interrested in knives

[cornelis]

Dear knives bros, does any of you have a clue why whe are more interrested in knives than the the average man in the street ?

[Lostification]

Well it all started way back when I was a wee 5 years old when me Pa bought me a generic swiss army knife, haha...

Been packin ever since. Very useful tool, I use a knife literally all the time.

Edit: BTW, I was just thinking about that myself,too. It was right after buying a Para-Miltiary. It made me think, what kind of person spends $130 on a pocket knife?

Not many people do, so I guess that's why many of us cling to these forums just to be around other people who are the same way.

[tonydahose]

same here...my grandfather collected weapons (knives, guns you name it) he died when i was 5 or 6 and a few years after he passed i got to have some of what was left of his collection.

[tglahn17]

Freudian, pure Freudian. I presume a lot of us also have one or two guns in the cabinet. Later,

[giant1]

My Dad always had a pocket knife. So I guess I got it from him, although I did mot start carrying a knife untill later.

These days I'm never without one in my pockect.

I also enjoy and appreciate the workmanship and design that goes into some of them.

[spyderdog]

I don't know. I was "hooked" after my first swiss army knife as a boy scout.

[Agent Starling]

My Dad always had a pocket knife. So I guess I got it from him, although I did mot start carrying a knife untill later.

What giant1 said. :)

My Dad also gave me my first knife, an SAK...

Why do we carry? Cuz we're cool... :cool: :cool:

Starling :D

[Salamander42]

I think that many of us are free thinkers who have never bought in to the idea that knives are dangerous weapons. To us they are useful tools that can easily be carried at all times and used to perform all kinds of useful tasks. I also believe that most of us had a close family member, be it our father or grandfather or an uncle, who always had a pocket knife handy and we followed in their footsteps. Lastly I think that at least some of us feel a connection, through our knives, with times past when life was simpler. They bring back memories. I know that when I pick up a Swiss Army Knife I always think of my dad and camping trips and whittling on a branch in my back yard as a kid.

[The Deacon]

Think it goes under the general heading of "different strokes for different folks", nobody's "into" everything, but almost everyone is "into" something. We're here because we're "into" knives.

Like many of the older members here, I've carried a pocket knife since I was a kid, but unlike some, did not really consider myself "into" knives any more than I was "into" screwdrivers or hammers. They were tools, nothing more, nothing less. Was "into" a few other things over the years, guns, motorcycles, model railroading, tropical fish, R/C model airplanes. Can't honestly say what caused me to start collecting them a few years back, but I definitely got bitten by the bug. :D

[ozspyder]

Hmmm, very good question.

I would think that most here would fall into a couple of categories, with overlapping shades of grey in between:
a) We consider knives as tools and put them in the same category as a SAK or a screwdriver
b) We have thoughts on preparedness and may also CCW a sidearm. We think that they are tools as well as a weapon which we could use in the interim if we didn't need our CCW

the other categories which most of us do not fall in are:
c) We are sheep.... knives are weapons. Weapons are dangerous and may kill me , therefore I do not want to be near one.
d) We know that knives are weapons and also we know they are tools....cos we were told by someone. But we don't need one so we don't carry or use one and prefer to try and find a pair of scissors when we need one.

Personally I have had a SAK when I was younger, found them useful, but not many chances to use it when younger so didn't carry one for long (plus when you are a kid a SAK is considered very expensive and you didn't want to lose it or ruin it.....much the same as a lot of us when we consider how we treat our Spydies esp. the more costly ones :p )

Cheers
Dan

[Fred Sanford]

cornelis,

That's a darn good question. I don't really have a good answer either. We all have to have something in common somewhere in our brain I would think. I don't know really.

Hmm.....

[catamount]

Because we are obviously superior to them :D

[flyguy]

Because we are obviously superior to them :D

Best answer yet. :spyder:

[Jazz]

Awesome question, Cornelis! I wish I knew. They are cool, very useful, beautiful tools. I really can't explain why I love how knives look and feel. I'm 42 and have been carrying pocketknives since I was 8 or 9. It really was a bit abnormal to not have one. I love to whittle and carve. It's really interesting that a lot of y'all started and/or also carry a SAK. They are SO usefull! Spydercos are what you carry and use when you know a thing or two about knives - :spyder: rules! I don't think I answered your question, but I love knives ( especially Spyderco ) and know a lot of people think I'm wierd.
GOOD thing we have this forum for all us like-minded people - thanks, Sal!

- best wishes, Jazz.

[Jazz]

Sorry, not relavent at all, but what is that knife in your avatar, Catamoumt?
- Jazz.

[Agent Starling]

After reading all the posts thus far, I realize that I've been into SAKs a long time like many of you, but they were just a tool, period. Not a hobby, nor a fascination, or anything that I gave a lot of thought to...just a useful thing I kept around the house or dangled from my keychain.

