![]() Around you, conversation stops as everyone stares at the elegant blade, then demands to see it. You produce the 37G from the inside pocket of your sport coat, open it with a deft twist, and slice away. The filet mignon you ordered has arrived, but the knife provided is either woefully inadequate or one of those coarsely oversized serrated saws. You’re at an upscale restaurant with several acquaintances. It certainly won’t take the place of a substantial piece such as the Sebenza. That’s a job for a Swiss Army knife or a multitool. Opening shipping cartons? Well, sure, but slightly beneath contempt. It would never work for field dressing large game, or making feather sticks for fire lighting. In fact, you won’t be doing any of the things those “tactical” knifemakers assure you can be done with their products, which no one ever does anyway.Įven in the real world, this is a specialized implement. You won’t be making a spear out of it with a stick and your unravelled paracord bracelet. ![]() You won’t be using the 37G to saw your way out of the cockpit of your F/A 18 after being shot down behind enemy lines. Also available is a limited edition (300 pieces) 37G in cooperation with climber Conrad Anker, the proceeds of which will go to support Anker’s Khumbu Climbing Center in Nepal, a school that trains local Sherpas in climbing techniques and safety. The G10 mini-scale is one of several options (including a scaleless version at 34 grams). ![]() Despite this, the Baladéo's blade lockup felt good, and the knife is user serviceable via tiny Torx fasteners. For comparison, my Chris Reeve Sebenza (below), with titanium scales and a blade the same 3.75" length, weighs 130 grams. That’s less than an ounce and a half, just hardly even there (and the company makes a smaller model called the 15G). The model I held is called the 37G, for its weight in grams. I expected it to be light, but I was unprepared for just how light. It was knife design reduced to, as the writer Thomas McGuane once described an elegant skiff, a “simple linear gesture.” The spine of the blade and the back of the handle comprised a single graceful curve. On a plexiglass display stand stood an impossibly slender folding knife, a mere wisp of stainless steel accented by an even fainter wisp of black G10 scale material. Last Saturday, on a tip from Mario Donovan of Adventure Trailers, I strolled past the Baladéo booth-and stopped in my tracks. Nevertheless, when I scan knifemakers’ booths at venues such as the Outdoor Retailer show, it takes something special to stop me in my tracks. And in the end, the steel is really what a knife is all about. Top-end modern blades now combine toughness, strength, and edge-holding in levels unimaginable just two decades ago. How much innovation is really possible? Also, to be fair, it’s beyond doubt that steel technology has progressed substantially the last couple of decades. I suppose one could ask just how much true original thinking we can expect in this oldest of all Mankind’s manufactured tools. (“TWEEEET! Somebody help! I can’t get reception on the Discovery Channel!”) ![]() Gerber’s Bear Grylls “Signature” knife includes a pocket survival guide and an emergency whistle on the lanyard cord. (Ever tried to sharpen the corner on a tanto point?) Sheath knives with Kraton handles, half-serrated edges, and saw teeth on the back? Pass. “Tactical” folders with assisted opening, black-oxidized blades, and tanto points? Yawn. Technical instructor at De Montfort University in Leicester.It’s easy to become jaded viewing recent knife designs, 99 percent of which are chasing various black-ops/street-fighter/wilderness-survival fads. Was this wise? Of course it was, they don’t call me Practical Parky for nothing.Īlready I’m being asked what next, will you row another ocean? Hey, how about a rest first, folks? Or was it clouds?īeside the rowing, my specialist skill was to be the ‘fixer’ of everything - the crew had quite literally put their faith and lives in my shaky hands to get them out of trouble. Imagine our joy when we first thought we caught a glimpse of Mauritius, a ghostly and barely visible shadow on the horizon. Stunning sunrises and epic sun sets, the real night sky and aqua phosphorescence. ![]() If we were lucky we would see some wildlife, birds, flying fish and squid, Dorado, passing whales, the occasional boat or the lights of a plane. For probably the best part of 68 days at sea our main visual stimulation was the 360 degrees of ocean, usually an aqua blue colour with white cresting waves. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |