I would like to agree, even with differences of opinion, this has been a thread I've really enjoyed reading and participating in. I have also learned quite a bit, too. And I want to be clear with anyone who read or posted here, I don't think anyone should carry or like this or any other style of knife unless they want to. That is the beauty the world we live in. We have many, many choices. To simply give my take on it, as to the practicality, and everything else, I think it's important to be a little more clear on the way things are stated. Meaning, I think the question was a little flawed in the beginning.
If you ask whether they're practical, that's somewhat of an absolute question, whereas most of the answers have been relative. When someone says "No, they're not practical," that may be the case for them, but not for someone who finds that type of knife practical and useful. It's the same as me saying "Yes, it's practical," when Hevy Devy clearly knows that it's not practical for him. And he clearly stated why it wasn't practical for him. I respect that all day long. He has an opinion, and it's true and valid for himself. Others will disagree, and know what's practical for them. That, I believe, is the rub. When someone says it's not practical, without qualifying for themself, they are then incorrect. They probably will not know what is practical and what the tastes are for someone else.
On top of that, when some say "It's not the sawback, or the hollow handle, it's the size," then does that mean that all 9" bladed knives are impractical? Imagine someone going into the Becker forum or the Busse forum and saying the BK 9 or the Battle Mistress is impractical. Talk about escalation, lol. I think the key, again, is everyone SHOULD have their own opinion, and know what works for them. But when my (or your) opinion becomes someone else's absolute, that is where the train gets derailed. And when you couple that with all the hate (or whatever you want to call it) that HH knives have gotten over the years, it's easy to see how their proponents can get a little thin-skinned on the subject. If I was over-zealous in defending the HH knives, then I certainly apologize.
My intent is simply to show that these knives, by ANY quality maker, are a viable option in the outdoors. But I also firmly believe that one person cannot say what is absolutely impractical for another. Obviously, this has to be within reason. I wouldn't have any compunction about telling someone that bringing a chainsaw on a backpacking trip to process wood for the cookfire is completely impractical, lol. THAT was the point of contention for me. Making a blanket statement that HH knives are impractical is simply not true, in my opinion. But impractical for someone in particular, of course. I would also like to thank everyone who posted respectfully here. This has been quite the thread, and I look forward to it continuing.
Sam :thumbup:
