JAB

...aside from the Super Colibri I saw at Academy a few weeks back (and in which I have no interest) it is the first .22LR or .22Short I have seen on any big box store shelf, anywhere, ever, period for the past year or so. My LGS gets .22LR intermittently but not a steady supply. Benton Shooters Supply had a lot on their shelf the last time I was there (a couple months back) but at around $7 per box for the 'cheap' stuff I imagine it might remain on their shelf for a while. The ammo I bought (pictured below) was at Sportsman's Warehouse in Chattanooga on Friday morning around 11am or so. Limit was three boxes per person and other than these three all they had on the shelf was a few boxes of the really high dollar ($8.99 per 50 iirc) Aguila Match ammo and some Super Colibri (again, not interested.) It kind of hurt to pay over $4 per box when not too long ago I could have gotten all I wanted at Walmart for around $2 per box but such is life. I have resisted the idea of paying $5 per 50 for a while but am starting to think that is going to be the 'new normal' price even if/when .22LR supplies recover. Oh, well, it is still cheaper to shoot than anything else. I don't cast my own bullets so I still can't reload .38 for that. I will likely just add this to my stash and pull some of the older ammo from the stash to shoot.

Sorry to hear of your loss but it sounds like he was a good, solid man who, as you said, went on his own terms.  It also sounds like he was surrounded by people he loved and who loved him.

  I think the blade on mine is closer to 3.25.  If there is a 3.75 inch version I want it!  You are right, it is a good knife that seems very strong.  As I said, I keep it in a zipper pocket that is on the strap of my sling pack as a back up or in case I forget to put my edc in my pocket.  For some reason, though (partly because it was a gift and partly because it isn't my 'perfect' edc knife) I don't really want to edc it.  There really isn't a lot 'bad' to say about it, I just don't get that, "Yeah, this is THE knife," feeling that some knives have given me in the past.   I like going to Bass Pro but the closest one to me is just off the Sevierville/Dollywood exit just about a mile or two from Smoky Mountain Knife Works so if I am up that way looking for knives I usually go to SMKW.  Oh, I'll still stop at Bass Pro I just tend to look more at ammo and the like there.  The only problem with going to SMKW is that I sometimes get overwhelmed.  If you have never been in there, they have everything from fantasy/movie sword and knife repros to mall ninja nonsense right through to awesome knives that are out of my price range and a whole lot of good knives that are in my price range (which keeps me running around trying to narrow it down to one or two that I can actually buy at a time.)  You will sometimes stumble across a sale that makes a knife you were sort of considering suddenly irresistible. They have one counter dedicated to a pretty good selection of Rough Rider knives which are very affordable and have a good reputation, especially at their price point.  They have a Cold Steel section, a CRKT section and a Benchmade section (I just sort of look at the Benchmade knives and think how nice some of them look before moving on to things that won't hurt my wallet quite as badly.)  They also, of course, have entire sections dedicated to Gerber, Kershaw, Case and most of the other, big names.  There is a pretty good sized section for Victorinox SAKs, too.  I could literally spend hours in SMKW agonizing over which one or two knives to take home with me.

  Added both to my wish list.  I really like the look of that Avispa.  Like the RAT, it looks to have a blade style similar to my old Sodbusters which is a big plus for it.

  What about the Chrysler 300 Gentleman's Club or the Lexus Lads?  And where would the all-female gang the Lincoln Ladies fit in to all of this?

OK, so the first two folders I ordered from Amazon arrived yesterday as expected. Here are some pics - the Manifold is on top and the Freefall on the bottom in the pics. First impressions are: Both came out of the box with good, sharp edges. Not quite shaving sharp (although it probably wouldn't take much to make them so) but still plenty sharp. The Freefall, with it's plastic grips, is a bit lighter than the Manifold. In fact, because of the 'beefiness' of the Manifold the Freefall almost felt a little flimsy. The assisted opening mechanism works well in both and both flipped open smoothly and easily after opening and closing them once or twice to get things limbered up. I immediately liked the way the Manifold felt in my hand. The Freefall, not so much. I also think I like the blade style used in the Manifold better. Still, I decided to give the Freefall the first shot in my pocket and so will carry it for a few days to see how it does. Part of the reason I went with it, first is that (as mentioned above) I can't wear a belt right now. I wear Dockers with suspenders to work so being slightly lighter is a plus for the Freefall at this time. Another thing the Freefall has going for it is that I do kind of prefer tip up carry to tip down. In order to grow more accustomed to it, I just sort of played around with the Freefall while I sat watching television last night - opening it, closing it, getting more used to how it feels in my hand and so on. Doing so, I did find that it began to feel better in my hand than it initially did and so I began liking it more. The liner lock seems to give a good, positive lock - to the point that it can be a little difficult to disengage. On my example, at least, you really have to push on the locking piece and it has to be pushed until nearly flush with the rest of the liner before the blade will close. It might loosen up a little over time but all things considered I'd rather have a knife that is a little harder to close than one I can't trust to stay open. The middle knuckle on my right, middle finger is crooked to this day from having had a non-locking blade close up on me, once, about 25 years ago. It only took three stitches to close the cut but still I don't believe that a person is meant to see their own knuckle bones. That is why having some type of locking mechanism on my main edc knife is pretty high on my list of desired traits for a knife. I even own one SAK model that has a locking blade. The blade shape of the Freefall, as mentioned, is a version of the tanto style. As I said, before, while I often like the way tanto style knives look, that isn't necessarily my 'ideal' blade style for an edc folder. That said, the Freefall has a tip that is a little more rounded as it goes into the tip angle, more like what I think of as a real, traditional (Japanese) tanto style than the abrupt, hard angle of some 'tactical' tanto blades. Also - and this is something I was very pleased to see - the cutting edge is slightly convex, giving it a bit of a curved 'belly', which I think will lend itself better to general purpose usage than the flat, straight cutting edge that many tanto style blades have. Keeping in mind the warnings from posters above who have had trouble with the pocket clips on some Kershaw knives (and the post from broox who had the clip rather quickly fail on his Freefall) I decided to be proactive to hopefully prevent such troubles with mine. I have never had any need to remove the clip from any of my knives that are so equipped and foresee no reason to remove the clip from my Freefall. Therefore, I put a dab of Gorilla Glue on the top surface of the clip and covering the head of the screw. Being liquid, even thought I didn't put much, the glue got a little bit under the clip and even on the bottom part of the screw. Hopefully that will keep everything in place. We'll see, I guess. Speaking of the pocket clip, Kershaw clips tend to be really tight in my experience. So tight that they can be difficult to clip in to the pocket and equally difficult to pull out of the pocket - especially with khakis that don't have the stiffness of denim jeans, etc. I have been known, in the past, to slip something like a flathead screwdriver tip under the clip and bend it out just a little. I have also experienced that sometimes the clips loosen up over time just through use. I'm going to give the Freefall clip the chance to do the latter, first, but might end up applying the former solution if it doesn't give a little. So those are my first impressions of these, two knives and of the Freefall in particular. Now, just for kicks, here is a 'family pic' of all the Kershaw folder models I currently own: That is the Manifold on top and the Freefall under it. Next is the one my nephew got me for Christmas (some model of Cryo?) Below that is the Crown that has been my most regular edc for a couple of years. At the bottom is the Scallion that lost its pocket clip. I really like the Crown but just wish the blade were larger. I bought mine on clearance at Walmart (I think Kershaw still makes the Crown but maybe something minor changed so Wally was getting rid of the 'old' models or something.) The clearance price was $10 and after getting it home and carrying it for a couple of days I decided I really liked it so I hit a couple of Walmart locations and bought three or four more in case I lost or wore out the first one. I imagine it will still find its way into my pocket from time to time.

  It really says something when a man who makes his own (very nice) knives likes a knife.     Interesting.  I like that it kinda goes 'off the reservation' with the lock style.  Seems like most knives like these use a liner lock.     Thanks for the comments on the RAT.  Just from the pics, I have high hopes for really liking it.  I have a SAK (Tinker) in my sling pack.  I've thought about replacing it with a multi-tool (those pliers can come in handy) but the nerd in me who was a fan of MacGyver balks at the idea.  I've looked at the CRKT Folts Minimalists but didn't like the handle style so I bought a couple of Cold Steel Mini-Tacs (Skinner and Beavertail), instead.  I really like the look of the S.P.E.W., though - the handle style is different and the material used looks really good.  Even though the blade on it is small I still think of it as a 'tactical' blade because it is a Wharncliffe style.  I am thinking about picking one up, though, because the Cold Steel knives/sheaths are kind of bulky around my neck and because I just think the S.P.E.W. is a really attractive looking knife.     The Kershaw my nephew got me for Christmas looks a lot like a Cryo but the edge is straight, not concave.  In fact, I was thinking that the packaging called it a 'Cryo'.  Maybe just a different style or something that was a Walmart only model.  It is a good knife and I keep it in a zipper pouch on the sling of my pack as a back-up folder.  I just don't want to pocket carry it and chance losing it since it was a gift.     Thanks.  I will.

