My EBay winnings!

[BEEDEE]

In the words of Howie Mandel - "You made a good deal"

Brian

[Dukeof Kircaldy]

Time to add this.

If anybody here bid on these:


I am sorry, but I won them.

[pipesndrumsnun]

Very cool!

[7 miles]

Quite nice QUITE NICE if i do say so.

[druid]

Duke...I saw those but passed them by. Nice choice, congrats.

[druid]

Dirk Review

Well, I finally received my Dirk from the seller “Sussen” on EBAY. It took 3 weeks for it to come, after I sent 2 EBay PMs for them to get back to me. The first PM was 2 weeks after I won the bid; the 2nd PM was a week later. I got a message back saying that there was a problem with their shipment from the manufacturer, that there was damage to the products and they were waiting for replacements. I was offered a refund or I could apply my payment to another item but they asked that I hold off and wait for their next shipment. I replied that I would wait and was notified the next day that they were mailing (USPS Priority) it that day. 3 days later, I received the box.

Now for my initial inspection:

The blade is lightly engraved at the hilt “China” so that’s obviously it’s origin of manufacture.
The blade is chromed/polished steel and comes with an edge. The edge is not overly sharpened but it’s not dull either. There aren’t any tool marks or any pitting that is visible and a fuller (blood groove) exists on both sides of the blade. There is a ‘false’ edge on the tip that is smooth and makes it a pleasure to look at. The spine of the blade is smooth and scalloping does not exist. The spine is 1/8” thick.
The handle is some kind of plastic or polymer and the tang is obviously heated and forced into it. It’s not ugly or anything but that seems to be its process.
The hilt guard has some embossing on it but the way the chrome adheres to it, makes it look cheap. I can also see mould marks where the hilt was pour-formed but they are very slight.
The top (crown) that holds the stone at the pommel is also looking a little cheap because of the chroming process. It too has the mould marks and is also slight in appearance. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say that the molded finish/decorative design is too close together for the chrome process to be fluid.
The stone is very dark red and is as described in their ad. It’s rounded and the lack of any facets makes it difficult to see its color. It is a deep red though, as I used a high intensity flashlight to shine through it.
The scabbard interior appears to be made of the same material as the Dirk handle and then wrapped in thin leather. If I had to hazard a guess, it’s delrin – much like plastic pipe chanters or practice chanters. The chromed adornments are nice though. The finish is very smooth, almost fluid like water. They fit the scabbard very nicely and accent it very well.
The “leather” belt hanger is another story. The hanger appears to be thin and cheap upholstery, with a cloth-looking backing to it. It’s put together with a Chicago screw with stud made of brass. I will definitely replace this with something stronger, better looking and more functional.
This seems to be a bit more than a “wall-hanger” but might not be as useful as a “working piece” either. It lies somewhere in between and at first glance, really is a nice looking item. I won’t be doing battle with it but if something seriously goes wrong, I’d guess it will function as well as any other “made in China” knife would.
My winning bid was $17.95 and shipping insurance totaled my cost to $28.30. Even though there are imperfections, I like it and will wear it. I’ve seen “Bonnie Dirks” at my local shop that are less impressive than this one and cost $150. I think I made a wise choice of the two.
Here are my pics of it, enjoy:

[Monkey@Arms]

Not too shabby! Thanks for all the pics. Seems like a reasonable item for the money. I've bought from Sussen before without problem.

Best regards,

Jake

[Ancienne Alliance]

I just put a bet on one of those.

I'll see how it turns out.


Best,

Robert

[druid]

Not too shabby! Thanks for all the pics. Seems like a reasonable item for the money. I've bought from Sussen before without problem.

Best regards,

Jake

Thanks and yer welcome. Yeah, I'm pretty pleased with it actually...especially for the cost.
I was a bit put out at their lack of response to my first PM and to where I had to send a second...but that was set aside once I got an answer to my questions.

I just put a bet on one of those.

I'll see how it turns out.
Best,

Robert

Good luck.

[Dukeof Kircaldy]

Sussen is usually pretty good about shipping things. The quality is also pretty good at the price point.