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Yangdu's "cash flow" sale for 1/14. Pix and steals like yesterday.
- Thread starter Bill Martino
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2004
- Messages
- 3,178
Eric_425 said:Damn...always at around 9-10 AM. C'mon, at least do a couple of these later in the day so the guys who're stuck at work/school/whatever can have a chance too. Please?
I don't work around the 'puters and miss a lot of them too. You've just got to be patient. Be ready for the weekend and nightshift specials. They do happen. Also keep in mind that as the sharks get their fill, the "usuals" become more and more untouched - this keeps me going.
One thing I (for one) of all people forget occasionally is that even at the full website prices, HI products are a steal. $60 for a hand-forged skinning knife with an intricately-carved wooden handle? (Kumar Karda.) I grabbed one as a special, gave it to my room mate as a Christmas present, and have regretted it ever since.
(In all seriousness, it's become a cherished gift and there's no way that I could've given a better one for that amount of money. Given the opportunity to reverse my decision, I would not. This same man gave me a shotgun last year which I cherish equally and a dollar value can't be easily assigned to such things.) $145 for a hand-forged item that's essentially a small sword with a "break it or bend it and get two free" guarantee? (16.5" Chiruwa Ang Khola.) I use mine (and she's well used) as a demonstrator for people who don't believe in HI's quality and I have not managed to bend or break her yet, and that's saying something. $35 for a Bilton? I gave a Karka Bilton away to a friend (again, for Christmas) and, again, regretted it just a little bit - but only a little bit, when I saw the look on this individual's face upon receiving it; again, I couldn't have gotten him a better gift for that amount of money. Like I said, they are a steal. The specials are great, the blems are great, and I won't even deal with the items with antler handles...but if you've got the money I don't think that you can go wrong. I'm looking at purchasing an Everest Katana right now. I have absolutely no instruction, and little interest, in JSA...but I know that I'll like the sword and that's what motivates me to get it. (And, it'll be cool doing a moulinette with it. ) I still haven't managed to break an HI product yet. If you knew me better you'd think highly of that comment. I can break just about anything. Don't think of it as spending ~$150 or so on just a knife. It's not that simple. You'll hear people here say that these have a soul. It's true; just trust me on that. Beyond that, it's a knife that'll last...well, not forever, but near enough to count. I don't believe that you can find this level of quality for anywhere near the price range, specials or no specials.
One more thing I often forget is that Bill and Yangdu present these specials as a gift to us. They have no obligation to do this and few manufacturers do anything even remotely similar to this. I can only imagine the amount of extra effort this entails on their end. They don't have to do this. No one would expect them to if they hadn't already been doing it. I grouse about missing specials at least as much as the next person does but when you get right down to it, it's patently unfair for me to do so. The good deals are already listed on the web site. These are simply better deals listed at their conveniance.
As if I haven't rambled enough
- you'll hear people here state that the blade will find the owner. I think this is true too. Your knife is looking for you, Eric; when it finds you you'll probably be surprised. All of mine surprised me. The ones I thought I wanted, I didn't (although they may have wanted me); the ones I had no interest in, I wound up getting. (And, as it turned out, I needed them.) The khuk I like least is the one I use most, and the one I reach for when in doubt...imagine that. It was meant to be. Trust in karma. Things will work out.For the record, I've missed the specials for some time now and placed an order on the website today for a substantial (for me) amount of money. I wasn't thinking of how much money I spent; instead, I thought of how much money I saved. My only concern at this point is when everything will arrive.
Don't take this as a rebuke because it's not intended to be. Take this as the wisdom of a n00b who's beginning to understand.
When I miss a really great special on the forum, I say to myself: "I missed a sale on the internet and I feel bad. My life must be great!"- Joined
- Dec 30, 2004
- Messages
- 65
I've only been lurking around this forum for about a month now, trying to gain knowledge on khuks and finding out what to buy.
I have to say I've been pleasantly surprised at the "special deals", it seems there's one every other day or so.
It's usually bestsellers like AK's, BAS's and WWII's and then some added "extra specials"
I had no idea about this and it almost makes the webshop obsolete.
It's more fun to wait and see what Bill and Yangdu will have in stock for us next and try and grab something before one of the other "sharks" gets a bite.
You might miss out on a good deal now and then, but the specials are so frequent and diverse that I'm sure everyone will have a chance to get what they're looking for eventually.
