Women and Knives on Bladeforums

I grew up around men who carried knives, but not women who carried knives. And the vast majority of women I have known throughout my life were certainly not knife enthusiasts. As a result, I formed the opinion, right or wrong, that having an interest in knives, and carrying knives, was not a subject of interest among women. So when I see/hear a woman who has an interest in knives, and carries a knife, I find that very interesting. I'm very interested in hearing about what female knife enthusiasts like in regards to knives, what they use them for, and what their general experiences are carrying knives.

I am interested in the point of view and experiences of knife enthusiasts who are different from me. Whether they be women, or people living in a foreign country, or people who are much older than I, or people who are much younger than I, etc. Some may criticize this thread for being "gender specific", but a thread like this can expand my knowledge of knife enthusiasts beyond the male knife enthusiasts who have always been very common in my world.

And if I don't like a thread, or have no interest in the topic of a thread, I just ignore it. I really don't understand why others are unable to do the same. And if any member here doesn't want to face the risk of being judged by their gender, there is a simple way to prevent that- don't reveal your gender. This is the internet, no one can see you (unless you want them to).

I wonder if this thread was locked before I could post. It would be a shame if it were. I think that sometimes people intentionally try to get threads locked that they don't approve of. Guess I'll hit SUBMIT and see if this one is still alive.
 
killgar said:
I grew up around men who carried knives, but not women who carried knives. And the vast majority of women I have known throughout my life were certainly not knife enthusiasts. As a result, I formed the opinion, right or wrong, that having an interest in knives, and carrying knives, was not a subject of interest among women. So when I see/hear a woman who has an interest in knives, and carries a knife, I find that very interesting. I'm very interested in hearing about what female knife enthusiasts like in regards to knives, what they use them for, and what their general experiences are carrying knives.

I am interested in the point of view and experiences of knife enthusiasts who are different from me. Whether they be women, or people living in a foreign country, or people who are much older than I, or people who are much younger than I, etc. Some may criticize this thread for being "gender specific", but a thread like this can expand my knowledge of knife enthusiasts beyond the male knife enthusiasts who have always been very common in my world.

And if I don't like a thread, or have no interest in the topic of a thread, I just ignore it. I really don't understand why others are unable to do the same. And if any member here doesn't want to face the risk of being judged by their gender, there is a simple way to prevent that- don't reveal your gender. This is the internet, no one can see you (unless you want them to).

I wonder if this thread was locked before I could post. It would be a shame if it were. I think that sometimes people intentionally try to get threads locked that they don't approve of. Guess I'll hit SUBMIT and see if this one is still alive.
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Thank you very much Killgar for your GREAT expression and addition to this topic-all i may say is that you NAILED IT!

This is exactly how i see it too and your words help a lot to get a bigger picture here...

I think that all of us can learn something new if we are open minded,willing to listen to,what others may say about knives,from their own position,experience and point of view...

As an example,i always tought what kind of knife i could get for my wife,daughter or female collegue as present...I would assume (from my point of view) that girls will prefer small,lightweight maybe colourfull folders only...

As contrary to that, Liz posted here her massive Busse knife and expressed passion for large choppers such as Busse Moab,etc.and told her story behind it,that also made her reasonably in favour of these sort of knifes,usually unseen in girls disposal.Girl from another thread was talking for instance system she prefer to carry her Puma knife and made her point related to that.It is all about reasonable and mature discussion between all of us here i guess...

Thank You
 
Hello,

Here you go!

Buck - 110 Folding Hunter - 50th Anniversary knife. (There is a second one of these knives in our house too.)

Buck - Vanguard - I got this knife with part of a full in store credit up in Ronan, MT. I like it but I gave it back to my husband. I can use it any time, it stays in the den and it goes with us when we camp or travel with a few other BASIC items like a camp axe, potable water, soap, towel, flashlights, extra eyeglasses for me, etc.

Buck - Ranger Skinner Fixed Blade

Buck - The 55

I am leaning more and more to simple FIXED blades too! Four inches or less too.

I always carry a knife on me when I work in the yard or go away from my home.

I no longer own, shoot, open carry or conceal handguns so a simple KNIFE for basic self defense NOT just for 'survival' in some other type of emergency situation is even more important to me now. I carried a small knife and/or scissors on me for 30 plus years for 'security' and for emergency use. My late husband got me into that habit. Some of those older knives are ones that I no longer own or use.

I still shoot a few lever action rifles and a single shot bolt action rifle. An old injury and arthritis have set into my body so I have made MAJOR changes in various departments in my life. I am 64 years old.

I am using some knives (FIXED blades.) of my husband's now to SEE how much I like them - brand name, style and length. (I am a remarried widow.) He told me that I can have whatever I want of his (Gift to me.) shy of a few of his absolute favorites for hunting and his EDC knife/knives.

