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

I believe the original poster is trying to gauge what each of us thinks is the perfect knife. I think that first the knife must be compact enough so the user will be able to comfortably carry it at all times. I think if a knife is to be perfect, I think it must be able to be on you at all times and also not scare people. Therefore, I would have a folder. Sub 3 inches is nice for edc carry, but for the perfect knife 3 inches may be to short for many tasks encountered. Therefore I would have to say 3.5-4.0 inches, about the size of a good pairing knife. I think the steel should be stainless for ease of maintenance and ideally an open handle for ease of cleaning. Hard enough to hold a good edge while being not to difficult to sharpen. It should be strong enough to take an impact and potentially even take misuse such as prying. I believe the blade shape should be useful for as many cutting tasks as possible on a regular day for the person carrying and last but not least, comfortable to hold in multiple positions.
Therefore for me,

3.25-3.75" drop point or leaf shape blade, s35v steel ideal, atleast 440c. synthetic handle for longevity with solid grip open body. so far to me the most usable knife or knives that I consider very good or as close to perfect for my tastes may be the paramilitary 2 and the 940-1.
 
Perfect knife for me didn't exist until I made it my self with help of my father , Gil Hibben and Wes Hibben, than I made sheath for it but that wasn't perfect to me even if it looks better than the one I had it made for it later by Savage Made. Now I consider it perfect why ?
Becouse:
It is fix blade
Made out of cpm D2
Perfect length not to long not too short 10" blade
not too thick but thick enugh to take abuse 1/4"
Perfect balance(Aldo not very good chopper buy it can sit in my working hand for hours) feels very light, if I ever had to use it as fighting knife :)D) it would be very quick.
Has a choke groove for my finger so detailed work is possible and because it feels light again lot of hours of work is possible.
very comfortable handle fits me like glove made out of micarta so again very tough with skull crusher at the end that is kind of hidden and doesn't take away from the over all look of the knife.
Holes for para cord on the guard (nice option). Guard is big enough to protect my hand but not too big to get in the way.
To me it looks great .
If I was to take one knife with me to hell this one would be it.
QgYObBQ.jpg

Old sheath
TxaRYmD.jpg

rKlewL4.jpg
 
Perfect for a particular use? Perfect due to the standards of the maker? Perfect defined by your budget? It's a little like finding a perfect wife. You get as close as you can and then work on the relationship. You both change over time and all of a sudden you realize I could never find a wife as perfect for me as she is.
 
Oh yes, The perfect knife exists in Platonic sense. And I'm in pursuit of it...and I will never find it . Meanwhile I'm going to enjoy the hunt!

(excuse me for my bad english, it's not my native tounge and I tasted the christmas whiskey! :))

/ John
 
Personally I had much better success with knives when I quit looking for the perfect knife and started focusing on using the right knife for the job.

I have a knife and a multitool for daily carry.

I have a knife for field dressing game. I have a knife for processing fish. I have a knife for working wood. I have a chopper, hatchet, and saw.

Works much better for me.

I really thought at one time I would be able to make small knife like a Mora work for everything.

When that didn't work I really thought a BK9 could work for everything.

Now I choose my instrument carefully based on my predicted needs.

For an average outing in the woods a Victorinox Trekker, Mora no 1, and a Bahco folding saw would be more than sufficient.
 
Kn
Trollbane said:
Oh yes, The perfect knife exists in Platonic sense. And I'm in pursuit of it...and I will never find it . Meanwhile I'm going to enjoy the hunt!

(excuse me for my bad english, it's not my native tounge and I tasted the christmas whiskey! :))

/ John
Click to expand...

Hey John!!! Your English is fine......probably helped by the Christmas whiskey!!!
I know it helps mine!!
😁
Joe
 
I think it is about the journey, not the destination. I've had maybe a dozen "perfect knives" and another dozen that are very good.

I still have them all, and am looking for the next perfect one!
 
I'd like to ask the OP a question...

Do you really use your knives? I don't mean EDC style either. Opening packages and food prep is fine, but do you ever complete large, extended cutting/carving tasks using your knives. Use that lasts more than half an hour.