  I've compared BladeHQ, Amazon, SMKW and Walmart.com on the prices of a few knives and found them to be pretty close on prices most of the time.  Mostly, I stick with Amazon out of, well, laziness (since I already have an account there) and a desire not to have too many accounts on too many websites.  That said, I'll have to keep an eye out on BladeHQ, as well in case they have a deal or in case they have something that Amazon doesn't.

      My first ever assisted opening knife (and maybe my first one with a pocket clip) was a Kershaw - one of the earlier Scallions, I think.  The screws came out of the pocket clip, the clip came off and the screws were lost so I have had a similar experience.  I don't think the screws stripped, just backed out.  I've been carrying my Kershaw Crown most days for a couple of years, now and the pocket clip hasn't budged.  Because of that early experience with the Scallion, though, I check the screws on any knife with a pocket clip periodically.  I hadn't realized that was a common problem with Kershaws in particular, though.  Thanks for the heads up, guys.

Thanks for the suggestion, daddyo.  I checked that one out on Amazon.  It looks good and I have added it to my wish list (gotta be careful about ordering too many at a time - too easy to spend money when it just seems like clicking a button.)

I am certainly no knife expert.  Instead, I am just a guy who has been carrying a pocket knife most days for close to forty years (I am forty three.)  Over the course of those years I have carried several, different styles and types of pocket knife ranging from very traditional, three blade Old Timers to Swiss Army knives to assisted opening single blades with more of a 'tactical' look.   I have said in other threads that I have zero knowledge, training or experience in knife fighting.  I have also said that, if backed into a corner with my life in danger and no options I would certainly try to defend myself with a knife as a last ditch effort.  However, when choosing a knife for edc I tend to look more for a general purpose tool with the remote idea of possibly having to use it for sd kind of in the back of my mind.   Lately, I have become interested in the idea of carrying a small to medium sized fixed blade knife.  The thing I like about fixed blades is that they don't have the 'hinge' as a weak point so that - especially full tang fixed blades - are theoretically more sturdy over time.  In theory, then - especially since TN relaxed its knife laws - such a fixed blade would be a great idea for carry.  I have discovered that, in practice, not so much (for me) for the following reasons:   1.  A fixed blade might be 'legal' but it still likely isn't 'appropriate' for some/many situations - much like my views on open carry of a firearm.   2.  I can't carry a fixed blade at work.  Being that work is the place I spend the majority of my time away from home that means most of the time I am away from home I can't carry a fixed blade.  It also means that, while I might have a fixed blade in my vehicle, I am not going to have it 'on me' on the way to and from work.  These factors, then, relegate a fixed blade to a role of occasional weekend/evening carry.  While I am still interested in doing so, I can't really consider a fixed blade for true edc at this time.   3.  This is the biggie, right now.  Due to my ongoing physical/health issues I still can't wear a belt.  Obviously, it is pretty hard to carry a fixed blade belt knife without wearing a belt.  I have started carrying a sling pack and can carry a fixed blade in or on it but that is somehow just not the same as it isn't right at hand, ready for use.   All of these factors have combined to cause me to come to the realization that for daily carry/use, a folder is the way to go, for me - at least right now.  That means deciding which folder.  A few factors are immediately obvious:   1.  I want something that is fairly easily replaceable should I lose it.  Once I decide on 'the' knife, I might even purchase one or more 'extras' in case I lose or wear one out.  I have done this in the past in case a certain knife that I decide I really like should be discontinued at some point by the company.  This means I want a knife that is fairly readily available.  This also means no 'custom', 'semi-custom' or high end production knives.  For me, a knife that costs over $50 is something I am probably not going to carry regularly and even $50 is pushing the high end of what I would want to spend on an edc knife, generally speaking.  Honestly, I am much more comfortable keeping the price somewhere closer to $30.  Luckily for me, some of the well known and trusted companies (such as Kershaw, Gerber, Buck, etc.) have 'budget' lines that, although made in China or some, other Asian country, are still good, quality knives.  Heck, there are even a few knives from these companies that are made in America and that fall into the general price range.  Another reason for keeping the price down is that I want to be able to afford to build a 'collection' of such knives and try out several, different knives for the edc role..   2.  I want something that can be quickly/easily opened with one hand that has a pocket clip and some type of locking mechanism.  I still like the old, traditional style of pocket knife and might carry one of those in addition to the knife in question, sometimes.  However, while I used to think of such things as 'extras' I have now come to consider those, three features as 'non-negotiables' for an edc folding blade.  Further, I prefer a knife that features assisted opening but the lack thereof is not a deal breaker.  I could take or leave automatic opening but with the advent of assisted opening I don't find automatics quite as exciting as I once did not to mention that I am not likely to find an automatic knife that fits all my other criteria in the price range I am willing to pay (although I might one day look into one of the automatic Boker Kalashnikovs.)   3.  I want a folder with the largest blade I can reasonably carry.  I don't really consider the huge Cold Steel knives as being 'practical' for me to carry on a daily basis.  In fact, for me those things would be more of a 'novelty' than something I'd be likely to have in my pocket at any, given time.  Further, to me those knives seem to be designed more as fighting knives than for general purpose use.  When the knife law first changed last year I got all excited about the prospect of carrying a really big, folding knife.  When I went looking, however, I began to realize just how big a folder with a blade of four inches or more really is.  I bought a Rough Rider Deer Slayer that has a blade length of just over four inches just to have 'something' in that size range and quickly realized just how big such a knife is when carried in the pocket of a pair of Dockers (the type of pants I wear to work.)  