But a real snob turns his nose up at something he has never seen, handled, used, tested, etc. because he has his own preconceived, close-minded notions about something.
I can refer you to Jeff Randall's often repeated comments based on his real-world experience with South American natives that use POS machetes and use them well. One person's POS may be another person's livlihood. Until someone has actually used a knife and is very familiar with it, I am skeptical of their comments on it's usefulness, and even more skeptical when they assume the holier-than-thou attitude. Most of the time, their information is second hand, and not based on actual experience. And in this case, comments were made about knives that the person couldn't possibly know anything about, since the specific brand name and particualr specifications were never mentioned. But of course, a lack of specific information doesn't stop the true snob. They are way above such paltry concerns.
Something I find interesting (and this is a biased opinion and observation) is that, as some knife fanciers buy increasingly more expensive knives, the criteria used to delineate what constitutes a POS seems to rise. This is not true of everyone but I've seen it happen fairly often. And yes, my old timer might seem like a POS compared to my Sebenza, but it isn't (and neither is my Master knife). It is still a very useable, functioning knife. As are many of the so-called POSs out there. And yes, there is a lot of junk out there too. And like Bill said, you need to experience the good and the bad to know what is really bad. I'm not defending crapola. I'm just saying you should be well informed before you start running down any particular knife or knives.
I have a little Taiwan Fury that sits in my living room. Aluminum handle, unknown stainless steel. Hollow ground razor blade edge. I use it to cut articles out of newspapers. I've had it three years and never sharpened it and it still slices paper like a new razor. POS? I don't think so. It passes the spine whack test, no problemo, and there is zero play in the pivot. It was another gun-show purchase for $10. It cuts articles out of the newspaper better than my Sebenza (mainly due to the edge geometry).
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Hoodoo
And so, to all outdoor folks, the knife is the most important item of equipment.
Ellsworth Jaeger - Wildwood Wisdom
[This message has been edited by Hoodoo (edited 08-10-2000).]
