MacGyver

Oh. Agreed. Just seems like the one in Memphis was a complete dud. i think the group organizing it would like it to be a way bigger deal than it actually seems to be.

I think we may be to the point that it’s gotten more attention here than just about anywhere else.

Imagine if Ernst Blofeld had access to Ketamine.

It really comes down to how you personally use a knife in the field and what else you've got in your kit. The saw on the back performs about like the saw on any survival knife - they're mediocre and leave you wishing you had a real saw. It'll get the job done with small stuff - but you're going to put the work in on anything over about an inch and a half. The determining factor for me is what you're going to do with the bigger stuff. A big knife should be able to do big knife jobs. That means using it for batoning through bigger stuff. I prefer a flat spine for that - because the saw will just chew up whatever you're using to baton with. I would much prefer an actual folding saw. If I want that on a knife - the classic Victorinox saw is second to none in that category. I guess as long as we're talking Glock stuff - the saw on their entrenching tool is a good pattern. It's a bit awkward to use - but I love the design of the tool overall. Overall, the Glock knives are a bargain at around $30 on the street. People stress about blade steels and what not - but for the price - it'll perform at least as well as that $15 Mora.

Hey, congratulations! That’s amazing!

That’s amazing my friend. I can’t imagine how much better you’ve got to feel. And, while you certainly don’t need validation from anyone else - but because we don’t say it nearly enough - man, I’m proud of you. That’s taken a ton of commitment.

Hantavirus creeps me out.

Similar bushcraft profile - but it’s in a whole different class. Elmax wasn’t really a thing when the original ESEE’s were made. Those are 1095 - which has the advantage of being easily sharpened to a blistering edge - but also needs proper care. That Elmax blade on the FirstEdge could sit in saltwater for months and be none the worse for wear. It’s good at edge retention - but if you let it get dull - it’s gonna be a chore to get sharp again.

I want to push back on that a little bit. First on quality - then on principle. That $10 knockoff isn’t the same quality knife. Steel, heat treating, quality control - none of that is the same. I’m not an LMF person - but I’d be willing to wager putting an original and that knockoff edge to edge and then hammering the spine - the original will cut through the Temu knockoff. Second - it hurts the maker. Gerber will be fine. It hurts someone like Rob Bayley. It’s worth supporting makers we care about.

Jim Randall and Mike Perrin’s ESEE-5 is my longtime goto. I’ve got a lot fancier knives, but I grab that one first whenever I’m in the field. You can do a little knife job with a big knife - but not the reverse.

Those are great! Nothing better than a wharncliff in the shop for marking.

Man. Get a carbon monoxide detector y’all.

I don’t know that I’ve ever really considered canning dried beans. Is the thought process that you can just heat them up and eat them as opposed to having to cook and simmer for several hours?

Black Warrior area has been good to me over the years - but yeah - you’re limited to daylight hours.

I’m hearing the A-Team theme in my head as I read this.

They’re doing some neat stuff over there. That’s where Russell Moore ended up - also in a similar “minister in residence” role I think.

I don’t know that I’ve ever considered reduced capacity cases. Seems like that would be a great potential solution - but I’d expect those would be handmade. Better really police your brass I guess.

Neat.

The thing I love about this is that everyone needs a hobby - and I love it when people just send it. Also, your wife is really gracious.

We need pictures. Just sayin…

Man, that Kabar has seen some things. I didn’t even know those were a thing. I’d love to hear some of the stories it could tell.

I’d take you. But my kids have the flu…

As far as I’m concerned, if it never does anything more than write better regex, it will have been worth it.

I think one of the best possible cases is to think of it sort of like a pair programmer who knows the API docs backwards and forwards. It’s unlikely to be able to do anything well by itself. But, sitting beside you it can really compliment your expertise. Or in my case, it can be like, “hey idiot. Don’t do it like that.”

I am very much starting to think about this in terms of “how do we use this for human flourishing“ as opposed to just “how do we make more money off this?” it very much feels like the early days of the microprocessor or the early days of the internet. I pay a pretty decent chunk of money for some of the models I use and still hit rate limits at least three times a day. It very much feels like the old days waiting to get processing time on a mainframe. Or like waiting for data to come in over a modem.