I think that's the real issue most of us run into is we're not satisfied with a knife because we can't really appreciate them.

If the answer to the above question is no, then I'd look into changing it before I looked at another knife. Go backpacking, hiking, whittle a bear out of a small log, build a survival shelter, etc. and only use one knife the whole time. After you've used a single knife to process kindling, make tent stakes, do all of your food prep and handle any and all other cutting tasks over a weekend I think you'll have a much greater fondness for it.

That or it'll cause blisters and snap at the tip. At least you'll know what criteria to look for.
 
If I was limited to just one of my knives, I'd choose the SAK non-serrated trekker. But, I rarely carry it. A Leatherman Wave and a lock-back single blade folder, currently a Case large Copperlock, are with me most of the time. When I'm wearing dress clothes I carry a SAK Tinker.
 
I know very little when it comes to knives, however I do know something with regards to searching for the very best of something with regards to other passions that I have. What I've found is that it has more to do with meeting ones expectations and being able to achieve happiness. So this means that there isn't any one thing that will ever meet every bodies needs but I don't care because that was never my concern to begin with. My happiness is my concern and this can be achieved by finding those things which meet or exceed my expectations as closely as I can and sometimes even those things may have certain weaknesses. But as long as they meet my needs and do what I want them to do then I can achieve happiness. Its more important to be content with your choices because perfection is a goal you can aspire too but too often you'll never get there.


Oh yeah, and experience and the lack of often dictate what our expectations might be.
 
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After 60+ years of collecting, searching, making, modding knives. I finally concluded: NO there is no perfect knife for all uses or occasions.
Rich
 
dasknife said:
This has been a long time coming? As I sit here looking at my collection of knives, I cant figure out what is missing? In my years of collecting knives my taste have fluctuated greatly, yet it still seems as though something is missing. I can't seem to put my finger on it and it is driving my crazy. While the most expensive knife I have purchased was around 650, I am quite certain paying more is not what I am after, but something else? As a knife guy, we are always chasing the next purchase, but I can't seem to figure out what is next on the list? While I would not like to see this thread turn into an arena for fanboys to fly their flag, I would like to use this as a place to discuss the philosophy behind what makes the perfect knife or maybe some theories into what makes the perfect knife and if anyone has hit that brick wall in their knife career.
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My perfect EDC knife is a silver alox Victorinox Pioneer. I'm confident that it can handle any job I'd ever ask of a pocket knife *and* it has other tools that make it more than just a cutting instrument. I like how much utility is packed into one compact pocket-friendly package that is good-lookin' to my eyes.

alox01_zpsqgdeds9s.jpg

Victorinox Cadet, Pioneer, Farmer

The only reason why I carry other knives is because... I like them. It isn't for greater utility, not for any 'one-is-none' redundancy, not for an emergency self-defence weapon, no sir. I like knives and have far more than I need (but far fewer than I want!) I still buy other knives and know they will not fill the role of an EDC better than my humble Vic Pioneer.

I think the feeling that something is missing is simply the desire for a new knife. It's the craving every knife junkie experiences now and again. If your EDC needs are already covered, I say take your time and thoroughly enjoy the 'thrill of the hunt' for a new knife. Embrace it. Savour it. Wallow in it like a little piggy. There is no master list of what you need to own and if knife collecting is a race, you ain't ever gonna win... so ya may as well slow down and enjoy the scenery!

Good luck, OP! :)

-Brett
 
Trollbane said:
Oh yes, The perfect knife exists in Platonic sense. And I'm in pursuit of it...and I will never find it . Meanwhile I'm going to enjoy the hunt!

(excuse me for my bad english, it's not my native tounge and I tasted the christmas whiskey! :))

/ John
Click to expand...

Your comment basically sums up the knife hobby for me and likely for most of us.