He has DOWNSIZED his knives as he did in his handguns, rifles, etc. over the last X amount of years. I downsized a lot over the years too! He is still downsizing in some things that he does not use now too.

Most of the older people in my life and in my age group always carried a small knife on them and they did not think anything about it. It was NOT always due to their profession in or out of the military. Some of the ladies that I had in my life carried a small knife or SCISSORS in their purse, briefcase, etc.

I am now trying out a Cold Steel Canadian Belt knife (FB), a Tops Cougar Claw (FB) and a handmade knife of my MT husband with a Damascus steel blade with pretty black walnut wood that I picked out from a bunch of wood. His knife maker friend put it together. The blade is fixed and it came out of Idaho. TEARS OF THE SWORD - RP Martin. The black walnut is beautiful and looks like a few of our former and present black walnut lever action rifles. My husband asked me how I liked these knives of his and he had me try some more of his fixed blade knives too.

My husband wants me to get a handmade knife and a few more store bought ones but the final DECISION is up to me.

I LOVE my Buck knives, my Estwing camp axe, a Sog Fasthawk - tomahawk and a Fiskars hatchet. I do not know the model of the Fiskars right now but we got it at our Sportsman's Warehouse store. It is in my husband's pick up truck. I no longer use or own a big old heavy axe that I had in my former home, boonies, in my former state with my late husband.

We do want to get ONE more axe though but we have not decided on that yet.

Many of the pocket knives in our house shy of a FEW of them will continue to be gifted and sold too. My husband has his absolute favorites and they will stay.

I am a lady who loves her Buck knives and is leaning into fixed blades more and more.

Cate
PS: My husband has a few other axes, entrenching tools, etc. but I do not use them. Why? Because they do not fit me. I use what suits ME.
 
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LizaMari said:
I live out in the boonies on a narrow, dead-end dirt road on a mountain. I own 11 acres of what was once a 240 acre parcel owned and farmed by my grandparents and passed down to my father and his two brothers. My father started taking me hunting with him on this mountain when I was 7 years old and fishing and foraging when I was younger than that.

I hunt, fish and forage on the same land and a good, strong, sharp knife is an essential tool. I've become addicted to Busse and kin knives and when out and about in the woods I find myself reaching for my trail point competition finish Son of Badger. It guts brook trout and rabbits and shaves dirt off mushroom stems with ease and it is a great all-around EDC knife IMO.

My favorite knife? Busse satin Team Gemini with bruiser scales. It's a great chopper and just a beautiful, heavy piece of INFI steel. Plus my favorite color is blue. :D

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Nice post and you have a sweet knife!

Thank you for sharing.

Cate
 
Moosez45 said:
I honestly see no difference between women and men when it comes to knives or the outdoors. My Ma always has a stockman in her purse/pocket (usually a cooler full of beer in the trunk too.....).

My wife carries a folder in her purse/pocket, has a couple of fixed blades when we go backcountry or kayaking.

My daughters have a myriad of knives. Some I got them, others they picked up at shows or Gatherings we go to. From SAK's to folders to fixed, they got plenty of steel to choose from when we go out.

Point is, folks need a knife for a happy life, whether they are male or female.

Continuing to make a big deal out of "Women and Knives" continues to perpetuate discrimination of the opposite sex, whether it be male or female. Some of the women we have on the board, I never knew or even cared. It's about knives in our lives. Testes or ovaries, knives are knives. Use 'em, love 'em, but don't lose 'em.......











Moose
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Good post too. Thank you for sharing.

Cate
 
My daughter will know how to use a knife.
She carries a couple of small ones in her pack, and she's gradually learning to use them safely and under supervision.
The pink is her choice, not mine. :p

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Guyon said:
My daughter will know how to use a knife.
She carries a couple of small ones in her pack, and she's gradually learning to use them safely and under supervision.
The pink is her choice, not mine. :p
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My daughter will know as well. She's 5 and seems fine yelling "daddy......knife!" when she needs something cut but we've started off in the kitchen cutting up veggies and I'm excited to go on from there.
 
killgar said:
I grew up around men who carried knives, but not women who carried knives. And the vast majority of women I have known throughout my life were certainly not knife enthusiasts. As a result, I formed the opinion, right or wrong, that having an interest in knives, and carrying knives, was not a subject of interest among women. So when I see/hear a woman who has an interest in knives, and carries a knife, I find that very interesting. I'm very interested in hearing about what female knife enthusiasts like in regards to knives, what they use them for, and what their general experiences are carrying knives.

I am interested in the point of view and experiences of knife enthusiasts who are different from me. Whether they be women, or people living in a foreign country, or people who are much older than I, or people who are much younger than I, etc. Some may criticize this thread for being "gender specific", but a thread like this can expand my knowledge of knife enthusiasts beyond the male knife enthusiasts who have always been very common in my world.

