- Joined
- May 9, 2002
- Messages
- 12,667
Pretty much every night without fail after her bath, my 4 year old daughter informs me that she is, in fact, Queen Elsa. For those of you without daughters or granddaughters between the ages of 2 to 12 (or if you have been blissfully living out the last year year and an a half in your subterranean fallout shelter), Elsa is the protagonist/antagonist of an obscure little animated film called Frozen. It may have slipped under your radar. I don't think it was released in many places
Anyway, she's Elsa after her bath. After I dry her off, she throws the towel over her shoulders as her royal and stately "dress". I am to address her as either "Her Highness" or "Her Majesty". I have to call her this for two reasons: First of all, if I don't she will freeze me with her ice powers and only true love's kiss will unfreeze me (she also adds that SHE'S not going to give me a kiss, so I'll be stuck like that). Secondly (and most importantly), she won't get her little butt in bed. Who says there is no freedom of choice in a monarchy?
The point is that at 4 years of age, there is no greater aspiration in life for her than to BE Queen Elsa. I totally get it. I vividly remember being 4 years old 30 years ago. I wanted to be all kinds of things and people. I used to run around the gym at day care proclaiming that I was Mr T. The fact that I was a little white 4 year old boy sporting an 80's era androgynous bowl cut instead of a mohawk and was distinctly lacking 23lbs of gold bling around my neck did absolutely nothing to deter me from pitying fools and calling out suckas. This probably makes me sound like an odd child, but by comparison my best friend wanted to be a My Little Pony cartoon horse. My dad didn't let me play with him much.
Now as much as I loved me some Mr. T there was one person who I wanted to be more than anything. John J. Rambo. No, not the realistic PTSD suffering wrongly accused fugitive from the law in First Blood. I'm talking about the Rambo of pop culture. 1985 Sly Stallone greased up and mowing down countless communists with his M60 and bow and arrow fitted with explosive tips. There was no one cooler to a red blooded boy back then than Rambo (well unless you were a weirdo like my buddy who wanted to be pony). It wasn't how strong he was. It wasn't how tough he was. It wasn't him growling from the side of his mouth as he exterminated scores and scores of bad guys with sweeping lead-laced hip-fired carnage. It was his knife.
Jimmy Lile's iconic design was probably the knife that eventually tempted me down the rabbit hole of collecting. In my 4 year old brain, there was nothing that could not be done by a determined man and Rambo knife. You were simply prepared for anything. End of story.
Flash forward 30 years, and here I sit giggling to myself self as I turn off a sample of Padam's work in my hands. It may very well be the most combat-centric designed knife to come out of HI's line up....like, ever.
First some specs:
OAL: a touch over 13.5"
Weight: About 22oz give or take
Blade length: 9.25"
Spine thickness: 1/4"
Balance point: 1/2" in front of the guard.
Here's a comparison shot with my Bura Cherokee Rose and Tirtha Bowie
This knife is a mean, mean fighter. From the way the finger grooves lock the blade into your hand to how the angle of the grip positions your hand into a very comfortable and natural sabre grip, this knife was not designed to be your go-to camping blade. It's a dark blade for dark purposes. Much like my trisul or khukrambit, this would be a knife I wanted on me if I were to be involved in a back alley mugging. A muted flash of steel, and anything that gets in the blades path will be left nothing but gurgling jagged ribbons.
One thing that I had no idea about regarding this knife is that it's basically double edged. Having handled many HI blades over the years, I figured the clip was reasonably sharp. It was not. It was full on field edge near-razor sharp. It actually bit my thumb a little bit
I have to admit in full disclosure, I wasn't a big fan of the "saw back" design on this one. I really liked the smooth back bowies with the bone handles. I foolishly thought that Padam had cut useless grooves in the back of the spine that woud be both pointless and not uniformly crafted. My friends, please allow me to eat a heaping helping of crow. Padam NAILED the cuts on the spine. Not only are they well done and artistic, they are incredibly sharp. I don't mean that the point of the tooth is sharp. I mean that the entire top of the "wave" has been ground and honed to a thick convex edge that you would find on a large AK. They are terrifying. They feel just like a brand new circular saw blade Trepidation.
Another thing to point out is that this isn't really what I would call a "pretty" knife. The angular cut of the guard to lock it into it's wooden scabbard isn't something that people who gravitate toward symmetry would want to hang on their wall. However, there is a real beauty in the voracious savagery of the design. I might not keep this knife out as a presentation piece, but I would dang sure slip it into a belt if I were taking the back streets after dark.
I'm not a trained knife fighter by any stretch of the imagination, but it's pretty clear this is probably not a dancing "death by 1000 cuts" nimble slicer. Also, it's way too balanced to be a heavy crushing brute. A good strike to the had will certainly destroy it, but i don't think i will leave nothing but a bloody stump. No, I think this is a blade designed around a decisive killing blow. It doesn't come across as an assassin's weapon like my trisul, but it does seem to have the personality of "ending the fight". Basically, I don't think it would be a knife for starting trouble, but you sure could end it.
My gut feeling is that the steel-pinned on guard and natural angle of the grip would excel at parrying an attack or striking a defensive blow until an opening presented itself. I think a deep and sinking strike to the vitals is what this knife is all about. 9" of razor sharp steel and finned back "teeth" would bite very, very deep. Extracting the blade would probably result in a ragged and jagged hemorrhaging wound. Thin enough to work between the ribs but stout enough to crack through with a firm jab.
Here's a pic after a light stoning, a bit of stropping, a shallow acid wash, and a bit of sanding and mild staining to the grip. So comfortably deadly
I think that even though it doesn't sport a hollow handle holding hidden survival supplies, Rambo would most certainly approve of it's vicious efficiency where it counts
Quite frankly, this may be the most intimidating HI knife I have ever handled. I absolutely love it and applaud Padam's efforts. As always, a huge thank you to Yangdu and all of HI for crafting such incredible weapons.
