Nine-Inch One-Piece Models

J

James Mattis

Joined
Oct 3, 1998
Messages
3,264
Got a CRK dealer bulletin the other day, and it says they're going to make 20 or so of each of four different big one-piece knives in the "next few months."

9-inch (or maybe 8.75") Shadow I, Sable I, Tanto I, and Jereboam II. Shadow I and Sable I would look like the "normal" Shadow IV and Sable IV, on steroids. The Tanto, I'm told, will have that angular "geo-tanto" point. The Jereboam II is a clip-point, like the Mark VI or the Project II.

I'm wondering how that last big knife got to be named. Jereboam is a variant spelling of Jeroboam, which is either a high-capacity wine bottle (4/5 of a gallon), or one of two kings of the northern kingdom of Israel, both of whom are described in the "Good Book" as effective leaders who strayed from the true path and "did evil in the sight of the Lord," though maybe the Pagan crowd would say they were misunderstood.

The Sable I, a super-slicer, may be one that a "tactical" sort of person would enjoy using on the Thanksgiving turkey.

------------------
- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001
 
Interesting to read your post, James. Back in 1985 or thereabouts, when we were looking for a name for the 9 inch knives, we were exploring things like Magnum (measure of wine, the Tom Sellick TV series, name of a magazine in South Africa - generally "big") and decided it was over used. We found Jeroboam, measure of wine and thought "that's good, we enjoy wine" and found (as best I can remember it was in the dictionary that we had) that it also meant something like "mighty man of valor".

That seemed to fit the bill and that's how we came to use it. The spelling variation was actually a typo but it makes the word "ours"!

Anne
 
The "Jereboam" spelling pops up elsewhere in the Net, so if it's a typo it's not an unique typo, but the dictionary I checked only recognizes "Jeroboam" as a word.

And the etymology of the name - "mighty man of valor" - is probably not an accident.

Jeroboam II is given grudging credit in The Book for being a good general and effective ruler who made the northern kindom large and prosperous again during his 40 year reign. Everything went downhill fast after he died. And if I'd been a taxpayer at the time, I'd have had to side with Jeroboam I, despite his heresy, over King Solomon's son who inheritied his tax and spend policies and none of his wisdom.

I haven't been able to figure out how either king got his name onto a large wine bottle. Maybe they were party animals.
smile.gif



------------------
- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001
 
Got the MK IIs in today. That makes three models, so far. Still waiting for the Tantos and the Sables.

Here's a picture of the Kathathu and Shadow 1, along with a Project one for scale. I'll add the MK II and I have a Tanto of my own, so I can get a shot of, at least, four of them tomorrow.

View


(Kinda makes the project one look puny don'tcha think?)

------------------
Dennis Wright
("Have a knife day!")

[This message has been edited by Dennis Wright (edited 07-07-2000).]
 
James,
On the Shadow I, what's the rationale behind the sharpened edge stopping so far from the guard?

------------------
Semper Fi

-Bill
 
I suspect the guy who designed it could better answer that question, but maybe with a blade that long you might want to choke up on it for better control of the point.


------------------
- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001
 
That's weird. I saw Dennis' scan this morning, and asked the same questions via e-mail (price and extended choil).

From the photo, the extended choil area just doesn't look quite right. However, sometimes seeing the item in "real life" things are different.

[This message has been edited by kevinb17 (edited 07-07-2000).]

[This message has been edited by kevinb17 (edited 07-07-2000).]
 
Q for James or Dennis: What is the weight of the knife as you go from Shadow IV to Project I to Shadow I? Is the Shadow I capable of operating in a "lopper and chopper" mode?
 
Here is the picture of the "Big Four"

View


Note: The Tanto is not one of the new production models. This one is mine. It's a South African, Serial Number 4.
biggrin.gif


The weight is in the blade. This makes it very good as a lopper and chopper. Great for clearing boughs and branches off of trees to make a shelter and for chopping kindling for a fire. (It would make a pretty good "club" too.)
smile.gif


------------------
Dennis Wright
("Have a knife day!")
 
wondering about the price for Tanto I

Can I have a look for the Tanto 's Sheath ??

Please ......


Thanks

jonny

 
Jonny..
The Sheath for the Tanto I is the same as the Mountaineer II..
Of course its much larger though..


------------------
Murray Haday
ProEdge Knives www.proedgeknives.com
Tel: 905 328 8212

[This message has been edited by ProEdge (edited 07-09-2000).]
 
I'm glad I bought the Project I instead of the Project II; now I want the Jereboam II.
smile.gif

View


------------------
RICK - Left Handers Unite

[This message has been edited by RGRAY (edited 07-09-2000).]
 
Dennis . . . am I to understand that you charge $550 for the Kathathu?
frown.gif
The Chris Reeve website suggests retail for this knife at $475. What going on?
confused.gif


And if this is what you're doing, why would anyone ever buy a knife from you?
mad.gif


------------------
- - - - - -

ralph
 
The Kathathu is a luxury good, since nobody needs a nine-inch vorpal dagger. Tyrants nowadays don't let you get that close! So it ain't as if somebody's jacking up the price of bottled water after an earthquake.

There are 50 Kathathus. CRK could probably sell all of them direct, but, without going into specific numbers, they give a rather modest discount to their dealers for them, so the profit margin reselling one is enough to pay for the dealer's time, and the dealer gets the intangible pleasure of fondling the thing and staring at it and scanning and photographing it this way and that, before letting it go.

But if I was buying a Kathathu "on spec" and putting it out for sale in a brick & mortar store, where I was paying rent for the bricks and the mortar, I'd charge more than "list" on that thing too.

Conventional wisdom is that CRK knives have resale value. Since I'm not a fortune teller, I can't tell you whether you're better off investing a mid three digit sum in one of them, or in such and such a mutual fund, or in a dot-com IPO.


------------------
- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001


[This message has been edited by James Mattis (edited 07-10-2000).]
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top