Omaha has one of those "Knife, sword, anime, and incense" stores in one of the malls. You know the place: full of wolf statues and all the glittery, sparkly knives you could want. And the sales-dude is so happy to talk about his knives as if they're the best, most awesome weapons on the planet!
I love going into those stores. Not that I'd ever buy one of their knives or swords. They're all CRAP! Cheaply made, out of balance, bend-if-you-look-at-them-hard pieces of shit. But the guy will tell you all about his "battle-ready" wares, and how the "samurai swords" have folded metal. Well, here's the thing:
1: The Japanese folded the metal for their swords because their iron was crap. Look up "Pig-Iron" and you'll see what they had to start with. They had to fold it because their iron had too much carbon in it, and any swords made without folding it would shatter. And, no, they didn't fold the metal 10,000 times. They folded it about 10-15 times, max. And, even then, if a katana went head to head with something like a Viking broadsword, the European model would have gone right through. Oh, and if you're one who likes to watch sword-movies...you're supposed to use the back of the katana for blocking, not the edge. You use the edge, you lose the edge.
2: There are drop-point knives; there are clip-point knives; there are daggers; there are tanto-point knives. But if you have to describe the blade of your knife as a "feather" or a "spade", chances are good you got taken.
3: If your knife was made in China, India, or Pakistan, you just bought a piece of shit.
4: If you start talking about "high carbon stainless steel" you're lying.
5: If you start talking about "HRC" hardness of a folding knife, you have no idea what to do with one.
I had to laugh at one point. The guy was showing me all these knives, with all sorts of finger grooves (my hands are too big for any finger grooves) and such, and I said "Let me show you what I like" and pulled out my EDC knife. I carry a TOPS MIL-SPIE 3.5 folder. TOPS is one of the go-to companies for people who actually use the knife they carry, and this one was designed to meet Department of Defense specifications for a folding knife. Basically, my knife could cut through anything he had in stalk. So, I handed it to him, and he couldn't figure out how to open it! See, all his knives were "assisted opening" knives with a little tag that you use to flick it open. Mine uses a thumb-stud. Finally, he gets it open and looks a little scared. Here was the real thing in amongst all his pretty toys...and he knew it. Then, and here's the part where I knew once and for all that he was full of crap...he'd never heard of the company. Granted, the company is a little bit off the walmart-type radar, but for someone with a knife store to have never heard of them? That would be like someone with a bookstore never having heard of Penguin Press, or someone who sells pens who'd never heard of Parker.
Anywho, I had my fun. Maybe it was mean-spirited, but they were taking themselves all a bit too seriously anyway. :P