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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 23, 2015 16:50:34 GMT
Sounds good to me
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 23, 2015 3:38:03 GMT
Forwarding this info: BUYERS AND TRADERS BEWARE!!! These 2 BRAND NEW releases DDR Designs Dominators were stolen out of UPS circulation.. This knife was supposed to make its major debut at the Shot Show today and Tactical Knife Invitational in Las Vegas Today.. Needless to say they were stolen and we are out multiple thousands from these and other tactical items stolen from our package!!! IF THESE DOMINATORS TURN UP ON ANY PLATFORM PLEASE CONTACT MYSELF, Virgil Bonifant, Darrel Ralph or Mike Manrose on Facebook.. Or email lacey@darrelralph.com or dralph@earthlink.net.. Or call our business line at 14697287242 or you can mail us at 12034 south Profit Way Forney, Tx 75126!! These knives will be reported stolen and we hope as others in the knife collecting and manufacturing world you guys will keep your eyes peeled!! PLEASE SHARE THIS POST EDIT: the knives have been found. Darrel Ralph wishes to thank everyone for their support.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 21, 2015 23:57:40 GMT
taking an educated guess here from the vid: it looks like a .38 to me - not much stopping power, especially if the person you're aiming at has a major adrenaline rush going through their system and the bullets miss vital organs as well.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 21, 2015 17:34:11 GMT
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 20, 2015 1:15:06 GMT
Very nice cutting as usual... also like whitefeathers, I'm interested if you tried it on small bamboo.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 19, 2015 23:24:38 GMT
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 19, 2015 22:43:49 GMT
I hadn't posted anything yet about this issue, but don't think this will affect me positively or negatively in any way - so, whatever happens, happens. I'm fine with it either way. One thing that Ghost mentioned caught my attention - needing some kind of feedback for transactions, either good or bad... except we already have something like that in place on the Member's Feedback Page. I know some people get caught up with titles/karma/whatever, but I think that just by reading people's comments, you can tell whether or not they're trolls or what have you. Read enough into what they say and you can definitely weed out "bad" comments from "good" ones. When it comes to altruism, though, I think it should be it's own reward, especially if it benefits the community at large. Sure, I like getting rewarded for doing certain things, but a lot of what I do on this and other similar forums are mainly done out of the enjoyment/camaraderie I get from fellow members. I seriously doubt my tiny online business will ever get as large as KOA, SOM, or any other business, so the reward from that (if you can call it that) is negligible. So, ranking system - keep it or leave it... no real opinion here.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 19, 2015 22:16:32 GMT
I used to play D1 when it first came out on the PC (a loooong time ago), never got too far though, maybe after the 4th "boss" level.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 19, 2015 1:18:51 GMT
Thanks for the reply - wondering how much use/abuse this sword can take, seeing as you've already done a lot to it already!
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 18, 2015 16:42:15 GMT
After having missed this one when it 1st came out (how'd that happen?), and now being a discontinued model, I ended up buying a Gerber LHR second hand. I did some research on it for a few months before buying one, and according to most of the vids/reviews on it, the Gerber LHR (Larsen/Harsey/Reeve collab) is a hell of a knife, except for the blade steel (420A SS) Gerber chose. Here's some info from Gerber: "In the urban warfare environment, soldiers recognized the need for a close quarter combat knife. After studying and interviewing hundreds of real life hand-to-hand combat encounters, MACP Close Quarter Combat expert Matt Larsen worked with award-winning knife makers Chris Reeve and William W. Harsey Jr. to create the L.H.R. The quick-release sheath has a built-in safety release that can only release the knife by the wearer. The textured TacHide handle provides sure grip in wet conditions. Proudly made in U.S.A." Specs: Item # 30-000183 Blade Length: 6.87" Open Length: 12.5" Weight: 11.2 OZ Handle: TacHide So, why did Gerber discontinue this knife since almost EVERYONE out on the interwebz love it? I guess it has to do with some people complaining about how hard it is to get out of the sheath (purposefully built to prevent an aggressor from stealing/taking your knife - it has a "hidden" release that allows the owner to unsheath the knife, but can be hard to unsheath if you don't know how to), and also because the blade steel is unnamed on the knife, but has been confirmed by persistent blade enthusiasts to be 420A SS. On to the knife! As I said, I got this knife not too long ago, so I haven't had time to test it in the field. I intend for it to be a "user" knife, not a safe queen. It has a few blemishes from the previous owner who told me he had never used it other than cut paper/sharpen it once, but had it in his bug-out bag for a few years. The blade shape is reminiscent of the CRK Pacific, but way cheaper than that model. Here's a few pics of the knife:
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 18, 2015 13:14:10 GMT
Well of course you need to be careful whenever handling a sword, or any weapon for that matter. But honestly, you don't risk much if you’re just hewing shrubs.
It's something that just makes me laugh : whenever someone tries to do something with a weapon (cutting things with a sword for example), the same sort of comments always emerge : “you shouldn’t do that it’s dangerous”, “ why do you do this you’re putting your life in jeopardy”, “you should be more cautious”, “you’re not taking enough precautions”, “swords, well that’s dangerous business you've got to be protected from head to toe”…
The video’s just good. Just let go of that “you’ve-got-to-wear-a-full-suit-of-armour-to-cut-paper” attitude.