And if I don't like a thread, or have no interest in the topic of a thread, I just ignore it. I really don't understand why others are unable to do the same. And if any member here doesn't want to face the risk of being judged by their gender, there is a simple way to prevent that- don't reveal your gender. This is the internet, no one can see you (unless you want them to).

I wonder if this thread was locked before I could post. It would be a shame if it were. I think that sometimes people intentionally try to get threads locked that they don't approve of. Guess I'll hit SUBMIT and see if this one is still alive.
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^This, exactly. I don't understand why some people get so upset about this stuff, good grief. Some people do tend to think it's unusual that I enjoy pocket knives so much, and I don't know many other females that do. I have given some to my mom, sisters... But it's not the same. I for one would be interested in hearing what brought other females to carry them, and why. And I don't think it's sexist or any of that other nonsense. I also don't see that a thread on men with knives would be necessary either, since I'm guessing that the vast majority of users on here are male, so that would be like going to a family reunion, and having a 'separate' reunion within the reunion just for your family. Doesn't even make sense.

Now, with all that said... I've pretty much been into knives ever since I laid eyes on them. I used to play with butter knives before I was allowed to have my own real knife, which was actually a utility knife. It's all been downhill from there. I used to get knives as presents from various relatives, and almost all of them were cheapies. I got my first good knife somewhere around 13, a Buck Odyssey. I didn't really start collecting the 'good stuff' until a few years ago, but here I am. I'm not much into moderns anymore, I've given some away (still have the original Odyssey, though), some I still have but don't really carry. I'm definitely into traditionals, although not at all cv... Just not a fan of it. I have multiple Bucks, 2 Case, CRKT, Kershaw, a couple Moras, Victorinox, a few Rough Riders... Hopefully adding some more fixed blades to my collection as I currently only have two. My favorites are my Buck 501 with indigo royalwood scales, stock 503 and 55... I whittle a bit, but mainly tend to use them for things like opening mail/packages, cutting yarn when I'm working on projects... Just generally try to have a knife on me at almost all times. I don't consider them weapons as much as tools.
I've gotten my husband a bit into knives as well. He generally carries one when out of the house. I already have my daughter's first knife, although she won't be old enough for it for a few more years.
 
Morrow said:
My daughter will know as well. She's 5 and seems fine yelling "daddy......knife!" when she needs something cut but we've started off in the kitchen cutting up veggies and I'm excited to go on from there.
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Speaking of women or girls in family my daughter is not interested in knives in any way,neither my wife is,i guess my hobby is weird to them...When they see me with knives,they give me that "serial killer" attitude,only son understand me...Wife become over years even overly hostile to my passion for knives,so after all them years i had to become deliberately very good in "undercover operations" and she trained me so well, i could make a career out of it.....surely would pass sucessfuly every tests thanks to her approach to this.
 
RX-79G said:
My wife has a passion for clean knives. She loves to put them in the dishwasher.
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As does mine....I had to buy her a few basic, but well made kitchen knives that are dishwasher safe just so shed quit putting my "kitchen users" (I use a spyderco police in the kitchen regularly) from my collection in the dishwasher, despite me telling her not to.:grumpy:

As for the ladies in my household, my oldest daughter who is in college, she carries a Vic Classic on her keychain and a PINK :D Rat II in her purse. She liked my Rat I, but she is a dainty thing so I ordered it for her as a christmas gift (she even showed it off with some pics of it on her bookface account lol

My youngest, a freshman in HS, has a Native that she "borrowed" from my collection years ago and has never returned :thumbup:, but she's only allowed to use it around the house and on camping trips.

And my wife, she has a Ladybug/AA fenix light combo on her keychain, and currently a ffg VG-10 Endura in her purse.
 
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Women don't need pocket knives. There are plenty of knives in the kitchen! Speaking of which, where's that sandwich I ordered...

Ok, to be serious, my fiancé carries a pink Kershaw Shuffle. Its great for when I need a beer. She's pretty good with knives, and respects my hobby. I almost killed her the other day because I was emptying the dishwasher and found my 6" Shun utility knife in there; and with the rest of the silverware. Big ole chip in it. Too much for me to sharpen out, so I guess I'll have to send it to Kai and see what they can do. She apologized profusely, she loves that knife and knew it wasn't supposed to go in the dishwasher, but it got mixed in the knives in the sink. C'est la vie.

I think everyone should have or at least be familiar with pocket and fixed blade knives, for safety and security reasons. As much as she would love to, my fiance can't carry a knife at work because she works in a home for the disabled, and it is a safety thing. All the kitchen knives are locked in a drawer for the same reasons. Thankfully, the facility trained her in self defense before starting he job, as she has been attacked a few times by one of the residents. Its kind of cool as she picks out my edc every morning.
 
