Where to begin…

Well, let me start by saying that I am not a knife expert. Having lived in a developing country, where the use of bladed tools was a frequent occurrence, has provided me with a practical appreciation for blades in general. I have also studied a few  martial arts, have done a lot of research on different blade types, and have a fairly solid grasp of how different kinds of blades were historically developed and used.

Now if you haven’t figured it out yet, I am also a very opinionated bladed weapons fanatic, my opinions usually coming from practical experience, or very tangible historical or physical evidence. However I don’t think any of that necessarily qualifies me as a “knife expert”.

I am actually a technology consultant by training. (Hah! You would never have guessed would you!!) However, as you can probably imagine, my interests run just a *little* :D wider than that. My interest in blades is actually a byproduct of my natural interest in science, engineering, technology, mechanics and aesthetics, coupled with the fact that at a young age, I was thrust, head first, into the world of martial arts when I was but a young lad.

My first exposure to martial arts was in the early 1980s with a few years of Tae Kwon Do. Later on I studied Isshinryu Karate for a while. And, following this general trend, as I ended up also studying Kung-Fu, as well as Kenpo Karate. While traveling down this road, I made an interesting discovery; that the weapons of every discipline had a whole lot more in common with the origins, history and practical use of the weapon than is readily apparent to the casual observer. Every curve, the balance of the blade, the cross section, they were all significant, and all had a meaning, a purpose.

In spite of the fact that I had always been interested in weapons, until actually studying the finer points of various weapons forms, and the weapons themselves, I never really realized how much purpose and engineering went into weapon design. And I’ve been studying them ever since.

That’s not to say that’s all I study. I love cars, computers, technology, and nature. Even the mechanics of firearms are intriguing to me. I could just as easily be sitting here discussing the pros and cons of a Flathead V8 vs a Wankel Rotary motor, or the advantages and disadvantages of the Glock17 against the Springfield XD, H&K P2000 or S&W M&P… But, there are a gazillion other sites dedicated to such topics, and, as usual, I digress.

I consider myself a student of life. I try to look at everything as objectively as possible, and without prejudice or judgment, as much as a human can do this, since I believe it is the only way to see things as they truly are. I am no expert at anything, nor, I believe, is anyone else, really. At best, I think that some people simply have more experience, know certain things better or in greater detail than others.

Anyway if you have any questions, comments, queries, conundrums, confabulations, confucianisms or other concerns you can post a response to the post in question, post in the suggestion box, or just email me at phyreblade at gmail dot com. Just don’t expect me to be much help. I know nothing. I’m just a little squirrel, in a big world, just tryin’ to get a handle on his nuts…

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • email
  • Fark
  • Live
  • MySpace
  • Print
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati