SAFE QUEENS

What is safe queen, a moniker mostly used by collectors of knives and guns that are non users in order to keep them pristine for possible resale in the future. A fine idea in some respects, but not for me, Many years ago I sold the last of any safe queens I had. For me it was a waste of space and non use, if I have knife or a gun it is to be used like any other tool, if it is so good why not use it, why keep the so called best in the shadows. If they are the best, then they should be used as they were meant to be. This is what they were made for so use them. 

Like any fine tool the best are a delight to handle and to use for the purpose they were intended for. If I need reliable then these are my choice for use. They do me no good in a hide just sitting looking pretty. A fine race horse is used for racing or breeding but they used, they just stand for years in a paddock. Since I have never been able to breed a knife or a gun it leaves one option open to me, use them.  Oh sure I have a few knives and guns that have seen little use but that has been dictated by the time I have available and human nature of, I'll take this knife today and we follow that pattern but I try and keep my mind open about which tool I will take on any given day, and that is often dictated by what I foresee as the chores that tool will be used for on any day in the bush. A good tool should last you a lifetime plus be ready to be handed down few generations, and keep on ticking for more. I do find myself picking up the same tool many times in a row because I have bonded with it and already know how it feels to me, a mistake perhaps but I do make a concentrated effort to break the habit of a certain tool choice just to expand my use of the tools at hand. 

Like many of you I have way too many knives and though they do not breed, it sure seems like at times they do so. My choices are myriad for any chosen craft I might be performing.in the bush. I like to experiment using a knife, for instance for a chore it was not meant to be used for just to see if I can make it work for me. I have been surprised many times by how well a knife worked for me in a craft it was not intended for. For the most part I am not a fan of large knives for instance but have more than a few.  I have found many of them to be useful in areas I would normally use a smaller knife, like for trap triggers, and they worked just fine. My own preference is to not chop with a large knife as I carry a hatchet or a tomahawk. My hawk is a Vechawk. They will out chop any large knife. But this not about what the tool is it is about using them. 

Revolt against "safe queens " and put them to the work they were intended for, they will thank you by performing like the Kings they really are. Safe Queens are for the non-outdoor crowd in my estimation, oh sure you might make a few bucks but is it really worth it? I think not. My opinion may not be shared by many of you and this is really to get you thinking in a direction of use rather than as a passive collector. On your last day on earth you will not be able to make up to all those tools and use them in one day. Damn I never got to shoot that gun or use that really cool knife. Too late bye bye , Have fun now. 

 by Dude McLean