Is it a meaningless marketing term? Does it come down to a certain form factor? Pedigree? Materials used? This is my take on the term, with bonus ridiculous Leatherman.
Top Row, L-R:
– Opinel No.8 Olive
– MCusta MC202G Takeri
– MCusta Tactility Elite Ironwood
– Cold Steel FM-1
– Buck Custom 110 (Magncut/Brass/Ironwood)
– Spyderco Swayback
– Walt’s Latama 28CM Picklock Brazilian Horn
– Klötzli Messerschmiede Swiss Border Guard Folder
– Bark River Kitsune (Brass/Ironwood/CPM-154)
– Protech Custom Stainless Mordax
– Forge De Laguiole 12CM Forged Tradition (Thuya Burl/T-14)
– Zero Tolerance 0556 Auto
– Fontenille Pataud Le Thiers Advance (RWL-43/Amboyna Burl)
Bottom Left Column, Top to Bottom:
– Protech ATCF Enthusiant Edition
– Protech Custom Malibu AlBronze
Multitool:
– Leatherman Flair
Bottom Right Column, T-B:
– Actilam T3C Corian
– Spyderco Vallotton Subhilt (D/A Converted)
by BloodMilkAndSky420
6 Comments
I think it’s just a marketing term, I’ve always taken it for skinny and easily pocketable
It just means that when you are wearing it, you are showered, dressed reasonably well, have a hair cut, say please and thank you, open doors for people and take your trash cans back up to the house after the trash man empties them. I could be wrong though
Generally, this refers to knives with certain traits, often neutral colors, high polish, slim or narrow, mirrored edges, precious metals or inlays, etc.
But it’s very fluid and a knife can be a gentlemans knife without all out even most of the features.
CEO type knives are also gentlemen knives. As far as i know.
Think of it like Tactical knives. It’s a group with common features, but no specific meaning. A sliding scale
There’s no hard boundary for any design element that turns a knife into a “gentleman’s knife.” But I think generally people understand it to mean something that you can take out at dinner, in the office, or generally at any sort of more quiet social gathering without alarming the people around you. But it’s absolutely subjective. For instance, I would not consider that Latama a gentleman’s knife as you do. But neither of us can be wrong.
That sure is a ridiculous Leatherman, I love it!
It’s a knife that disappears in a suit or a pair of dress pants with a minimal silhouette