Why do traditionals look more friendly?

[Blues]

Guys, we're veering a bit off topic here and overstating the obvious. Let's rein it in some and leave the war stories and non-traditional knife images to more appropriate sections of the site. Thank you.

 

[Tentmaker]

Actually I saw a movie called "Let me in" which is a 2010 remake of the film "Let the right one in" where he buys a slipjoint with the intent to stab the bully at his school...one scene he's out in the snow stabbing at a tree with it, its literally the first movie or media piece I remember seeing a small slipjoint in hand as a weapon.

Geez, they've bastardized the image of knives so much that they're actually showing slipjoints as weapons? That's ridiculous.

 

[yobbos1]

It is all in the perception of the individual. Pull out a serrated modern folder and some will recoil in horror because of the way it looks. Pull out stockman and the reaction is totally different in most cases. Take an Opinel out of your pocket and most people who notice at all will think it is a 'quaint' old fashioned knife. Ironically the Opinel was favored by one of France's most notorious serial killers.
Is wood or stag any less threatening than G-10? No. People however largely react first and think later. I tried a little experiment a while back, I replaced a modern black-handled folder that I own with one that is identical but purple handled. Reaction? "cute, funky-looking, weird" . Even Opinels with brightly colored handles get a more positive reaction than the plain wood ones.
Slip-joints look more friendly because of the associations people have; grandpa, old guys whittling, the kind of knives that were around years ago etc. and modern ones suffer because of the popular media and sad-to-say misuse by some current owners.
You just never see a hostile thug waving around a nice stag handled whittler.

 

[Robert.B]

Geez, they've bastardized the image of knives so much that they're actually showing slipjoints as weapons? That's ridiculous.

Yeah I was a little surprised myself, but in the original movie the kid does something similar but with a mora (being a swedish film).

It's a small to medium stockman, cant find a pic online but it shows it in the display case before he buys it...so in a way its demonizing a humble slipjoint.

 

[kamagong]

I don't know if I accept the premise that traditionals always look more friendly. I've seen people react negatively to traditional knives. I've also seen people ignore the use of modern folders. More than anything I think the biggest factor is the user. The people who use traditional knives are probably a little bit older and more mature. They are probably less likely to flourish a knife, so others around them aren't as alarmed. I think that's the real explanation, not that modern folders are less friendly looking.

- Christian

 

[jackknife]

More than anything I think the biggest factor is the user. The people who use traditional knives are probably a little bit older and more mature. They are probably less likely to flourish a knife, so others around them aren't as alarmed. I think that's the real explanation, not that modern folders are less friendly looking.

- Christian

Yeah, a white bearded old geezer on a cane ain't too threatening.

All kidding aside, you may be on to a thread of truth. If most slip joint users are older, there may be a grandpa image at work there. I know that much to my own dismay, I've had a few young people tell me that I remind them of their grandfather. Heck, I gave awaauy a yellow peanut to that kid outside of IKEA that had just got married, and when I loaned him my peanut to cut off the cord from the roll to tied his stuff on the roof, he started telling me all about his grandpa and his little yellow "pen knife" as he called it.

The mid 50ish lady librarian loved my amber bone and damascus peanut when I opened a box of books for her. She felt the jigged bone and ran her finger over the texture of the damascus, and thought it was like a piece of jewelery. This from a silver haired lady librarian in a very liberal county in a very liberal state.

I've never had a bad reaction to a pocket knife, but then I don't carry one handed tacticals.

Carl.

 

[johnny1950]

I agree that tradition itself is the key to perceived "friendliness", and that goes for knives like ours; eating oatmeal that comes out of a round paper box, or taking satisfaction when the line truck drives by with the canvas tool bag still hung on the pintle hook. All tradition, and tradition equals a sense of stability and lastingness, and that often equals 'friendlier".

 

[quattromori]

I agree that there's a variety of places and situations and cultures that cause different reactions to any kind of knife. That's why I didn't use the word "always", cause I've seen people get really scared by a 2,5" slipjoint too.
But as a general fact, I think it is true that traditionals evoke less fear and adverse reaction if compared to modern folders.
I was surprised that on the first page of the thread, the 'user attitude' had been barely mentioned. The more I think about this, the more I believe that Kamagong is right, and it's often our fault if people see our knives in a bad way.
And it's not just the looks. I mean, I don't look anything like a white bearded grandfather. But still I have noticed that the way I pull out the knife from ur pocket, and the way I handle it, can be more or less intimidating.
My thought is that the knife itself has a big role in provoking reactions, but it's not the only factor. Probably, people who carry traditionals tend to behave a bit different and in a less "aggressive" way, and that may have some influence on the reactions we get.
We are all carrying a knife cause we want to, and we think it's our right, no matter how people might react. Still, I believe it's somehow our role to make non knife people realize that a knife is a useful tool and that they should not consider it just a dangerous weapon.
And maybe carrying traditionals might help this process.
Fausto

 

[knarfeng]

Smaller blades are less intimidating.
The average traditional blade is not as broad, and is not as long, as the average "modern" blade. The reaction is often to a large piece of steel in someone's hand as opposed to a small piece.

