Any knife/sword collectors?

[jba3]

Love knives. My favorite is my Cold Steel Ti Lite Titanium, though it did almost take my life. Bastard is crazy sharp. Just a few inches to the side and I wouldn't be typing this message.

Holy popsicles! I've heard of how insanely sharp the Cold Steel stuff is, but wow. They're "overbuilt" in that they are generally thicker and heavier than a comparable "real" sword of the type, but they perform VERY well. I'd be intimidated to have one in the house, and I was busy slicing some tatami mats at a cutting class with a quite sharp sword this past weekend!

[onebadmollafolla]

Holy popsicles! I've heard of how insanely sharp the Cold Steel stuff is, but wow. They're "overbuilt" in that they are generally thicker and heavier than a comparable "real" sword of the type, but they perform VERY well. I'd be intimidated to have one in the house, and I was busy slicing some tatami mats at a cutting class with a quite sharp sword this past weekend!

You're cot damn right it is imitating having it in the house. I have it sitting on my computer desk and that's where it rests. I use it next to never. Truth be told, I can't stand the thought of it anymore. After that incident I would rather deal with a fully automatic assault rifle than deal with my Ti Lite. I absolutely hate the site of it, but refuse to get rid of it.

[bluemax_1]

Cold Steel knives/swords do come sharp from the factory, which is great, but they aren't super-duper-cut-you-if-you-look-at-it-wrong sharp. It's all about knowing what you're doing with a sharp object. I've always been a fan/collector of edged objects and tend to keep them ALL razor sharp. IMO, if they aren't shaving sharp, then they're pointless. The only knife I own that I shouldn't be able to shave with is the butter knife. Have I nicked/cut myself with my own knives/swords? Yep, but not too badly because I respect how sharp they are and don't generally put myself in a position where I could seriously hurt myself with one.

That said, the one that's 'bitten' me the most often is the Balisong. An edged weapon is not a toy, and should be treated with respect, but the Balisong tends to blur those lines. Yep, I've cut myself while playing with it. Cut myself while learning to flip one, and cut myself worse when I was good at flipping one. I got complacent because I was so used to flipping it by then that I wasn't really paying attention. One short lapse and it sliced 3 fingers (1 to the bone), but as I've said, with the big knives/swords, I never put myself in a position where I could slice something serious.

Another interesting thing I've noticed: Folks who aren't used to razor sharp knives are the ones who are the most dangerous to themselves and others (unintentionally). People who only use razor sharp knives have a healthy respect for them and learn proper handling to avoid injuring themselves. Folks who are used to blunt/dull knives do ridiculous things with them that would put them in the hospital with really sharp knives. One of my ex-gf's cut herself with my kitchen knives all the time. She even cut one of my friends with one of my kitchen knives, just 'playing' around with it. I remember his immediate response as he grabbed his shoulder (where she cut him). He said, "Are you NUTS? Don't you know by now that all his knives are razor sharp?" as she apologized profusely, claiming that she hadn't really intended to cut him.

One of the things a Japanese roommate of mine pointed out was that slightly dull kitchen knives are far more dangerous overall than really sharp ones. The way he put it makes absolute sense. When you have a very sharp knife, the knife does the cutting with minimal force. It slices easily, and because it is so sharp, you learn proper knife handling so you don't hurt yourself. With dull knives, you need to use more force to cut anything, and the added force exerted on the knife makes it more dangerous if the knife slips. As mentioned, folks who are used to duller knives also tend to be less careful with them and they never learn proper knife handling to avoid the edge. I noticed this when I used to go camping. The number of people who cut towards themselves with knives (where a slip would slash themselves open) is ridiculous, especially when cutting wood, where even with the sharpest knife, you need to exert a decent amount of force to cut.


Max

[Ghey]

A very well built tourist grade Khukuri