Anyway, she's Elsa after her bath. After I dry her off, she throws the towel over her shoulders as her royal and stately "dress". I am to address her as either "Her Highness" or "Her Majesty". I have to call her this for two reasons: First of all, if I don't she will freeze me with her ice powers and only true love's kiss will unfreeze me (she also adds that SHE'S not going to give me a kiss, so I'll be stuck like that). Secondly (and most importantly), she won't get her little butt in bed. Who says there is no freedom of choice in a monarchy?
The point is that at 4 years of age, there is no greater aspiration in life for her than to BE Queen Elsa. I totally get it. I vividly remember being 4 years old 30 years ago. I wanted to be all kinds of things and people. I used to run around the gym at day care proclaiming that I was Mr T. The fact that I was a little white 4 year old boy sporting an 80's era androgynous bowl cut instead of a mohawk and was distinctly lacking 23lbs of gold bling around my neck did absolutely nothing to deter me from pitying fools and calling out suckas. This probably makes me sound like an odd child, but by comparison my best friend wanted to be a My Little Pony cartoon horse. My dad didn't let me play with him much.
Now as much as I loved me some Mr. T there was one person who I wanted to be more than anything. John J. Rambo. No, not the realistic PTSD suffering wrongly accused fugitive from the law in First Blood. I'm talking about the Rambo of pop culture. 1985 Sly Stallone greased up and mowing down countless communists with his M60 and bow and arrow fitted with explosive tips. There was no one cooler to a red blooded boy back then than Rambo (well unless you were a weirdo like my buddy who wanted to be pony). It wasn't how strong he was. It wasn't how tough he was. It wasn't him growling from the side of his mouth as he exterminated scores and scores of bad guys with sweeping lead-laced hip-fired carnage. It was his knife.
Jimmy Lile's iconic design was probably the knife that eventually tempted me down the rabbit hole of collecting. In my 4 year old brain, there was nothing that could not be done by a determined man and Rambo knife. You were simply prepared for anything. End of story.
Flash forward 30 years, and here I sit giggling to myself self as I turn off a sample of Padam's work in my hands. It may very well be the most combat-centric designed knife to come out of HI's line up....like, ever.
First some specs:
OAL: a touch over 13.5"
Weight: About 22oz give or take
Blade length: 9.25"
Spine thickness: 1/4"
Balance point: 1/2" in front of the guard.
Here's a comparison shot with my Bura Cherokee Rose and Tirtha Bowie
This knife is a mean, mean fighter. From the way the finger grooves lock the blade into your hand to how the angle of the grip positions your hand into a very comfortable and natural sabre grip, this knife was not designed to be your go-to camping blade. It's a dark blade for dark purposes. Much like my trisul or khukrambit, this would be a knife I wanted on me if I were to be involved in a back alley mugging. A muted flash of steel, and anything that gets in the blades path will be left nothing but gurgling jagged ribbons.
One thing that I had no idea about regarding this knife is that it's basically double edged. Having handled many HI blades over the years, I figured the clip was reasonably sharp. It was not. It was full on field edge near-razor sharp. It actually bit my thumb a little bit
I have to admit in full disclosure, I wasn't a big fan of the "saw back" design on this one. I really liked the smooth back bowies with the bone handles. I foolishly thought that Padam had cut useless grooves in the back of the spine that woud be both pointless and not uniformly crafted. My friends, please allow me to eat a heaping helping of crow. Padam NAILED the cuts on the spine. Not only are they well done and artistic, they are incredibly sharp. I don't mean that the point of the tooth is sharp. I mean that the entire top of the "wave" has been ground and honed to a thick convex edge that you would find on a large AK. They are terrifying. They feel just like a brand new circular saw blade
Trepidation.Another thing to point out is that this isn't really what I would call a "pretty" knife. The angular cut of the guard to lock it into it's wooden scabbard isn't something that people who gravitate toward symmetry would want to hang on their wall. However, there is a real beauty in the voracious savagery of the design. I might not keep this knife out as a presentation piece, but I would dang sure slip it into a belt if I were taking the back streets after dark.
I'm not a trained knife fighter by any stretch of the imagination, but it's pretty clear this is probably not a dancing "death by 1000 cuts" nimble slicer. Also, it's way too balanced to be a heavy crushing brute. A good strike to the had will certainly destroy it, but i don't think i will leave nothing but a bloody stump. No, I think this is a blade designed around a decisive killing blow. It doesn't come across as an assassin's weapon like my trisul, but it does seem to have the personality of "ending the fight". Basically, I don't think it would be a knife for starting trouble, but you sure could end it.
My gut feeling is that the steel-pinned on guard and natural angle of the grip would excel at parrying an attack or striking a defensive blow until an opening presented itself. I think a deep and sinking strike to the vitals is what this knife is all about. 9" of razor sharp steel and finned back "teeth" would bite very, very deep. Extracting the blade would probably result in a ragged and jagged hemorrhaging wound. Thin enough to work between the ribs but stout enough to crack through with a firm jab.
Here's a pic after a light stoning, a bit of stropping, a shallow acid wash, and a bit of sanding and mild staining to the grip. So comfortably deadly
I think that even though it doesn't sport a hollow handle holding hidden survival supplies, Rambo would most certainly approve of it's vicious efficiency where it counts
Quite frankly, this may be the most intimidating HI knife I have ever handled. I absolutely love it and applaud Padam's efforts. As always, a huge thank you to Yangdu and all of HI for crafting such incredible weapons.
