Thank you for playing so generously, Andy! I truly wanted to hear your thoughts on this stuff.
Tuica had it right, of course - I, too, humbly supplicate myself before your throne and your superior knowledge, experience, and general wisdom on all things ASH!
Wow, I never would have guessed that you, too, have no LE specimen in the fold. Sounds like at least two are spoken for at this point! I will let you know if I locate an "extra" if you will do me the same
Sounds like you really dig the .21/.22 "middies" - me, too, now that I have one, myself! (thanks again RichardW - forever in your debt, man!)
And yet, you dream of a "perfect ASH" @.25/.26? That makes complete sense to me now! The middies offered to date have really been on the skinny side of the equation and not truly "middy." @ .25, THAT would be a middie mathematically speaking (half way between .17 and .32 if I am doing the math right at midnight!) That said, the .21/.22 thickness
seems much thicker relative to the Skinny ASH than I thought it would. Big difference, which would only be accentuated dramatically at .25. Funny that you say you use that Skinny and Fatty the most; yet, dream of .25. I, too, love all three thicknesses now that I have a middie, and cannot wait to get that middie into the wild and beat on her as the occasions demand! Going canyoneering this Labor Day weekend so I have a perfect opportunity at hand! Will have to make a point of snapping a few pics and posting on Monday/Tuesday.
I find it so very interesting that you commissioned two saber ground ASH's
. I say interesting 'cuz I strongly prefer my full flats to saber, all things being equal. Love the CS convexed full flat grind of my CS Fatty. IMHO cannot be beaten! Coated, too, you say? AGAIN, how interesting. Heck, I even stripped down my 3B2!! Damm the heresy charges - she's mine with which to do as I please. But then I am pretty much a professional pariah, so there's that and all
I completely and enthusiastically agree with all of the "purpose not specified knife" comments. As stated in another active thread on the topic, if you could have only one it simply
must be an ASH-1 (IMHO). No question. And this is the criteria for what makes a best knife, well, a best knife. Again, IMHO.)
I
do so hope you get your hands on that sweet, hand-shaped G10 @ .25" saber ground, coated or DC'd ASH-1, Andy! I really do!!
As for me. I, too, want the CS to open back up to all us mere mortals given that I have my "ultimate ASH-1" commission in hand as well, Andy. I have in mind something a bit different, however, should that happy occasion ever come to pass whilst I live and breathe. There is one that has long been "offered for sale on red felt," which is pretty much the right stuff for me. With a couple tweaks.
Specifically, though:
*** My Ultimate ASH-1 ***
= "frosted"- DC with contrasting satin tiger stripes; "nuclear" - two-thirds length sharpened spine with "notch" serrations; full-flat grind; deep thumb rest with aggressive jimping; "melt down" - softened edges.; "hand-shaped" thin, green & black G10 scales (
a la 3B2-style); "sterile"; .25" at the spine (yes indeed, Andy - you got me there! Thanks!); and with a "convexed" edge profile ***
A man can dream, Jerry
. A man can dream. Lookin' at you, Garth