A pocket clip to keep it in place would likely help but I really don't see carrying anything with a blade of 5 inches or more.  Therefore, I want a folder that strikes a balance between a big blade and still fitting well in my pocket.  More than likely, then, I am looking for something with a blade length between 3.5 and 4.5 inches.     3a.  When I say a large blade, I don't just mean length.  Ideally, the blade would be fairly wide and thick, as well.  I want something big and sturdy.   4.  For my use, I don't really care if the blade or overall knife has a 'tactical' design.  In fact, while that wouldn't immediately cause me to not consider the knife, I would just as soon it didn't have an overly 'tactical' or 'tacticool' look.  Some of the more 'tactical' designs probably would not be best for my use.  For instance, I don't think that a Wharncliffe type blade would be the best for this application.  As much as I like the look of a tanto style blade, while it would probably work okay and while I will try some out, also might not prove to be the absolute best solution.  I do not want a serrated or partially serrated blade.   5.  As the best 'survival knife' is the knife you have on you if you find yourself in a less than ideal situation, I want a folder that can at least handle the majority of potential 'camp knife' type tasks.  I know that a folder that fits in a pocket isn't the ideal for such situations but in this case some compromises must be made.  Luckily, the need to use this knife for such purposes falls into the 'possible but not real likely' category so it isn't my top criteria, simply a consideration.   With these factors in mind, I have recently ordered a few, different folders from Amazon.  These should give me a small sample of folding knives from which I will either settle on my 'closest to perfect as possible' edc or use as a starting point to decide on what knives to order next (or both.)   These two should be arriving today:   Kershaw Freefall.  This one has a bit of a 'tactical' look and is a tanto style but the blade (at least from the pics) looks to be fairly hefty.  I am also interested in the ergonomics which I predict will either be really good or really bad.  It is an assisted opening knife which is a plus and with a price point under twenty bucks before shipping, etc. (which claims to be about 1/2 the list price) I had to give it a try.   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AU6NRJU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1   Kershaw Manifold.  Also an assisted opening knife, the 3.5 inch, drop point blade on this one looks pretty sturdy, too.  I must also admit to being a fan of Kershaw's 'blackwash' finish.  My nephew got me one of the Kershaw knives that Walmart sells as a display item around the holidays for Christmas.  It has the blackwash finish and is assisted opening.  I have been impressed with it.  In fact, if it had a longer blade it would be in the running for my perfect edc even though it is a bit more of a 'tactical' design than I am wanting for this purpose.  The only drawback to it (and this will probably also be a factor for the Manifold) is that the stainless grips make it pretty heavy for the size.  Again, at under twenty bucks before s&h how could I resist?   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ILFL5X2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1   Here are a couple I ordered this morning:   Spyderco Resilience.  I know that the Spyderco knives tend to run more toward the idea of a sd knife than an everyday tool but I have known people who used Spyderco knives as edc, general purpose knives and really liked them.  I like that this one has a pretty good sized blade for a folder (4.25 inches) and I like how flat most of the Spyderco designs seem to be.  Honestly, two big factors in my decision to buy this knife are that I currently do no own any Spyderco knives and the fact that it was $39.19 before s&h.  According to the listing (and the prices I usually see on Spyderco products) this is a little less than half the normal, list price.  Not assisted opening but certainly one-handed opening.  I think I'll like it and will probably carry it at least sometimes even if it doesn't end up as my edc.   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004AWOLV8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1   Ontario Rat.  This is actually the one that, just looking at pics, I am holding out the most hope for as an edc.  See, my favorite folding blade style is the old Sodbuster type knife.  I carried a Case Sodbuster Junior for several years in my teens and loved that blade.  I currently own a Case Sodbuster as well as a Junior but don't carry them because they aren't easy to open one-handed, don't lock and don't have a pocket clip.  Looking at pics of the RAT, I realized that the blade shape actually appears to be very similar to that of my Sodbusters - maybe even a little better - in a package that does feature one hand opening, a pocket clip and a locking blade.  I have read a lot of good things about the RAT both in online reviews as well as on various forums to which I belong.    According to the listing, this one also appears to be going for a little less than half the normal, list price and my previous experience looking at/pricing them supports that.  If the price stays in that range, this one might just end up being the knife that of which I end up ordering multiples but I will have to wait until it spends some time in my pocket before I will be sure.    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013ASG3E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That is awesome!  That thing doesn't need a guard because the lower/rear portion of the blade fills that role nicely.  That thing is just begging to get some deer blood on it!     I have read in more than one place about how those trappers, settlers and hunters in the old days wouldn't have known what a custom 'bush knife' was if they saw it.  Instead, they used the fairly common (kind of general purpose) trade knives or, pretty often, carried an honest-to-goodness butcher knife which they might or might not have modified a little.  Apparently, they weren't worried about having an extremely thick, heavy blade that could chop down small trees or stand up to using a 'baton' method to split wood because that was what the hatchet, tomahawk or camp axe they carried was for.  I have also seen pics and reproductions of secondary knives they carried - sometimes used as patch knives or just as utility knives for small work - that pretty much looked like an Old Hickory paring knife.  Heck, for that matter some of the popular trade knives apparently looked a lot like kitchen knives.  I guess they figured if it worked for cutting stuff up in the kitchen or slaughterhouse then it would work for cutting stuff up in the wild, too.

