Wink

Now you knew I was gonna talk about the new knife, right? 

Let's start with  philosophy, then anatomy, and physiology …

I have always favored smooth grips on my guns and knives, and I have a fondness for wood and ivory, (or faux-ivory, so that Jumbo doesn't have to die for my sins.) Nothing wrong with textured ones, but for me, small adjustments can be made easier if the handles are smooth. Look at the revolver grips by Bill Jordan and Jerry Miculek, respectively, (below) and what you see are hand-filling, smooth woods that allow you to slide to optimum position easily.

Both of these men could drive tacks with a revolver–Jerry still can, and faster than most people can fire a semi-auto.

Of course, there is a drawback, because if something can slide, it might when you don't want it to, but it's something you can train to do until it becomes automatic. And while twirling and manipulating the knife in contact-juggling play to get used to it is great fun, and there are folks who make it look like pen-mawashi, for me, once you pull a knife for serious and necessary self-defense purpose, you don't do that. I might drop it showing off; I won't once I lock my hand onto it. Last thing you need is to drop your weapon because the adrenaline-storm has washed away your fine motor control, which it is apt to do. 

Ever see those car-cam videos of police unloading full magazines of their nines at bad guys no farther away than the length of a pick-up truck and missing every shot? You wouldn't think that was possible, but it happens.

While I have only a nodding experience with the Filipino arts–arnis/eskrima/kali–so I never got much rattan work, we did like sticks in Okinawa-te, so I learned a baton-sized single-stick form. Didn't learn the double one, opted for sai instead.

Later, I had a chance to pick up a little about the yawara, sometimes called kongou, which is a short stick slightly bigger than your closed hand. I learned it using rhythm sticks, aka claves, which look a lot like Wink's handle. So I'm okay with smooth and round. 

Chuck's design of the guard keeps my hand from sliding onto the blade, and a hard stab in icepick grip would have my thumb behind the handle's end, too. 

The indentation just behind the guard on the edge side is unmistakable under your fingers, so you can tell without looking where your edge is.

The blade is almost a quarter-inch thick at the spine, cutting edge is three inches, the handle is five inches long. 

I debated whether to use paste wax on the steel–that's how they do it in some museums when they can't get to knives under glass to oil them–but decided to use what I like for most of my steel, which is pure sandalwood oil. This is spendy stuff, more so than clove/mineral oil, which is what I once used on the katana, but it it only takes a drop to feed a blade this size, and that includes the guard, I can afford sandalwood. Works on the wood, too.

Icepick, edge up (above.)

Showing the thickness (above)

Strong-side grip (above.)

Icepick draw. 

(Interestingly, if you side the sheath back to SOB carry, the draw shifts naturally to saber. Reach back as if you are tucking your shirt-tail in, it's right there.)

So there's the general b.g. on the new toy. 

And no, I'm not pleased at all ...