What is it about sharp steel?

[Tballetta]

I am so fasinated by it. It is a simolar fascination as I have while starring at a fire. Primative attraction I guess. How about you? What attracts you to knives?

 

[billstevens]

deaminating zombies of course.

No partly there use, partly engineering and design particularly with folders and partly they are just fun to collect.

 

[DaleW]

Yup, there may be a evolutionary imperative there-- making sharp things and fire kept us going. Og no make fire, no make spear or knife, Og no eat--- Og get ate!

 

[Chewy1]

I think it's because the human nature easily fixes upon things. While we designed to fixate on One, we tend to fixate on smaller, less important items. For some, it's yard sales, or for others, it's football. Me, I like knives, but I try to keep them in their place, and only really fixate on the One who allows me to even have sharp things.

 

[adorable_harree]

Knives or going up against someone armed with one has always terrified me since I was a kid after seeing a neighbor stab to death another neighbood five feet in front of me.

I was ten. He used an old bayonet. The speed on how everything happened amazes me to this day.

Started collecting knives after a week. Go figure.

 

[Andrew Colglazier]

Me, I like knives, but I try to keep them in their place, and only really fixate on the One who allows me to even have sharp things.

Your wife?

Andy

 

[missin_hobo]

I lost a little liner-lock penknife once, and since I was quite fond of it I took steps to replace it; I went to Wal Mart and bought a Buck SPX. A month later, dissatisfied with it, I struck up a conversation with a cute girl who happened to work at a knife store, and long story short I caught the bug...
I agree with what you said about keeping knives in their place; in the instance of a pursuit such as this, you have to stay on the right side of the line between hobby and fixation. That this gets difficult at times just makes it a good hobby.

'What is it about sharp steel?' is a question like 'What's the sound of one hand clapping?'

 

[knarfeng]

I lost a little liner-lock penknife once, and since I was quite fond of it I took steps to replace it; I went to Wal Mart and bought a Buck SPX. A month later, dissatisfied with it, I struck up a conversation with a cute girl who happened to work at a knife store, and long story short I caught the bug...
I agree with what you said about keeping knives in their place; in the instance of a pursuit such as this, you have to stay on the right side of the line between hobby and fixation. That this gets difficult at times just makes it a good hobby.

'What is it about sharp steel?' is a question like 'What's the sound of one hand clapping?'

Please clarify: Which bug did you catch? Talking to cute girls or buying knives from them?

Not sure if I remember why I started liking knives. I was somewhere between 6 & 8 and that was almost 50 years ago.

I think I like knives today for their utility and strength and for the beauty of the steel itself. I like all well made hand tools.

 

[Bumppo]

For me it is a form follows function fascination.

 

[bobofish]

Speaking for myself, I just love gadgets of all kinds. A few weeks ago I found myself walking into a lumber and supply store in Hollywood to look at pliers. I have all the pliers I will ever need, and I'm not even considering buying more. So gadgets, cool and not excite me.

With knives though it's also a few other things. I know how important a good knife is for cooking, and my fascination started in earnest for kitchen knives years ago. Before that as a child they interested me partly for their scariness and partly for their use.
Also, knives are very old tools that have translated to the pinnacles of modern technology with steels and designs. Probablly the first tool humans used was the blunt object, and when that blunt object broke, it became a knife. Since then we have been using them.

And further than that, knives can be very beautiful objects with a lot of care put into them.

 

[missin_hobo]

Please clarify: Which bug did you catch? Talking to cute girls or buying knives from them?

I caught the buying knives bug. The cute girls bug we all get from time to time, god bless it.

 

[Morrow]

It makes me feel cool to carry knives.

 

[Bufford]

Knives seem to fall into that category of 'feel good things'; like fast cars, antique trucks, good looking women, 'knives', fine guns, and scotch whiskey,etc...etc...

 

[missin_hobo]

Also, it's a trade, a craft, an art...

 

[Lurker]

I agree with the OP that it seems kind of like a primitive instinct thing for me. And like another poster mentioned, I witnessed a couple of bloody knife fights and those things leave an impression on you.

 

[Nosetotail]

I am fascinated by the science behind the edge. First there is composing a quality piece of steel, then heat treating it to the best balance of hardness and toughness. Then sharpening it to greater and greater levels of perfection... that perfection never attainable, but always there to try to achieve. It is fasicinating that an edge can be so fine that it literally parts the medium it is cutting with virtually no friction. Cutting things is not so fascinating. The ability to cut things with little effort and the technique required to do this is fascinating.

Then there is the form over function of a well made knife. I currently prefer pocket knives due to the attraction in this catagory or catagories. My current favorite is the BM960. It's nothing great. It just fits my criteria of basic form and superb function.

 

[Midwest Ninja]

I don't know what it is...I keep a stack of newspaper in my room, for the express purpose of cutting up. It just feels good.

Don't take that out of context.

 

[Dr. Mudd]

Like fire and blades? Ever heard of genetic memory? Sometimes it's called racial memory. Google 'em.

 

[Hammer27]

I like sharp knives because I like my things to work as they should.

 

[Cpl Punishment]

I'll throw in with the primitive mind guys.
I like knives (and spears, and bows and guns) because somewhere back there in my canine brain, I know "With this, I can live."

I think it's because the human nature easily fixes upon things. While we designed to fixate on One, we tend to fixate on smaller, less important items. For some, it's yard sales, or for others, it's football. Me, I like knives, but I try to keep them in their place, and only really fixate on the One who allows me to even have sharp things.

Don't know which One you fixate on, but, yes, thank God for giving us the mind to conceptualize such things, and for giving us the opposable thumbs to make them!