Advice on first Sgian Dubh

[NewEnglander]

Scotia Metal Works, I believe is the company name. J. Michael McRae is the man behind the knives. That'd be my advice, if you want a good, reasonably priced piece.

I recently bought a pair of sporran belts from Mike and was pleased with his work and customer service. I'm glad to hear good words about his sgians. He's on the top of my list.

[YoungMan]

I'll throw my vote in for the Scottish Tartan Musuem's collection of sgians. There are several I've spotted there that I liked the look of and that seemed wildly underpriced when compared to similar work elsewhere.

[ShaunMaxwell]

My most recent sgian was made by Adriaan Gerber of Maine (http://www.adriaangerberknives.com/).

Visit his home page and the first image that pops up is of my sgian. Overall length is 7.25". Blade lenght is 3.5".

Cost of sgian and sheath was $120. (See thread: http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/d...x.html?t=55158)

I'd suggest something like this or the sgian that Ryan Ross suggested if you're looking for something that's functional and not just decorative. Especially if this is for day wear.

Hope you find what you're after!

[Ryan Ross]

My most recent sgian was made by Adriaan Gerber of Maine (http://www.adriaangerberknives.com/).

Visit his home page and the first image that pops up is of my sgian. Overall length is 7.25". Blade lenght is 3.5".

Cost of sgian and sheath was $120. (See thread: http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/d...x.html?t=55158)

I'd suggest something like this or the sgian that Ryan Ross suggested if you're looking for something that's functional and not just decorative. Especially if this is for day wear.

Hope you find what you're after!

And I'll second the suggestion of Adriaan Gerber... your new sgian, sir, is an absolute beauty. I'd like to commission one for myself, in the not too distant future.

I'd also add that the Scottish Tartans Museum has a few hand made sgians of exceptional quality and functionality, that are unlisted on their website. I've looked them over quite a bit, and while they cost a bit of coin, they'd be well worth every penny. Matt or Ronan, over at the Museum, could hook you up I'm sure, if your wanted to enquire.

[graham_s]

(anything longer in the U.K. is now illegal)[/IMG]

Not true.
The length of a knife blade has no bearing on how legal it is.
Legally, all you can carry (without good reason) is a non-locking folding knife with a cutting edge of less than 3"
There are exceptions for fixed blades carried for religious or national dress reasons, such as Sikhs or when wearing a kilt.
The law makes no mention whatsoever of blade length.
S139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 refers.

[WClarkB]

Scotia Metal Works, I believe is the company name. J. Michael McRae is the man behind the knives. That'd be my advice, if you want a good, reasonably priced piece.

I bought a very nice sgian from this fellow, a few years back. Hand forged, differentially hardened, high carbon steel blade with an ironwood hilt. It came with a razor sharp edge, and his heat treat must be good, because it keeps that edge well. The hilt had a nickel silver bolster and bit of cable work tacked down it's side. Came with a sturdy leather sheath, too. $125 and worth every penny, I thought.

Bad picture, good knife:

I had the pleasure of seeing some of McRae's work at the last SMHG and it was very impressed. Saving my nickels and dimes to get some variety of the knife he has on his website "Book of Kells Dogs"

[ChubRock]

$9.99 and $7.00 shipping. Real handle and nice blade. Feels like a sawed-off sword. My mighty calves might be dwarfed by this. Perry the five-month old puppy is hoping i don't drop it.

[NewEnglander]

Alright then...let's see how it looks tucked into yer hose now.

[Ryan Ross]

Alright then...let's see how it looks tucked into yer hose now.

Yes indeed! I'm quite interested to see how it looks/works.