Knives..what are your favorites?

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Yet another Yanagiba sharpening video.

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Peter McKinnon’s PPK V2

Day One
[It was delivered Wednesday evening. I shot the video Thursday morning, around 7:30 in the morning. Edited Thursday in my lunch break & after getting back home.]



[No, not that PPK (Polizeipistole Kriminal), it’s “Petes Pirate life Knife”.



Initial impression of the knife is pretty positive.
The “PPK” naming was probably intentional.
(If you know how small the Walther PPK really is (even PPK/S), you get the clear idea why he named it that way when you hold it In hand.)

[S21FOLGORE]

Kydex sheath too tight? TRY THIS!
Peter McKinnon PPKV2 Detailed Log Week 1



USE PLEDGE!
So, the first thing I had to do to this small but very enjoyable knife, is to adjust the kydex sheath’s retention.
It was just *a little* too tight.

What I mean by that, is I couldn’t deploy the blade one hand 4 or 5 out of 10 times.
Scalpels, like Amsler’s, I don’t need to to one-hand draw.
This one, I wanted one-hand draw sheath.

So, I used “Pledge”, on inside of the sheath.
And it transformed the sheath’s drawing action dramatically.

As for the cutting performance, I have no complain.
As you can see in the video (cutting baguette part), it does pretty good job.

Next, I may put some paracord lanyard on the handle and sheath.

Pretty much the entire video was shot on Fuji X-T4, with vintage (1970s) Cannon FD35mm f2 lens (S.S.C, Concave front lens).
(Mostly shot at wide open, with VND on when outside)
Why I insist to shoot full manual vintage lenses?
Because I would look so ugly with modern lenses, especially wide.

This particular lens is great because of 0.3m (just about 12 inches) minimum focusing distance, the color (nice skin tone that hides imperfections), and, the overall “nostalgic feel”.

BTW, 2nd Cam was Sony ZV1. It’s so obvious it was shot on different camera because of the color character differences.
Well, this is Youtube video, not a Netflex movie. This is all I can do, for now.

[S21FOLGORE]

How to put a lanyard on TOPS Tom Brown Tracker T4



If you own T4, you know how tiny a lanyard hole is, on this knife.

It’s the smallest lanyard hole I’ve ever seen.

It seems like impossible to put a “useful” lanyard on it.

(Useful, as opposed to decorative.)


These days, I’m moving away more and more from what’s trendy in EDC /Knife community.

No fancy lanyard with decorative knots and beads.

No EDC pouches that makes me look like I’m carrying a J-fame in a pancake holster.

The whole EDC thing has become a giant online fashion show.

(Basically, you purchase gears that are the latest fashion of the year, set them up on a nice table top, take photos with your cool smart phone and post in on Instagram, and complement on each other’s photos / “EDC” set up (that they MAY carry everyday but DON’T use most of the time))


I’m not one of them.


I decided NOT to put a lanyard on Peter McKinnon’s PPK.

I also took off Ulticlip, from the sheath. (I will make a video about that.)


However, I think Tracker T4 really benefits from lanyard, to support pinky grip.

(This reminds me of Detonics Combat Master .45.
 There’s no space for your pinky to grip, unless you insert standard 7 round .45 magazine for 1911.)




“Tracker” blade design became famous largely because of 2003 film “Hunted”.

If you haven’t seen it, but interested, you can watch it in the link below, for free.



https://ww7.soap2dayhd.co/film/the-hunted-2003-9826/


If you are interested in the back story of this knife design (WHO really designed this blade?), watch the video in the links down below.




I purchased T4, fully aware of the whole story behind the scene.

AND, I picked up teeny tiny T4 because of the small size and the thinness of the blade.

The “original” Tracker, also the one in the film, WEREN’T that crazy thick & heavy.

It’s not that TOPs version is the original, the one & only REAL Tracker and others are imitation.

(That said, I have nothing against TOPs knives. I have several of them, and like them all.)

[S21FOLGORE]

Can you cook with Tom Brown Tracker knife?