That's not the point that was being made by Findlithui or aussie-rabbit... they're talking about protection during a "destructive testing" situation, not a regular cutting or hack and slash session. These are two completely different scenarios, one in which you intend to do light, moderate, or even heavy cutting, and another situation where you intend to put the sword to it's theoretical breaking point and beyond. One is safe to do with minimal protection, the other should be done with more protection because of the inherent dangers involved with destructive testing. Germanic, good job btw with the vid.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 17, 2015 21:42:59 GMT
Sei Do Kai also offers really decent stuff... you have to contact them though for a price quote. The last time I bought from them, it wasn't as expensive as Kingfisher.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 17, 2015 19:36:06 GMT
You're not coming off as ignorant, just "thrifty" and "self sufficient" I've used different "brands" over the years for varying amounts, starting at your avg. $10 bokken all the way up to what Kingfisher sell theirs for... as with Iaito/shinken, or their Euro counterparts, sometimes $ does matter, especially if you don't have woodworking tools at your disposal The low cost variety tends to have very fibrous wood and are rather light, not as dense or as heavy as the more expensive stuff, and usually lasts an avg student maybe a year before it'll start splintering/breaking with kumitachi... it's similar to compare say a $5 Chinese knife to a mid-tech $500+ knife like a Hinderer/Strider/Will Moon, or compare an $80 eBay katana to a Bugei katana - huge difference in handling, etc.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 17, 2015 16:03:55 GMT
I've been following this intently for a while now... love the concept, and the artwork (so far) looks amazing. The Fall of Fingolfin movie page For those who don't know, "Fingolfin was the second High King of the Ñoldor in Beleriand, the Ñoldor being one of the three branches of Elves. He was the eldest son of Finwë and Indis, younger brother of Findis, older brother of Irimë and Finarfin, and the younger half-brother of Fëanor. He founded the House of Fingolfin, which ruled the Ñoldor in Middle-earth. His wife was Anairë and his children were Fingon, Turgon, Aredhel, and Argon. Fingolfin was said to be the strongest, most steadfast, and most valiant of Finwë's sons." lotr.wikia.com/wiki/FingolfinI won't go into more detail other than he fought Melkor (strongest of the Ainur), also later known as Morgoth - Sauron's master. Fingolfin used his sword Ringil (Ringil was of elvish make. It bit with chilling cold, a blade that glittered like ice by the light of the stars), wounding Morgoth with it a few times in battle. Yes, I'm a HUGE Tolkien fan, having read all of the LOTR, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth novels a few times each.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 17, 2015 15:29:32 GMT
One more thing to add... remember that if you do intend to go for the higher polished "art sword" and intend to use it,every time it's polished, steel is taken off by the polisher. Just food for thought.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 17, 2015 13:23:50 GMT
I got my Yagyu bokken, Iwama bokken, and jo from them back in 2009 for my birthday I think... still look and feel great after using them since then in my JSA/JMA classes.
Edit: I was looking through their site and noticed, like you said, they only make their wooden weapons out of Apalachian hickory now... I guess I'll have to search for my receipt from them, seeing as I thought I bought a white oak set... the two bokken and jo all have the same wood color (creamy white) and density of the wood is very dense, but they don't look like what they're offering now.
2nd Edit: After searching through my email accounts, I did not find any reference to bokken, Kingfisher, or anything similar other than saying "thank you" to my wife in Dec 2008 for agreeing that the bokken was great.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 17, 2015 3:50:02 GMT
I've bought a few things from Kingfisher before made from white oak. While they are kind of expensive, I think they're definitely worth the $. I can attest that they're very well made, and have nothing but good things to say about them - they've held up very well in the few years I've had them. As for the "enhanced" line, I've never owned one, so can't offer any kind of advice on them. Maybe someone else has some experience with them. Anyway, the white oak stuff they offer is awesome.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 17, 2015 0:43:10 GMT
cool - waiting to see your results. I'm thinking of buying a few H/T bare blades and doing some minor customizing, so this should come in handy once you're done with your tinkering and have general information available to DWA and SBG members.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 16, 2015 4:26:50 GMT
If it's the one I recently saw, it looks like a Gen 1 Crecy, which has a different blade typology (XVIIa?) than the current Crecy's type XVIa. I might be completely off the mark, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 15, 2015 2:03:18 GMT
felt really good to be training w/ other people for the first time in a long time. bummed that i had to pick up an aluminium alloy iaito b/c they don't want steal iaito (which i have) in the dojo. is this normal in USA schools? i thought that was a japan thing b/c of the sword restrictions. i guess it's not that big of a deal but i'd much rather have put that money toward a dojo pro or something that will at least chop something up. anyone have any experience w/ dojos? what's the going rate for samurai sword training. seems pretty steep. i could only purchase 3 mo b/c $$$ is tight. My Iaido sesei Kunio Miyake (emmigrated from Japan to the US back in late 80's?) forbids anything other than Japanese iaito for his students, and the only shinken allowed also have to be Japanese... it's both a culture thing with him (very traditional man), and also doesn't "trust" Chinese swords. One previous student tried to show him his Chinese katana several years ago, but it was kind of a low end model (looked like a cheaply made >$80 sword), so it didn't do anything but prove to sensei Miyake what he already thought - poor workmanship and too dangerous to use in class (loose ito, habakki, etc.)... now, if someone would show him a much better example, such as a Huawei or better, would he change his mind? Probably not, seeing as I said, he's a very traditional man and takes his culture/martial arts extremely seriously. I pay $99 a month, but that includes training in Karate-do and Aiki-jujitsu - twice a week for Karate, once a week for iaido/Aiki-jujitsu since there's currenty only one day he teaches those classes. He's planning on opening up the Iaido and Aiki-jujitsu classes back to 2 days a week, which would be awesome imho.
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