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 no longer really collect knives. I've divested myself of most of my collection and plan to sell the last few pieces soon. If I can be said to have a "Holy Grail" of knives, it would be to see my own designs put into production:
https://gcvsa.wordpress.com/2012/09/09/the-lotus-the-rose-the-ideal-wilderness-water/
But, I have always lusted after the Cold Steel Imperial Tanto and Imperial Tai-Pan. If I could, I'd like to have matched pairs of each.
TBPH, I'm far more interested in utilitarian, budget knives, now. Knives are only as good as their edge, and in a real survival situation, I'd rather trust my field sharpening skills on a 420HC blade than hope and pray I don't damage some expensive crucible steel wonder that can't be properly sharpened in the field. Expensive exotic steels make me just not want to use them, so my current go-to set for backcountry use is a set of vintage Gerber Pro-Guide II knives, and while they aren't "ideal", they do get the job done, and I trust my life to them.
I guess I could say I'd really like a pair of Zhen Chinese chef's knives, one thick and one thin:
I bought my Henckels set when I was less experienced with my true needs in the kitchen, and now mostly use only the Kochmesser and paring knife.
I did drool over the Wüsthof 200th Anniversary Set, but I don't "need" them: