Why do you like knives?

Very long time ago one Greek philosopher said:
"To give the name to a thing is like to give a spirit or soul"
Damn I agree wit him.
I like knife because they are part of me:thumbup:
 
For me i think it started with cow boy films on TV,it was something about the Indians and there knives i always wanted to be an Indian playing with the other kids.Throwing knives became an addiction and then led to me being a collector.I think its a deep seated feeling of safety while holding a knife i think most of us get that feeling that may be why we cant wait to handle the next new one.
 
Well, I certainly appreciate a well made knife, that's for sure. But I was collecting long before I started with this. It all started with Victorinox. On my ninth b-day my dad gave me my first one, a classic. I then got the Recruit model a couple of years later. After that, I kept moving forward getting ones with more and more tools on them. I still love the look of a brand new Victorinox. The bright finish on the blade and the reflective sheen of the red handle scales. When I was almost 13 I cut my finger pretty badly when a Victorinox closed on it. I even partially severed the tendon and the Dr had to stitch that back together before closing the skin. While that was healing my Dad took me to his Air National Guard base for the weekend (he was the Commander of the Security Police unit at the time). And a man in the unit asked about my cut and showed me what kind of knife I should be carrying to avoid things like that. It was a Spyderco (an old Endura, I think). I loved the look of that knife and the hole in the blade. Maybe it's just me, but I never questioned what the hole in the blade was for. I mean, I had never been told but my thumb just gravitated to it. A couple of weeks later my dad bought me my first locking knife, a lockback with stainless bolsters and rubber inserts (I don't remember who made it). It all went down hill after that. My first high quality blade was a CS Large Voyager when I was 16. I moved into Gerbers toward the end of high school and really got into high quality stuff at about 21. From there, it's been all downhill. And now, if it's not Buck, SOG, Kershaw, Spyderco, or Benchmade then it's not usually gonna find a way into my pocket (although I do carry some CRKT's and Cold Steel's sometimes).

I have a fairly good sized collection and I still have all the cheap stuff that I bought as a teenager as well. I keep the collection next to my other collection, my Desert Storm trading cards.
 
My love affair with knives started early in life, beginning as a glowing ember as a child , being fanned into flames as my needs and finances blossomed. I still remember my fist knife, a two bladed jackknife with stage handles; although it was almost fifty years ago, I can still remember sleeping with it tucked safely under my pillow, dreaming of the adventuress we would share in the days ahead, content that it could handle any chore it was presented with. From whittling sticks to cleaning fish, that knife was put into play daily. Many a summers day was spent playing mumbley pegs under the shade of a big Elm, as I waited for my bobber to take me away to more urgent matters which would cause me to wipe the blade on my pant leg, and address the next chore it was called upon. The fact that it had two blades was ideal, switching to the larger of the two for the needs of a sharp blade, reserving the smaller one for the games youngsters played with their knives in those days. I still have that old knife even today, although it now is retired, I still fondle it from time to time, reminded of it’s many uses as I look at it’s blade stained with memories past, worn down to a mere half of it’s original size from countless sharpenings.

Growing up in a rural farming community I soon found a need for a larger knife at the tender age of 12 or 13. My buddies and I were enlisted by a local farmer to harvest a ten acre field of squash. The vines that tenaciously held the fruits of their labor were too much to ask of my small jack knife. I “borrowed” my father’s bayonet, a souvenir from his service as a navigator on a bomber in the Second World War, only retired from military duty in the last fifteen years or so at that time. As I held this knife, my thoughts wandered to the many uses this blade had seen during its service in the military; from opening K-rations, to taking it’s place in the survival gear all aviators carried in the unlucky event of succumbing to the enemy flak or a enemy fighter pilot’s spray of strafe, it’s well worn blade a testament of it’s worthiness.

I soon began a job at the local general store/butcher shop that took me through my high school years, using a assortment of knives daily for everything from opening boxes for restocking shelves, to breaking down a side of beef into it’s many different cuts of meat. Those years in the butcher shop were formative in my appreciation of putting a sharp edge on a knife, and the importance of maintaining it through the course of my duties cutting meat. The appreciation of a knife as an important tool of the trade in my duties in the butcher shop has left an indelible impression on me to this very day, over thirty years later.

To me, at least, a knife has always been a tool, to be used and respected for it’s many uses and applications; to be admired , and yes, even to be cherished with memories of times long gone by. Knives have been an important part of my life and are still used on a daily basis even today, still ever thankful for the important role they have played, and are playing, in my life, then,.. and now.

Treadwell
 
Lovely to see tough knife nuts wax lyrical about the why and wherefore...
I do use knives everyday, they're elementary, that's a real motive. That the most elementary things can also be the most sophisticated is a quality that makes for fasincation and collectability - just look at the Japanese tradition.

The fascination, though, does seem to have sth to do with the quality that makes them such efficient objects, the flip side of which is saying, the danger. I remember as a kid being fascinated by the longest, sharpest and pointiest knives in the drawer. And still today, it's always great fun to play with the sharpness of a blade until I got another nick on my hands :thumbup:

I agree with all the anthropological background.
I don't buy the argument that it's never the weapon, only the intent. SUV drivers don't mean to be dangerous, but there's an awful toll. Atom bombs in whatever hands are dangerous, etc. Certain types of guns are far from being a tool, they're nothing but dangerous weapons, hence their availability, when proven to do awful harm and no good, is legitimately subject to restriction.
Knives, however, are something one can't do without. You can be killed with a kitchen knife, but we all need them. Pen and pocket knives, rescue and gardening knives, sailing and diving knives, and so general-purpose pocket knives, are needed as well, sth so useful in all kinds of daily activities, that while you can go without them much of the time, you can hardly do without them in general. Except in such "liberal" places as Britain :)
 
Johnny Weismuller in Tarzan comes to mind. I was a kid and it looked like a big ass knife when he had to dispatch the lion or crocodile. I think from that moment I knew I had to have one.
 
Because silly, you can't be a tactical uber-ninja without one. Sheesh.

Actually, I can't recall what originally drew me to knives. For as long as I can remember I loved blades of all types. Something about them being so beautiful and deadly. Kinda the same way I like red-heads.

Jubei
 
knives, watches, jewlery and pens are the only small edc objects that craftsmen still make nowadays.
the difference is everyone has pens jewlery and a watch and people understand that you need the best craftsmenship when it comes to these but how often do you see someone with a mont blanc pen and a rolex pull out a $h*t cheap fake SAK. knives are also useful, i mean there will always be a clock on the wall and a pen on the table but a knife is something you carry with you and when people see a well made beautiful knife from the relatively inexpensive stunning spyderco kiwi through to a damascus custom folder they will usually ask where they can get one.
how many people doy you see asking others where they brought their parker or their breitling watch. people seem to envy me when i have a nice useful pocket knife even though i am only 18 an the guy sitting next to me wearing the diamond encrusted platinum watch and using his gold pen to write his phone number, well no one seems to care about him!
 
I compare it to the whole watch collecting thing. Fit and finish meet function. Both are tools that require craftsmanship to make, and a certain amount of artistry. I just find the function the knife performs a lot more interesting than the one the watch does.:D -john
 
I ask myself this question, too. Here's my 2 cents:
1. It's not wrong to appreciate an object. Knives are objects that combine weaponry, art, and utility. What's not to like about that?
2. No one is trying to take our knives away. That is paranoia or dementia or both.
3. Knives are often tied to our family history or to great experiences we've had outdoors. So they remind us of what's important to us.
4. Knives help us interact with our environment, whether in our wood shop, our backyard, or the wilderness. Knives invite us to participate.
5. Knives, like fire, have a primal draw. They connect us with a loooooooong history of survival.
6. Knives simply feel good in the hand!
 
Your first post is to raise a 7 year old thread?
 
For me, knives are

1) life saving tool for everybody. It is most simple yet most effective tool to cut, dig, pry, break, and carry around for any task.
2) another option during work. If I have to cut the seat belt, break car windows, pry open door frames, cut ropes, and etc
3) beautiful piece of art. Even thought it is a TOOL before ART, you can't deny its beauty, and
4) investment. Other things depreciate its value over time. Yet hard worked knives still holds it value (at least to you) with memories to go with.


Those are my reasons why I love knives.
 
Well some knives to me do have soul or character. I like the look of knives and appreciate the craftsmenship. You can feel the quality knives verses bad quality. They are very asthetically pleasing while still being useful. It is very fun to feel the action and breakdown what makes a knife special (such as look, feel, action, style, and functionality.) I like the utility of knives as I was a gun guy first it was an easy transition. Yes they are scary to some people (they need to learn how not to be pussies though) , but I find them to be interesting and fun. They use to be cheaper than collecting guns but as I am getting into customs that is changing and I will slow down on buying. Quality if Quantity, but having many quality items is nice to. I like quality items which tend to be expensive and that helps me relate to knife people and members on here.
 
All of the big guys critters have knives of some kind either on their paws or in their mouths, I have no interest in being the one with no knives of some sort.
 
They're an every tool. They're a key to open untraditional locks. A way to pass the time. A conversation piece. To me, they are an example of our superiority as a species. Lastly, they're man jewelry. I don't think there is anything wrong with expressing yourself through ownership.
 
I took a liking to knives when i was 9 or 10 years old, my 1st knife which i still have is a little imperial 2 blade jack knife i got for 1.98 & have loved collecting,carrying & using knives ever since.
 
I carry a knife for the same reason why I carry a lighter in my pocket... They both are representations of man's mastery over his environment. Sometimes it is time to make a fire. Sometimes it is important to make a tool. Sometimes it is important to disassemble something. Having a knife just makes you more capable of adapting to your environment.
 
T.K.C. said:
They are like usable art for me. I appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into making the knife.
Click to expand...

And I respect that even though I predominantly buy for outdoor\camping\fire making etc. use. There are multiple aspects to acquiring pleasure from a tool. Hell, how can I explain to someone why I love hatchets, and sound rational ? I suppose that Many of my interests\hobbies dovetail and I feel a slight nostalgic tie to the romance of the fur trade, and the outdoors in general. If it's in your blood, it seems to stay there. Like smelling the spruce trees and moss lined forest floor on a damp day. It is imprinted in my soul and will never go away. As I said, these tools dovetail with my interests in a natural and holistic manner.
 
Why? Because of how empowering they are to own. You own a knife, you can do a number of tasks that others can't unless they run off to get a tool.
 
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