Ladies On The Edge

[JD Spydo]

Back years ago probably about in the 70s & 80s era I had already racked up a few years of being somewhat of a knife afficionado. However I didn't get super serious until about premium grade knives until about 1995 because it was that particular year when I started acquiring several of my Spyderco, Benchmade, Boker, Al Mar and a few other premium brands of knives. I actually got my first Spyderco blade that year.

During that time I had tried to give several of my lady friends ( girlfriends too) some type of an EDC folder. Probably 2 to 3 of them I finally got to accept something like a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife. But even that was like pulling teeth out of fully cured concrete :rolleyes: . Once I got them to check out the convenience of keeping a pocket knife at your side then a few of them slowly but reluctantly became converts. And I put a lot of emphasis on the word "FEW" :D

But for years trying to get the ladies to embrace a premium grade EDC folder was a pretty tough sell overall. But I've noticed in the past 4 years it seems that there is a growing group of ladies that are not only EDCing a pocketknife, there are many of them now literally embracing many of the premium brands of cutlery>> not only Spyderco but at least 6 other brands I could name. It seems like I first started noticing it over at Bladeforums maybe 5 to 6 years ago. But one good friend of mine said he was meeting several ladies at some of the BLADE Shows in Atlanta as recent as two to three years ago that were aggressively searching out coveted, Spyderco, Benchmade, Boker and other premium knives. Back between 1999 to 2004 I couldn't hardly bribe or force a gal to go to one of those shows much less starting carrying the equivalent of one Spyderco's flagship models>> and getting a lady to consider starting a serious collection was a long shot at best.

But in the past 4 years I've noticed the amount of ladies that are becoming fans of premium knives has grown exponentially. What gives? What cataclysmic event has turned the tide :eek: ?? Why have pocket knives ( or fixed blades too) all of a sudden become a sort of "fashion item" or even "fashion statement" for the ladies :confused: ? Changes in society usually come slow but this trend has gained a lot of ground in a relatively short period of time. I would love to know what has spurred this trend?

[James Y]

To be fair, as an adult, I’ve personally known very few MEN who carry a knife, much less have any interest in specific brands.

I have seen a small number of women, back when I used to attend local gun shows (late 1990s until around 2005) whom I saw asking knife dealers about certain knife brands and models. I’m certain there have always been outdoorsy women who have been into knives; I simply didn’t know any personally.

If there is a growing trend now that is inspiring more women to have a greater interest in brand-name knives, I can only guess, first, that it has something to do with the influence of social media, and more exposure to different things that they otherwise would not be made aware of.

Another possible reason is the growing trend in recent years of female empowerment in the media (TV and movies). Especially if you’ve seen many commercials nowadays, you’ve probably noticed this trend. Women and girls are portrayed in a much more empowered light than ever before, and this might have influenced some to look into different things and develop new interests. Probably the best way to know would be to ask the individual women directly about their interest in knives.

Anyway, more interest in and appreciation of quality knives can only be a good thing.

Jim

[Doc Dan]

Men are becoming more effeminate and women are now more manly than many of them are. hahaha! :D :D

[JD Spydo]

Men are becoming more effeminate and women are now more manly than many of them are. hahaha! :D :D

Oh come on Doc :o it can't be that bad :rolleyes: Actually I think Jim may have something when he mentioned "Social Media". Also I think with "Social Media" in play I think a lot of the ladies are trying other methods of meeting guys maybe? Most people are burnt out on the dating websites and I think that the ladies might be using other strategies to hook up with guys that they normally wouldn't use. But even with that being said it still seems like more girls are liking high quality knives for whatever reason.

It also seems like we've picked up a few more ladies here at Spyderville as well. I'm sure everyone's story is different as to how they became interested in premium cutlery.

I do hope that a few ladies weigh in and let us know how they got hooked on our hobby

[James Y]

Joe,

I’m sure there are a variety of reasons why more women have become interested in knives, but I’m not sure that trying to meet guys would be very high on the list of reasons. In my mind (and it’s only my .02 worth), it might be more about initially being attracted to the designs, and perhaps the idea of becoming more self-sufficient in terms of cutting chores. For a few, it might be for self-defense.

It’s kind of coming full circle. In the past (late 19th/early 20th centuries), many women carried pocketknives, mainly pen knives. For a while, there were even automatic (switchblade) pen knives marketed specifically to women, so they could get them open without breaking a nail. Pocket knives were common everyday tools among both men and women back then.

