I have to say, my parents weren't exactly delighted when I got home for spring break and there was a triangular box waiting for me that carried in it an 18" AK (not what they considered a knife, rather a sword). However, the knife, despite the trail and yard work I have done with it, it wasn't until this evening that it won over my mom.
My mom hates snakes. She woke up last night thinking that the first thing I needed to do today (among the list of jobs they have for me since i moved back from school on saturday) was to catch all the watersnakes in our pond and get rid of them (by taking them across the road deep into the swamp). Only problem is, they have an uncanny ability of finding their way back. Recently, she discovered a "mating ball" of 11 males and 1 large female on the side of our pond. When it was one or two 3-4 ft snakes she could deal with it, but not that many, and not knowing there were more on the way. So today, when i pulled a railroad tie off the side of the pond and discover 10+ snakes inside, she said go ahead and get the knife. Not something I (or she) likes particularly, but they do pose a threat to the dog (who is too curious for his own good), and have gone from being an ignorable nuisance to an ever present pest. I chopped through the railroad tie without a problem (no surprise there), getting 1 snake. 2 more were later caught and quickly dispatched. Not surprisingly, the 18 inch AK had no problems with the railroad tie or the snakes, slicing through both with ease. However, for the larger snakes, I would definitely have preferred a good 21 or 25 inch Siruptai, as the 18 feels a bit heavy and short when the snake is more than twice the length of your knife and striking at you.
That's how my mom came to appreciate and like the AK, which she thought previously was overkill and just a macho thing.
My mom hates snakes. She woke up last night thinking that the first thing I needed to do today (among the list of jobs they have for me since i moved back from school on saturday) was to catch all the watersnakes in our pond and get rid of them (by taking them across the road deep into the swamp). Only problem is, they have an uncanny ability of finding their way back. Recently, she discovered a "mating ball" of 11 males and 1 large female on the side of our pond. When it was one or two 3-4 ft snakes she could deal with it, but not that many, and not knowing there were more on the way. So today, when i pulled a railroad tie off the side of the pond and discover 10+ snakes inside, she said go ahead and get the knife. Not something I (or she) likes particularly, but they do pose a threat to the dog (who is too curious for his own good), and have gone from being an ignorable nuisance to an ever present pest. I chopped through the railroad tie without a problem (no surprise there), getting 1 snake. 2 more were later caught and quickly dispatched. Not surprisingly, the 18 inch AK had no problems with the railroad tie or the snakes, slicing through both with ease. However, for the larger snakes, I would definitely have preferred a good 21 or 25 inch Siruptai, as the 18 feels a bit heavy and short when the snake is more than twice the length of your knife and striking at you.
That's how my mom came to appreciate and like the AK, which she thought previously was overkill and just a macho thing.
