"National" knives

[Draven]

Howdy folks!
Something I've been thinking about a lot recently - a lot of countries (or perhaps it would be more accurate to say 'areas' since cultures often spread across several countries) have their "iconic" knife style. The Finnish Puukko for example, the Saami knife, the American Bowie (though I'd say the Nessmuk, Green River knife or one of the trader knives would be a better example), Parangs, Kukri, et cetera.

There are a few countries I can't really identify though. Firstly, Australia - what is the favoured knife style in Australia, traditionally or recently? I've seen one which the seller claimed was a typical Australian style which was basically a six inch blade, plain handle, no guard and a clip.

And what's the English one? I gather Scotland's must be the Sgian and the Dirk, but I'm lost on England! England seems largely to be famous for Sheffield folders...

Cheers!
Pete

 

[Dave Budd]

well you could say the Sheffield Bowie, or the sheepsfoot folder, or the Billhook (our version of a kukri, parang, etc), or I guess the Woodlore ( )

 

[Draven]

Ahh the sheepsfoot folder and the billhook are excellent examples that completely slipped my mind Cheers mate!

Pete

 

[British Red]

For a long time the seax would have been English standard (say 500 - 850 AD). It kicked lumps of both Celtic and Viking tail

Loads of others of course.

Messrs Sykes and Fairburn produced a "classic".

Red

 

[Toddy]

What about the jack knife ? Lot of sailors round our islands and waterways

cheers,
Toddy

 

[sam_acw]

I think the British army knife, with marlinspike and sheepfoot blade is pretty iconic. Pretty good knife too.
For France there is the lagouile and opinel style folder, Francophone Africa has the "douk douk".
Switzerland has the SAK.

 

[Draven]

BR - Forgot about the Seax (how dare I? I have two as well!) and the FS! Good call

Toddy - that's a good un too

sam_acw - yknow I reckon that you're right, the army knife is a great example of a 'proper' English or British knife. More function than "Check out the size of my blade " Then again being an American maybe overturns my British citizenship and Scottish residence in deciding what entails a proper British knife?

Pete

 

[Ozhaggishead]

There are a few countries I can't really identify though. Firstly, Australia - what is the favoured knife style in Australia, traditionally or recently? I've seen one which the seller claimed was a typical Australian style which was basically a six inch blade, plain handle, no guard and a clip.

I don't know about that one??????????,But down here you see a lot of cattlemen or farmers wearing a small folder on there belt.

 

[Dave Budd]

For a long time the seax would have been English standard (say 500 - 850 AD). It kicked lumps of both Celtic and Viking tail

Loads of others of course.

Messrs Sykes and Fairburn produced a "classic".

Red

ah but. Seax blade shapes have been in constant use since the late bronze age (drop point, spear point, sheepsfoot, clipped point, etc). It's only the Honey Lane style that fell out of popularity after a couple of hundred years that we think of as a seax these days. tiz just one of many

 

[Mountainwalker]

I don't know about that one??????????,But down here you see a lot of cattlemen or farmers wearing a small folder on there belt.

My father (farmer) just carries a basic barlow style dual blade pocket knife. I think folders are more common in Australia, or perhaps hunting knives. I guess that doesn't answer the national knife question.

This is one of the few Aussie production knife makers that I know of.
Dewey Knives

 

[Wilderbeast]

be intresting to get wayland on this one as he's into his history in a big way, and like BR said the Seax sounds like the right sort of time period for a "classic knife" to be introduced!

 

[Rob Tangtent]

of course bowie is probably number 1 most iconic,
but the Buck 110 is also pretty iconic for America

 

[sam_acw]

I think the Marbles hunter is another iconic knife.

 

[Draven]

ah but. Seax blade shapes have been in constant use since the late bronze age (drop point, spear point, sheepsfoot, clipped point, etc). It's only the Honey Lane style that fell out of popularity after a couple of hundred years that we think of as a seax these days. tiz just one of many

Interesting. Can the drop point, spear point or clip really be seen as a seax type blade though? I mean, if they are, the only single-edge blades that are not seaxes are swept-back and straight-spined. I always thought of a Seax as having a somewhat straighter cutting edge - not necessarily straight, just generally straighter than your average drop point, spear point or clipped point knife. Or maybe it's just a matter of opinion! The Seax was quite common all over this area of the world, was it not? It wouldn't be unreasonable to postulate that many of these blade types did in fact evolve from the seax...

I might need to try out one of these sheepsfoot blades - I've never had one, but always liked the look of them! Look very non-threatening too, so should be good for EDC.

Find it quite interesting that folders are most common in Australia - I would have thought that a large fixed blade (or carrying both) would have definite advantages there!

Pete

 

[Mountainwalker]

Find it quite interesting that folders are most common in Australia - I would have thought that a large fixed blade (or carrying both) would have definite advantages there!

Pete

I'm no expert on the issue, just my observation growing up in rural australia on a farm. Everyone I encountered with a knife had a folder, when we went hunting we used bowie style knives. But I remember the simple pocket knife as being the most common place. I recall the day my father gave me my first pocket knife, it was a big deal, a sign of respect and maturity. A few years latter came an air rifle and a few more years down the track a 22 rifle.

 

[Rob Tangtent]

the nepalisian Khukri

it is nepal right?

 

[Wayland]

ah but. Seax blade shapes have been in constant use since the late bronze age (drop point, spear point, sheepsfoot, clipped point, etc). It's only the Honey Lane style that fell out of popularity after a couple of hundred years that we think of as a seax these days. tiz just one of many

Wot he said.......

The straight edged "Seax" is a modern classification and was not particularly common in the past.

The name just referred to a knife and there were many different types of knife in use at the time.

If you look at the archaeology there is just about every imaginable blade shape in use from the iron age to present day so it's very difficult to pin one shape to the wall and say "That's a traditional knife."

 

[mace242]

Howdy folks!
Something I've been thinking about a lot recently - a lot of countries (or perhaps it would be more accurate to say 'areas' since cultures often spread across several countries) have their "iconic" knife style. The Finnish Puukko for example, the Saami knife, the American Bowie (though I'd say the Nessmuk, Green River knife or one of the trader knives would be a better example), Parangs, Kukri, et cetera.

There are a few countries I can't really identify though. Firstly, Australia - what is the favoured knife style in Australia, traditionally or recently? I've seen one which the seller claimed was a typical Australian style which was basically a six inch blade, plain handle, no guard and a clip.

And what's the English one? I gather Scotland's must be the Sgian and the Dirk, but I'm lost on England! England seems largely to be famous for Sheffield folders...

Cheers!
Pete

I'm saying that it'll be a 99p Asda kitchen knife - seems to be what loads of kids carry about in England nowadays....