What do you consider to be traditional?

[Keith Montgomery]

I know that slipjoints and lockbacks are considered traditional, as are bowies and hunters. How about clasp knives, puukkos, khukris, bolos, machetes and Japanese tantos?

What other knives would you put into the traditional classification besides the ones that get most of the press here?

 

[Rebus777]

Clasp knives, puukkos, khukris, bolos, machetes and Japanese tantos?

I would say anything before 1970 would qualify and I think
all that you mentioned certainly fit.

Wasn't it the late seventies that Gerber came out with the
first composition handles (LST) and that's about when the
custom knifemakers started using titanium and other exotic
metals?

-Rebus

 

[Tightwad]

I'd say that any knife that follows the "traditional" patterns would
qualify. I'm not sure a year can be attached to when the "non" traditional
knives came to be. The word "tactical" ,to me , is more of a marketing
ploy than anything else when you consider that there only so many
blade / handle shapes possible.

Those knives that are "out there" in design should rightfully be called
"fanatsy" knives becuse they are impractical for the human hand.
For the remaining "Hi tech" designs they are just that .....using new HI tech
materials. I'm sure the cutlers of olden days would try these materials also.

 

[3nails]

Traditional could fall into cultural bounderies. When I think of traditional knives I never think of khukris or tantos but they have been around for centuries. They have been part of that traditional culture and I'm sure they have passed them from generation to generation.

My dad has 5 or 6 old butcher knives that are over 90 y/o and still uses them. I guess that's as traditional as it gets...

Keith, not to sound dumb but what is a clasp knife?


Dean

 

[Cosmic Superchunk]

For me, a traditional knife (folder or fixed blade) is of a style that does not follow the current trend of tacical designs on the market today. They can be classic stockmans or trappers still made by Camillus, Boker, Case, Schrade and others. Even relatively modern knife designs like the Buck 110 look more like a traditional folding knife when paired with a modern one-hand opening tactical folder.

Outdoor/Hunting knives like those made by Grohmann, Marbles, Muela and others have a traditional look about them which is enhanced by the use of natural materials such as wood, stag, bone or horn. Organic materials are a hallmark of traditional knives, but just because a knife has wood scales, does not always mean it's a traditional knife design (example: Benchmade 690). It must follow a specific pattern that has been relatively unchanged for years.

Traditional knives that have been relatively unchanged throughout the years are also those of various cultures which have developed a rich history among it's people, for example: the Spanish Navaja and the Finnish Puukko. These types of knives have been around for centuries and will continue to survive despite the recent "tactical" knife movement.

High-Tech folders and fixed blades with titanium, carbon fibre, G-10 or thermoplastics have their place, but few can attain the charm or the legacy of a traditional knife.

 

[Rebus777]

I checked out the Gerber site
to see exactly when the LST came
about. This is a quote:

L.S.T.
In 1980, Pete Gerber introduced the L.S.T.®, the first knife to use an all synthetic handle, revolutionizing the way the world thought about knives. L.S.T.s are light, smooth, and tough. Each knife has a fiberglass filled nylon handle and high carbon stainless steel blades. This combination of materials makes a knife that is exceptionally durable, yet light enough to be carried anywhere.
...
The L.S.T.® (#06009) is Blackie Collins original design.

-Rebus

 

[nifrand]

Any knife in a pattern and locking device,made in production,prior to 1940. That is what I consider a "Traditional" knife.

 

[Daniel Koster]

for me, traditional = native

It's easy to say what was traditional 100 years ago, but today (in the USA, anyway) that image had faded and is now more complex.

There's so much variety, what could possibly be "contemporary traditional?"

There has to be something, because traditional doesn't mean stagnant, it means following a tradition...over time.