Trying to understand why, so let's discuss it

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Hickory n steel said:
Heres my assessment so far.

First half of the 1900's, balisongs were the main folders carried for the " cool " factor.
Then in 1964 the Buck 110 takes the world by storm and becomes one of the most copied specific folding knives ever.

In the 80's spyderco, first blood, and mall ninjas

1990's tactical folders became a thing

Now most folding knives in the US are modern.

I understand that people like modern folders and I understand what people like about them, but theres still a question in my mind.

The materials an average person cuts during the day haven't changed much, but people's expectations of a pocket knife mostly have and I wonder why.

So is the answer really just that people think they're cool and have gotten used to them ?

Did a lot more people carry belt knives until knives started to become " frowned upon " ?
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The idea of transportation and getting from one place to another hasn't changed much, but for the most part I'd rather drive my truck than use a horse and buggy. But that's just me...
 
Yeah. I was watching the history channel last night and they said it took months to travel the Oregon Trail (to California) from St Louis by wagon. The transcontinental rail road was completed a few years after the Civil War and it shortened the travel time to a week. Now you just jump into your car/truck and go.. a couple days max. You would never make a trip like that by yourself normally. Now it's common place. I don't want to go back to those times or even cars in the 60's that so many love. But I still do like a well made slip joint!
 
craytab said:
Actually, they don't. You have not been able to buy a new production pontiac since 2010. Sorry.
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Thank you.

Sorry, OP, 5th gen Camaros with a customized front fascia from a small-time auto modification/customization company =/= a Pontiac GTO.
 
Hickory n steel said:
Heres my assessment so far.

First half of the 1900's, balisongs were the main folders carried for the " cool " factor.
Then in 1964 the Buck 110 takes the world by storm and becomes one of the most copied specific folding knives ever.

In the 80's spyderco, first blood, and mall ninjas

1990's tactical folders became a thing

Now most folding knives in the US are modern.

I understand that people like modern folders and I understand what people like about them, but theres still a question in my mind.

The materials an average person cuts during the day haven't changed much, but people's expectations of a pocket knife mostly have and I wonder why.

So is the answer really just that people think they're cool and have gotten used to them ?

Did a lot more people carry belt knives until knives started to become " frowned upon " ?
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If there's "still a question in your mind", then no, no you don't understand that people like modern folders or what they like about them.
 
22-rimfire said:
I like you... you're comfortable in your own skin! Slip joints? Oh my gawd..... They do cut pretty well and if I didn't carry a SAK most of the time, it would be a normal slip joint. They are a thing of beauty if made well (if you like them of course!). Good to see you're paying attention to covid-19.
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I've actually been using the slip-joint in that photo a fair bit around the house lately. Good for breaking down cardboard and cutting tape. Lack of pocket clip doesn't matter when you just pick it up off the desk or table to use it.

Been using other knives too, but it has proven to be pretty capable. There's a reason the older knives didn't simply disappear when newer ones were developed. :)

That mask is the one I wear when going to see my father. He's over 70, and the only way he feels comfortable driving around with someone is with both of us wearing respirators. Works for me. I'd use it more often but the filters are almost impossible to get, so most of the time I use other styles of mask. Got dropped off at the safety supply store to buy gloves (wife wanted more nitrile gloves), then it turned out that the bus detour on the way back dropped me off right by a Tim Horton's. :thumbsup: It all worked out.
 
Quiet said:
If there's "still a question in your mind", then no, no you don't understand that people like modern folders or what they like about them.
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I do, but having an on paper understanding of something and actually " getting it " are two different things.
I don't carry them so I will never actually " get it ".


I had this question of how a vastly different type of knife than what everyone was used became the defacto standard, but have realized that there were always people who liked a larger more sturdy seeming folder and that they may not actually be the defacto standard that they seemed to me.

In some countries a traditional form of folder may still be what everyone pictures as a pocket knife, and there are probably places in the US where most everyone carries a stockman or trapper.
 
I have both, but carry a modern folder 90% of the time. I do like to carry a Large Case Stockman (Yellow handle) when I'm around my father. He grew up on a ranch in W. TX back in the 50's and 60's and I know it brings him joy to see me use that knife. I suppose it takes him back to a simpler time. Also, for what it's worth, I can really get a keen edge on that thing. It's fun to sit in front of the TV on a Sunday afternoon and bring that thing to razor sharp in just a few minutes.

Personally, I'm a fan of the Para 3; probably have way too many of them. I love everything about that knife, but what stands out most to me are the ergonomics along with the wide selection of available steels. I also like to scale swap, blade swap and Rit dye the many different variations I have. Never a dull moment.
 
Hickory n steel said:
I don't carry them so I will never actually " get it ".
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But you did carry them, so either you “got it” then, or you were walking around with a tool in your pocket that you didn’t understand.

Quite frankly, this whole quest to “get” modern folders is silly. It’s not an alien contraption that you’ve never laid your eyes on. They’re knives...with some form of lock...made of modern materials. You didn’t time travel to 2020 Hickory, it’s really not that complicated.
 
Down here in South Texas you can’t go anywhere without seeing at least one person wearing a tooled leather sheath with usually a Trapper or Stockman peeking out the top of it - along with the requisite matching belt, wallet, boots, etc. At the same time you’ll easily see a good many more pocket clips. People are going to carry what they like, what works for them, and yes, what they perceive suits them. That's really as deep as it gets.
 
Lee D said:
But you did carry them, so either you “got it” then, or you were walking around with a tool in your pocket that you didn’t understand.

