There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
I'm looking for suggestions for a daily carry somewhere in-between two very different knives I've bought here on Massdrop. There are parts I like and dislike about both, so I'm wondering if anybody has any favorites that I ought to check out.
Long ago I picked up a Kershaw Zing and I love the "heft" of it, it feels solid for a small knife. The assisted-open is nice (but not an absolute necessity with a decent flipper). It gets relatively light use for a daily, but it's taken an occasional beating and was no problem to re-sharpen. The flip side of it is, it's just a little bit broader than I "need" on the daily, and that open is rather loud because of the strength of the assist. People definitely notice when I flip it out for a quick task.
On the other hand, I also grabbed a Boker Urban Trapper Petite. It's so close to perfect I almost feel silly complaining. I really only carry it when I'm "dressed up" though, as it's a little slim for any kind of daily abuse. The deep carry is really nice in a sportcoat pocket and the whole thing is small enough I can even toss it on the back pocket of slacks. The flip is... pretty good, but without an assist it would be nice if it was a bit smoother. I also forgot when I was ordering it that I actually kinda dislike titanium... it just doesn't feel "real" enough to me because it's so light.
So the two have similar blade lengths and... that's about it. I'd love a width somewhere in-between, and a bit more heft than the Boker. Nice smooth flipper and/or light assist. Something that won't draw quite as much attention, but will feel nice and solid in the hand.