Guardians of The Lambsfoot!

dc50 said:
David, we are always working on healthy eating here as well. :D potatoes-gravy and cheese curds all washed down with a big gulp of Coca-Cola.
220px-Poutine.JPG
Click to expand...

Oh my word! Have we found the replacement for pie....???:D

SIG96 said:
In the market for new socks and see that Woolpower treats their sheep well. How have they been treating you?
Click to expand...

I've not actually worn them yet but I've had Woolpower 200 baselayers for the past two winters and now I'll never go back to synthetics; that's why I've bought the socks. My current socks are synthetic Bridgedale thermal liners underneath either Bridgedale mid or heavyweight socks. For some reason I was finding the heavyweights uncomfortable (my boots are an excellent fit) so thought I'd experiment with whether wearing wool means I can reduce to a midweight sock permanently.
I'll try the new liners with my Bridgedale midweights first, but if I decide to go for a wool second layer I'm looking at either the Woolpower 400, Smartwool merino midweights or the Teko merino midweight.
I do winter hill and high moorland walking. My temp range is +5c to -10c but has been as low as -18c (windchill).

Jack Black said:
That's right Jer, I stand corrected :thumbsup: I never really took to the A.Wright two-blade, the pen is superfluous for me, particularly on a standard size Lambsfoot, and it makes for a much bulkier knife. The pull on the pen blade is brutal too. I've asked John Maleham about it a few times, they don't sell many of these knives though, most folks just want a classic Lambsfoot. I think the pen makes more sense on a larger Lambsfoot, such as this nice William Rodgers kindly sent me by Charlie @waynorth, but I find the Lambsfoot blade so versatile, I am more than happy with it on its own :thumbsup:

quhCIPb.jpg


BoA3ddY.jpg
Click to expand...

Interesting Jack, the pull on the pen of my two-blade lambsfoot is as easy as on my small frame swayback horn. But your right about the bulk; my two-blade is one chunky knife.
gRCU1bk.jpg


My large rosewood has always been a real nail breaker, (though it's eventually loosening up). I find it a lot easier to open if I pinch it with my left hand and using the nail nick pull the blade out and down :thumbsup:

Fwyf6UJ.jpg
 
donn said:
Interesting Jack, the pull on the pen of my two-blade lambsfoot is as easy as on my small frame swayback horn. But your right about the bulk; my two-blade is one chunky knife.
gRCU1bk.jpg


My large rosewood has always been a real nail breaker, (though it's eventually loosening up). I find it a lot easier to open if I pinch it with my left hand and using the nail nick pull the blade out and down :thumbsup:

Fwyf6UJ.jpg
Click to expand...

That's interesting David, Great pics too my friend :) They never seem to stop working on the Minster do they? :rolleyes:
 
Jack Black said:
That's interesting David, Great pics too my friend :) They never seem to stop working on the Minster do they? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Nope just out of shot to the right (behind the Mason's Lodge) is some huge project going on at the moment. I seem to recall it was something to do with years of water damage from poorly installed guttering?? And is going to take sometime to fix.
 
donn said:
Nope just out of shot to the right (behind the Mason's Lodge) is some huge project going on at the moment. I seem to recall it was something to do with years of water damage from poorly installed guttering?? And is going to take sometime to fix.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was over a couple of weeks back mate, it's like the Forth Road Bridge! :rolleyes:
 
Jack Black said:
Yeah, I was over a couple of weeks back mate, it's like the Forth Road Bridge! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Of course you were Jack, we saw ya pics of the museum didn't we :thumbsup:. I'll have a little whinge.
I was last there in the summer so was very disappointed yesterday to find the city centre pubs now charging over £4 for a pint of ale.:rolleyes::rolleyes: (That must of been a ~50p a pint increase in less than 6 months). We did go in some of the more touristy pubs but it's no excuse. Given how many empty shops there were the city centre (and how deserted York was in general) these pubs need to be more careful or there going to price themselves out of business.
York only has a small population and many don't earn London or Leeds wages. Also there are still many of the decent (non-tourist) ale pubs away from the centre still charging "sensible" prices which people can go to.
 
donn said:
Of course you were Jack, we saw ya pics of the museum didn't we :thumbsup:. I'll have a little whinge.
I was last there in the summer so was very disappointed yesterday to find the city centre pubs now charging over £4 for a pint of ale.:rolleyes::rolleyes: (That must of been a ~50p a pint increase in less than 6 months). We did go in some of the more touristy pubs but it's no excuse. Given how many empty shops there were the city centre (and how deserted York was in general) these pubs need to be more careful or there going to price themselves out of business.
York only has a small population and many don't earn London or Leeds wages. Also there are still many of the decent (non-tourist) ale pubs away from the centre still charging "sensible" prices which people can go to.
Click to expand...

