What makes a knife.... PRETTY?

L

Lavan

Joined
Nov 8, 2000
Messages
2,301
Some really stun me with their beauty. Others have sort of a Forrest Gump "pretty is as pretty does" attraction but little else.

For instance, I find a Spyderco Native "pretty" with that uninterrupted curve of handle and blade. And the grind lines of the Benchmade Stryker fascinate me.

I find the Spyderco Delica awkward looking but with a ...bit... of "evil" beauty. I see the Reeves Sebenza as a gorgeous hunk of practical usability, but no esthetic appeal.

What do you think makes a knife "pretty?"

Grind? Material? Shape? Color?

:confused:
 
IMHO Znode pretty much sums it up. I picked up a blue Ti Bump yesterday. It had been in the knife shop for 3 years. It was discounted to $125 due to the shop owner getting tired of it taking up space. He said that no one liked the color for the price:confused: .
Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder.
Goody for me is all I can say:D .
 
DO NOT TRY AND ANSWER UNANSWERABLE QUESTIONS!! Why do some of us like women with pouty lips, others like thin liips, some like blondes , others like brunettes. For some reason it seems to be just the right mix of sexy curves and hard edges etc etc, for each of our own particular tastes.

When we have solved the scientific theory of everything we will try and conquer this one!

Very good point to raise and im interested in others' responses.
 
It's not what makes a knife pretty that's the question; it's what doesn't make the knife pretty? Which the list for is very short.
 
In my view it is simply one thing: function. A form designed for function looks beautiful because it works. All the serrations and can opener notches and tanto points in the world won't make a blade look good if it just doesn't work the way a knife should.
 
If you're asking *in general* "What makes a knife pretty?", I have to go along with znode... it's "the person looking at it".

OTOH... if you're asking what makes a knife pretty to me... then I agree with Elen... if it performs it's intended function as well as possible, then it's gorgeous to me.

I am very simple & traditional in my tastes. I carry a mini-RSK as my personal EDC because 1) it does exactly what I ask it to do, and 2) it's a very traditional drop-point design... nothing funky about the blade or handle shape.

I use a Delica 4 as my work EDC because 1) it's as tough as nails in a warehouse setting, and 2) it works just as intended for me even though the look is a little out of the traditional category.
 
For me, a beautiful knife is one that is simple and usable, no frills or fancy stuff.
So it really doesn't matter how it looks, as long as it works. For me, that is a beautiful knife.
 
Great question Lavan.

I hope some look at it closely and push the envelope, peel back the onion, deep answers, well, you know what I mean.

sal
 
The graceful flow of the knife's lines and the materials are what make a knife "pretty". Like a drop point hunter with cocobolo handles, or a vintage senator knife with pearl.

I don't always buy pretty knives though... Black plastic is not aesthetically attractive, but I have plenty of it anyway.

-Bob
 
Beauty is more than mere function. A multi-tool, such as a Leatherman, is very functional, but few would consider one 'pretty'. What can be considered beauty in a tool would be the combination of form and function in a way that could be termed an elegant solution.

An elegant tool would be the simplest one with the greatest function or power. Usually, these will have clean lines and a balance to them. They suggest their use and proceed with the least distractions. There is an unity to the piece, there are no unnecessary parts or lines, it is balanced and whole.
 
Pretty:

http://www.worldknives.com/products/chambriard-special-amourettetrappeur-knife-2711-982.html

http://www.worldknives.com/products/joker-deer-stag-liner-lock-pocket-knife-nc12-1521.html

http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=20

http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=15

http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_...op_point_hunter_with_brown_linen_rucarta.html

http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_type/straight/bark_river_rogue_bowie_mesquite_handle.html

http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_type/folding/locking/a_g_russell_4_drop_point_lockback.html

http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_type/folding/locking/benchmade_mini_dejavoo_.html


Not pretty:
http://www.worldknives.com/products...ino-collectors-pocket-knife-conftno-1009.html

http://www.worldknives.com/products/eka-swede-masur-birch-pocket-knife-swedemasur-563.html

http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=208

http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_type/straight/a_g_russell_bird_trout_with_vg10_blade.html

http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_type/straight/benchmade_snody_fixed_resistor.html

http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_type/straight/boker_trench_knife_2000.html

http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_type/folding/locking/benchmade_630_skirmish_blackwood.html

http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_...e_model_940_axis_folder_with_bt2_coating.html

http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_...chmade_gravitator_with_plain_black_blade.html


And a couple wierdys. VERY similar yet I find one pretty:
http://www.tomarskabars.com/4060_INFO.html

And the other .... not:
http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_type/folding/locking/a_g_russell_framelock_spear_point.html





IMO.

:)
 
I have (2) Pretty knives. A Kershaw Nakamura and a Custom Blackton Skinner. They are (to me) Beautiful knives. Highly polished blades and deeply grained exotic woods. Thats Pretty as (I SEE) it. But I have alot of knives that (FEEL Beautiful) My CFBG42 Military or my Bradley AliasI. The Feel of my Game Warden when I am using it is Pretty or How Easily My D2 RAT3 with Bone handles Cuts is Beautiful as well. My new Spyderco Hossom Forester is a Beautiful knife just setting on my bench doing nothing to me but my neighbor thinks it's a tool to hack weeds with. I tend to think Pretty us as much Feel and Function as it is Visual pleasure.... ~baba~
 
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