What ever happened to the real knives!?!?!

D

dd61999

Joined
Sep 12, 2007
Messages
692
I see to many people spitting out the same internet mantra "use the right tool for the job.......", "A knife was meant for cutting......", "its not a prybar or a screwdriver...." and so on and so on.

But I am sorry but I miss the old days as kids that a knife was a prybar, screwdriver, cutting device, awl, etc. etc........ or the same way Marines used ka-bars as entrenchment tools in World War 2.

It was the original multi -tool and I am not talking about a swiss army knife either.

Many of you guys can have your "specialized tools", I on the other hand want what captivated me about a knife during my youth.

Am I the only one?
 
But I am sorry but I miss the old days as kids that a knife was a prybar, screwdriver, cutting device, awl, etc. etc........
Click to expand...
Maybe we're from different generations, but long ago when I was a kid we were taught to ~never~ use our pocketknives for prying, stabbing, throwing, or screwdriver-ing.
 
You might be the only one, because I'm almost six decades old, and I've carried a pocket knife for five of those decades...........and I can still remember my Grandpa telling me to "use a knife for what a knife is meant for". I was told if you pry with it, you will break the tip........which invariably happens.
 
I agree with the above comments,its nice to see that there are others here who share my opinions.
 
Every knife broke when I tried to pry with it when I was a kid. :D A knife cuts and stabs very well. Most do not pry very well.
 
But I am sorry but I miss the old days as kids that a knife was a prybar, screwdriver, cutting device, awl, etc. etc........ or the same way Marines used ka-bars as entrenchment tools in World War 2.
Click to expand...
The truth of the matter is this....

What can I say....kids are often stupid and inexperienced ("young, dumb, and full of....well, you get the idea).

And while it is true that Marines and Soldiers have used knives to dig fighting positions, they would never choose a knife over a shovel when given the choice.
And for what it's worth, they have also been known to use sticks and steel helmets to dig fighting positions when there were no shovels available.

BTW, the REAL "entrenching" was done by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Navy Seabees. ;)
 
I think you were just young and didn't care if you bent or broke the tip and more than likely didn't care about it being sharp.
 
Many years ago, When I was a cub scout, We had to learn how to properly take care of a knife. I vividly remember " never pry with your knife". Well, I earned my merrit badge, and as a reward, my Father bought a scout knife for me. I was nine years old. I am now forty four, and I still have that knife, and it`s still in good shape. I think it`s because I have always used it as it should be used, and taken care of it.
 
allenC said:
The truth of the matter is this....

What can I say....kids are often stupid and inexperienced ("young, dumb, and full of....well, you get the idea).
Click to expand...

Maybe expand that to adults... It seems the marketability of a knife correlates to the thickness of the stock from which it's made. Why is that? Certainly not to increase cutting ability. But perhaps to increase prying ability.

There are regular threads about which knife one could "trust your life to". As far as I can tell, that supposed to mean something that will never ever break under extreme conditions. There's a healthy market for such things, despite the fact that such knives may cost hundreds of dollars and may not even be very good at, you know, cutting stuff.
 
shecky said:
Maybe expand that to adults... It seems the marketability of a knife correlates to the thickness of the stock from which it's made. Why is that? Certainly not to increase cutting ability. But perhaps to increase prying ability.

There are regular threads about which knife one could "trust your life to". As far as I can tell, that supposed to mean something that will never ever break under extreme conditions. There's a healthy market for such things, despite the fact that such knives may cost hundreds of dollars and may not even be very good at, you know, cutting stuff.
Click to expand...

Too many single mothers raising young men.
Knowledge isn't being passed on to the next generation.

I know plenty of young guys who know how make-up is applied, but they don't know how to sharpen a knife.:rolleyes:
 
dd61999 said:
I see to many people spitting out the same internet mantra "use the right tool for the job.......", "A knife was meant for cutting......", "its not a prybar or a screwdriver...." and so on and so on.

But I am sorry but I miss the old days as kids that a knife was a prybar, screwdriver, cutting device, awl, etc.

Many of you guys can have your "specialized tools", I on the other hand want what captivated me about a knife during my youth.
Click to expand...


Oddly enough, it was back in "the old days" that my dad taught me those things. But then, he was a carpenter by trade, and respected his tools as something that put food on our table and a roof over our heads.

Did your dad not teach you these things when he taught you how to use a knife? Did he not teach you how to use a knife at all? Or did you come from parents who had enough $$$ they didn't care that they had to buy you a new knife every time you used it as a prybar?
 
oldfogey said:
You might be the only one, because I'm almost six decades old, and I've carried a pocket knife for five of those decades...........and I can still remember my Grandpa telling me to "use a knife for what a knife is meant for". I was told if you pry with it, you will break the tip........which invariably happens.
Click to expand...

ditto -- same experience for me, oldfogey...

One of the real truisms in life goes something like this: 'Use the right tool for the job at hand.'

 A screwdriver is used on screws, a hammer to pound things, a knife for cutting, a.....well, you get the idea (@ least I hope you do, dd61999, or are you just pulling our gullible legs here?)
 
There are still knives that are available that will do all you want. They can be shovels, prybars and weapons; and the good news is that they're fairly cheap. There are Ka- Bars, there is the S&W Homeland Security Tanto, the Cold Steel GI Tanto, and a bunch of no-name knives as well. So it's not that they've dried up.

The better, more expensive, knives tend to be geared more for cutting. Fine steels ain't cheap, and the qualities that make them great cutters tend to make them not as good at prying or digging.
 
dd61999 said:
I see to many people spitting out the same internet mantra "use the right tool for the job.......", "A knife was meant for cutting......", "its not a prybar or a screwdriver...." and so on and so on.

But I am sorry but I miss the old days as kids that a knife was a prybar, screwdriver, cutting device, awl, etc. etc........ or the same way Marines used ka-bars as entrenchment tools in World War 2.

It was the original multi -tool and I am not talking about a swiss army knife either.

Many of you guys can have your "specialized tools", I on the other hand want what captivated me about a knife during my youth.

Am I the only one?
Click to expand...

You, my friend, may not know it yet, but you have the potential to be a big time Busse Hog.
 
A knife is a knife, a prybar is a prybar, it you needed a screwdriver, would you reach for a hammer?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top