It seems the HIKV infected sharks on this forum are kept well fed .
Just remember;
patience is a virtue and desire leads to unhappiness.
-Trevor
I have to say I've been pleasantly surprised at the "special deals", it seems there's one every other day or so.
It's usually bestsellers like AK's, BAS's and WWII's and then some added "extra specials"
I had no idea about this and it almost makes the webshop obsolete.
It's more fun to wait and see what Bill and Yangdu will have in stock for us next and try and grab something before one of the other "sharks" gets a bite.
You might miss out on a good deal now and then, but the specials are so frequent and diverse that I'm sure everyone will have a chance to get what they're looking for eventually.
It seems the HIKV infected sharks on this forum are kept well fed .
Just remember;
patience is a virtue and desire leads to unhappiness.
-Trevor
Satori said:I don't work around the 'puters and miss a lot of them too. You've just got to be patient. Be ready for the weekend and nightshift specials. They do happen. Also keep in mind that as the sharks get their fill, the "usuals" become more and more untouched - this keeps me going.
One thing I (for one) of all people forget occasionally is that even at the full website prices, HI products are a steal. $60 for a hand-forged skinning knife with an intricately-carved wooden handle? (Kumar Karda.) I grabbed one as a special, gave it to my room mate as a Christmas present, and have regretted it ever since.
Don't think of it as spending ~$150 or so on just a knife. It's not that simple. You'll hear people here say that these have a soul. It's true; just trust me on that. Beyond that, it's a knife that'll last...well, not forever, but near enough to count. I don't believe that you can find this level of quality for anywhere near the price range, specials or no specials.
One more thing I often forget is that Bill and Yangdu present these specials as a gift to us. They have no obligation to do this and few manufacturers do anything even remotely similar to this. I can only imagine the amount of extra effort this entails on their end. They don't have to do this. No one would expect them to if they hadn't already been doing it. I grouse about missing specials at least as much as the next person does but when you get right down to it, it's patently unfair for me to do so. The good deals are already listed on the web site. These are simply better deals listed at their conveniance.
As if I haven't rambled enough
For the record, I've missed the specials for some time now and placed an order on the website today for a substantial (for me) amount of money. I wasn't thinking of how much money I spent; instead, I thought of how much money I saved. My only concern at this point is when everything will arrive.
Don't take this as a rebuke because it's not intended to be. Take this as the wisdom of a n00b who's beginning to understand.
Yeah. It's been over a year for me, trying to nab the blade(s) I want on special. In fact, it was the only reason I registered with bladeforum almost 3 years ago. Not one of the usuals, but I'm looking for either an AK bowie or a cherokee rose. A khuk would be nice, but a good, tough knife suits my needs better right now. I'm a college kid, who also works, plays sports, camps and fishes, and all the while trying to maintain a social life and a fairly long distance relationship with the g/f, so I don't get to spend a lot of time surfing for deals. I've been making a real effort lately though. The main HI website has good deals, but when there's a special, things are often at near half price. And while I can afford to pay full price, it's a financial stretch for me, and I'd be running into tough times if any unexpected bills run up. $150 or so pretty much tops it for me, in terms of safety. Prefer around $100.
3 years... it's been long enough. I'll hold out for another week or so, and then I'll probably end up buying a swamp rat. Full price for full price, their knives are a bit cheaper and while they don't have that certain handmade, personable quality, Mrs. Busse seems to be good people. I was really impressed by her response when looking at an older thread. This guy who kept ragging on them, went and dinged up the edge on one of his knives, and instead of going through the effort of repairing it, he said he'll just clamp the knife in a vice and intentionally smash it up to take advantage of SW's warranty to get a new knife. Jen Busse read the thread, and even knowing that he would purposefully break the knife, she said she'd still replace it, no questions asked. He was told to just send it in, without having to break it, and she'll replace or repair it. Now that's commitment to their word.
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2004
- Messages
- 1,032
I am fortunate that I am self-employed, have a few bucks to spend on khukris and can be at my computer when the specials are offered. I have purchased also on the website and hope the additional profit margin will help HI out.
Folks on this forum have been very kind to me with all my newbie questions, but I am feeling a bit defensive right now. I guess I'm a shark
Folks on this forum have been very kind to me with all my newbie questions, but I am feeling a bit defensive right now. I guess I'm a shark
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2002
- Messages
- 7,269
Cognitive?
you GUESS???????????
