Which topics do you find most interesting?

Im in taking forging classes. Its all about geometry, steel composition, ergonomics. I always love a good roasting and just what everyone like. So many variables that different people like different things. Thats what makes it so great no one is the same.
 
I'm a bit of a steel nerd, so I gotta say steel discussions, specifically with regards to sharpening. I really hope one day there will be a be-all-and-end-all conclusion about carbide tear-out.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
I always find in-depth conversations about geometry fascinating. I actually like knife recommendation threads IF the OP is active in the thread and responds to comments. I find it very satisfying to give feedback and commentary that someone is paying attention to, and if it ends up leading them to a knife they love on my recommendation, well, that makes my day.
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Love this. It always sucks to give a bunch of recs to “lookyloos” only to have them balk, and it’s so satisfying to see one actually buy a damned knife.
 
I'm interested in knife and knifemaker history, and (which often goes along with that) learning about lesser-known knives and knifemakers of the past and present.

I read a well-written history of the Kephart Knife in Knife Magazine (not Blade Magazine) a few weeks ago and it was fascinating. I want more of that. Another example: every year or so I come across another vintage Kershaw model (circa the 1970s or 80s) that I never new existed.

Here are a few older Kershaws I have picked up:

7oqh5Jy.jpg


As a third and final example (with a picture!), at a recent knife show I came across a collector's table that had a knife on it by Gary Little. There are a couple of articles and some early Blade Forums posts on the maker, but not much else. He is nearly 80 years old now, and appears to have never been in the limelight to any degree. But the knife I bought (for only $200!) is absolutely beautifully made, better than many top-level custom slipjoint maker's knives that I've handled. Here's a pic:

jxwjW5r.jpg


Long story short: There's inevitably a bit of an echo chamber of discussion about "hot" new makers and new models, but I am much, much more interested in the older, the lesser-known, the forgotten by time, the out-of-the-limelight knives and knifemakers.
 
The history can get pretty interesting. Once in a very long while someone comes up with a new idea that raises an eyebrow. And once in an even longer while I see a knife that makes me think "oh, baby!".
 
I think I like the philosophical/political aspects of discussion on here. I like reading about collecting - how people manage collections, how their collecting has changed, perhaps even why they are into what they are into. I find a lot of the "flipping" debate engaging - especially since some aspects of it regularly effect knives I am interested in. I find the China debates compelling. I like some of the historical perspectives that get presented re: Intellectual Property and knife pattern "borrowing."

Of course I love looking at knives, so there is that too.
 
brancron said:
I'm interested in knife and knifemaker history, and (which often goes along with that) learning about lesser-known knives and knifemakers of the past and present.

I read a well-written history of the Kephart Knife in Knife Magazine (not Blade Magazine) a few weeks ago and it was fascinating. I want more of that. Another example: every year or so I come across another vintage Kershaw model (circa the 1970s or 80s) that I never new existed.

Here are a few older Kershaws I have picked up:

7oqh5Jy.jpg


As a third and final example (with a picture!), at a recent knife show I came across a collector's table that had a knife on it by Gary Little. There are a couple of articles and some early Blade Forums posts on the maker, but not much else. He is nearly 80 years old now, and appears to have never been in the limelight to any degree. But the knife I bought (for only $200!) is absolutely beautifully made, better than many top-level custom slipjoint maker's knives that I've handled. Here's a pic:

jxwjW5r.jpg


Long story short: There's inevitably a bit of an echo chamber of discussion about "hot" new makers and new models, but I am much, much more interested in the older, the lesser-known, the forgotten by time, the out-of-the-limelight knives and knifemakers.
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This is why I stuck around, so many lesser known makers before the advent of the net.
 
- Opinions on new releases.
- Knife mod photos and how-to do it, where to buy it, who to send it to.
- Sharpening tips and tools.
- Steel comparisons.
- How people use their knives.
 
RBid said:
I’m curious which knife related topics you all find most interesting to hear about, discuss, or in some cases, teach about?
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I couldn't nail this one down until a moment ago where I read the second quote below where I left a link to the thread.
. . . any of them (topics) as long as this sort of thing happens in them :

This is a link as is the next quote . . .
Just a quick point: hitachi paper white is really not like 1095 : ) if it's white 1, then it's about 1.3% carbon http://www.zknives.com/knives/steels/white_1.shtml ...but more importantly, the cleanness of the steel is the power. The white series have ultra low sulphur (less than 0.004%), and very low phosphorus (less than 0.025%)

next quote / link :
Crucible seems to make two different versions of M4. It's not clear to me which one is used in blades: REX M4 High Speed Steel and CPM REX M4 HC(HS). The naming does not make it easy to differentiate.

Quite a few differences. One has silicon, the other has sulfur and no silicon, higher carbon and molybdenum, and lower vanadium.