Two-hand opening is less intimidating, especially as many folks snap open their one-handers.
It has been mentioned many times in the General Forum that many non-knife folks react to knife folks who snap open their one-handers. Traditionals mostly have to be opened with two hands, and slowly.

 

[Blues]

I'm kind of surprised that the conclusion (as provided in the thread title) isn't more obvious or self-evident given the nature of and what we know about the (general) characteristics of the knives in question.

(Of course I have a diminutive modern auto at about 3" closed which I'd consider way less menacing looking than my Halfrich "Bulldog" at over 5" closed. I think common sense and the actions of those deploying the knife pretty much tell us what we need to know in most instances.)

 

[Tentmaker]

@Robert B.


That's why we have anti-knifers, and anti-knife laws. Media misrepresentation and fearmongering.

 

[knarfeng]

@Robert B.


That's why we have anti-knifers, and anti-knife laws. Media misrepresentation and fearmongering.

That's a different question. Lets not go there in this thread or in this forum.

 

[Robert.B]

That's a different question. Lets not go there in this thread or in this forum.

I agree.

Elliott, on the topic of autos just to lightly discuss that from how traditionals are perceived and others might have an opinion but how do you see the traditional lever locks from boker for instance? which do look a lot like some average slipjoints. I only ask because it was mentioned the way we open our slip joints is agreed to be crucial in how our knives are seen by the average non-knife person, could a knife like that have that negative effect beyond the base appearance?

 

[stinkyspice]

For me, a 'traditional' knife immediately evokes thoughts of more 'traditional' people & times. To me, that implies a more 'friendly' perception from the get-go, as I think it embodies all the qualities that really were the norm (traditional) some time ago. Decency, kindness, respect, warmth and simple, intelligent functionality are what come to mind, when I think of 'traditional'.

+1 on that thought

 

[kozak6]

I think a lot of it is due to associations, size, materials, and perhaps the sort of person who tends to carry traditional knives.

Another part of it is opening style. A slipjoint is slower to open. One reaches into their pocket, takes out the knife, and unfolds it. It's easy to see and perhaps casts the knife as more tool like.

A modern knife is a little different. I've been surprised by a friend using an assisted opening knife. *SNAP* and all of a sudden, there is a knife in the hand. It seems to me to be a far more aggressive act, even when it's not intended as such.

 

[MacCairnie]

Certainly a black blade is more intimidating than something clean, and for some reason, serrations do seem to look scary too. You'll never please some people, though, no matter how low-key your knife is. I've been repeatedly called scary for opening the small blade of a Swiss Army Knife to sharpen a pencil, and I did it slowly with both hands. Some people just hate the idea of blades in any form. I never know what to say to that kind of fear- how do you reassure someone who's scared by an inch of steel?

If the scared person has even a grain of sense, I do find that their fear diminishes when they watch me use a knife. Once they see that I'm opening a package, not mugging them, they're a *little* less afraid. I've still frightened people by cutting apples, though.

 

[Blues]

I agree.

Elliott, on the topic of autos just to lightly discuss that from how traditionals are perceived and others might have an opinion but how do you see the traditional lever locks from boker for instance? which do look a lot like some average slipjoints. I only ask because it was mentioned the way we open our slip joints is agreed to be crucial in how our knives are seen by the average non-knife person, could a knife like that have that negative effect beyond the base appearance?

I'm not familiar with them, Robert, so any opinion would be purely conjecture. For the most part I think it boils down to demeanor and common sense. The rest takes care of itself.

 

[jamesbeat]

I'd agree with all of the above reasons, especially color.
One only has to look at rifles to see the same effect. An 'evil black rifle' can be functionally identical to a semiauto hunting rifle with a nice walnut stock, but in people's minds, the black rifle looks more 'deadly'.
Same goes for knives. I believe that the black 'tactical' look makes a knife look more like it's designed with a deadly purpose in mind, with little or no concession to style.
A traditional looks like it was made to look pretty as well as be a functional tool, not like something designed to be dumped in a river after stabbing somebody.

I'd definitely agree that opening method is a huge factor too.
Nail nick opening is more delicate and time consuming than, say, a thumb stud, and doesn't present the blade in a 'ready to stab' fashion.
I've been doing a lot of cutting lately (renovating a store, lots of unboxing) and have been using my peanut openly in front of members of the public.
Their reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, presumably for all of the aforementioned reasons.

When I lived in Britain, (one of the least knife-friendly European countries) I carried a strawberry bone canoe for this very reason, it just looked too 'dandy' to be a weapon.

 

[22-rimfire]

As Blues said, I think "traditionals" are viewed as more "friendly"; a working man's knife and the view is more or less self-evident. Americans for the most part have a positive attitude toward the "working man". They are part of Americana. They built America.

I am primarily referring to slip joints in general or knives that look like slip joints (liner locks) although the traditional forum includes a more diverse cross section of knives.

Deployment of a knife is certainly an aspect of contributing to positive and negative views. Certainly the media has painted switch blades as knives used by criminals or would be criminals. Knives designed for stabbing are not traditional in design although I suspect their use has been with us for many years. I certainly get a more positive reaction from women when deploying a traditional knife.