Okay, rather than start a new thread I thought I would just piggy-back onto peejman's. As I said, after seeing this thread I decided to order one of these knives for myself. It is a nice looking knife. One thing I really like about it is just how thick the blade is at the spine and, in fact, over all except where it tapers down to the edge. I didn't take a picture of the spine because I thought peejman had included one in his post. Now that I see he didn't, I might go back and take one to post. Mine was not shaving sharp out of the box but did come with a good, serviceable edge. I actually sometimes wonder if every knife needs to be 'shaving sharp' or if, in some cases, a good but not razor edge might hold up to certain uses longer. Either way, I will probably spend some time with this knife and the honing stones at some point. Anyhow, here are some pics. My pics of this knife aren't nearly as good as peejman's but maybe they will serve the purpose. These give some idea of how the knife arrived (I didn't take pics of the shipping box, etc. as I figured those were unnecessary) : Here are a couple of it 'striking a pose': This is a pic to show the size of the Boker compared to a dolla' and my usual edc Kershaw Crown. As peejman said, when in locations that a fixed blade can be practically carried this one is a good size just for a general carry blade. I think. I thought the wood on the scales felt kind of 'dry' for lack of a better term. The 'dryness' made me concerned that the wood might be a little brittle. It may have been all in my head but just in case I decided to rub a little Johnson's paste wax on the scales (because that is what I had handy) and then wipe them down with a paper napkin. The wood doesn't feel as 'thirsty' to me, now, and I think the paste wax brings out the color a little more. I think I am going to like this little knife. It is my first Boker fixed blade and, unless I am forgetting something, my first Boker, period (almost certainly my first from the current incarnation of the company.) I will have to be careful not to get carried away and try to use the rope/branch cutting notch as a finger choil as it is sharp enough to do some damage to a wayward finger if the user isn't paying attention. That isn't a 'drawback' of the knife, just something I will have to pay attention to. I do think that notch would be useful for some tasks. The sheath is nothing special but nothing to complain about, either. Just a good, serviceable sheath for a knife of this type. All in all, at the price point and intended use there is only one thing I would change about it. That is, I really wish it had a lanyard hole so I could attach a short lanyard (I would set it up to be slipped over my ring finger during use, not as a long, wrist lanyard.) Otherwise, it is looking pretty good.

