In terms of design, I am a traditional guy. I do not find swoopy, angular or exaggerated features attractive. For me the dramatic "tacti-cool" is out. Our elite warfighters (Green Beret, Delta, Seals) do not use these oddball blades, and they should know. Furher, for me, any hint of "fantasy" is out of consideration. I have seen plenty of pictures of ancient weapons. With few exceptions, these so called fantasy blades do not exist in the archeological record . . .which is why they are fantasy blades, right? The bronze age Egyptian sickle sword might be one exception, not repeated in later history. One of the Greek swords had a dramatic blade profile and a split knuckle bow. Some middle eastern scimitars were a little over the top too. . .I invite others to mention other real world examples of fantastical weapons. I could go either way on a sub hilt fighter.
What I do like: Smooth lines that make a coherent whole. Thumb humps are out as are the Spydercvo thumb holes. I want to be able to deploy a folder with ease, so I like a subtle 'flipper" tab. Thumb studs don't work well for me either. Spring assisted and switch blades are cool enough to impress one's brother-in-law, but add mechanical complexity and are superfluous if it is a flipper. A modest choil works to keep that forefinger intact when choking up on the blade . . .but not something so big that it becomes an attention getter. IIn a fixed blade, I alike the look of a modest fuller, not a narrow grove, not a huge trough. The iconic Ka-Bar is iconic for more than its USMC heritage. I like natural handle materials, . . .exotic even . . .for a knife in less than demanding heavy use shuch as antler, tropical woods or any form of LEGAL ivory such as fossil mammoth or beach combed walrus tusk. But when buying a duty knife for a Marine about to deploy to a hot war zone, I opted for rugged micarta.
A big fixed blade is ok if you need it but I do not like the heavy, extreme clipped point Jim Boue style. Damascus is neat to look at in a finely crafted display piece, but in m y mind there is no place for pattern welding in a user. Many forging videos seem meant to show how oddly selected components can be forged into some dramatic pattern, rather than how functional (durable, edge retaintion etc) the blade is in usage. However, I believe that "wootz" steel seems practical as a blade steel . . .but expensive.
That about overs it and my coffee needs a refill.
David Mary
serrated knives so I might change my mind. I don't like small handles because I have XXL hands. There are other features that I don't like, but those mentioned are the biggest.