Quite frankly, this whole quest to “get” modern folders is silly. It’s not an alien contraption that you’ve never laid your eyes on. They’re knives...with some form of lock...made of modern materials. You didn’t time travel to 2020 Hickory, it’s really not that complicated.
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I mostly carried them before starting to learn about knives and didn't really have the same understanding of knives as tools that I do today. I carried them because my brother and friends had them, because flicking them opened seemed cool, and because I was also gifted many of them by people who knew I liked knives.
There was always a bit of question in my mind , but I never dwelled on it much.
Once I started to really learn about knives and develop preferences the idea of carrying a modern folder started to make less sense to me.
So I would say I probably never did get them.

To the last part I will say that I have gleaned from this thread about as much as I can and the question is now gone.
There were some good helpful posts that helped me realize that some preconceived ideas I had were wrong and I was probably searching for an answer that doesn't exist by asking a question that I may not have been able to properly put into words.
 
JAB said:
Down here in South Texas you can’t go anywhere without seeing at least one person wearing a tooled leather sheath with usually a Trapper or Stockman peeking out the top of it - along with the requisite matching belt, wallet, boots, etc. At the same time you’ll easily see a good many more pocket clips. People are going to carry what they like, what works for them, and yes, what they perceive suits them. That's really as deep as it gets.
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That was a new phenomenon to me when I first moved down here from the D.C. area. I see them around town and theres a guy who's always at the gun show in Taylor that makes them with some very nice tooling. I mean to get one to fit a Victorinox Pioneer and go with it. I guess I'll go with a SAK 'cause I'm from back east. :eek:
 
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Put more simply, time marches on. There's a reason why there are like, three or four companies still making Traditionals* but there are a TON of companies making modern folders, and more throwing their hat in the ring every day. I love Traditionals, but recently, I've discovered that if they aren't perfect mechanically, then the knife is nearly useless. I recently got in one of the new liner lock #23s, and it came with a pull so tight, it's almost dangerous. In every objective way, a Spyderco PM2 or a Benchmade Griptilian, or a Sebenza, or a We Knives something, etc. are superior cutting tools, combining vastly greater ease of use, accessibility, and comfort in the hand. And, at the end of the day all do the same job: cut things. I won't be carrying it, and own it simply because I wanted one in the collection.

That said, if people have a romanticized ideal of the past that they enjoy envisioning, and feel that carrying a traditional knife "jes' lahke graampaw useta carry" is what makes them happy, then that's fine also with no judgement from me especially considering I carry a traditional every day myself. However, there are very real reasons why modern knives exist, and I'm thankful for them in all their complexity, and endless variety. They are the future, and there are plenty of companies who make knives specifically for markets where there are restrictions or laws regarding various attributes. Spyderco and Pro-Tech are two that come immediately to mind. I'm sure there are more.






* At least one of which mainly caters to collectors (like me!)
 
Hickory n steel said:
I do, but having an on paper understanding of something and actually " getting it " are two different things.
I don't carry them so I will never actually " get it ".


I had this question of how a vastly different type of knife than what everyone was used became the defacto standard, but have realized that there were always people who liked a larger more sturdy seeming folder and that they may not actually be the defacto standard that they seemed to me.

In some countries a traditional form of folder may still be what everyone pictures as a pocket knife, and there are probably places in the US where most everyone carries a stockman or trapper.
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What does size have to do with it? What defacto standard? Obviously Traditional patterns come in a wide variety of styles and sizes. That fact explicitly confirms that even among traditional patterns, there was no defacto standard and of course there were always needs for different knife sizes and designs. So the only thing "defacto standard" can mean then is slip joint, no clip, multiple blades and "traditional" materials.

Slip joints and clip-less knives are still quite prolific so then it must be about multiple blades or traditional materials. But we don't perform the same tasks as people did 100-200 or more years ago. Further, as has been said, modern steels and manufacturing have made it possible to not need different blades for different tasks.

I'm sure if you went back far enough, there were people bemoaning the folding pocket knife as silly and unnecessary.

It's very cool to have a nostalgic bent and like old timey stuff but again, don't confuse that with advancements being unnecessary.

A strong argument could be made that today's "traditional" knives are traditional mostly just in the styling aspect so let's not get too carried away.
 
craytab said:
That would suck to have to cut a big burrito in half with, as would most traditionals. That is kind of my standard measure for carry. :D
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Now this is a metric I can respect. This used to be one of the capabilities I demanded in my EDC.

5th Street Burritos in Oxnard simply demanded a sizable blade to halve one of their delicious offerings.

These days though, I just eat the whole burrito.
 
Velitrius said:
Now this is a metric I can respect. This used to be one of the capabilities I demanded in my EDC.

5th Street Burritos in Oxnard simply demanded a sizable blade to halve one of their delicious offerings.

These days though, I just eat the whole burrito.
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True, eating the whole burrito is the obvious best answer. That said, with little ones or splitting a burrito, this can be a challenge. And taking a pre-cut burrito on a pick-nick is an amateur move at best.

This standard of measure does not just apply to burritos. Other qualifying items include, but are not limited to, large sandwiches and wraps of various types.
 
The burrito metric is interesting. It could be a regular sandwich, hoagie, sub sandwich and so forth. I have been known to cut my subs into smaller pieces that are more bit size or several bite sized chunks. Burritos... naahhh. I never get them. By design they are just a bunch of seasoned beans for the most part. I do like Taco Bell; taco hell to some but never a burrito.
 
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