I made my lunch with TOPS Tom Brown Tacker T4 the other day.
Keep in mind that this is practically a brand new knife, and still on factory edge
(which isn’t horrible, but not really great.)

Overall, this is a fun little knife, can be used for many different applications.
(People who call Tracker blade design as “gimmicky, it’s just a movie prop”, have poor imagination, lack creativity.
Youtube knife contents creators REALLY should start actually using knives instead of boring as hell desk top review and paper cut test.)

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How to adjust kydex sheath retention with hair dryer /Peter McKinnon PPKV2 contour



I do have a heat gun.
But, I decided to do this with a hair dryer.
Partly because it was already 8:40PM, Sunday night.
And all my tools that I don’t use day to day basis are stored in my garage.
(Which is 15-20 min. away.)

Partly because I like to try improvised method from time to time.
(Right tool for the right job, yes. But we all need to learn how to get by with what we have right here right now.)


Hair dryer works just fine.
It takes longer than heat gun, but not like all night long.
The difference is like 2-3 min with heat gun vs around 10 min. (max) with hair dryer.
With hair dryer, you have to get the sheath very close to the heat source.
With heat gun, you have to be careful NOT to bring the sheath too close to the heat gun.


The sheath retention is perfect now. Just how tight I want it to be.
That makes using this knife even more fun.

[S21FOLGORE]

"Don't think. FEEL." Bruce Lee said.

He also said, "You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

He also said, "You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

Keep these words in mind is WAY more important and helpful than chasing small details, such as

 "What brand of stones are best?"
 "What grit# should I use?"
(and, WORST of all...)
"What type of steel is the best?"
 None of these things matter.

This isn’t really a tutorial video.
Or, maybe it is, in my very unique way…

If you want more typical…
“Use this stone, this grit#.
At an angle XX degree per side, YY degree inclusive,
Aim at ZZZ behind the edge thickness,
Blah, blah, blah …”
… there are tons of Youtube videos available.

[S21FOLGORE]

Small Sebenza 31 Magnacut cinematic detailed log Day 1,
Out of the box Cutting Performance Demo



Totally honest, real world user review video series.
Filmed on November 14th. 2023
(it was delivered on 13th.)

This is kinda typical for Chris Reeve knives.
Sebenza 21large(S35VN), Sikayo(S35VN), Green Beret(4V), and Sebenza 31large(S45VN), they all came with more or less the same kind of edge.
I’m planning to sharpen in this weekend.
(And I’ll make a video about that.)

Shot on Fuji X-T4, with vintage Canon FD 35mm f2 concave, with Metabone speed booster.
Cinestill 800T film simulation
(Yes, “the color & the look” was intentional. Probably not the best practice for informational/instructional type of video, but I wanted to make this video cinematic.
That’s why I shoot with vintage (full manual) lenses.
I’m an artist. I don’t choose the easiest way.)

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Small Sebenza 31 in MagnaCut sharpened!
(My 1st time sharpening with MagnaCut steel)



Perhaps, one of the most dramatic change from “dull as hell stock edge” to
“most aggressive cutter you ever saw” kind of transformation.

I’m perfectly happy with this knife.
(It’s a Plain Jane Small Sebenza 31, in MagnaCut. The only “extra” is the “double lug”.
So you can open with either your right hand or left hand.)

Everything on this knife is for function, there’s nothing for fashion.
And, after sharpening, it cuts better than many of the bigger sized blade.

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MagnaCut Sebanza 31 small, “Quality of the cut”



Let’s talk about “Quality of the cut”.
Perhaps, one of the most important aspect of the knife (if not the most important) but no one talks about it on Youtube.
(Making a table top review video after receiving free knife from the manufacturer and flipping around 10 min., then cutting open Amazon package is more economical.
Doing unrealistic torture test is more eye catching and get more view counts.
That’s what really matters for the most Youtubers.)

Regardless, this is FAR MORE important than “manila rope cutting then copy paper cutting” edge retention test.

Murray Carter once said, there are two kinds of “cutting”.
One is to cut and save (such as food prep, wood carving).
Another is to cut to throw away. (cutting down the card board boxes, bushwhacking)

For the “cut and save” type of cutting, quality of the cut is extremely important.
For “cut & throw away” type of cutting, not so much.

Instead of batonning, cutting wires, people should try to cut something that’s delicate, easily falls apart. (It is more challenging, because it requires skill, rather than brute force.)

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Sebenza Large VS Small, Cutting performance comparison, making breakfast



Cutting performance ≒ Edge geometry & Blade profile.
NOT the type of steel. Not heat treatment. (Although, they are important.)
“Geometry has the most impact on the knifes cutting performance”, says Dr. Larrin Thomas.

So, let’s take a look at the cutting performance, in a “real world usage” style.
(Do you chop nails with your knife on dally basis? Cut thick manila rope, batoning  firewood every day?)

Of course, we know that large Sebenza would perform better, so it’s not about “which one is better?”.
(Asking which one is better in this type of scenario is, like, comparing full size 1911 and Detonics Combat Master at 25-yard, slow, or timed fire (1 round per second.)
Of course full size 1911 will win.
HOWEVER, usual gunfight occurs at 7 yards or less, lasts 7 seconds at the most and is less than 7 shots. )
It’s more about “How much less of a performer is the Small Sebenza? And “Is it still usable in a “real world situation?’.

[S21FOLGORE]

Sunday morning food prep with Strider PT, which does okay job with cutting meat & tomatoes. But, sucks when dealing with things like carrots, apples,etc.
Still, it is fun to play with the blade.

“So passed a day in the life of a P.I.
 Not exactly a typical day but not totally untypical either.
What makes a man stay with it nobody knows. You don't get rich, you don't often have much fun. Sometimes you get beaten up or shot at or tossed into the jailhouse. Once in a long while you get dead.
 Every other month you decide to give it up and find some sensible occupation while you can still walk without shaking your head. Then the door buzzer rings and you open the inner door to the waiting room and there stands a new face with a new problem, a new load a grief, and a small piece of money.”
- Raymond Chandler "The Long Goodbye"

[S21FOLGORE]

PRO Sushi chef shares knife sharpening tips, Ep 1, “Daily maintenance under 4min.”



#1 DON’T focus on the edge. Don’t try to create sharp edge. It is a result, rather than a goal.
#2 Focus on NOT to deform the bevel & profile, not to upset the geometry.
#3 when everything is done correctly, there will be sharp edge line, without you trying hard. DON’T over think. Don’t over complicate things that are rather simple.

Takes less than 4 minutes, with one of the SLOWEST cutting stones (Amakusa (natural) stone).

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PRO Sushi Chef shares knife sharpening tips Ep2 “The importance of Ura-Oshi”



You can get the same result as my last video, WITHOUT that natural stone! (Amakusa)
SO LONG as you understand the importance of “URA” (back side of the blade).
Yes, it is far, FAR MORE important, for the best cutting performance, than pretty mirror finished bevel.
(Remember, in this video, I haven’t touched the KIRIHA (bevel), at all.)

It’s a long video (for my channel), but worth watching, if you’re into Japanese knives / working chef.

[the part nobody probably cares]
Inspiration (of picture creation, color and atmosphere)

“Sabotage” (2014) Last gunfight scene

“The good The bad and The ugly” (1966) Angel Eyes “When I’m paid, I always follow my job through.” scene

“Sicario”(2015) “La hora de conocer a Dios / Time to meet God” scene

I’m the only one on Youtube who’s stupid enough to go through all the time consuming trouble to create images I like, when making knife sharpening video!

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PRO Sushi Chef shares knife sharpening tips Episode 3 Regrind Strider SnG Part1



“The most aggressive cutting Strider SnG ever shown on Youtube”

“How to regrind” explanation & demonstration video Part1.
Using Strider SnG as an example, showing

Before & After cutting performance difference
Regrind demo using Atoma 150 grit

DSCF1960 by T K, on Flickr

DSCF1961 by T K, on Flickr


_DSF0019 by T K, on Flickr