06 December 2011

Truth & Fact vs Fake & Fiction

A good many years ago it was relayed to me by a man who was training me at the time, that the eyes do lie. It was in response to a question I had about a particular latest greatest self defense tool. It goes something like this:

If it ain't dirty you don't use it.
If you don't use it, you can't use it.
If you can't use it, you won't use it.
If you won't use it, it'll be pried from your dead cold fingers.

You probably get the gist of it. In my time to kill, limited as it is. I sometimes peruse websites and forums where lots of pictures are posted of gear and tools. Some of them are primarily geared for edged tools. When I look at the pictures sometimes, actually most of the time, I see tools that have never left their sheaths, except to pose for the camera.

I ain't preaching, I ain't condemning, I'm not passing judgement.

I am saying, as was once said to me:

If it ain't dirty you don't use it.
If you don't use it, you can't use it.
If you can't use it, you won't use it.
If you won't use it, it'll be pried from your dead cold fingers.

I'll take advice given from people with dirt under their fingernails, and on their gear, if you get the cut of my jib.

Take it for what it is worth.

9 comments:

  1. This is me. I've had ugly gear that I use, and beautiful gear that never sees the light of day, except for in front of a camera. It's been a conscious effort for me, particularly this year, to either use what I have or get rid of it. It's really not doing anyone any good sitting there beautiful in the closet.

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  2. SurvivalLogic, that's why I rarely read gear reviews. I can buy ALMOST anything that I truly need within five miles of my home, and for a lot less than the trendy stuff goes for. Of course, I suspect that what "grouch" was really trying to get across was that hand knowledge is better than head knowledge. (Or maybe he wasn't!)

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  3. Well you're both right, though I wasn't directing that at you Logic, at all. More the guys whose feet never touch dirt, much less their hands, who dole out bush-wisdom like a 1905 cure-all peddler.

    Someone other than me once said, "$2 dollar skill and a $200 dollar knife". Just because a guy has the shiny, doesn't mean he has the skill, if you will. Not always true but it seems to be holding pretty good.

    I've seen guys with cheap no name gear do amazing and incredible things, and I've seen a few with extremely expensive gear damn near die doing something a Boy Scout could or should be able to do. The problem is, there are some folks 'enlightening' others on certain things, and there are some folks buying into it, simply because the 'enlighteners' happen to possess the absolute bleeding edge gear, or extremely rare gear, or 'big name' gear. The only problem is, it never shows any wear. It's just pet peeve of mine, largely because of an instructor I once had.

    And because I'm a damn grouch.

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  4. 556mp here,
    That is exactly correct.

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  5. Yup. But a small addedum----
    A working axe has no time to rust!

    I baby most of my guns, and most of my knives have very clean edges, but the rest of the blade is pretty stained , and my sheaths are battered pretty roughly.

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  6. Good post indeed!

    I understand, posting a picture of your ne knife that hasnt been used YET, but i dont understand at all, seeing the same knives, in threads like " your best, strongest, most capable, most used beater knife" still looking like new, in beautifully taken photos. No matter whats your knife made of, any blad will show marks of use, especially if its taken on the field, as it looks to be.... or do guys split woods, whittle, drill etc first and then carefully polish and clean the knives, before taking that phot of knife, with antler handle firesteel and pile of whittlings and sticks. In some cases i say the photos are pure fake.

    But i see the point,too, i think. I mean, the meaning of getting first hand knowledge and experience, thats maybe what you were meaning, not knives and photos actually ?

    Just yesterday i was watching a YoTube video in which i couldnt start to smile a bit, as there was huge amount of knife porn, long perioids spent with slowly running the camera along the top dollar knife that i hear is "the best there is"...i was expecting that in the next second the owner would go and beat the hell out of the knife but not...the onny thing was to open a food package. Kinda lame. I bet the next thing was to check out that this collectible didnt get scratched and then it was oiled and put back inti show display :).

    I mean, people get gear that is marketed to be stand anything when their needs, would be satisfied fully with a 2 dollar boxcutter.

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  7. "Someone other than me once said, "$2 dollar skill and a $200 dollar knife".

    My skill has yet to surpass the price of a decent Buck knife. It might never, and that would be ok.

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  8. "I've seen guys with cheap no name gear do amazing and incredible things, and I've seen a few with extremely expensive gear damn near die doing something a Boy Scout could or should be able to do. "

    Amen! Several years backI was instructing at a bushcraft/survival training in a Florida swamp. There was a student, a lawyer who had offices in San Francisco and Manhattan, who had a VERY expensive st of knives to me- a Sbenza and a Busse takn killer. The fascinating thing was she did not have the faintest clue on how to use them. She was very open about it too- and said that she bought the "best" so she could get by with less skill.

    I spent an entire day working with her on how to cut, scrape, and whittle. At the end, I gave her a Mora and an Ontario machette. I hope she got back in the woods at some point!

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  9. Dirt time is so important. This goes for equipment and tools as much as for people.

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