I was fortunate enough to win a very generous GAW hosted by Brett, and I have two people to thank: Brett and Mike--a heartfelt thanks to both of you!!
The contest was to recommend a knife to Brett and he would purchase two of that model, one to gift and one to keep. Recommending a knife was easy. I'd long wanted a truly pocketable fixed-blade knife. For me that meant 5" OAL or less or I wouldn't regularly carry it. If it were too big or too cumbersome, I knew it would languish in a drawer and not be used. Here's the original giveaway link:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...2-GAW-WINNER-ROBBW-Thanks-Again?highlight=Gaw
I'd been eying the Arno Bernard Bush Baby Dassie for a couple of years, but never purchased it due to all the other "must-haves" coming out like TC Barlows, Farmer Jacks, Grinling Whittlers, etc.: knives that appeared only briefly on the market and then quickly disappeared. The Dassie was consistently on the market, so it was regularly pushed down on my list.
Well, bright guy that he is Brett also felt the Dassie was a knife worth having, so I won the contest.
:thumbup: I accepted the gift with an apology though. The knife would arrive only after I had left to spend the summer in Singapore. I wouldn't get the chance to post pics and thanks here until I returned at the end of summer. As amazing as summer was, I have to admit that I often thought of home and the special gift waiting for me there.
Thanks again, Brett! The knife is a lovely as functional--and just what I hoped it would be. The N690 is an Austrian equivalent to 154CM, and exceptionally fine grained! The grind is thin, the edge is acute, and it is a real slicer! The giraffe bone looks like mammoth that has mineral deposits in it, and the fit and finish are excellent. I examined the knife under magnification and cannot find any flaws in it. Arno created a pocket masterpiece that is as great a pocket scalpel as it is great looking. It is like an exceptionally well-fitted Peanut on steroids.
The Dassie comes with this well-fitted sheath:
Just enough point, but with strength enough for clamshell packaging. This style of long, continuously-radiused belly is most useful for me. I don't much care for changing arc angles (though arc angels are another matter entirely
).
[
Another view:
See the contouring at the end of the handle? I can get a solid three-finger grip on the handle, and lock my pinkie into that notch in the end for a super-secure grip.
Three-finger grip:
The contest was to recommend a knife to Brett and he would purchase two of that model, one to gift and one to keep. Recommending a knife was easy. I'd long wanted a truly pocketable fixed-blade knife. For me that meant 5" OAL or less or I wouldn't regularly carry it. If it were too big or too cumbersome, I knew it would languish in a drawer and not be used. Here's the original giveaway link:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...2-GAW-WINNER-ROBBW-Thanks-Again?highlight=Gaw
I'd been eying the Arno Bernard Bush Baby Dassie for a couple of years, but never purchased it due to all the other "must-haves" coming out like TC Barlows, Farmer Jacks, Grinling Whittlers, etc.: knives that appeared only briefly on the market and then quickly disappeared. The Dassie was consistently on the market, so it was regularly pushed down on my list.
Well, bright guy that he is Brett also felt the Dassie was a knife worth having, so I won the contest.
:thumbup: I accepted the gift with an apology though. The knife would arrive only after I had left to spend the summer in Singapore. I wouldn't get the chance to post pics and thanks here until I returned at the end of summer. As amazing as summer was, I have to admit that I often thought of home and the special gift waiting for me there. Thanks again, Brett! The knife is a lovely as functional--and just what I hoped it would be. The N690 is an Austrian equivalent to 154CM, and exceptionally fine grained! The grind is thin, the edge is acute, and it is a real slicer! The giraffe bone looks like mammoth that has mineral deposits in it, and the fit and finish are excellent. I examined the knife under magnification and cannot find any flaws in it. Arno created a pocket masterpiece that is as great a pocket scalpel as it is great looking. It is like an exceptionally well-fitted Peanut on steroids.
The Dassie comes with this well-fitted sheath:
Just enough point, but with strength enough for clamshell packaging. This style of long, continuously-radiused belly is most useful for me. I don't much care for changing arc angles (though arc angels are another matter entirely
). [
Another view:
See the contouring at the end of the handle? I can get a solid three-finger grip on the handle, and lock my pinkie into that notch in the end for a super-secure grip.
Three-finger grip:
:thumbup:
Love that Arno Bernard, too -- he and his family do great work.
