What "really" makes you take notice of a knife??

Kentucky

Well-Known Member
Is there any certain style of knife, blade material, handle material etc that auctomaically makes you go :eek::eek::eek:
Im a sucker for desert ironwood, gets me every time..
Im also a sucker for a nice bowie and wrought iron furniture on a knife..
What about you??
 
I like see a knife that says work of art, kinda knowing what it takes to do a knife like that . So much time goes into a really nice knife.
 
Proportions, it's got to look right at a distance, to get a closer look. Fancy materials don't matter much to me on their own, they need to be done well.
 
I agree that flow is incredibly important, and probably the one major thing that will make me take a second look. Blocky shapes, edgy corners on the handle and stuff like that will make me turn my nose up and walk away. The general design needs to be usable; I couldn't care less about "fantasy" knives.

Next I'll look at fit and finish. Yup, I'm one of those annoying guys that will turn a knife over, peek at the way light reflects off the surfaces, examine whether the plunges match and are centered, etc. I tend to think of sharpness as being part of this. Sound construction techniques are of course a big factor.

Feel is important too. If the knife feels clumsy or the balance is weird, I'll set it down pretty quick. The handle should almost feel like I'm not holding anything, just kind of rest in my hand, but stay there without me having to hold on for dear life. Does that make any sense?

The materials are almost secondary at that point. There are so many really good steels, and natural or synthetic handle materials available these days. We're pretty spoiled when you think about it. Nor do I care very much whether the blade was forged, ground, or made on a CNC machine.

One thing I really don't like is "too much" on a knife. This may be a touchy subject, but knives with damascus blades, mokume bolsters, heat-colored titanium, heavily figured woods, mosaic pins, gold inlays, gemstones, filework AND engraved everything are just too "busy looking" for my taste. Sometimes I think people are trying to cram every possible design feature into one knife and I don't care for that, it makes my eyes hurt. I enjoy a little more subtlety, like one or two of those fancy extra touches, but not every single one on the same piece.
 
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I forgot to add if I had a choice Id prefer to forged knife, though we make some stock removal blades and like them just fine I like to forge. Im a blacksmith, cant help that :D
I also like multiple bar welded blades like some historically accurate swords and seaxs use in construction.
Being a blacksmith and a hillbilly on top of that form follows function. Has to feel and work right first, then look good.
Im also a fan of period correct knives, trade knives ect..
 
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Flow catches my eye and makes me take notice first and foremost, not price, brand, or maker. Then it is feel; contour, weight, balance, & finish. After that, steel type, handle materials, and price determine whether I will buy it. Its hard to check an edge on eBay or at the Blade Show!

Jim Hammond's Cruiser and Gerry McGinnis' Summa both fit my hand like a boob, regardless of the grip. Despite their flat scales, Kit Carson's M-16s feel like a natural extension of my hand also.

I hiss at bead blast finishes and walk faster when I see them.
 
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If it appeals to my eye, then I will look at it further. I love folders. I also love things like blue twill G-10, and silver twill G-10, along with titanium. I am a big sucker for titanium frame locks.
 
Its flow for me the most. You know why Raymond has such nice flow, he hangs em up in the window and turns the lights off so he can see the silouette of his bowies. I've always like his knives because of that. He makes me so mad sometimes. He's not only square jaw good looking but smart too.
 
I really love the look of a nice Bowie. A well done Loveless Drop Point gets me every time. Simple but just so nice looking and usable.

I also love a nice mirror polished blade. I really never cared for Damascus until I recently saw what goes into making it, but I still don't have any Damascus knives.

I like the look of nice Stag or Ivory handle or scales.

I'm not a huge fan of Tactical knives, but I have seen some I'd like to own.

I don't care if the knife is made by forging, stock removal, or CNC.

I'm a sucker for Automatics. I've always been fascinated by them and I enjoy collecting them even though many of mine are of little use.
 
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Like a beautiful woman,it's gotta have sleek,powerful,flowing lines to draw me across the room...
And,like some beautiful women,some knives,once you're within arm's reach you discover that "she ain't pretty,she just looks that way".
It's when everything balances well,when the parts fit snugly and firmly,
and there's harmony in how she moves,that's when the magic begins...
And it ain't so much as how she talks,but when she struts her stuff with authority and strength,and you know she'll never falter,that's when I fall in love.
 
"Period" style knives from the early 1700's to the mid 1800's. Scalpers, Bowies, Hudson Bay Camp Knives, Plains Daggers, Roach Bellies, etc. Smooth clean lines, the "antique look" they have, and anything with curley or tiger maple handles.
 
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If it's a period piece, I'm a lot more forgiving about the looks, balance and flow of the piece.

On modern knives, I cannot stand harsh lines and funky features that really don't serve a practical purpose. You might use that window-breaker one time in twenty years unless you're a fireman or cop, and then you probably have a better tool for the job.

Clean lines that flow from the tip to the pommel, with a sense of balance. Not too much blade or too much handle. A lack of straight lines.

No need to clutter up the work with fifteen different types of material.
 
I want a knife that looks it's moving. I try to make all my knives off this theory. I can't say that I succeed but that's where they start.

No stainless. Sorry.

Holds a good edge. Skin out a Whitetail deer and wild turkey without resharpening.

Balanced and feels good in the hand. When you grip something your hand is not a circle or a square. It's a triangle.

And last but no least. Finish.
 
Ironwolf, that's not just an educated opinion, it's a poem 2thumbs. Nicely said.

ScalpHunter, I can't argue with that either. Those kind of knives will always be in style.

VaughnT, I agree about features that are there cuz they can be done, not cuz they need to be. And I also generally prefer a curve over a straight line every time. A straight piece of hardened barstock with an edge on it will cut, but that's a lazy, half-vast way to make a proper knife.

Balanced and feels good in the hand. When you grip something your hand is not a circle or a square. It's a triangle.

Heck yeah. I'd go so far as to say it's an elongated ellipse/egg-shape, like an isocolese (sp?) triangle with rounded corners. If it's not comfy, you're not going to enjoy using the dang thing, no matter how great the blade is.

The curves and flow we talk about aren't just pretty, they really do help a good knife handle, balance and perform better.
 
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