That's shocking mate! :eek: It was quiet when I was over there too, and I also noticed the empty shops. Most of the folks I've known from York over the years, have chosen to move elsewhere. The constant influx of tourists floats prices to the point where most ordinary folks can't afford them. It's getting a bit like that here in Leeds, though the tourists we get are mainly interested in shopping or partying :rolleyes:
 
Jack Black said:
That's shocking mate! :eek: It was quiet when I was over there too, and I also noticed the empty shops. Most of the folks I've known from York over the years, have chosen to move elsewhere. The constant influx of tourists floats prices to the point where most ordinary folks can't afford them. It's getting a bit like that here in Leeds, though the tourists we get are mainly interested in shopping or partying :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Yeah most of my mates have moved out to places like Selby, Haxby, or Malton. A few weeks ago out of curiosity I looked at rental prices if I was to move back there. On a full time staff nurses wage I couldn't afford a terrace house or small flat now. :rolleyes: Apparently that's what being in the Leeds commuter belt does.
I was in Holbeck in Leeds, Christmas week for the annual Christmas meet up. It was almost £5 a pint in some of those pubs so I couldn't afford to drink there if I lived in Leeds :rolleyes::rolleyes::thumbsdown::thumbsdown:
 
Jack Black said:
That's right Jer, I stand corrected :thumbsup: I never really took to the A.Wright two-blade, the pen is superfluous for me, particularly on a standard size Lambsfoot, and it makes for a much bulkier knife. The pull on the pen blade is brutal too. I've asked John Maleham about it a few times, they don't sell many of these knives though, most folks just want a classic Lambsfoot. I think the pen makes more sense on a larger Lambsfoot, such as this nice William Rodgers kindly sent me by Charlie @waynorth, but I find the Lambsfoot blade so versatile, I am more than happy with it on its own :thumbsup:

quhCIPb.jpg


BoA3ddY.jpg
Click to expand...

Wow, Jack! That is a beauty! Love the jigging. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :cool:

I pulled out all of my Lambsfootses (all of which come from Wright's) this afternoon to do a pull/pinchability test/comparison. Here's a photo showing the knives in order of pinchability, with the most pinchable at the top, and the least at the bottom.

9CwAoP4.jpg


And here are a few notes on each:

1. The Big 'Un -- Most pinchable simply due to it's size. Also happens to have the lightest pull out of all these knives (more leverage, maybe?).

2. Standard Ebony -- Stout pull with probably the most snap of any of these knives, but surprisingly easy to pinch open, which I attribute to the satin finished blade. (This is the only one of these knives with a satin finished blade. The level of "high polish" on the others varies a little, but this one's almost like Case's "As Ground" blade finish. There was nothing that specified this when I ordered this knife, that's just how it showed up, but I think I like it better than the more polished blade finishes.)

3. Standard Rosewood -- Pull is similar to the Ebony (maybe a touch lighter), but the action's not as snappy. Fairly easy to pinch open, but you can feel your finger sliding on the more polished blade, especially your index finger on the back side.

4. Standard Horn -- Again, a stout pull, this one is very snappy, and the action is probably the smoothest of any of these knives. You have to pinch a bit harder to get a grip on this blade. This knife also has a fairly shallow nail nick. If it weren't for the smooth action, this one would be a pain to open. (Ok, I was wrong about the standard Ebony having the most snap of all these knives. This sucker is like a snapping turtle!) :eek:

5. & 6. 2018 Guardian's Knives -- These are both fairly difficult to pinch open (equally so, I'd say, which is why I put 'em together). It's tough to get a good grip on the blades, and the action is a bit tight on each compared to the other knives. Outside of this test, I wouldn't be pinch-opening these; nail nick all the way.

7. 2017 Guardian's Lambsfoot -- Nice pull and action on this knife, stout like the standard Ebony, but nice and smooth like my standard horn. That said, this knife is almost impossible to pinch open. I think part of the reason (and to an extent this applies to the 2018 knives as well) is the swedge. There's less flat surface to grip where you need it most. On this knife in particular, the swedge thins out to almost a double edge it's so thin, and I think your fingers have a tendency to slip right off the thing if you're not gripping quite hard.