Jaws: (John Williams) When composer John Williams first invited director Steven Spielberg to his studio and played on a piano the two-note theme he had conjured up to represent the Jaws shark, Spielberg responded by saying something along the lines of "you're kidding, right?" Fortunately for both, Williams wasn't kidding, and thus was born a film music and silver screen legend. Spielberg was still an up and coming director, with only a few small, successful films under his belt, but Williams was already an Academy Award winner and the composer of choice for large-scale disaster films. His popular early 1970's scores for The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, and most notably, The Towering Inferno had offered a glimpse of the symphonic rebirth that Williams was initiating in Hollywood at the time. He would go on to earn Academy Award wins for both Jaws and Star Wars, elevating him to the status of "top composer of the 1970's." Jaws itself was a near disaster in production --mostly due to "Bruce," the mechanical shark that was useless 90% of the time-- and Spielberg was counting on a strong score with a dark and sweeping theme to help save the production. Such was the reason for Spielberg's surprise when Williams produced a title theme consisting of two notes. On the piano, it sounded silly, but when performed by a large string section of an orchestra, both men were surprised by the monstrous thematic creation they had stumbled upon.
There is no debate about the functionality of the music in the film. Part of the film's dominant success was due, directly, to the score. The ingenious idea of using the mindless two-note progression to represent the shark is effectively applied to the score by its speed or even by its absence. The two-note progression matches perfectly the blood pressure of the shark --not the audience. Many people mistakenly believe that the theme was meant to mirror the horror level of the audience. In fact, the theme represents the internalized zeal of the shark itself --a flow that Williams and Spielberg allow the audience to listen in on. The theme speeds up as the shark gets excited, and the theme is absent from scenes in which the shark isn't anywhere near, most notably in the false alarm scenes of mistaken identity. The shark's primitive and brutal hunting inclinations make the musically simplistic two-note theme into the embodiment of the shark that Spielberg had struggled to obtain with the actual physical shark that he had built for the film. Even if you see a fin in the water, if Williams' theme isn't heard, then there's no reason to worry or panic.
you GUESS???????????
Jaws: (John Williams) When composer John Williams first invited director Steven Spielberg to his studio and played on a piano the two-note theme he had conjured up to represent the Jaws shark, Spielberg responded by saying something along the lines of "you're kidding, right?" Fortunately for both, Williams wasn't kidding, and thus was born a film music and silver screen legend. Spielberg was still an up and coming director, with only a few small, successful films under his belt, but Williams was already an Academy Award winner and the composer of choice for large-scale disaster films. His popular early 1970's scores for The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, and most notably, The Towering Inferno had offered a glimpse of the symphonic rebirth that Williams was initiating in Hollywood at the time. He would go on to earn Academy Award wins for both Jaws and Star Wars, elevating him to the status of "top composer of the 1970's." Jaws itself was a near disaster in production --mostly due to "Bruce," the mechanical shark that was useless 90% of the time-- and Spielberg was counting on a strong score with a dark and sweeping theme to help save the production. Such was the reason for Spielberg's surprise when Williams produced a title theme consisting of two notes. On the piano, it sounded silly, but when performed by a large string section of an orchestra, both men were surprised by the monstrous thematic creation they had stumbled upon.
There is no debate about the functionality of the music in the film. Part of the film's dominant success was due, directly, to the score. The ingenious idea of using the mindless two-note progression to represent the shark is effectively applied to the score by its speed or even by its absence. The two-note progression matches perfectly the blood pressure of the shark --not the audience. Many people mistakenly believe that the theme was meant to mirror the horror level of the audience. In fact, the theme represents the internalized zeal of the shark itself --a flow that Williams and Spielberg allow the audience to listen in on. The theme speeds up as the shark gets excited, and the theme is absent from scenes in which the shark isn't anywhere near, most notably in the false alarm scenes of mistaken identity. The shark's primitive and brutal hunting inclinations make the musically simplistic two-note theme into the embodiment of the shark that Spielberg had struggled to obtain with the actual physical shark that he had built for the film. Even if you see a fin in the water, if Williams' theme isn't heard, then there's no reason to worry or panic.
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2004
- Messages
- 65
SHARK!!!
