Ok, so I'm in the market for my first sgian, which will have to unfortunately be mail orderd since there are no shops within 100 miles of here that carry Scottish items.

My problem is two-fold:

I've been having trouble visualising the true size of a sgian since I've not been able to get one in my hands to checkout. I'm curious as to what exactly is the proper method of wearing the sgian dubh, ie how much of the hilt is to be left above the garter; is it possible to actually use said knife, or is it in the hose in such a manner that it is next to impossible to use without much trouble; if you can indeed unsheath the sgian to use how does one go about re-sheathing without cutting your hose to ribbons?

My second problem is with the knife itself. I simply abhor a knife that is not useful, and therefore would like a quality blade that will hold a keen edge, and at the same time of course look nice. Anyone have any suggestions of a maker supplying such an animal? I'm willing to spend upto about $150 US, is this a reasonable price-range?

Thanks for all your help, looking forward to reading the (I'm sure) varied responses.