iKnife Collector
The online community of knife collectors, A Knife Family Forged in Steel
What do you look for in the knives you buy/collect?
One of our fellow iKC members suggested we add this topic (you'd know he is a knife maker, lol), so the question is-
It is form over function? Is it the design- the flow- the lines of the knife? The type of knife? Or is it the materials used to make it? What makes a great knife to you?
This is good stuff- Thanks T. A. Davison for prompting this discussion.
It is form over function? Is it the design- the flow- the lines of the knife? The type of knife? Or is it the materials used to make it? What makes a great knife to you?
This is good stuff- Thanks T. A. Davison for prompting this discussion.
Tags: designs, knife, makers, preferences
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Robin Simpson on
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Hi Scott
I Love Todds knives ;-))
I have collected in many varied fields for my entire life but fell in love with knives only a few years ago.
I have been collecting slip joints and the collection is kind of all over the place, some bone some celluloid many patterns. I very much enjoy a Well used knife (nicely sharpened, NO Grinder scars ))), knives that tell something of the early owner. My current interest is different bone jigging and colours which could become the focus of my collection for the next while.
Regards
Robin
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Permalink Reply by Roger Cunningham on
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Has a pattern collector I look for brands I don`t have,a better condition knife of a brand I have,and knives I may have that are what I think may be a bargain.Either to keep,resell,or trade.
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Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on
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Sometimes it all depends on the mood that I'm in at the time. I'm always looking for Whittlers, but if something else catches my eye...
I'm more of a "user" than a "collector", when it comes to my knives. I bought my first Seahorse, to use, and wanted another as a back-up. Then I had to get another, which started me on "collecting" them.
Lately I've come to appreciate Sowbellies with the standard blade shapes, because they feel good, in my hand, when in use.
I was brought up to consider a knife as a tool, so I tend to stick with the more utilitarian patterns. I prefer natural handle materials, (but I carry a Yellow Comp with me all the time).
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Old knives with natural handle materials. Unusual or rare tang stamps. Jacks, whittlers, square bolstered stockman, and whatever else that is priced low enough to easily sell at a profit. Only about one in five are [ neat cool nifty ] enough to be keepers. My current favorite is a schrade walden late fiftys four inch red bone serpentine stockman reduced to a single blade, using a case xx muskrat blade. nickel silver milled liners, sunk joint. a pretty frankenknife.
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I'm afraid I love too many styles of knife to catagorise. I love anything mechanical so I like fulcrum knives by CRKT and their Glidelock I also like Paul knives, assisted openers etc............and more lately I've come to realise that I really love the traditional style pocket knives , without a lock.just a plain old folder...but for EDC for years I have carried SAKS, I guess really that there are better knives with more traditional handle styles to collect.but these are just so useful
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Unfortunately I like them all & with now being retired I am going to have to narrow it down. I don't really have anything very old, most of what I have found at garage sales, pawn shops, & even antique stores has been in pretty tough shape si I will never make a profit on what I have, which is a little of everything. I have quite a few Spydercos & CLB Bokers, but I think I am now going to focus on traditional pocket knives such as the Toenails & maybe the 4 bladed Congress. I also have a few switchblades & bowies but am going to go traditional.
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Permalink Reply by Rusty R Halsey on
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Design is what makes a great knife - it's appearance, the flow of it's lines. The patterns that I like are those with good lines - sunfish & sowbellys. One pattern I normally avoid is the single blade folder. However, I just saw a picture of a (I think) sway back jack with a single wharncliffe blade that is just gorgeous. Materials is a harder question. Blades definately need to be something better than cheap stainless, at least 440C or even better, a good hi carbon like 1095 or 52100. Or (drool) damascus! Does that make me a steel snob? Handles are a little more ambiguous. Somewhere they quit being pretty & turn into just expensive. For instance, I would prefer birdseye maple to abalone. Of course, this is all my personal opinion. If you like a knife, be proud of it & pay no mind to my opinion.
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Permalink Reply by Keelen Grimm on
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A great knife to me is one that catches my eye from the second that I see it. When I walk into my local knife shop I look through all of the displays to see if anything new has arrived. You can always tell when something has caught my eye because I stand staring at it for a long time. I am usually attracted to small folders but I am not limited to them. When shopping for a knife I am looking for an addition to the collection or an addition to my EDC knives. For knives that I collect I like unique and odd looking knives similar to the Van Hoy designs used by CRKT and the CRKT Fulcrum. While I have a love for the interesting and the odd I also like simple. Any design from spyderco or Lone Wolf I think has a delicate look to them.
Out of all the little things that I look for in a knife I think the overall flow is what counts the most. When I see a knife that has a blade that flows into the handle I am sold. Any knife designed by Ken Onion is an example of that.
Keelen
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Permalink Reply by Steve wells on
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I guess my hang up is the beauty of the knife. The Russlocks Pattern just blew me away when it came out in 2000, but at knife shows I will see an old or new pattern and it gives me that same old feeling that i had as a boy of 9 ;well you can guess what happens. But the old yellow Trapper is still my work knife.
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Permalink Reply by Ally Burnham on
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When I'm looking for a knife to use...It would have to be 1 part function 1 part flow. If the knife doesn't have a good feel in my hand then I wont use it. I also like it to look nice. Even if it works for what I'm doing (steelwise for example) and fits nice in the hand if it looks like crap then I probably wont get it. Knife are reflection on not only the maker but the person who buys it. If it doesn't reflect me then it probably stay on the shelf.
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For me, materials and functional design take top billing. I want a knife that delivers. I've had many knifes that most people would think are ugly that I loved because they got the job done. If a knife is able to do that and look good then that's a great knife. Also, even before the aesthetics is how good a deal it was. I don't really like knives that are expensive for no reason. I don't mind paying good money for a good knife but I don't just pay for aesthetics. My money has to see a return. I guess in that sense I may be more of a knife user than a collector.
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function, if it has a nice looking blade, a good lock and quality materials i dont care what it looks like, something else that makes a good knife to me is the reputation behind the company, i personally have had good experiences with gerber and cold steel, so i tend to think those companies make great knives. saying that if i think the knife looks horridly ugly i wont buy or carry it, like most spyderco's with the massive holes in the blade, that turns me off a knife, im sure some people might love that look but i just cant stand it, i like a good thumb stud over anything else :P
another thing that i think makes the difference between a good and a great knife is surface finish on the blade, ill take a titanium nitride coating over anything else.
the major tipping point for me though, is locks, i personally dont like liner locks, frame locks, slip joints or lockbacks, if i have the choice ill take an axis lock, or a button lock, or lever lock.
White River Knives
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