Functional Sgian

[xman]

Tobus mentioned that he must carry a functional pocket knife in his sporran which raises the question in my mind again, "Who has a functional sgian dubh"? It seems to me it's a small hunting knife. Does it have to remain ceremonial? Is Robby Burns day the only exception?

X

[BoldHighlander]

I don't own a knife of any kind, size, or shape that isn't functional.
If I have a given task at home & my sgian is handy, then I'll use it

[skauwt]

with knives being illegal in the UK carrying a functional knife around with you can lead to a jail sentence in most cases
so for UK folk a proper sgian dubh is purely ornamental

[guitarmatt]

with knives being illegal in the UK carrying a functional knife around with you can lead to a jail sentence in most cases
so for UK folk a proper sgian dubh is purely ornamental

And so I'm ironically waiting for my return to the states before getting a "real" sgian dubh. So my vote is for function as well as form.

[guitarmatt]

I googled a bit about legality of the sgian dubh in the UK and this seems to sum it up pretty well:
http://www.tartansauthority.com/high...rn/sgian-dubhs

It looks like in most situations carrying a functional sgian dubh is perfectly legal, but use common sense for where it might not be appropriate.

[skauwt]

I googled a bit about legality of the sgian dubh in the UK and this seems to sum it up pretty well:
http://www.tartansauthority.com/high...rn/sgian-dubhs

It looks like in most situations carrying a functional sgian dubh is perfectly legal, but use common sense for where it might not be appropriate.

thats right with traditional Scottish dress you'd be fine with it,
im unsure how those laws apply with a causal kilt set up mind you ,i reckon it would be purely up to how any police person is feeling that day as id imagine if crazy folk wanted to carry knives then the kilt would be too easily used a excuse to do so
i myself have a sgian with a rather sharp blade though id never use it with food or anything else its in its sheath all the time id thought about buying a fake but for me it wouldn't feel right
i should note my view of functional blade is one that can be used with various tasks even though i guess my sgian is a functional blade to some to me its just a piece of sharp jewellery

[kiltedwolfman]

I can't bear the thought of owning anything that wasn't functional in at least 2 different ways. With that in mind I found a nice little knife from Gerber Knives that for me made a perfect sgian. I made a little leather sheath for it as it came with a tactical plastic locking one, but that ws the only modification I had to do.

here it is in the sheath
[IMG][/IMG]
and with the blade exposed
[IMG][/IMG]

[RB51]

I've always carried a pocket knife and would feel naked without one. When kilted, my sgian is used for everything my pocket knife would be, from opening a parcel to cutting up a muffin at the coffee shop. BTW, that's a sharp (pun intended) looking knife Jackson.

Laurie

[Zardoz]

with knives being illegal in the UK carrying a functional knife around with you can lead to a jail sentence in most cases
so for UK folk a proper sgian dubh is purely ornamental

How sad is that!

On topic:

If my hose are pulled up, I always tuck the sgian dubh in there. Except for the fancy dress one my mother-inlaw got me in Scotland all of mine have a useful edge. That being said, My sgians have been purchased as ornamental jewelry, based on the look of the handles, not the quality of the blades. I've carried a pocket knife for as long as I can remember, so while I have pulled out the sgian dubh if it was handy, I generally have a nice sharp folder clipped in my sporran for any cutting chores I might encounter.

[kiltedwolfman]

LOL thanks for the compliment Laurie. I think for the whole 7 5/8 inches it takes up in my hose it is more then adequate and I have used it many times for quick fixes and cutting jobs. I also carry a multi-plier, and sharp folder on me at almost any given moment.