- Joined
- Jan 20, 1999
- Messages
- 738
Owen,
If you have a very thin (CIS) scanner, that may be the problem. They do not have much depth of field. The thicker (CCD) scanners have more depth of field and generally perform better, although they take more energy.
Here is a quote from a ZDNet discussion/review of scanners:
I believe the depth of field comment was in another review.
Re, small sheath knives. Small is a relative term. I don't have all the knives mentioned above, but of the ones I do, they are all good. Since it comes in a compact package and looks small next to my Busse Battle Mistress, the Dozier Professional Guides knife is very nice. When one of my friends handled it, he had to get a Dozier too, although he is leaning towards a longer one.
It never ceases to amaze me how sharp the Spyderco Moran is. Since it is so light, clips on conveniently, etc., anyone wandering around in the woods, should have at least this knife. I find that it works especially well in the kitchen on mangos and avocados....
I like my Simonich Kanji. Very handy knife. It has a tanto point, although it is dropped some for skinning purposes.
The Talon is very nice, but the stock sheath, even the improved version does not hold enough of the knife (considering the shape of the knife) for strong retention.*** Convenient for use, but I would prefer better retention. Another nice thing, the Talon matches the Mini Talon.
[***With my Kanji, I had to put some silicone grease on the inside of the sheath, to get it out more conveniently. Before, I would have trouble without the lanyard. One person could not extract it!]
The Pikuni by Simonich (custom or stock) makes another very nice knife in a small package. If my avatar remains the same, the Pikuni is the one on the right. The one in the middle is a Kanji, but its sheath is perfect. The difference may be that it is of thinner Concealex. [I don't consider the one on the left to be a small knife, but for those curious persons, it is an Aurora.
)
Many custome makers offer smaller knives for attractive prices. For instance Larry Dougherty out of Homestead, FL. If you saw pictures from Hurricane Andrew in August 1992, you saw Homestead!
I don't have a Gambit,....yet.
Chris Reeve Knives make some sturdy smaller fixed blades. Marvels of engineering. If you want the larger handles they start on the 5 or 5.5" models--their web site should tell you exactly which.
If you want a big handle, Busse knives tend to have bigger handles. The original Badger (4.5" blade) had a large handle in relation to the blade. As mentioned it is coming out in 3/16", this may narrow the handle, but should slice better. Personally, I found the handle comfortable, but more than I wanted to carry in a 4.5" blade knife. I look forward to trying the new, leaner model.
If you have a very thin (CIS) scanner, that may be the problem. They do not have much depth of field. The thicker (CCD) scanners have more depth of field and generally perform better, although they take more energy.
Here is a quote from a ZDNet discussion/review of scanners:
I believe the depth of field comment was in another review.
Re, small sheath knives. Small is a relative term. I don't have all the knives mentioned above, but of the ones I do, they are all good. Since it comes in a compact package and looks small next to my Busse Battle Mistress, the Dozier Professional Guides knife is very nice. When one of my friends handled it, he had to get a Dozier too, although he is leaning towards a longer one.
It never ceases to amaze me how sharp the Spyderco Moran is. Since it is so light, clips on conveniently, etc., anyone wandering around in the woods, should have at least this knife. I find that it works especially well in the kitchen on mangos and avocados....
I like my Simonich Kanji. Very handy knife. It has a tanto point, although it is dropped some for skinning purposes.
The Talon is very nice, but the stock sheath, even the improved version does not hold enough of the knife (considering the shape of the knife) for strong retention.*** Convenient for use, but I would prefer better retention. Another nice thing, the Talon matches the Mini Talon.
[***With my Kanji, I had to put some silicone grease on the inside of the sheath, to get it out more conveniently. Before, I would have trouble without the lanyard. One person could not extract it!] The Pikuni by Simonich (custom or stock) makes another very nice knife in a small package. If my avatar remains the same, the Pikuni is the one on the right. The one in the middle is a Kanji, but its sheath is perfect. The difference may be that it is of thinner Concealex. [I don't consider the one on the left to be a small knife, but for those curious persons, it is an Aurora.
)Many custome makers offer smaller knives for attractive prices. For instance Larry Dougherty out of Homestead, FL. If you saw pictures from Hurricane Andrew in August 1992, you saw Homestead!
I don't have a Gambit,....yet.
Chris Reeve Knives make some sturdy smaller fixed blades. Marvels of engineering. If you want the larger handles they start on the 5 or 5.5" models--their web site should tell you exactly which.
If you want a big handle, Busse knives tend to have bigger handles. The original Badger (4.5" blade) had a large handle in relation to the blade. As mentioned it is coming out in 3/16", this may narrow the handle, but should slice better. Personally, I found the handle comfortable, but more than I wanted to carry in a 4.5" blade knife. I look forward to trying the new, leaner model.
] I wanted mine fairly thin, but do not recall if that was ever firmed up. Something like an 1/8" ?? but no more than 5/32" in any event. I wanted the TTKK to be about 5 1/2." 
I was told that actually you can have it longer there depending on the design, but I have never seen the exceptions. In short, I find it ironic.....