I suppose I am saying I like any thread where I learn something even if someone has to call BS on me. :thumbsup:
I like the tech side of it be it metallurgy, edge geometry (I've just been made aware of convex ground, thin, knives with spines thinner than the area nearer the edge ! ! ! ! Now we are talking ! ! ! !) . . . we need more (some / any) on that topic . . . is that only for kitchen knives ? ? ? . . . that could fly for any knife I use ! !
Ergonomics are huge for me, I just find it interesting, not that I use a knife all day long.
 
AntDog said:
Love this. It always sucks to give a bunch of recs to “lookyloos” only to have them balk, and it’s so satisfying to see one actually buy a damned knife.
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Yup !
I wouldn't have looked twice at the Gayle Bradley One if it weren't for someone setting me down and TEACHING me about it. Before that all I knew, or thought I need to know, was it was an "expensive" knife and it wasn't for me due to the "weird" blade. Boy was I wrong. It's still not at the very top of my list but I GET IT now.
PS: yes I bought one and no I'm not going to sell it to anyone so you all can stop circling and drooling.
 
brancron said:
I read a well-written history of the Kephart Knife in Knife Magazine (not Blade Magazine) a few weeks ago and it was fascinating. I want more of that.
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Now that you mention it THAT is what made me stop buying woodworking magazines.
That right there.
I wanted to hear about the greats, designers . . . makers (there were contemporary top award winning woodworkers they weren't covering) and what they were about and what they did.
I got to where if I saw another "this is a router and this is what it does" article (and no articles for the more experienced craftsperson) I was going to go postal so I just walked away from woodworking magazines.
 
I really enjoy seeing knives that have been used and what people’s experiences are. In my opinion a knife looks way cooler with wear than one that never gets used.

I also enjoy seeing the creative ways people use them. Things they make, stuff they repair, or interesting ways they apply the tool.
 
MolokaiRider said:
I really enjoy seeing knives that have been used and what people’s experiences are. In my opinion a knife looks way cooler with wear than one that never gets used.

I also enjoy seeing the creative ways people use them. Things they make, stuff they repair, or interesting ways they apply the tool.
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Yep, this. :)
 
MolokaiRider said:
I really enjoy seeing knives that have been used and what people’s experiences are. In my opinion a knife looks way cooler with wear than one that never gets used.

I also enjoy seeing the creative ways people use them. Things they make, stuff they repair, or interesting ways they apply the tool.
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You would have loved my Mom's knife. She used it a lot in the sixties and seventies doing all kinds of things from home remodeling, gardening, and even drapery (she made the curtains for my grade school stage (she made drapes for the Broadmoor Hotel like this Link>>>> back in the forties or fifties but that was way earlier before she became a home maker). hahaha come to think of it I've been on a foundry team that made some fine art bronze installed in the Broadmoor . . .

anyway the knife she called her "Frog Stabber" . . . go get the Frog Stabber she'd say back when I was a little snot nose kid. It was plain high carbon, kind of rounded on the end sort of like a butter knife . . . maybe it was broken and just cleaned up as much as possible by someone living in an apartment during the depression . . . the handle was wood, coated with kind of flat or semigloss house paint but worn shiny from use. Poked into a loop in a belt that was tacked to the inside of a door on the cabinet under the sink where a hammer and a screw driver were also in loops in the belt.

I wish I still had the knife (I have the hammer) . . . some how the knife had disappeared by the time I closed her home.
 
Wowbagger said:
You would have loved my Mom's knife. She used it a lot in the sixties and seventies doing all kinds of things from home remodeling, gardening, and even drapery (she made the curtains for my grade school stage (she made drapes for the Broadmoor Hotel like this Link>>>> back in the forties or fifties but that was way earlier before she became a home maker). hahaha come to think of it I've been on a foundry team that made some fine art bronze installed in the Broadmoor . . .

anyway the knife she called her "Frog Stabber" . . . go get the Frog Stabber she'd say back when I was a little snot nose kid. It was plain high carbon, kind of rounded on the end sort of like a butter knife . . . maybe it was broken and just cleaned up as much as possible by someone living in an apartment during the depression . . . the handle was wood, coated with kind of flat or semigloss house paint but worn shiny from use. Poked into a loop in a belt that was tacked to the inside of a door on the cabinet under the sink where a hammer and a screw driver were also in loops in the belt.

I wish I still had the knife (I have the hammer) . . . some how the knife had disappeared by the time I closed her home.
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I always enjoy hearing these stories. The knives themselves play a role in remembering people, places, or an activity.
 
For me, I am mostly interested in topics of (decreasing order, any topics):
- ZT folders
- Spyderco folders
- Hinderer folders

Topics of my least interest include (no particular order, any topics, and sorry):
- Traditionals
- Buck
- Non-USA brands other than Reate and SAK
 
The stories of how and who used the knives. Gifted from important relatives. I've recently started to whittle and carve and those tales and pictures amaze me with what some can do with a pocket knife. I'm trying to do the same but it's gonna be awhile before I find any skill. I'm not a scientist, just a user.
 
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