I’m not quite ready for a full-blown midlife crisis. But I am ready for a change.

We’ll start small, with the things I carry around each day.

Damn, No Torpedoes

If you want me to think twice about getting your weird-looking knife, naming it after Hemingway’s boat isn’t a bad way to go.

The Pilar was Papa’s fishing boat that he sailed out of Cuba. During the second worl war, the government designated it as a Q-ship. These were private vessels armed with torpedos and given license to hunt german u-boats in the Gulf of Mexico. They were also given extra fuel rations which may have been the real reason Hemingway volunteered to hunt Nazi subs. Either way, I always picture the ship like something out of M.A.S.K.

This knife by CRKT is named the Pilar as well. While it doesn’t have torpedos (probably because of the government) it does have a large sheepsfoot blade. This was new to me and I found it strange. But now that I’ve had it for a few weeks, I’m relly enjoying it. It’s a really solid knife as the blade is quite thick at the spine. It makes short work of package tape and Amazon shipping envelopes. I can’t imagine its good for poking things, U-Boats or otherwise, given the shape of the blade.

There are several versions. This is the larger version of the Pilar II with D2 steel which, if the interenet isn’t lying to me, appears a step up from most of the other knives I own. Thanks to this version’s size, it sits really comfortably in hand and it great for whittling. (Broader cuts, obviously. Finer work would be difficult.)

So, it’s weird, but I really kind of like it. Kind of like Hemingway. I guess it’s a good name for the knife after all.

Check it out here