Why Knives?

HotSwat said:
Some people are into the purposeful-design and anesthetics of knives.
Click to expand...

They've been anything but anesthetic when I've been careless enough to cut myself with 'em! :eek:

Seriously though, on the purely practical side, they're a very versatile tool. Then we have the aesthetic appeal many of them have on us. Something nicely crafted, with graceful lines, either shining or patinated steel... fun stuff!
Plus, I like to cut, slice, whittle and chop. Maybe it's one of those "hands on" feelings that contrasts that feeling of new-fangled "uselessness" we might get from office jobs or modern urban life in general. There's a certain satisfaction in doing something with your hands and a relatively simple tool, be it preparing supper, carving wood, or clearing brush in the back yard.
 
HotSwat said:
Why are we into knives?

Is it practical? Maybe you're a butcher, a craftsman, a farmer or a solider.

Some people are into the purposeful-design and anesthetics of knives.

I carry/collect knives for a lot of reasons, here are the top three:

1. My dad did.
2. Knives are extremely useful.
3. Having a knife gives me a little confidence boost. It's nice to know that you have the tool that'll get the job done folded neatly in your pocket.

My knife has really gotten me through some tough situations. I don't want to sound sentimental, but there have been times when my knife was my only companion.
Click to expand...

Actually, I am a butcher and I was very briefly in law enforcement. But those are not the reasons.

They are fun, useful, and cool.

I'm an EDC nut and knives are great to have on you for many purposes. I carry a gun, knives, and flashlights everywhere legal and then some. I also hike/backpack most years. The Rockies, Tetons, and Rockies the past three years. A knife or two is a must bring for that.
 
DazedAndConfused said:
My grandfather told me when I was a little kid that a good or "real" man always has a knife and a way to make a fire. It stuck, and you would be hard pressed to find me without a knife and a lighter, or fire starter of some other sort.
Click to expand...

Amen to that!
One of the main jobs of grandfathers is to 'go back' and pick up all the things they missed teaching their sons (our dads).
And even if nothing was skipped in their parenting, it pays to reinforce it with the grandkids.
Your grandfather's advice, Dazed, was the same as mine was to me, and for my grandkids I add, "carry a flashlight".
Light, fire, and a sharp knife and you've about got it covered.
 
Before i was a soldier or even an adult i had an affinity for knives. Im also relativley certain that being by very liberal parents who wouldnt let me own a knife made me amuch bigger collector as a an adult (making up for lost time i guess) all precision tools and instruments such as watchs firearms flashlights intrigue me but nothing holds the fascinaton for me that afew inches of sharpened steel does. knives are the greatest tool man has ever invented and paved the way for all the modern tools we have now the simple elegance and lines of a gentlemans folder or the rough tough edges of a survival knife it doesnt matter i just love knives.


Btw my grandparent swere always excepting of my hobby (other than the expense) and i will always be indebted to them for helping me sort my life out (not just the knife thing either)
 
I just got carried away with them. Carried a Schrade Cave Bear for many years, before I actually got into collecting knives.
 
They look cool.
They're very useful when you need to cut stuff.
There's so much variety that you never run out of cool new knives to buy/trade.
Making/modding them is fun.:)
Plus, talking about knives led to the job I have(in a lab, go figure). What other hobby can compete with THAT?
Oh yeah, and, of course, the best answer(although it has already been given): why not?
 
Knives..................I'm simply drawn to them. They bring back memories from my childhood. It seems some of my best memories involve knives:

Being with my mother and her stopping and buying my first Swiss Army Knife When I was 6 or 7 years old.

Helping my Dad (he is a carpenter) by getting tools out of his tool box, and seeing his beat-up Buck 110 he had for many years.

Getting a new knife on my last trip to Alaska to see family I hadn't seen in many years.

My wife getting me a new knife for Christmas in 2007. See surprised me, as she said she couldn't find the one I wanted.

And the list goes on......


Life seems to draw me to knives.
 
There is something primal about the knife as a tool. One of the oldest tolls man has ever made. Its still after millennia, not been perfected in material or design. It has uses ranging from martial to mundane and is as much of an art form as a tool. So it is very very easy to see the attraction.
 
I think it is interesting what the OP stated, and this screams loudly at me.......
I collect knives because my dad did! My dad turns 70 this month of August. He has always carried a pocket knife since I can remember. He had one of those military all metal ones, and he had a lanyard on the end. I am sure it is still there, although I do not see it out when I visit. So my 3 reasons:
Cause my dad does
I love tools, and knives are one of my favorite tools
They look and feel tremendous in my hand!

Great thread!
 
Why knives...

Because they are necessary and useful tool and as one poster stated they tend to give a confidence boost , maybe it's a sense of prepardness. :)


and oh yea , because they are cool ! :D
 
I've found much more use for my Leatherman Wave than my primary EDC, but I don't really like to EDC the Wave. So I guess I like my primary EDC because it's toy that's disguised as a tool. Just being honest.
 
cj65 said:
I think it is interesting what the OP stated, and this screams loudly at me.......
I collect knives because my dad did! My dad turns 70 this month of August. He has always carried a pocket knife since I can remember. He had one of those military all metal ones, and he had a lanyard on the end. I am sure it is still there, although I do not see it out when I visit. So my 3 reasons:
Cause my dad does
I love tools, and knives are one of my favorite tools
They look and feel tremendous in my hand!

Great thread!
Click to expand...

Good thing your dad didnt collect ladies underwear!;)
 
I think this thread is the one for my first post at BF. It goes to the basics. As most people, I think, I'm a little bit complex, I have many interests. First, I'm a farmer (needless to say how useful is a knife in my every day work), but I also work as a wildlife scientist for an chilean university, spending lot of time in the field. I love handwork (mechanics, woodwork, etc.) and try to have the precise tool for each work and the best quality for each tool (have tons of steel in tools). And last, but not least, I love arts and am a not too bad painter (I think it since I can sell my paints).So which thing is the most useful tool for any of my actvities and, at the same time, a work of art?...Yes! This is why I don't imagine me without a knife, and always looking for the best one(an endless work who gave me to this forum).
Cheers,
Camilo. (Please...sorry if my English is not too good!)
 
1) My knife is my friend. It will follow me anywhere and will always be there when I need it.

2) Ive alwas been drawn to them. I just lve how they feel look, etc

3) They are very useful

4) In a world we live in where most things are built to break and be thrown away (pens, cellphones, cheap watches) I feel knives hold the tradition in that they are built to last. I like that I can age and hav my knives that i have had since i was young. I can pass them to my kids and they can hold a story about who I was as a person. Maybe not in words but they symbolize the person that used them. COrny I know, but thats how I feel. My knives are tools but they mean so much more to me
 
1. Usefulness
2. There are so many dimensions that keep it interesting.

You see, at first I used to like knives like cold steel's. They looked cool. I went to a store to check some out, and the guy there recommended me a Benchmade. He said, "Better steel, better materials." I said, "Nah, who needs a better steel."

So I did some research online, and then I got into steels. And there are just so many aspects to think about to keep cutlery interesting:

1. Blade steels
2. Blade grinds
3. Blade geometries
4. Locks/lock types
5. Handles/handle materials
6. And especially sharpening and all the different aspects of it.

And I'm sure you can think of dozens and dozens more.
 
"Why on Earth are you carrying a knife?" That's the most frequent "why" that I hear. Since 9-11, the world has turned against anyone carrying something sharp and pointy - to the point that all of my colleagues, many of which are quite a bit more outgoing than I am, suddenly become genuinely scared when they see someone around with a "weapon". So why AM I carrying a knife? Little bit of a story here as this is my first post in years, with a different nick than before. Please skip to the next post if you're bored already. :D

Well, I got a pocketknife from my granddad when I was 8. A Victorinox, which I've stayed true to - I always carry two knives, of which one is always a Vic. Back then, 1976, a pocketknife still was a totally normal gift to a young boy and a good means of "breaking in" into the real world, in which sometimes a sharp edge can come in handy.

As the years went by, it was always completely normal that I had a pocketknife gradually wearing through my jeans-pocket. Only since my first serious USA-made knife, a now police-confiscated (whole story in itself, won't delve into it here) Benchmade 690, I started wearing EDC's on their clips. This way of wearing a knife made access to it much easier and it became common practice for me to open up boxes at work by means of a Benchmade, Spyderco or WH. Or a Small Sebbie, since a few weeks.

So, plain convenience is a keyword here. It's always there when you need it; which is daily, as I also use it for watchmaking - I sharpen thin wooden sticks whith which I thoroughly clean sapphire pivot-holes for watch-geartrains. Another reason is just plain stubbornness - the more people start telling me they don't like someone around with a "scary knife" (government and media have done their job "well" here), the more I'll stick to wearing one.

The last thing on my mind is seeing my EDC as a weapon. That most people tend to see that otherwise by now is just tragic. Let's face it, a knife was mankind's first tool. How would people react if the -let's pick something serious here- wheel were outlawed...? :rolleyes:
 
Got my first knife at 6-7 years old from Dad then Grandpa gave me some old case & John Primble knives. I remember Grandpa sitting on a porch swing cutting an apple with a Keen Kutter, I later got that too. Pretty soon I had a dozen or so and started "collecting". Always had one on me and people almost depended on it. I must have picked up 100+ since then. All the variety makes it a blast. I still have a real soft spot for old slip joints.
 
Why knives? Because every now and then I find myself in a situation where I need to cut something.

Beyond that, I think they're beautiful and sharpening one of the ways I relax. It's very peaceful when the only thing in the world that matters is the edge. I get a lot of thinking done when I sharpen knives. And the benefit is twofold... mental stability and sharp knives.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top