the knot doesnt get in the way at all cant even feel it! the palm area is actually fine it was the bottom that was too skinny for me. i can palm a basketball no problem to give a rough hand size measurement.

the guy had no knives except kitchen knives. he was hacking some 1-3" limbs. he liked when it went right through on the first whack. and thats only with the SOD...i didnt have my CGFBM with me but i did show him the brkt golok...said he liked the "looks" of the SOD better!

You and I both have the same type of fingers...long! It makes it difficult also with different types of firearms.

I don't think I've seen the brkt golok but I must say, the SOD is a looker! When it came in, I showed my Dad (who loves knives and firearms) and he was pretty impressed. I used it to hack up some avacado trees in our yard that my Dad and I were trimming. Granted the wood was still green, it did a great job and maintained its edge.

my old golok...which is now imaginefjs golok....i got one quite similar...its a prototype and is 1/2" longer but the spine is narrower and the steel is dift. its an awesome biter.

i am really glad i got an SOD it was my first "big" knife purchase. i was gonna either get a RAT or a Ranger...but i went scrapyard instead. i didnt get the muk because i dont skin anything at the moment and id rather wait until i have to to get something...and i think kosters muks arent half or maybe have gossman make me a skinner. i sure do hope that S5LE is INFI that knife is sweet!!!! S% and my cgfbm match made in heaven! on a dift note how are th coqui frogs on kauai?

The SOD was also my first "big" knife purchase. I also was looking to purchase a RAT but am glad I went the SY route.

+1 on the LE being INFI. I have an INFIcoot I purchase a few years back. I need to touch up the edge and was thinking about stroping with sandpaper and mouse pad as suggested here. I believe the edge is convex.

I'm not sure about the coqui frogs here. I don't hear them in the Kapaa or Wailua area but they may be up further in the mountains. Once in a while we have a bullfrog croaking in our yard. I haven't heard him in a while...hope the wild chickens didn't make short work of him.

The pic of the golok just showed up. I like the looks of the SOD better but that knife looks like it does a good job chopping. It looks like a modified cane knife <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

yeah supposedly its a malaysian knife adaptation. theres no point on it! is most peoples dislike for it....but its great for landscaping...its light sharp and shiny! i can clean spider lilies like no ones business...its also great at hedges!! i can trim charicature plants, durantha, bouganvilla, even the mock orange!!! bugga is sharp!

What do you use to sharpen your knives?

i use a strop from brkt...ive been too lazy to get a mousepad....i already have sandpaper! the life of a landscaper! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> i also sharpen every knife i use that day at the end of the day. ive found thats the key to a sharp knife!

for my work moras i just use a lansky quik sharp ceramic deal. good enough!

Cool...I was thinking about trying out one of the sharpmaker or lansky systems. How do you like that lansky? I was either going get one of those or just chance getting some ceramic rods and going freehand. Growing up working on our flower farm, We would just use a metal file and freehand the cane knives we used.

ive heard better things about the sharpmaker than the lansky system. i own a lansky pro system...i dont like it. i think mouse and sandpaper is the way to go. or some good stones! giving my cgfbm a mirror finish is still a work in progress. what sort of flowers?

We did heleconias (sp?) and different types/shades of red and pink gingers. We had a few acres but everything was wrecked by hurricane Iniki. My Dad decided to take a loss rather than start it up again.

what grits of sandpaper do you suggest for the entire range of sharpening? I'll probably pick some up later on as I have a mouse pad that's unused.