I spent about half a day in Edinburgh, Scotland two years ago trying to find a well made authentic Sgain Dubh....no luck....here's why:
"Possession of certain Sgian Dubh’s illegal. This law has been introduced in order to crack down on the inherent knife crime and concealed weapon culture found in Scotland’s streets(enacted around 2010).
Shops and online retailers selling any form of knife have been warned to keep them to less than three and a half inches in length but this has led to a large outcry from Scottish highland dress retailers who believe that this law will hit consumers and tourists who want to buy “heritage or highland dress products” the hardest.
Under the far-reaching proposals anyone buying a knife in the restricted category would have to produce photographic ID, and the dealers would have to keep a record of customers and the knives sold.
During its consultation on the controversial plans, a government spokesman said: “This may be a consequence of the scheme, but there is no practical way of exempting tourists from the requirements of the licensing scheme.
“Tourists will still be able to make purchases of sgian dubhs or other small knives that have a length of blade of under three and a half inches, as these will be exempt from the licensing laws.”
I wanted one with a 4"+ blade...good ones are expensive.....Three and a half inches for a good fixed blade, especially one with this type of construction is a little on the small side for me....so it's kind of funny that a knife design so completely Scottish is one that I will have to order by a craftsman other than a Scot.
Your rendition has some nice lines to it, Mr. Appleby.
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
