Why knives are not strange. An Introduction!

Probably the very oldest of tools used by mankind, knives have undergone an amazing transition from jagged flint stones to the keen edges used today, both pocket-sized and otherwise. While we've progressed as a species, our appreciation for art has long been a major characteristic of our being. Naturally this has led to the development of integration between tools with a specific function and items designed to symbolically show the status of a person, or to convey some level of thought past the 'need' of the tool. In specific, knives have survived in our now global culture because of not only their history, but because of their simple functionality. Cutlery being perhaps the most common category under which people are most familiar with knives, there are still a great many people who carry knives on a day to day basis, whether due to need of the tool itself or simply for personal enjoyment. I carry and use knives for both reasons, but there is a third very prominent factor that comes to mind; I deeply appreciate knives as functional art.

Whereas swords have basically faded from public use in modern countries, machetes and smaller blades are still part of society, albeit not to the extent they once were, mainly due to modern convenience. Things like multitools, Swiss Army Knives [SAKs] are commonly carried, but not much thought is given to the tool besides it's usefulness. Folding knives, on the other hand, have developed a culture of people who tend to be attracted to tools and machines, predominately males. These people, much like myself, tend to become collectors.

Something I've found over the years is that people don't really understand why I collect knives. I've tried explaining my interest in a number of ways, but most still have trouble really 'getting it'. Recently, I have found it easy to explain my love of knives when I compare myself to someone who collects expensive, powerful or rare cars. As an object people deal with on a day to day basis, they have something to relate to. Especially because of the fact people can easily appreciate the quality of a well built car, it becomes easy to translate that into an idea of how I look at knives in general.


After all, which would you rather drive; a brand new, top of the line Porsche, or a 1987 Yugo?

A Gerber Edge, or a Spyderco Caly 3 CF?

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