Off Topic How does external appearance determine / alter your perception of a knife ?

DocJD said:

Tactical knife or baby toy ? 🤯

I just received a blaze orange handle and sheath , Cold Steel SRK-C .


Usually SRK are blackout tactical , associated with BUDS training etc . This bright orange knife looks more like a tool for the woods / emergency etc .

So , how do various colors , inscriptions , symbols , decorations etc, shape your (and the general public) impression and feelings ?

I'm thinking that knife knuts tend to more look past externals , but still can make a big difference IMO .
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I like color and material varieties. I only own one knife with G-10, and that's because I can't find other handles for it. It's also being saved for my nephew. Other than that, the only knives I have with black handled are either Carbon fiber or my DLC ZT 0095BLKS90.

Everything I have is different.

I've got red, blue, green, and tan aluminum autos, a brownish Corsican ram horn flipper folder from Alan Davis with Damascus, two CF Biryukov's one red one blue, a Matt Bailey model 2 with green circuit boards.

I've Spyderco's with green linen and brown burlap micarta, as well as ironwood and red shredded CF.

In the next week or so (not really sure) my Seamus custom in blue giraffe bone will arrive. Then in November another custom with green marbled CF.

Truth be told, I often match the color and/or style of my knife to what I'm wearing.
 
I am all for colorfull handles, be it a fixed blade or a folder. They area easier to find and much less frigthening to non-knife people or office environment. Black on black gives false impressions. Plus, they are easier to find when misplaced.

Regarding the shape/form criteria... if the knife does not appeal to me, I will not buy it. Usually when they appeal to me is because I feel their balde shape, grind, handle size, seem usefull to me. There are very very few knives out there I find appealing BUT non-usefull.

Mikel
 
I won’t buy what “I” see as a fugly knife. There are way too many alternatives for any size/type to have one that is unappealing. Orange scales are a great idea if you need em. There are levels of beauty in those as well. Busse orange and black g10 appeal to me the most.
 
I think aesthetic plays an important factor in pretty much everything. It’s the initial attraction to something that peaks our interest and drives our attention.
Without it we wouldn’t get close enough to knife, gun, girl, puppy, house etc to decide on the right item.
 
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eveled said:
I learned this the hard way loosing arrows with green/ yellow fletchings. Orange is not much better. Might as well be camouflage. Depending on the flora.
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And also if you have red clay, blue is better.

I also tend to buy blue or orange knives because those are my school colors.

We have sand and sometimes grass and weeds. My favorite knife at the moment is a Gerber Strongarm that's a light brown, which is exactly the wrong color.
 
Appearance does play a factor, for me. I'm OK with the bright colors, depending on the knife's purpose. I have a Boye folding/rescue knife in yellow. As others have mentioned, being able to quickly find it in an emergency, seems like a legitimate consideration, to me. For more tactical situations (not that I'm ever in those situations, these days), I'm prefer the less obvious colors (let's say, earth tones).

The overall look of the knife is also something I take into consideration. It's hard to put into words, but either a knife looks good to me, or it doesn't. Fortunately, we have a lot of choices in this hobby, and thus get to choose what we are attracted to.
 
My needs and desires are austere which is why I appreciate BHK so much, I don't need superfluous or excess frills, I don't need cartoon colors nor do I want them, that's pure aesthetics in my mind and takes away from the knife as it doesn't affect performance it's just for optics sake. I take out my knife when I need it, I don't fondle or fidget with them --- I understand lots of people do and its what it is; i use to, and have lots of scars that should teach me to behave otherwise
 
The look of the knife is very important to me. I only like the look of nice timber or antler scales the newer style scales in resins and micarta etc have no appeal to me and the blade must look like it is shaped to perform the tasks I require of it. I don't purchase any knife because it's the latest from a certain company or it's the new fashion. So to me its looks all the way. Cheers Dave
 
Function over looks, always. I almost returned this one based on its looks. Then I held it and it fit my hand like nothing I’ve ever held before. It has a pronounced bulge on one side that locks into my palm I call it mushroom cloud stag

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Danny Linguini said:
The biggest reason I have so many more knives than I’ll ever use is because I keep seeing stuff that looks cool. I’d say at least the last 20 I’ve bought, and several more before that. I just did a count - I know I’m still a lightweight, but I have 45 knives, not counting 11 SAK’s, 4 multi tools, or 6 David Mary customs. Of those 45, two could easily fulfill all my knifing needs outside of the kitchen, maybe three if I figure in a separate ‘dress-up’ knife. The rest are work desk fidgeters, around-the-house stashers, lookers, a couple of drawer queens, and one mistake.
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Same. My wife calls my knife habit "literally setting money on fire."
 
Anti-camouflage coloration for all environments. Excellent action with front and regular flippers, a chamfered slot, and a button lock. Perfect centering and lockup. Superb fit and finish. BESS 148 and 20 degrees on both sides out of the box. Very even bevels. S35VN steel. G10 scales. Comes with a pouch in matching colors that will hold not only the knife but also some sunglasses or various other things of that size. Some people would complain about the recess for the pocket clip, which is way too tight for my pockets. $135. Made in China, of course.

KUKI4562A5_1.jpg


https://www.knifecenter.com/item/KU...vd-clip-point-blade-serape-series-g10-handles
 
Another Shepherd said:
Anti-camouflage coloration for all environments. Excellent action with front and regular flippers, a chamfered slot, and a button lock. Perfect centering and lockup. Superb fit and finish. BESS 148 and 20 degrees on both sides out of the box. Very even bevels. S35VN steel. G10 scales. Comes with a pouch in matching colors that will hold not only the knife but also some sunglasses or various other things of that size. Some people would complain about the recess for the pocket clip, which is way too tight for my pockets. $135. Made in China, of course.

KUKI4562A5_1.jpg


https://www.knifecenter.com/item/KU...vd-clip-point-blade-serape-series-g10-handles
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Great looking folder !

Good name too . I thought of "Mexican blanket " right away .

"Serape" probably would have occurred to me eventually . 🤔
 
I'd rather have the orange handle on the SRK than the one I have. I don't really need my fixed blade screaming psycho killer qu'est-ce que c'est every time someone sees it. The only times I would have carried this knife tactically I wouldn't have, because it's too heavy and too big with all the other crap in/on your webbing, plus big enough to be seen by someone a football field away wanting to borrow and break it. The tacticool look to this degree is going to make officers think you're a nutjob and fellow enlisted types calling you Rambo. You might not want a mirrored blade, but stonewashed is more than enough. If I take a picture of the all black SRK on a nice nature drawing book, it's going to make people think I stab animals and then draw them, before going all Normal Bates and stuffing them as home décor. Unless they're into knives, in which case they'll be like: "SRK. I've got one of those.".

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