Fast forward a decade or so and I happen upon Spyderco knives...I had read a story or two by Thomas Harris and checked out this website and forum out of curiosity...then bought my first Spyder, the Harpy SE SS...and...I can't explain it! These Spyderco knives are wonderful to look at, awesome tools, many are great for SD, and I find that learning the ins and outs about knives is just plain interesting and fun!...never thought there was so much to a simple cutting tool...after all, it's ONLY a knife :rolleyes: ...what is there to get all excited about? :o

Answer: Plenty!! :D

Agent Starling

[malice4you]

I don't know of any specific reason. Perhaps I just enjoy always having a tool around when I need one...

I too started with a SAK. I managed to get my first major cut (3 stitches) after less than a week with it...I was 9. I lost the SAK in 2 years after getting it. That didn't stop me though...I had a bunch of cheap knives up until I got my Civilian as my first good knife back around 1998. I also got a Western boot knife and a Buck 119 hunting knife around the same time.

I carried the Civilian on and off for a while, until a friend got me a Buck odyssey, which became my EDC for at least 7 or 8 years, up until the beginning of this year. I began looking for an inexpensive replacement, and got a Byrd Cara Cara, which was great for about a month or two, until I decided I wanted a real Spyderco as my EDC. I got an Endura 4 CE, which was my EDC for about 2 months before I decided it was a bit too big for an EDC. I decided to go with a Rescue 93mm due to the fact that it was a less-threatening knife, and this has been my EDC for the last 50 or so days. Since the beginning of this year, I went from one spyderco to 8, in addition to a few other brands of knives that I got within this year (still looking for an original version of a buck 181FX Odyssey). My most recent purchase was a Tasman, which shipped out today :D .

This forum is dangerous to me - I've always wanted a Military model...but now I also want a para, different steel versions of delicas/enduras, hawkbills of various types, a dodo (blue PE is my current lust), a medium/large sized dyad, and countless other models...not to collect (well, a little), but to use.

I constantly talk about my knives to interested people - not at the same level as the steel experts here - but I enjoy getting other people interested in quality knives. I have convinced both of my parents of the qualities of a good knife (and of course, I'm the one who gets their dull knives sharp), and I have tried to convince many others to send the extra money on a quality spyderco over lesser knives. I've given good knives as gifts, one spyderco so far and more are in the not-too-distant future.

I know firsthand what a great company Spyderco is, and how far they are willing to go to help their customers. I know from my Civilian, Cara Cara, Endura 4, Police, Rescue 93, Jester, Ladybug II, and (I assume from past experience) my Tasman, that Spyderco makes some of the best knives available at any cost.

Hanging out here, I get the chance to talk to people who appreciate the features of a quality knife, understand why a $50 or $150 knife is worth that much, when most people are content to carry a $3 knife (and even those people seem rare - most still seem afraid of knives sadly). People here understand that a knife is a great tool - for me the most commonly used tool I own. I feel naked when I don't have a knife on me - which is very rare. I will continue carrying Spydercos as long as I can, and educating (edge-u-cating?) people on the virtues of carrying a good knife for just as long. Here, I can just soak up what I can about the knives and learn about more "must-haves."

[jaislandboy]

great question Cornelis....
Not to stereotype but I believe many knifenuts are what some might call "gearheads" or gadget oriented individuals with a nod towards perfectionism (obsessive compulsiveness) .... :rolleyes:
My father taught me how to shoot a pistol/rifle when i was a teenager, and from collecting a few pistols, I eventually "matured" into a knifenut..... its a fascinating "hobby" which also satisfies a "scientifically curious" mind....
The "recipies" for different steels involving chemistry/metallurgy, there is a lot of physics/mechanical engineering involved in the creation of blades and sharpening them... cutting performance, ergonomics, ingenuity in designs... the hobby can get really "deep" from a scientific standpoint.... then there's a creative artistic side to knives and their makers as well.... :rolleyes: As Mr. Spock would say "Fascinating".... :)

[yablanowitz]

SAKs have knife blades? :eek: Waitaminute, I gotta check this...

THEY DO! I carried a SwissChamp for years, and the knife blades were the least used feature. Loved all the tools, though.

I've loved knives since I was about five years old, even if I did cut myself with the first one I got my hands on. That wasn't the last time, either. I've always loved whittling, and I have even done a little bit of carving, even though my artistic tallent it rather limited.

Some knives I appreciate for the sheer mechanical beauty of the design and execution. Most I appreciate for their tool value. I learned years ago there are things that you can do with an expensive knife that will trash a cheap one. And you don't save money by buying cheap tools. Spend the money and get good tools. They last longer, and you are less likely to lose them when they are a significant investment.

I'm the same way with guns. I have an old C96 Mauser and a Colt .32 Pocket Auto that I bought mostly to admire the mechanical working and machine work on. Others are just bullet delivery vehicles.

[Dr. Snubnose]

My attractions to bladed things happened very early in life as my nickname was "Runs with Scissors"......Doc :D