8. Ashley's Choice -- No two ways about it: this thing is unpinchable. :D Thankfully it has a nice pull (strong but not too heavy), good snap and smooth action.

I would, I think, be somewhat hesitant to recommend any of these (except maybe the Big 'Un) to someone who has difficulty opening certain knives due to arthritis. I don't usually like using the 1-10 scale for pull strength because it's so subjective, but I'd say these are all at least an 8.
 
btb01 said:
7. 2017 Guardian's Lambsfoot ...... I think part of the reason (and to an extent this applies to the 2018 knives as well) is the swedge. There's less flat surface to grip where you need it most. On this knife in particular, the swedge thins out to almost a double edge it's so thin, and I think your fingers have a tendency to slip right off the thing if you're not gripping quite hard.
Click to expand...

I've posted these photos here before, but thought I'd post them again here as a visual aide for what I was saying about the swedge on the 2017 Guardian's knife. (It's the one of the left.) It's a beautifully done swedge, but it's not doing anyone any favors when it comes to pinching open the blade.

sD2PnWw.jpg


gY9m9Iz.jpg
 
btb01 said:
Wow, Jack! That is a beauty! Love the jigging. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :cool:

I pulled out all of my Lambsfootses (all of which come from Wright's) this afternoon to do a pull/pinchability test/comparison. Here's a photo showing the knives in order of pinchability, with the most pinchable at the top, and the least at the bottom.

9CwAoP4.jpg


And here are a few notes on each:

1. The Big 'Un -- Most pinchable simply due to it's size. Also happens to have the lightest pull out of all these knives (more leverage, maybe?).

2. Standard Ebony -- Stout pull with probably the most snap of any of these knives, but surprisingly easy to pinch open, which I attribute to the satin finished blade. (This is the only one of these knives with a satin finished blade. The level of "high polish" on the others varies a little, but this one's almost like Case's "As Ground" blade finish. There was nothing that specified this when I ordered this knife, that's just how it showed up, but I think I like it better than the more polished blade finishes.)

3. Standard Rosewood -- Pull is similar to the Ebony (maybe a touch lighter), but the action's not as snappy. Fairly easy to pinch open, but you can feel your finger sliding on the more polished blade, especially your index finger on the back side.

4. Standard Horn -- Again, a stout pull, this one is very snappy, and the action is probably the smoothest of any of these knives. You have to pinch a bit harder to get a grip on this blade. This knife also has a fairly shallow nail nick. If it weren't for the smooth action, this one would be a pain to open. (Ok, I was wrong about the standard Ebony having the most snap of all these knives. This sucker is like a snapping turtle!) :eek:

5. & 6. 2018 Guardian's Knives -- These are both fairly difficult to pinch open (equally so, I'd say, which is why I put 'em together). It's tough to get a good grip on the blades, and the action is a bit tight on each compared to the other knives. Outside of this test, I wouldn't be pinch-opening these; nail nick all the way.

7. 2017 Guardian's Lambsfoot -- Nice pull and action on this knife, stout like the standard Ebony, but nice and smooth like my standard horn. That said, this knife is almost impossible to pinch open. I think part of the reason (and to an extent this applies to the 2018 knives as well) is the swedge. There's less flat surface to grip where you need it most. On this knife in particular, the swedge thins out to almost a double edge it's so thin, and I think your fingers have a tendency to slip right off the thing if you're not gripping quite hard.

8. Ashley's Choice -- No two ways about it: this thing is unpinchable. :D Thankfully it has a nice pull (strong but not too heavy), good snap and smooth action.

I would, I think, be somewhat hesitant to recommend any of these (except maybe the Big 'Un) to someone who has difficulty opening certain knives due to arthritis. I don't usually like using the 1-10 scale for pull strength because it's so subjective, but I'd say these are all at least an 8.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Only one I have so far is Ashley's Choice and I have not been able to pinch it open. Glad there's not something wrong with me! (As regards opening the knife, that is; there's plenty wrong with me, but won't go there! ;) )
 
# 8 is my favorite of that group based on scales alone. That's a beaut :thumbsup: Must admit that I would be frustrated with such a pull resistant blade. Can't those get eased up? I guess that's rhetorical, as it seem the answer is no or you would have done it.

On another note - I'm glad you guys are Guardians of something, because judging by the food dishes presented you aren't Guardians of your health :( - though you show many of my favorites! :D

Cheers, Ray
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top