If it ain't me or someone I care about being threatened then I'll call 911, try to get what details I can and otherwise stay completely out of it.  I am not nor do I want to be a cop and it is not my job nor my inclination to be a protector of society at large.  The way I figure, if another adult chooses not to be equipped to defend themselves then it isn't my responsibility to defend them.  I carry a gun to, if necessary, hopefully help get me out of trouble not to embolden me to walk in to trouble.

I have only fired a .454 Casull once, also from a handgun, and remember it being not bad, at all.  Of course, the handgun I fired it from was a Thompson Encore with the .454 barrel in place.  I imagine that shooting the same from a lightweight, snubbie revolver would be an entirely different (and not entirely pleasant) experience.   The same fellah who had the Encore (a member of another forum to which I belong - several of us from that forum got together to shoot a couple of years back) also had a snubbie S&W in .44 Magnum.  He let me run a cylinder full through it with his small, carry grips and I remember that bashing my hand much worse than the .454.

I am partial to wood, too but have to go 'off the reservation' for a scale suggestion on this one.   Something about the shape of this blade (which is very pleasing to the eye, btw) makes me think of a shark.  Maybe consider a blue-grey ('shark' colored) micarta to enhance the 'shark' look?

  I am a 'fan' of .380, to an extent, but I have to pretty much agree with you here.  However, I can think of one, good reason - if someone wants a more or less 'full size' gun that has ammo compatibility with their pocket pistol then the larger .380 would make a lot of sense, IMO.  Personally, I have no interest in the teeny-tiny 9mm pocket guns.  I kind of think that .380 is pushing the reliability envelope in a package that small and light not to mention the issues of accuracy and follow-up due to increased recoil from a 9mm in a 'mousegun' sized package.  Therefore, if having a larger gun that used the same ammo as my pocket pistol were an important factor, to me, then I would go with a larger .380 as a 'big brother' to my pocket pistol.  As it is, the ammo compatibility thing isn't all that important, to me, not to mention I carry revolvers about as much as (or more than) semiautos, anyhow.  I wouldn't mind having a CZ82 equipped with a .380 barrel (or a factory .380 CZ83) but that is just because I like my CZ82 so much and would like to have an identical gun chambered for 'Walmart available' ammo.   Come to think of it, I do 'hip carry' my CZ82 sometimes and 9mm Makarov is said to be pretty comparable to .380 in performance so maybe the idea isn't quite as far-fetched to me as I first thought.  I carry the 82, though (loaded with 9mm Mak Critical Defense), because I shoot it really well and like the characteristics of the gun more than because of the caliber (which, with 12+1 rounds on board, I do think would get the job done.)   For some, strange reason I think I would like to have a full-sized or nearly full-sized gun in .32acp (I currently own nothing in that caliber) but that is another thread.

  Then maybe you could just call him and say, "Make me a sheath in dark brown Kydex for this."  I have made a few leather holsters and sheaths.  I made a Kydex/leather hybrid IWB holster (sort of like a Crossbreed) to see if I liked that type of holster (I didn't.)  I have also made a very simple Kydex sheath.  Kydex is not too bad to work with but I don't know if I am advanced enough at it to make a more complex sheath system.

  Well, you can get the Kydex sheaths to make your own in brown, anyhow.  Just an example - no idea how well these, particular sheets work:   http://www.amazon.com/Kydex-Plastic-Sheet-Brown-080/dp/B00FA3EE2W/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1427220897&sr=8-8&keywords=kydex+sheets   I think that one looks more like a 'leather' color.  Of course, there are lots of other colors besides black, such as Coyote Brown:   http://www.amazon.com/Kydex-Haircell-Finish-Coyote-Sheets/dp/B00N34GDYM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1427220897&sr=8-3&keywords=kydex+sheets   The Coyote Brown looks to me, at least from the pic, to be light enough that you could probably dye it whatever color you want - if Kydex can be dyed.  I know folks used to order the Ivory grip frames from Kel Tec and then use RIT dye to create a custom colored grip - not sure if RIT would work on Kydex or not.  If so, you could probably even simulate a leather-like texture look to it.   The Olive Drab doesn't look too bad, either:   http://www.amazon.com/Kydex-Haircell-Finish-Olive-Sheets/dp/B00N34H56C/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1427220897&sr=8-7&keywords=kydex+sheets   For a knife like this I'd definitely want to at least look into doing a DIY sheath if I decided I wanted a Kydex one.  I'd hate to think about paying more for someone to make me a custom Kydex sheath than the knife would cost.