Jim

[prndltech]

Men are becoming more effeminate and women are now more manly than many of them are. hahaha! :D :D

The scary part is how true this statement actually is.

I heard a conversation about that the other day, 2 ladies wondering where all the men are... I leaned over and said “y’all (society) has asked them to basically become women”. Then I got to watch the wheels turn and they actually agreed.

[TkoK83Spy]

Where's our lady friends around here to answer this one!?

[TkoK83Spy]

Men are becoming more effeminate and women are now more manly than many of them are. hahaha! :D :D

The scary part is how true this statement actually is.

I heard a conversation about that the other day, 2 ladies wondering where all the men are... I leaned over and said “y’all (society) has asked them to basically become women”. Then I got to watch the wheels turn and they actually agreed.

Hahaha, seriously!! Just a couple weeks ago my wife's car had a tire with a slow leak. At first I just sprayed it down with soapy water and looked for it to bubble up where the air was escaping, no luck. She was out there with me watching, so then I got out the jack and jacked it up to take the tire off...sure enough the was a screw jammed in the tread on her tire. I got out my tire repair kit and plugged it. Once I determined it's going to hold, I went to put it back on and she asked me if she could do it. So of course I let her...she did great!! I just had to give the lugs that little extra ooomf to tighten them on all the way.

Meanwhile, my neighbor that has his lawn mowed, his landscaping tended to, had his house pressure washed by someone else (he's a single guy in his mid 30's like us, no disabilities) He came over just joking around about me putting her to work while she was cranking on the lug nuts. I was telling him what was going on and how the tire was losing around 5 psi per day. I told him what it was supposed to be at...he asked me how I knew what the recommended psi was for her car. I told him you just look inside the drivers side door and there's a sticker there. He says, "oh I didn't know that. I would have had to Google it" AAAAYYYYEEEEEEEEEEE!! He says he's not a car guy...which is quite obvious at this point. He then said he took his car to Valvoline for an oil change and he didn't know where the lever was in his car to pop his hood! :confused: :eek:

[JD Spydo]

Men are becoming more effeminate and women are now more manly than many of them are. hahaha! :D :D

The scary part is how true this statement actually is.

I heard a conversation about that the other day, 2 ladies wondering where all the men are... I leaned over and said “y’all (society) has asked them to basically become women”. Then I got to watch the wheels turn and they actually agreed.

Hahaha, seriously!! Just a couple weeks ago my wife's car had a tire with a slow leak. At first I just sprayed it down with soapy water and looked for it to bubble up where the air was escaping, no luck. She was out there with me watching, so then I got out the jack and jacked it up to take the tire off...sure enough the was a screw jammed in the tread on her tire. I got out my tire repair kit and plugged it. Once I determined it's going to hold, I went to put it back on and she asked me if she could do it. So of course I let her...she did great!! I just had to give the lugs that little extra ooomf to tighten them on all the way.

Meanwhile, my neighbor that has his lawn mowed, his landscaping tended to, had his house pressure washed by someone else (he's a single guy in his mid 30's like us, no disabilities) He came over just joking around about me putting her to work while she was cranking on the lug nuts. I was telling him what was going on and how the tire was losing around 5 psi per day. I told him what it was supposed to be at...he asked me how I knew what the recommended psi was for her car. I told him you just look inside the drivers side door and there's a sticker there. He says, "oh I didn't know that. I would have had to Google it" AAAAYYYYEEEEEEEEEEE!! He says he's not a car guy...which is quite obvious at this point. He then said he took his car to Valvoline for an oil change and he didn't know where the lever was in his car to pop his hood! :confused: :eek:

Oh yes I run into guys like that quite frequently. However most of the guys I know in my age group ( 66) we grew up in a time where we kind of had to do a lot our own repair and maintenance type work. They are making a lot of cars now a days where you literally can't work on them.