Also, whiskey has been to blame for a good number of my expensive knife purchases. :p
 
SENGVIN said:
Perfect knife for me didn't exist until I made it my self with help of my father , Gil Hibben and Wes Hibben, than I made sheath for it but that wasn't perfect to me even if it looks better than the one I had it made for it later by Savage Made. Now I consider it perfect why ?
Becouse:
It is fix blade
Made out of cpm D2
Perfect length not to long not too short 10" blade
not too thick but thick enugh to take abuse 1/4"
Perfect balance(Aldo not very good chopper buy it can sit in my working hand for hours) feels very light, if I ever had to use it as fighting knife :)D) it would be very quick.
Has a choke groove for my finger so detailed work is possible and because it feels light again lot of hours of work is possible.
very comfortable handle fits me like glove made out of micarta so again very tough with skull crusher at the end that is kind of hidden and doesn't take away from the over all look of the knife.
Holes for para cord on the guard (nice option). Guard is big enough to protect my hand but not too big to get in the way.
To me it looks great .
If I was to take one knife with me to hell this one would be it.
QgYObBQ.jpg

Old sheath
TxaRYmD.jpg

rKlewL4.jpg
Click to expand...

Beautiful knife and sheath!

Cate
 
I agree with the one poster who stated, "Perfect for what?"

I think that every individual has an idea on what their perfect knife would be too.

One size does not fit all people due to their hand size, grip, any disability, age, what it looks like and feels like in their hands. This goes for fixed and folding knives.

(This goes for knives, firearms and any other household, camping and survival tools in my opinion.)

Plus some people may want to use a small or weak knife for a task where they should be using a larger and stronger knife and in some specific cases... an axe!

In some emergency cases, if that is all they have on their body or in their vehicle... they use what they have with them. The tool may or may NOT work for them.

A 'perfect knife' may work for some people in some states but the same knife may not work in other states and/or countries due to their individual knife laws. So even though it is a sweet and perfect knife in ALL ways for them... it might not work for the other guy or gal.

A fixed blade knife in two sizes works for me. Why? Because I no longer own, use or carry folding knives.

I could use only two knife blade lengths if push came to shove where I live. This would work for EDC - legally concealed without or with a permit and for open carry for both knives too.

They would work in town and outside of town. They would work in the woods/wilderness too.

Since I have LEFT folding/pocket knives due to my hand issues and used, carried and discovered FIXED blade knives more in a few sizes... I would NEVER go back to a folding/pocket knife even if I had some arthritis cure!

And I have tried out many beautiful, quality made and 'famous' knives of my late husband's, my MT husband's and tried some in the stores before many of those SWEET knives were gifted to my husband, friends, donated to charity and/or sold. Many famous knives went bye bye. And the three of us were not 'collectors'. We were users and carriers and some of them went back to my late husband's Nam days. Some other knives went back further for him and my MT husband - back to the 50's.

I know what works for me but it may not work for some other lady or gentleman.

I like an axe and a tomahawk for some jobs. I like my garden pruning shears too. I like my saw. I like my scissors! I like good kitchen knives.

I personally do not use but I have tried multi tool sets. I would sooner get out my own set of tools that I brought out west with me or something of my MT husband's if need be. I realize that many people use multi tool sets when they are not at home and can't easily grab their home set too!

My MT husband does have a multi tool set on his leather belt every single day. And he works in an office.

Plus he has carried a folding/pocket knife on him since he was a kid on a daily basis. He still does!

My late husband carried a folding/pocket knife on a daily basis.

All of us had something in our trucks and cars for emergency use too.

I will say that I have seen some knives here and in other sections where ONE fixed blade knife would do the job in many ways for some of their owners.

Impressive knives, quality work and they LOOK pretty too!

I have owned some pretty, quality made folding/pocket knives that were passed on to me, gifted to me back in the late 60's and on and some that I personally picked out.

But since I do not use or carry them... My Perfect Knife would be a Fixed Blade Knife.

Your mileage may vary. NO problem.

Cate
 
If only someone made something that was somewhere between the sebenza and spyderco military. so pretty much a military in the shape of a sebenza if that makes sence. That I think would be just about perfect for my use.
 
There is never going to be a perfect knife for the same 2 people. What is perfect for me, is NOT going to be perfect for you. Now, where is the popcorn?
 
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