  I did a search and can't find the pics online, now but somewhere in the past I saw where someone had modded their Hi-Point (I think it was one of the .45 models) to look like a DeWalt cordless drill.  They had done a spot-on paint job and even completed the look with DeWalt stickers.  It looked so much like a cordless drill that, at a glance, many folks - especially non-gun folks - would probably believe that was exactly what they saw.

  I was also going to say Pit Bull on Crack except the version I have drank has Cuervo Tequila instead of the Goldschlager and adds Jim Beam to the mix.  A buddy of mine and I were waiting for some friends at the Ruby Tuesday that used to be at West Town.  We decided to wait at the bar.  I ordered a Pit Bull on Crack and had to tell the bartender what was in it.  The bartender's reaction was to say, in an almost shocked voice, "And you want to drink that?"  My buddy said, "He's done it, before.  In fact, that isn't the worst thing I have ever seen him drink."   I was hanging out at that same buddy's house drinking self-mixed Rob Roys (coincidentally, my buddy's first name is also Rob) when he decided he wanted to have some screwdrivers.  Well, he didn't have any orange juice so he decided to try mixing vodka with orange Gatorade.  I just looked at him with a completely deadpan expression, shook my head and said, "It ain't gonna be good, Rob."  He started trying to justify the idea by saying that it was orange and vodka so how bad could it be and so on.  I just kept slowly shaking my head and repeating, "It ain't gonna be good, Rob."  He did it, anyway and took a sip.  Trying to avoid giving me the satisfaction of being right, he first said, "It's really not bad."  After the second sip, though, he looked at me and said, "Aw, he**, you were right - it tastes like s***."  He then proceeded to pour it out.  He and I don't see each other too much these days but when we do he will sometimes just look at me, shake his head and say, "It ain't gonna be good, Rob."   As far as worst tasting drink I have had, I'd probably have to go with a Rusty Nail.  Drambuie and Scotch.  A close second might be a Beam Me Up, Scotty.  Bailey's Irish Cream, Kahlua and Jim Beam.  It doesn't sound bad but in actuality it ain't all that good, Rob.   The worst effects I ever had were from Bushmill's Irish Whiskey.  Some friends and I rented a chalet in the Smokies a few weeks after I had broken up with the first girl that ever, really broke my heart.  I had a liter of Bushmill's and was working my way through it.  At one point my inhibitions were lubricated enough and I got to feeling down enough that I turned it up and emptied the remainder of the bottle in one go.  I felt terrible the next day and am pretty sure that alcohol poisoning was in effect.  I was so bad that at one point another guy who overdid it stopped heaving in the bathroom down the hall long enough to come check on me to make sure I thought I was going to live.  Now, keep in mind that I was the guy who could usually do a liter of Evan Williams 100 proof in one (long - as in start around 8 pm and still be up at sunrise) night without ever having ill effects after a few hours of sleep so my friends weren't used to me being even a little sick.  Of course when I finally crawled forth from the bathroom and was able to rejoin the living the next evening, one of my buddies said, "It's no wonder you were so sick.  Did you realize that bottle was still half full when you chugged it?  You chugged a half liter of straight Irish Whiskey and lived."   Suffice it to say that I don't drink anywhere near that level anymore.  In fact, I barely drink at all these days.

  Great summation, OS.  Another thing that remains 'gray', at least to me, is when does a knife become a sword.  In other words, does 'any length' translate into it being perfectly legal (although certainly not advisable and likely not very bright except under certain, very limited conditions - say a re-enactment or parade, etc.) to carry a Highland Claymore strapped across one's back in public?  Even if there were not a specific charge of carrying a sword (as opposed to a knife) I wouldn't be surprised if the person ended up being slapped with a 'public nuisance' or 'danger to the public' charge - but that is just my non-professional, non-attorney :2cents: .  I am almost certain that such behavior would cause the issue to be revisited by the legislature and likely result in at least some kind of length limit being re-imposed.