They are making "soy boys" out of a lot of guys that were born after 1985 it appears. Now one gal I dated for a while really liked Spyderco knives after I kind of showed her the way around in the knife world. But in all fairness a lot of the girls were never shown or had to learn about outdoor type tools of any type. A lot of the girls I grew up with had a "gold-digger" mentality and wanted to snag a guy to do it all for them :rolleyes:

But also in the past two to three years I've run into more ladies who like to go fishing. Years ago it would have been easier for me to get a girl to help me change oil in my truck :D >> but those dynamics are changing as we speak. And I'm hoping this thread might bring some of these changes in attitude to the forefront :)

[JD Spydo]

Joe,

I’m sure there are a variety of reasons why more women have become interested in knives, but I’m not sure that trying to meet guys would be very high on the list of reasons. In my mind (and it’s only my .02 worth), it might be more about initially being attracted to the designs, and perhaps the idea of becoming more self-sufficient in terms of cutting chores. For a few, it might be for self-defense.

It’s kind of coming full circle. In the past (late 19th/early 20th centuries), many women carried pocketknives, mainly pen knives. For a while, there were even automatic (switchblade) pen knives marketed specifically to women, so they could get them open without breaking a nail. Pocket knives were common everyday tools among both men and women back then.

Jim

I truly see what you're saying Jim but trust me I've seen girls that go to some unbelievable extremes to get what they want>> and very little surprises me anymore. But at the same time I am seeing many ladies take up interests in fishing, hiking and I've even met a couple of gals who said they would go deer hunting with me>> I doubt that would have happened even 10 years ago. One gal I befriended and I gave her a Victorinox CHAMP model to for her birthday a couple of years ago. She was extremely delighted too. I doubt if I would have done that 10 years ago. If you don't recall that Victorinox CHAMP model has like 30 + tools on it. It's one of the most tool-stacked Swiss Army Knives I've ever seen. I've seen some of those CHAMP models with almost 50 tools on them before.

With the MGTOW movement growing ( Men Going Their Own Way) many of the ladies now realize that snagging a guy for life isn't going to be as easy as it once was. With the legal system as corrupt as it is most guys are getting very careful about any contracts they enter into. But that's just one of probably 20 reasons that many of the women are gravitating toward stuff that mostly guys in the past have been traditionally interested in. There are certainly some changes taking place on the social landscape as we speak. But there are more ladies buying and using knives>> I've seen it first hand and in the past two years I've had at least 5 gals ask my advice on which knife to get. That didn't happen 10 year ago either.

[James Y]

There has been social engineering going on for quite sometime now. Notice how, in commercials, that the young husband or father characters are usually portrayed as clueless, while the wives or daughters (even little kids) have to show them how to do things right. Once in a while it’s fine, but these portrayals are happening all the time. It’s not always about knowing how to fix things, either; it goes much deeper than that. And it’s happening worldwide; look at the KPop/K-pop phenomenon and its performers.

Much of the trend also has much to do with the technology-heavy emphasis today. Many men I know whose work revolves around computer systems and do little in the outdoors see absolutely no use for a pocketknife. Even though at least a small SAK would probably help a lot in those fields.

But of course, the subject of this thread is women becoming more seriously interested in knives. Like I said, any interest in good knives for the correct purposes can only be a good thing for the knife industry, regardless.

Jim

[Sharp Guy]

Hahaha, seriously!! Just a couple weeks ago my wife's car had a tire with a slow leak. At first I just sprayed it down with soapy water and looked for it to bubble up where the air was escaping, no luck. She was out there with me watching, so then I got out the jack and jacked it up to take the tire off...sure enough the was a screw jammed in the tread on her tire. I got out my tire repair kit and plugged it. Once I determined it's going to hold, I went to put it back on and she asked me if she could do it. So of course I let her...she did great!! I just had to give the lugs that little extra ooomf to tighten them on all the way.

Meanwhile, my neighbor that has his lawn mowed, his landscaping tended to, had his house pressure washed by someone else (he's a single guy in his mid 30's like us, no disabilities) He came over just joking around about me putting her to work while she was cranking on the lug nuts. I was telling him what was going on and how the tire was losing around 5 psi per day. I told him what it was supposed to be at...he asked me how I knew what the recommended psi was for her car. I told him you just look inside the drivers side door and there's a sticker there. He says, "oh I didn't know that. I would have had to Google it" AAAAYYYYEEEEEEEEEEE!! He says he's not a car guy...which is quite obvious at this point. He then said he took his car to Valvoline for an oil change and he didn't know where the lever was in his car to pop his hood! :confused: :eek:

Good on your wife!!! My girl is similar in some ways. Not saying she'd want to put a tire on but it wouldn't surprise me if she did. While she was going through her divorce I think she made a decision to become more independent. "I don't need a man!" Haha! It's actually one of the qualities I admire in her compared to my ex-wife.

Shame on your neighbor. I'd say he deserves to have his man card revoked but it sounds like he never earned one to begin with.

Back to the topic....my girl carries a Ladybug and small SAK and says she uses them all the time. One day she was going somewhere with her daughter and, for some reason, asked if I had something a little bigger she could carry. I think I gave her a Delica. I told her she can keep it but she gave it back to me that night. I showed her where it's at in case she ever wants to use it again.

[JD Spydo]

There has been social engineering going on for quite sometime now. Notice how, in commercials, that the young husband or father characters are usually portrayed as clueless, while the wives or daughters (even little kids) have to show them how to do things right. Once in a while it’s fine, but these portrayals are happening all the time. It’s not always about knowing how to fix things, either; it goes much deeper than that. And it’s happening worldwide; look at the KPop/K-pop phenomenon and its performers.

Much of the trend also has much to do with the technology-heavy emphasis today. Many men I know whose work revolves around computer systems and do little in the outdoors see absolutely no use for a pocketknife. Even though at least a small SAK would probably help a lot in those fields.

But of course, the subject of this thread is women becoming more seriously interested in knives. Like I said, any interest in good knives for the correct purposes can only be a good thing for the knife industry, regardless.

Jim

Some interesting points there too Jim. You wouldn't believe how many "men" ( if that's what you want to call them :rolleyes: ) have acted like they are freaked out that I carry a folder ( 2 actually). I've had at least 6 guys this summer say stuff like " Isn't that illegal?" or "That is a deadly weapon>> aren't you afraid you'll hurt someone including yourself" and keep in mind these are adult men 30 to 35 years or older. It seems like the public education system is going out of their way to indoctrinate and emasculate men and turn them into "soy boys" and "wimps". Believe it or not I have far more guys ( wimps) freak out on me concerning knives than I do women who get upset. Most women figure it to be a "guy thing" and just don't make a big deal about EDC carry.

However on a good note here in Missouri there are a lot of guys like myself who are into hunting, fishing, hiking ect. There are a lot of pro NRA type guys and I run into them daily and usually talk to several of them throughout the day. The state of Missouri has liberal knife laws ( 4 inch folder blade) because for the most part we are a "rural farm state" with the exceptions of Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield and Columbia. We even have lots of farmers in the north part of the state and many in the Ozark Mountains in the south part of the state ( below I-70) who carry all kinds of knives. They just don't trip on knives at all as long as you are sensible about them.

But with all of that said there is a growing trend of younger guys who are emasculated for the lack of a better description We have a lot of women here in Missouri who hunt, fish and even run farms in some cases. Deer Hunting is like a religion in this state>> also there are a huge number of knife makers here in Missouri and Arkansas both. So the table is already set here in Missouri for ladies who want to indulge in guns, knives and high end fishing gear.

[justjohn]

Great tpoic JD. First let me say I am not a lady but I would be happy to be your friend...(hint, hint). No seriously, my wife was never interested in knives until she saw my 2018 Paramilitary 2 Forum Knife. She said it looked "cool" and I could see what was coming. The knife went missing shortly after that...... I purchased two more, one to carry, and one in case this one went missing also. My wife has now educated herself on knives, blade steels, and the required accessories. Bottom line, she came for the appetizer but stayed for the full course. Oh, and she now also has a sizeable collection of several knives, many of which are Spydercos (not enough IMHO). Her EDC is the purple handled Delica. Me thinks I created a Spyderinstein. :eek:

[The Mastiff]

This is an interesting thread Joe. Everybody here has made some good points.

When I used to sell knives on the gunshow circuit I'd get more women then most would think. I'd often ask them out of curiosity what made them start carrying knives. In most cases it was the same as men. It would be a job, a hobby or something where they were able to see for themselves the utility of having their own knife. I met a few who started carrying pocket knives in college in some class for their degree. Even art degrees. In that case it is exactly the same as men. Men who aren't near knife using people grow up not knowing anything about knives the same as some women. All my inlaws were like that.

It seemed to me women were more interested in the color or looks then men and often the knife they chose wasn't just the hardware they needed but also had the right looks too. They seemed more hard to please then men did. I appreciated they took the time to select while knowing what they wanted and needed. I never really met any that cared about what steel it was though . There are some here who do and know more about it than most knife users to be sure so I just never met the right ones. I recall one young lady customer who always bought every pink auto I'd bring so I started going out of my way to bring them to that show. :)

Joe

[TkoK83Spy]

Mind you guys, my wife is 5-4" 125lbs! She's a lil lady!

She had a Camillus slipjoint knife that she kept in her purse when we met 8 years ago. She now loves having a Vic Sak and a Ladybug on her at all times. She says sometimes she takes my Dragonfly if she feels like having something a little bigger, plus she loves the color (V-toku2 sprint).

She's in no way a knife nut like all of us, but a woman that likes having them available, and I appreciate/admire that she had a knife on her before we ever met, that it was her choice and not my influence.

[James Y]

My late mom used to carry a Victorinox floral knife (a single-bladed pocketknife with a chisel-ground sheepsfoot blade) in her purse for YEARS. She started carrying it back in the early 1970s when she worked at a flower shop. Even after she worked at the DA’s office, she still carried it. She used to say that you never realize how handy carrying a pocketknife is until you actually carry and use one.

When my mom and her sister took my grandma back to Japan after my grandpa died in 1984, she had that knife in her purse. She said at the Narita airport, the security guys pulled the knife out of her purse and were laughing; I guess they thought it was the funniest thing that a woman had a knife in her purse. But they put it back in her purse and let her through. Obviously, this was way before 9/11/2001.

I still have that knife in a drawer.

Jim

[OrangeShoes]

Learning from this thread. ideas are good.thanks!

[ThomC]

Okay, MAJOR disagreement with some opinions here.

But first, on-topic : I don't think it's surprising that more women are interested in knives. Outside of a few brands, I feel like the marketing and distribution of knives, be they pocket- or fixed, makes it easier for female customers to be interested in and want to participate in the hobby.
Some brands have finally decided to stop being clueless and deaf, and to no one's surprise, marketing knives as practical tools and not an extension of a man's masculinity actually draws a larger potential customer base !
Btw, thank you, Spyderco, for being so open about everything.

Related, and onto my other point : I cannot even begin to fathom how you guys, on such a welcoming forum, could assimilate a man not being tech-savvy, among other things, with being 'effeminate', a 'wimp', or a 'soy-boy'.
As a Gen Y kid, the opinion that 'men aren't what they used to be anymore' is revolting, especially coming from, well, a priori more experienced and mature people.
Is the fact that a man, now, doesn't want to replicate the clearly toxic behaviour of some of his priors so threatening ? Is it really this hard to accept that some people don't do or want to do what you did the same way ? Is it so disconcerting that being a 'man' IS different today from what it was even a decade ago ?

The sheer rottenness of this kind of behaviour is undescribable. I am no SJW, but I'll be damned if I'm shutting up on that one.
And before anyone gets up in arms about political correctness, that's not it. It's about being open-minded.

[odomandr]

Okay, MAJOR disagreement with some opinions here.

But first, on-topic : I don't think it's surprising that more women are interested in knives. Outside of a few brands, I feel like the marketing and distribution of knives, be they pocket- or fixed, makes it easier for female customers to be interested in and want to participate in the hobby.
Some brands have finally decided to stop being clueless and deaf, and to no one's surprise, marketing knives as practical tools and not an extension of a man's masculinity actually draws a larger potential customer base !
Btw, thank you, Spyderco, for being so open about everything.

Related, and onto my other point : I cannot even begin to fathom how you guys, on such a welcoming forum, could assimilate a man not being tech-savvy, among other things, with being 'effeminate', a 'wimp', or a 'soy-boy'.
As a Gen Y kid, the opinion that 'men aren't what they used to be anymore' is revolting, especially coming from, well, a priori more experienced and mature people.
Is the fact that a man, now, doesn't want to replicate the clearly toxic behaviour of some of his priors so threatening ? Is it really this hard to accept that some people don't do or want to do what you did the same way ? Is it so disconcerting that being a 'man' IS different today from what it was even a decade ago ?

The sheer rottenness of this kind of behaviour is undescribable. I am no SJW, but I'll be damned if I'm shutting up on that one.
And before anyone gets up in arms about political correctness, that's not it. It's about being open-minded.

Yeah my sentiments exactly.

Suggesting a woman is more masculine than a man simply based on their choice of items carried and used is a bizarre mindset.


I've spent plenty of time admiring woman in a nicely fitting pair of jeans. Never once noticed whether there was a deep carry or standard pocket clip.... Priorities I guess