Is there a "perfect" knife? Opinions and Philosophies...

IceCold said:
Yes Agreed USA made, for me good size and weight, cuts like a lazer, amazing price. strong locking mechanism, amazing style looks and ergonomics. Paramilitary 2
Of course the best knife is the one you have on you when you need it, If you have nothing but a $10 Smith and Wesson but you need a knife then its good enough.


I would have said SBENZA but at $350-400 it never leaves my desk, and too expensive to use.


So its PM2 or SBENZA only because how good they are and proof is no matter what other knife comes out its always but how is it Vs. the Spyderco PM2.
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From a pure knife design perspective these two are really close! But for my uses I couldn't whip either one out publicly in NYC without raising problems. Love the designs though. The Sebenza has a crappy stiff opening until you get past the detent and the ahem "hydraulics" start up and the PM2 has some blade wiggle sometimes depending on how you set it up. Otherwise two very fine designs that could almost be the if you could only have one knife what would it be...
 
There is no such thing as perfect, but after having used knives for all my life, I keep on going back to this style. I have owned many of these and I still own a few that I purchased back in 1998. Still the best large fixed blade I have ever owned. Perfect? no, nothing is. But good enough for me. This style has done for me more than all my other knives I have owned. And I have owned everything from Randal to CS trailmaster, to 3V customs. This still beats them all for me.

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williamisthe1 said:
Sounds like you might be headed into customs and finding out what is perfect for you. What materials, size, blade shape. Then you think you have it until something else will catch your eye.
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Yes I think that is what it has come down to in regards to my collecting. I feel as though I have tried most of what I want through either purchasing or through the exchange here. I have been able to zero in on the type of characteristics I like to see in certain knives. Price unfortunately, based on my experiences has absolutely zero to do with a well put together knife. However, I believe that I have narrowed it down some.
 
Perfect? No. I think we can come close, very close, to a perfect knife design, but absolutely perfect for all people, in all situations and something comfortable for all hand sizes? Probably not.

I think if we define perfect in the context of a folding EDC as meaning comfortable in hand and pocket, stays sharp for an acceptable period of time with no hotspots in standard grips, sure, each person could find a perfect knife for their individual needs. For example, the Sebenza is a wonderful instance of effective, somewhat minimal design.

But my much loved Spyderco Phoenix meets all my other criteria just as well, while looking very strange indeed. To me, both are perfect when examining their most basic attributes.

Whether we like a knife more beyond it's ability to preform as a knife has no bearing on if something is perfect or not, such as aesthetics. When we start factoring our preferences for aspects of knives that have no impact on performance and comfort in use, THAT is the point where perfect becomes less of a clinical term and more subjective.
 
No, there's always a tension between:

- the way a knife looks;
- the way it is used; and
- the way it carries.

Even for a single individual, there will always be times when, even during one day or trip, you'd wish you'd made different trade-offs.

It obviously goes without saying (right?) that across individuals, or over time, that's even more true. My perfect knife won't be yours, and today's perfect knife won't be tomorrow's.
 
I play guitar and gig out quite a bit. I have been more involved in guitars than knives over the years, and on the guitar forums, you see the same question asked, and the same answers. I bet we see that a lot with dirt bikes (also another hobby of mine) , flashlights, fishing rods, cars, etc....

And I think, as it has been answered is: what you are 'doing' with the tool (guitar, flash light, knife). Granted, when I go to a gig, I know what music style I will be playing so I know ahead of time what guitar(s) to bring. The same can be said with knives, but maybe there's less certainty on what the task at hand coming up might be.

I have 14 guitars, by the way :) (and 4 amplifiers, 2 acoustic guitars)...

And I think knives have evolved more than guitars.. when someone asks me what the guitar of the future will look like, I show them a picture of a '57 Strat! :)
 
The perfect knife is the one you use. For me, I have a Vic Explorer in my pocket always. Used to bother the hell out of me that a knife didn't have a screwdriver, everyone I've known who carried a knife would sooner or later try to use it as a screwdriver. So I found the perfect pocket knife. As far as hunting/outdoorsy stuff, I find a Buck 110 best for me, but the best knife for outdoors is very debatable, so I won't go there. For EDC though, a good SAK with the tools you think are handy is best.
A lot of people like Leatherman also, I find the ones with a reasonably useful pliers to be overly bulky and overall clumsy to pull out the other blades.
 
this is just like asking what is the perfect food, car, woman, etc. First off, different people have different taste. Even for the same person, his taste may change any time. All such factors make it less meaningful to define or search for "perfect" things.
 
The perfect knife is the one that makes you FEEL the best when you hold it.

I have a few of these...ranging in purchase from the '60's to a year or so ago. I won't name them here to avoid the usual b.s. debates--inconsequential, unproductive and of no need for this thread.

Two of them are relatively inexpensive, and to most people nondescript, fixed blades that have accompanied me in travels and 'adventures' for decades. A couple are folders of more recent purchase that range in price from $200-350.

I can say in all honesty that, without exception, my more expensive knives ($350-800 +), while very good, would be sold before the aforementioned ones.

Not very logical. Just the way life falls.​

Everyone's tastes, preferences and uses are different. It's no different than choice of spouse or steady--you go with what makes you FEEL the best.

It's not how the KNIFE feels. It's how the knife makes YOU feel. It's why there's not, and will never be, agreement on what constitutes the perfect knife. We're all as different and individual as our knives are. IMO, that's a good thing.
 
Is there a "perfect" knife?

Yes. Yes there is.

And for every person, there is a different answer.
 
Velitrius said:
Is there a "perfect" knife?

Yes. Yes there is.

And for every person, there is a different answer.
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I agree. I can find something I don't like about every knife I've liked. I've definitely narrowed things down, however I'm convinced that as long as I keep buying production knives, I will always find something about them I don't like. In order to say that I own the perfect knife for me I will need to shell out the cash for a custom of my own original design. I'm just not ready to drop that kind of dough right now.
 
I have a Sebenza. The fit and finish IS PERFECT.
But, it is convex ground, and my stones make it extremely hard/impossible to sharpen. (Getting diamond stones soon).
So lately, I've been carrying a Native 5.
Fit and finish is really close to perfect, but the secondary bevel favors one side.

Perfection can be within grasp, but is never achieved fully.
 
While obviously "perfect" is subjective, I tend to gravitate more toward imperfect knives! What I really mean is as follows: I like knives that excel at the task for which they are created, which I feel carries with it the inability to perform other tasks. A Case Peanut cannot chop like a BK9, but the 9 won't excel at EDC tasks. Both knives, however, are awesome for their respective uses. I find myself liking knives that are good at one task or another--knives that bridge all uses risk mediocrity in all categories IMO!
 
No such thing as perfect.. but some of the good knives out there are pretty damn good.

The factors that matter most to me are: cutting efficiency or effort, edge retention, feel/fit in hand. In most cases customs fulfill this better, although I'm now trying out production knives that are "modified" or customized.
 
Yes. Just haven't found it yet. But I'm close! My friend Plato tells me it's a "Form." Guess that's a knifemaker somewhere?

Zieg
 
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