Very nice.  I also like 'traditional' looking knives (although I am seeing more and more potential advantages to the more 'tactical' type sheaths simply due to the variety of carry options that they can offer vs. many traditional leather sheaths.)  At that price, I see one in my hand in the very near future.  I handled a few of the knives in the Boker Magnum line at SMKW the last time I was there and was pretty impressed by how nice they looked and how capable they appeared to be given the price point.  I was sore tempted to pick up one of them but it wasn't the type of knife I was looking for at the time and I was looking to spend my small amount of knife cash on a couple of other, different blades (ended up picking up a Cold Steel Mini-Tac Beavertail on a good sale to go with my Mini-Tac skinner and bought a Victorinox Swiss Army knife that is different from the Tinker I already owned.)   I may just have to look toward remedying that omission.    ETA:  Just ordered one for myself.  With shipping, my order came to $26 and change.  I did notice that this knife is a discontinued close-out so that probably means that when they are gone, they are gone.  I also noticed that the original, non-close-out list price was $64.95 so the close-out price (before shipping) is less than 1/3 the original.  Before ordering, I went to Amazon to see if I could find a better deal and the best price I saw on there was $29 and change (before shipping) with at least one or two sellers still asking something closer to the original $64 price point.  Thanks for the heads up, Peejman!  That is one thing I really like about this site, especially the knives subforum - no one person can catch all the deals so having a group to keep each other informed of deals we might have missed is great.

I generally think of a knife as more a 'tool' than a 'weapon'. I have zero experience or training in knife fighting. If someone had me cornered with no way out, my life in danger and my only choices were to try strong language or get stabby, I'd have to choose the latter option and hope but that isn't my main focus for a knife. I do like the idea of carrying a small, fixed blade because it eliminates the potential 'weak point' of a folder - the spot where it folds. The problem I find is that a lot of neck knives, etc. run into the problem of being pretty thin and I wanted a heavier blade. What I ended up doing was getting an inexpensive knife from the Buck Packlite line and making my own kydex sheath. I wanted horizontal carry just for ease of concealment as well as keeping the knife out of my way. Because when I can carry I have a handgun on my right hip or in my right pocket, I wanted to keep that area clear. Also, because if I carry a semiauto I have a spare mag on the left side I wanted to keep that area clear, too. By going with horizontal carry, I could have the knife SOB without it getting in the way when I sat down, etc. Therefore, my idea was to carry the knife SOB. I also did a woven paracord treatment on the 'skeletonized' grips. The Kydex I ordered was a little thicker than what I really needed which made it a bit harder to mold, etc. The texture came from heating the Kydex in a baking pan that was protected by laying the Kydex on a (previously used and therefore a little crumpled) sheet of aluminum foil. It bothered me a little, at first, but then I decided that it was a happy accident and I actually like the texture. Anyow, these were my results: Unfortunately, I did all of this shortly before having to have emergency surgery to remove a colon blockage that turned out to be a cancerous tumor. Due to my surgery scar still being tender and having a (hopefully reversible) colostomy, I am currently unable to wear a belt so, obviously, I can't carry a belt knife - meaning I haven't had a lot of opportunity to carry this one since making the sheath, etc. I can say it worked well during the limited opportunity I had to carry it and I will carry it some more once I can go back to wearing a belt.

  I agree that there is no point to just heat with no flavor.  That said, as your tolerance builds, you begin to taste a lot of flavor where before you only tasted heat.  For instance, when I eat raw habanero I taste a sort of smoky, citrus quality.  With raw ghost pepper, there is a little 'smokiness' and the citrus quality is more pronounced, kind of lemony.  Raw scorpion pepper is similar to the flavor of ghost pepper but with even less 'smokiness' and more citrus.    Another benefit is the endorphin rush (cheap, legal, natural high) that eating something extremely hot can give.  Of course, as with any 'buzz', as you build a tolerance it takes more and hotter to give the same effects.  I have never had hot chicken but it sounds like it would be good.  I do like buffalo wings and hot wings.  Like you, I also often like a sweet heat.  Thai food is often good for that.  Also, hot wings with a mango-habanero sauce are really good.  There used to be a place in Knoxville called 'Sarge's Barbecue'.  The guy had been a Sergeant in the military, hence the name.  He called his barbecue 'Virgin Islands style' and his sauce had a good bit of clove, etc. in it.  His hot barbecue sauce was made with habanero (this was back when habaneros weren't nearly as ubiquitous as they are, now) but still had the flavor of clove, brown sugar, etc.  I could danged near drink that stuff - it was delicious!  Too bad he retired and the place closed :cry: