James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
Not many knives get as much public product testing as this Promate Titanium Diving Knife. Watch the survival episodes Bear Grylls filmed in Costa Rica and the Pacific Islands, and you’ll see this rugged knife put to hard use.
In saltwater conditions, titanium outperforms stainless steel, offering edge retention and blade strength comparable to steel knives but with less weight and much better corrosion resistance. The 4-3/8-inch blade will need regular but ordinary maintenance, dulling at a normal rate during use, but you won’t need to worry about the titanium edge rotting in the sheath. Titanium doesn’t corrode even if stored in seawater.
The Promate Diving Knife was designed by scuba divers and includes special features professional divers find handy. The sharp tip and plain cutting edge handle stabbing and slicing tasks, and on the blade spine, you’ll find a serrated section for tougher cable-cutting chores. The diving knife’s spine also holds a deep notch for quickly severing smaller lines. A rubberized grip fully encloses the knife’s tang, and bolsters keep your hand on the grip whether you’re cutting with the blade or smashing and banging with the titanium hammerhead in the butt of the handle.
The Promate Titanium Diving Knife comes with an adjustable sheath made to strap securely to arm or leg. The knife snaps into place for secure carry in any position. Although designed especially for divers, the knife offers many features equally useful in survival situations on land.
See the Barracuda Sharp Tip from Promate for another good titanium knife in a larger style.
James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
The Kershaw Fillet Knife with 9-inch blade offers functional quality and a price appropriate to a knife which usually gets the worst treatment possible....
Not many knives get as much public product testing as this Promate Titanium Diving Knife. Watch the survival episodes Bear Grylls filmed in Costa Rica and the Pacific Islands, and you’ll see this rugged knife put to hard use.