1. Blade Girl was a bit of an attention hog I guess you could say. Got the feeling she came to the forum from a lot of social networking.

2. The guys trashing her were just attention hogs in a different way.

3. It's always neat and refreshing to have some ladies around in a forum on a typically male hobby. Been on pipe smokers forums and seen it too.

4. Hope you all didn't scare Blade Girl away. At the end of the day, she had potential. She seemed to like knives.
 
davek14 said:
1. Blade Girl was a bit of an attention hog I guess you could say. Got the feeling she came to the forum from a lot of social networking.

2. The guys trashing her were just attention hogs in a different way.

3. It's always neat and refreshing to have some ladies around in a forum on a typically male hobby. Been on pipe smokers forums and seen it too.

4. Hope you all didn't scare Blade Girl away. At the end of the day, she had potential. She seemed to like knives.
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Who mentioned Blade Girl? I thought that was going to be left in the other thread.
 
davek14 said:
1. Blade Girl was a bit of an attention hog I guess you could say. Got the feeling she came to the forum from a lot of social networking.

2. The guys trashing her were just attention hogs in a different way.

3. It's always neat and refreshing to have some ladies around in a forum on a typically male hobby. Been on pipe smokers forums and seen it too.

4. Hope you all didn't scare Blade Girl away. At the end of the day, she had potential. She seemed to like knives.
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I agree with points 2-3-4 only,lovely woman with passion and dedication to good things,i hope she comes back too.After all,her topic inspired me to do this thread and this thread inspired other "Manly" thread... :)

Keep the relevant topic, not to discuss members,only knives etc
 
I have no daughters, with 4 boys, instead. 2 out of the 4 are very into knives, as well.

My wife is very indiscriminant about what knife she uses in the kitchen, but tends to lean towards those knives with serrations. I let her use them, but keep the Shuns to myself, mostly, or encourage her to use them when I'm around.

My sister-in-law has been more influenced by my knife hobby than my wife. She has gotten a set of nice (mid-quality dept. store type) knives, and I keep one of my Shuns at Grandma's house, which SIL brings out to use, whenever she's over.

I have 3 nieces, who are all a bit too young for knives yet, but their fathers (brother and BiL) are definitely open to teaching them about knives. When the time comes, with their permission, I'll get them each a decent knife fitted to their personalities.

I say, we need to promote our hobby. Until everyone is carrying, our job will not be complete.
 
I actually wish and hope for more women in this hobby.
Of the ones I've had the pleasure of knowing, theyre usually pretty knowledgeable and interested in learning for the sake of it. Theyre usually far more open minded than many of the menfolk I've talked to about knives and less prone to opinionated thinking and having to be dominant. Theyre more interested in the truth of what works and what doesn't than brand loyalty to obsession or what famous name said what was right or wrong. Theyre usually practical enough to be able to discern what works for them well and critical thinking enough to utilize it. Aside from the obvious gender benefit, I find talking to most women about this hobby and all it's facets quite pleasurable and pleasant....which is the best benefit of all.
 
My daughter likes her Hest folder and carries the ZT566 all the time. She has a Busse TGLB and pretty much all the Esee fixed blades I think as well as a few hawks and a couple of swiss army knives.

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Karda said:
I actually wish and hope for more women in this hobby.
Of the ones I've had the pleasure of knowing, theyre usually pretty knowledgeable and interested in learning for the sake of it. Theyre usually far more open minded than many of the menfolk I've talked to about knives and less prone to opinionated thinking and having to be dominant. Theyre more interested in the truth of what works and what doesn't than brand loyalty to obsession or what famous name said what was right or wrong. Theyre usually practical enough to be able to discern what works for them well and critical thinking enough to utilize it. Aside from the obvious gender benefit, I find talking to most women about this hobby and all it's facets quite pleasurable and pleasant....which is the best benefit of all.
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I am also sharing your point Karda to the full extend of your comment...I also noticed that girls or women tend to blend in perfectly in male dominated fields or hobbies and go with the flow,rather than being noticed.It is also strong matter of cultural background and society in variety of countries globally in relation to hobbies or collecting etc.Example Nepal,where women are very skilled with knives,also many other countries,Women are skilled with knives however everywhere and despite all myths, they often work with knives much more frequently than us,guys due to daily food preparation etc.They are actually closer to knives than one may think...Knives are also frequently used by women in self defence situations way more often, than in similar scenarios,when it comes to men.Yes,kitchen knives are very often choice of selfdefence in domestic violence etc.Knive will be used by men in very rare situation and for guys,it is utterly last resort,but yes,many other circumstances have affect on this.
 
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