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A Gentleman’s Knife

We have all heard the terms “Gentleman’s Knife” right?  But what exactly makes a knife a gentleman’s knife?  Do you have to use it to trim cigars or spread caviar?  Do you have to be a gentleman to carry a gentleman’s knife?  With such a broad title, it can be easy to get confused, and lost.  Hopefully we can shed some light on the subject.
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Let’s first talk about what exactly makes a gentleman.  When I hear that word, immediately I get images of men in suits and bowties, drinking 100 year old scotch, smoking a cigar and saying things like “cheerio” and “toodle pip”.  A bit ridiculous?  Probably, but that’s just what comes to mind, and it’s a bit difficult to picture men like that carrying a knife at all.  There has to be more to a gentleman.  If you search the word definition online you get “a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man”.
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So, the question is, if that is a gentleman, what exactly is a gentleman’s knife?  Depending on where you look online, you will get a plethora of different opinions on what exactly the answer to this question is.  But let’s look at this according to the definition above.  First we have chivalrous.  So, we can assume the knife will be used for chivalrous reasons, such as removing the foil from around a cork, or opening an envelope for someone.  Next we have courteous.  Courteous reasons to use a knife would be removing a stray thread on a piece of clothing, cutting someone’s cigar or even lending the knife out.  Last we have honorable.  An honorable man holds himself in high regard, never acting uncharacteristically anger, or brash.  Therefore, he would not use his knife in an angry, or dirty manner.
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Ok, so let’s put all of those together.   We have chivalry, courteousness, and honor.  For a knife to be used in all these situations it would need to be sleek, to slip inside a suit jacket or the pocket of your slacks.  Definitely not too bulky or burdensome.  It would need to be accessible to everyone, should the need arise.  Lastly it would be honorable.  No flashy colors or offensive designs.  It should be something the gentleman is not embarrassed to pull out during a dinner party or formal occasion.  So, the knife should be sleek, simple, well kept, and of an inoffensive design.   Luckily, BladeHQ has an entire section dedicated to the “Gentleman’s Knife”.  If you are still curious about what constitutes a gentleman’s knife, head on over and check out the extensive collection they are offering.
Now, this is all just speculation of course.  The word gentleman means different things to everyone.  So we want to hear your opinions.  What do you think makes up a gentleman’s knife?  Or, what have you used your gentleman’s knife for?  Let us know in the comments below.

4 thoughts on “A Gentleman’s Knife

  1. a gentlemans knife shall be a small transitional folder slip joint or a lock back with a maximum of two blades. It should have a timeless style and design preferably antique pattern and classy scales like a dark word or dark bone pattern with nice bolsters, pearl and certain exotics like abolone scale also acceptable.
    A gentlemans knife is not anything modern or tatictal looking.
    Added benefit is a nice leather pocket sleeve for said knife.

  2. Opinel #8 Bubinga handle. Perfectly ergonomic, 125 years strong, and yea, nice leather pouch is handy.

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