Roman swords, hunting and vegetarians: A perfect morning out.

I was asked a few months ago to help a friend of mine pick out a good, and appropriate hunting knife for her boyfriend's birthday gift. She selected me because I hunt and use knives and I am generally awesome company. (I added that last reason in myself)...I am though, for real. 😎

So off we went, with another mutual friend, to the Adelaide knife show yesterday to hunt for the knife. 🔪 After asking a multitude of questions about how and what her partner hunts I determined what style of knife would be suitable and we set about finding it. As expected prices ranged from about $100 - $1600 for knives that could be considered as appropriate however with a budget of $350 we were limited the mid-range of mass-produced knives rather than the handmade versions on offer. There was still plenty to choose from and $300 Australian dollars will pick up a very handy (and capable) hunting knife!

An hour or so later and my friend purchased a knife made in the USA by ZT Knives which I think is going to do the job well. It'll handle any hunting duty-work and could also be used in a more general way around camp. I suggested a more generic-stye knife rather than one that moulds to the hand as her partner wasn't there to try it out. We took the safer option. Job done.

We wandered around and looked at a lot of the displays, primarily hand made knives of just about every style. Making knives is a serious business and these guys take it seriously. We had some pretty interesting conversations about forging, tempering, blade and handle shape and so on and all the stall-holders were happy to chat and discuss their knives and techniques.. There was even one guy there who made stone tools and knives as per the images below. I wanted one of those axes *so * bad but held back with an extreme force of will! (And lack of funds...)

Of course, there were plenty of traditional knives there as well. Loads and loads of them...And I wanted them all. So, you know what happed right? Yep, I couldn't resist...I ended up buying that Gladius Machete you see in the main image above with my sun glasses used for size-perspective.

The Gladius machete derived from the sword originally used by the Celtic tribes in ancient Iberia ( Now Spain) and then adopted by the Roman Legions. The Gladius has a long, narrow point and wasp waisted blade and it was a truly effective weapon on the battlefield, especially when combined with Roman tactics, discipline and organisation. Now I have one, despite the fact I'm not a Roman Legionnaire. I'm going to use it to slash grass and scrub if and when required...But for now it'll reside beside my bed in case any "grass and scrub" needs slashing in the dead of night...Inside my house...Where it shouldn't be. 🚫😇

I'm pleased to have helped my friend out and am sure her partner will love the knife. It's kind of ironic really as both of the friends I went with today hate hunting. One is vegan and the other vegetarian so it's understandable I guess. What was cool though is that they both showed an interest in it and were just as fascinated by some of the concepts the knife-makers and craftspeople were talking about as I was. (Some of whom were female too which helped.)

It was a nice morning rounded off with a bite to eat and an accompanying gin and tonic...We (almost) waited until after midday before we partook of the alcohol...But not quite! Off the chain crazy huh? 😈 Come on, I'm a non-drinker who has an occasional drink...One before midday won't hurt right?