs have come in the manufacturing of knives with the CNC machines, the way knives work with the Liner Lock and the Axis Lock and in the way knives look with mosaic damascus.

All of these to me have been major breakthroughs. Ginsu knives have not. Just my opinion.

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Keith

AKTI Member #A001338

 

[Cosmic Superchunk]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by not2sharp:
Then again someone might cobble together a working lightsaber.

You will never need to sharpen it and it will cut through anything without resistence, just remember to replace the batteries often. </font>

I agree with you. A lightsabre would indeed be a breakthrough.