I sell for a living (Beer!!) this involves many days out in the market visiting accounts and distributors.
I like my job don't get me wrong. But all the driving and here to there is really boring sometimes. Being that I get easily distracted it is pretty funny how many times in a day I may stop to knife shop. Any chance to run into a Hardware, Surplus, Antique or honest cutlery retailer and I am already parked in the lot. Some days it is a total strike out. Tried to get an Opinel #8 at several W&S (think cooking) store one day and came up empty handed.
Other days I am on fire and my bank account is taking a minor hit. Mostly I look for modestly priced slippies, folders etc. I see a lot of "modern tacticool" knives but these days I pass them by.
Today was a good day, a local Surplus store had #6,7,8 Carbon(e) Opinels, Moras, and some SAKs. I grabbed a #8. Later on that day and 70 miles later I walked into an ACE Hardware near an account I was visiting and they had a Klein Tools TL-29. The package is trademark dated 1990 not sure if the knife is that old or just the packaging. Anyway I have been looking for a "new" era TL-29 for a while.
My next mission is to find some Opinel #2/#4 key chains out in "my market". The hunt is on!!
I guess I should consider myself lucky to be able to take a few moments (minutes, hours) each day while out working to enjoy my obsession for traditional pocket knives. That and finding stores that stock Basswood.
I like my job don't get me wrong. But all the driving and here to there is really boring sometimes. Being that I get easily distracted it is pretty funny how many times in a day I may stop to knife shop. Any chance to run into a Hardware, Surplus, Antique or honest cutlery retailer and I am already parked in the lot. Some days it is a total strike out. Tried to get an Opinel #8 at several W&S (think cooking) store one day and came up empty handed.
Other days I am on fire and my bank account is taking a minor hit. Mostly I look for modestly priced slippies, folders etc. I see a lot of "modern tacticool" knives but these days I pass them by.
Today was a good day, a local Surplus store had #6,7,8 Carbon(e) Opinels, Moras, and some SAKs. I grabbed a #8. Later on that day and 70 miles later I walked into an ACE Hardware near an account I was visiting and they had a Klein Tools TL-29. The package is trademark dated 1990 not sure if the knife is that old or just the packaging. Anyway I have been looking for a "new" era TL-29 for a while.
My next mission is to find some Opinel #2/#4 key chains out in "my market". The hunt is on!!
I guess I should consider myself lucky to be able to take a few moments (minutes, hours) each day while out working to enjoy my obsession for traditional pocket knives. That and finding stores that stock Basswood.
