What's up with the sgian dubh nowadays!?!?!

**Graham** · 4th September 05, 08:00 PM

Heck, they would want to be good knives at $250!!

**clancelt** · 4th September 05, 08:22 PM

Originally Posted by Graham

Heck, they would want to be good knives at $250!!

Yep, you make sure it doesn't fall out of your sock ;) You do cross a line when you go from mass produced blades to a custom knifemaker. His is the nicest I own, but it also cost 3X more than I paid for my next nicest

**Dreadbelly** · 4th September 05, 08:28 PM

The knife is a little hard to see.

It is an Imperial Knife. Made in Ireland. I am sure somebody round here has to know the brand. It's made from 440 carbon steel. It holds a razor's edge, and holds it quite well I might add. I have skinned stuff with this inky dinky little knife. It's always been a little to small in my giant mitts. It has a rubberised no slip sure grip handle. The blade is about 2 inches long. It's thick. Nearly 1/16 of an inch thick along it's back edge. It's very very strong and has held up to endless abuse. This knife has done everything. Stripped wire, skinned animals, cut leather, cut rope, it can cut a seat belt, self defense, camping and everything that comes with that, cleaning fish, survival in general, and once I even used it like a hammer to break a car window by ramming it tip first in to the side safety glass. (Not for stealing, I assure you) As you can see, the tip is still straight and uncrimped, the blade is mostly knick free, and it has survived all the abuse rather well. It's one of my sharpest knives... I could cut somebody or something with this thing, and they wouldn't even know they had been cut, until a few moments later when the blood begins to fountain from the heart pumping. I once cut my own thumb, didn't even know I did it. Hospital had to cauterise it to make the bleeding stop. This one is named The Drinker.

I would love to see a blade much like this one, with this kind of strength and quality, and the ability to hold an edge... Small, but made in such a way that it is an effective tool for anything. The handle on this is way to large to be effectly stuffed in to a sock. However, the handle is not nearly large enough to be comfortable in my hands. I suspect though that any Black Knife I would own would be that way.

Why doesn't anybody make a blade like this in to a Black Knife? I mean, correct me if I was wrong, but wouldn't they sell like hotcakes?

Edit. Typo. Did I miss anything else?

Second Edit.

I really should mention that Imperial is no longer is business, at least last I heard. Their small time outfit of craftsmen in Ireland could not keep up with the flood of cheap machine pressed P.O.S. imports from Southeast Asia. I know when I bought The Drinker all those years ago, the price tag was, hmm, I don't recall exactly, but it was close to the $350 mark. At the time, the handle was a brand new technology to civilians, fresh out of military tech. It also came with a life time promise of enduring perfection. The company is gone, but many of their blades will live on for generations to come, becoming more and more precious to those that treasure them. This particular blade is not for sale. :razz: Seriously though. I'd never sell it. Not now, with the company gone.

Something to think about when you buy a cheap P.O.S. knife.

**MacSimoin** · 5th September 05, 07:28 AM

That knife looks just like one of the 'Apex Wilderness' knives, which used to be made under the 'Imperial' name in Ireland for Schrade.

**Dreadbelly** · 5th September 05, 08:04 AM

Very good eye sir.

That style of blade would gain an extra inch or so and would eventually become that particular modle. The knife in the picture only has a 2 inch blade. The handle, at the time, was pretty impressive stuff. The wetter it gets, the "stickier" it feels. Covered in grease, water, sweat, whatever, makes the grip feel tacky and sticky in your hand. It's rubbery and spongy. My knife was a first generation of a new style.

The second generation the blades were thinned out just a little bit, extended to 3 inches and 3 3/4th inches depending on the model. The back edge of the knife became straighter. They also slowly phased out the "squared" tip going for something a bit more pointed. Prices dropped considerably with the next few production models. Sort of like when the Leatherman was first introduced, the prices were astronomical, insane, and quickly dropped down to a much more reasonable price. Also, the grips went from being somewhat spongy to being hard as a brick. I am not sure why, I actually liked the soft squeezeable grip. Less stress on the hands during certain jobs. Also, I personally didn't like the change to a more pointed blade. I am not sure why, but I like the squared off tip on the one I have.

They also made a folder, which I wasn't impressed with at all. I really hate to say it, but it felt... Chintzy. The metal frame that housed the blade, it would press in to your fingers uncomfortably when you sqeezed the rubberised grip. Which was just rubbery. None of the sticky feeling of the earlier generations. The metal frame was also thin, and bent easily if you squeezed to hard.

I wonder if Mora makes a wee knife.

**Sciuropterus** · 5th September 05, 09:45 AM

I think any of the slim lockblades with with the pocket clip are well-siuted for sock wear.
For all but the most formal events, I usually have a Jaguar M4 Balisong knife peeking out of my sock. I plan to get one of the Cold Steel's fiberglass skean dhu knives also.

I would never throw a knife unless I didn't care if I got it back.

I don't like to carry expensive knives, the lawmen here tend to confiscate them, or even worse, I lose them.