- Joined
- May 9, 2002
- Messages
- 12,612
The mailman dropped off small box containing the Rusty Sgian Dubh (RSD...because i have to keep looking up the spelling:foot: )from Yangdu on Saturday. Typical fast shipping by Yangdu. Thank you, kind lady
Let me just get right down to it, guys. IMHO, this is the single most flawless out-of-the-box product that I have gotten from HI. Only the Uncle Bill Salyan and to a lesser degree my YCS from that special run a year or so back rival it in real perfection. Norm's detailed review on his was spot on, and the specs on mine (as far as I can tell) are exactly like his. I had some really nice (nice by my standards because the wife took them) pics uploading to photobucket, but somewhere in the mix cyberspace decided to eat them. I'll just post some of Yangdu's pics instead, as they are better anyway
The pictures don't do this little beauty justice. The degree of polish of the blade is amazing. The gray swirls in the horn give it a character far and above what you can get from any high production piece. The only way I can describe this knife is organic. It doesn't feel anything like my cold steel version of stainless and rubber, nor does it give off a Highland Games vibe that I have gotten from the ornate show pieces. It's a very simple knife. Simple in design, simple in construction. However, they followed Sarge's (thank you kind sir!) spec to a T, and I can honestly say that this is the perfect knife to teeter on the cusp of being packable yet not feeling "under knifed". It's beautiful, it's graceful, it's strong. It simply is everything that person would need in a knife.
The jimping on the spine, the very careful hand that Yuvraj used to scribe in the lettering (think about difficult that really has to be for someone that is not well versed in our language), and careful fitting of the bolster between the blade and horn is the best I have ever seen. It wasn't super sharp when it arrived, but that is due to the very, very, very, high degree of polish the blade got. It honestly looks like chrome
However, the edge just popped up with a few licks on a butcher's steel followed by a dry stropping. It now shaves its entire edge.
The sheath is also very well done. The stitching is straight and even. It will lend itself to boot carry very easily as a length of cord passed through the two holes will fit perfectly. I will also be making a new sheath for it to carry on my belt. The handle is too beautiful to hide away in my boot The sheath it comes with is great for boot carry and a quick draw as it sits a little loose. I'm going to make a leather one with a little more -click- to it
In short, this is a great knife and perhaps the most beautifully constructed HI product I have ever received. I never had the honor of meeting or really conversing with Rusty when he was with us. A post here and a post there, really. However, it doesn't take a genius to understand that he was well respected and loved by many, many people in this community. In that regard, I am so honored to have a blade baring his name as well as marking a huge milestone for a group of men and women that I have not only come to embrace as friends, but as family as well. I'm filled with pride to be able to carry a blade that represents the ups and downs we have all had over the years, carries the name of a man that was here from the begining, and, in my own selfish way, I know that I too have been able to make a small immortal mark on the long (in internet terms, anyway) and rich history of the Cantina.
Thank you, Yangdu for the wonderful knife. Thank you Yuvraj for your hard work and very obvious passion for your craft. Thank you gentlepeople of the Cantina for over 200,000 posts of information, nonsense, and heartfelt fun. And Thank You, Rusty, for being here, for starting it all with Uncle Bill, for doing the thankless job of a Mod. You are appreciated and missed, but you are quite obviously honored in this work of steel and brass and horn. Small in stature and polished and always at the ready, the RSD is a fitting tribute to our beloved friend and our bright future.
Jake
Let me just get right down to it, guys. IMHO, this is the single most flawless out-of-the-box product that I have gotten from HI. Only the Uncle Bill Salyan and to a lesser degree my YCS from that special run a year or so back rival it in real perfection. Norm's detailed review on his was spot on, and the specs on mine (as far as I can tell) are exactly like his. I had some really nice (nice by my standards because the wife took them) pics uploading to photobucket, but somewhere in the mix cyberspace decided to eat them. I'll just post some of Yangdu's pics instead, as they are better anyway
The pictures don't do this little beauty justice. The degree of polish of the blade is amazing. The gray swirls in the horn give it a character far and above what you can get from any high production piece. The only way I can describe this knife is organic. It doesn't feel anything like my cold steel version of stainless and rubber, nor does it give off a Highland Games vibe that I have gotten from the ornate show pieces. It's a very simple knife. Simple in design, simple in construction. However, they followed Sarge's (thank you kind sir!) spec to a T, and I can honestly say that this is the perfect knife to teeter on the cusp of being packable yet not feeling "under knifed". It's beautiful, it's graceful, it's strong. It simply is everything that person would need in a knife.
The jimping on the spine, the very careful hand that Yuvraj used to scribe in the lettering (think about difficult that really has to be for someone that is not well versed in our language), and careful fitting of the bolster between the blade and horn is the best I have ever seen. It wasn't super sharp when it arrived, but that is due to the very, very, very, high degree of polish the blade got. It honestly looks like chrome
However, the edge just popped up with a few licks on a butcher's steel followed by a dry stropping. It now shaves its entire edge.The sheath is also very well done. The stitching is straight and even. It will lend itself to boot carry very easily as a length of cord passed through the two holes will fit perfectly. I will also be making a new sheath for it to carry on my belt. The handle is too beautiful to hide away in my boot
The sheath it comes with is great for boot carry and a quick draw as it sits a little loose. I'm going to make a leather one with a little more -click- to itIn short, this is a great knife and perhaps the most beautifully constructed HI product I have ever received. I never had the honor of meeting or really conversing with Rusty when he was with us. A post here and a post there, really. However, it doesn't take a genius to understand that he was well respected and loved by many, many people in this community. In that regard, I am so honored to have a blade baring his name as well as marking a huge milestone for a group of men and women that I have not only come to embrace as friends, but as family as well. I'm filled with pride to be able to carry a blade that represents the ups and downs we have all had over the years, carries the name of a man that was here from the begining, and, in my own selfish way, I know that I too have been able to make a small immortal mark on the long (in internet terms, anyway) and rich history of the Cantina.
Thank you, Yangdu for the wonderful knife. Thank you Yuvraj for your hard work and very obvious passion for your craft. Thank you gentlepeople of the Cantina for over 200,000 posts of information, nonsense, and heartfelt fun. And Thank You, Rusty, for being here, for starting it all with Uncle Bill, for doing the thankless job of a Mod. You are appreciated and missed, but you are quite obviously honored in this work of steel and brass and horn. Small in stature and polished and always at the ready, the RSD is a fitting tribute to our beloved friend and our bright future.
Jake
