I did my first “mouse-mat-with-sand-paper convex grinding”(tm) yesterday. It worked just fine - my heavy German kitchen knife became a lot sharper. I’m not sure if I’ll notice the difference, but in theory it makes sense to have a convex edge in that knife as it’s used for heavy duty chopping.
I’m still undecided as to what I’ll do with the others. I’m leaning towards the Horl, but I’m not ready to make a decision yet.
So I managed to restrain myself. The Moki is great, but I don’t spend enough time camping or hiking to justify getting it. My trusty Fällkniven will have to do:
So instead of buying a knife I’ll end up regretting not using enough I’ll be looking for a slicer/sujihiki to supplement these:
I've said for years that I leave the sharpening of my knives to professionals. And while that has worked fine (I do use a honing rod for maintenance), I've also gradually stopped using my German knives, and transitioned to harder Japanese knives, that hold their edges very well. However even they need sharpening every once in a while (especially after my wife has started using them, for years she preferred the germans).
But apparently sharpening has become a hipster lifestyle vocation, and the prices have skyrocketed. Without the craftsmanship improving, If you ask me. My preferred sharpener now charges €20 for sharpening a Japanese knife (it's priced higher than sharpening German knives), which means that having all the knives on the rack sharpened would cost the same as a Horl 3. And I doubt the result would be much better.
So I'm looking into a setup for home. I'll taking the sandpaper/mouse mat route for my convex edges (my folder and one of my German kitchen knives, the one I use for heavy chopping), but for the others I'm on the fence - but edging towards a Horl 3 as it seems very intuitive to use, and can be used in the kitchen without setting up something like a Lansky.
Whetstones is another alternative, but I'm not sure I have the patience to learn it properly before using the stones on my best knives.
I’ve always loved pocket knives. I got a Swiss army knife as a child and had it for many years.
Then 15 years ago I upgraded to a Fällkniven U1 - lovely knife (I have the blue bone version that they put in the outlet…), and at that time it was legal to carry it everywhere in Denmark, so it lived in my pocket - until the knife laws changed.
Now I mainly use it around the house, which is a damn shame, as a knife like that really excels at tasks where a specialized tool - that I often have at hand when I’m at home - would be better, but isn’t available.
Due to the legal constraints I have only bought kitchen knives since I got the U1. But recently I’ve found myself comming back to this fixed blade (producers picture):
An outdoors knife made by Moki, who make Fallknivens folders. VG7 steel, 8,5 cm blade, linen mircata handle - and a beautiful shape. I don’t do nearly enough hiking to justify it, but I am going on a shelter trip with my youngest this weekend…
Some heavy gardening done (laying stones for a place to have fire, cutting down trees) - so now it’s a race: Will I finish that beer before the rain starts?
I’m spending a day off either my 13 year old, and we had all sorts of plans, but then she sprained her ankle yesterday, so now she’s baking while I’m doing stuff around the house.
The weather is fine, so some of the heavy clothes are getting some air.
I own both this and the 96. Obviously I haven’t worn this that much (and not in warm weather), so please take that into account.
The fabrics are very different. The 96 is much thicker, but also much looser in the weave. My guess (completely unscientific) is that the 96 is warmer, but also that it is less windproof. I’m not sure about breathability, but my money would be on the 96.
The best comparison I can think of is to compare it to layering pieces. The 96 is more like an insulating layer - packs more warmth, but is more susceptible to wind - whereas this is more of a shell layer, with less warmth but more wind resistance.
I hope it makes sense - the fabrics are very different so direct comparison is difficult.
Friday at work. No physical meetings, so I wore what I felt like. I worked like a maniac, because the weather was great for cycling, and if I finished early I could squeeze in a ride in the afternoon - so this was pretty much the only break I had.
The cycling was nice, though 
Took the horse for a ride. I’m repeating myself, but I really like the construction of this jacket. I find it quite comfortable while driving, and this is comming from someone who generally throws his jackets in the trunk. I rally hate feeling restricted behind the wheel.
Thank you @weftyarn
Your pics in the IHJ 54 thread were really helpful for my decision to take the plunge.
I got to wear it around the city today - family trip to the theater, and then dinner in Tivoli. The weather was around 10 degrees (celcius), and it started raining lightly in the evening. The jacket was perfect for that my initial impression is that it is actually quite suited for Copenhagen weather being wind proof, water repellant, somewhat (but not overly) insulating and actually (despite its heavyness) breathable.
Only downside so far: This could become another expensive habit…
This shirt came out Wednesday, and it’s “sister” only about a week before that. As I understand this particular combination of cotton and linen is new - so the user experience with washing is limited.
That said, my experience with IH products in general is that if they are pre washed - like this shirt - they do not shrink if washed according to instructions.
You do need to be vary of your washing machine, though. They don’t all have very precise temperature control.
So I got my first horsehide jacket:
A reloved Selfedge version - not because of a preference for that version (though I do like the lining), but because it had the best measurements I came across in my search (thanks to Bailey for remeasuring the shoulders).
Is pretty damn great! I’m super happy with the fit - the arms are a tad long as expected and I’ve got room in the shoulders, but otherwise it’s a fairly snug fit without it being too tight.
And I’m really pleasantly surprised with the mobility it allows. The construction of the shoulders mean that I have full mobility in the arms despite the heavy leather. I can even get my arms above my head without the jacket creeping up high on my body.
My wife came home just when I was trying it on for the first time. Noticing the robustness of the hide her first reaction was “but can you ride a bicycle in it?”
To which I could happily reply “Indeed!” In fact I think it’ll be more comfortable on the bike than my old well worn denim jacket.
I Can’t wait to take it out tomorrow.
I certainly have great expectations. My first IH shirt was a chambray, and that is extraordinarily comfortable.
I generally find that the lighter IH shirts are underrated. I get that the feeling is less special compared to “ordinary” shirts, but the quality is on the same extraordinary level.
Seriously, I must say that the way IHUK has handled this is absolutely brilliant for me as a costumer.
I hope it pays off - my recent experience certainly confirms the advantage that the IH way holds in regard to costumer service.
I’ve been looking into ordering a custom made leather jacket from the UK. These are the hassles that IH spares me:
To add insult to injury, I had the Scots send me leather samples. That cost a very fair price of five quid. But they too were held up in costumes, meaning I’d have to pay two euros I VAT and a handling fee of 20 euros to get the sample. Product samples are exempt from tariffs and VAT, but you still have to pay the handling fee after providing proof that the samples are worthless. I promptly returned them.
I’ve ordered a reloved IH jacket instead - hassle free. Keep up the good work, guys, it is appreciated and brings me back as a costumer.
And ordered. Looking forward 
Well that took an unexpected turn:
After a week of madly researching every Aero cut and leather I ended up ordering a reloved IHJ35 - Selfedge version. It just had better measurements than anything in the Aero stock, and was a lot cheaper than ordering a custom one.
I’m still very keen on Aero - especially their leathers - but after looking into their cuts I think one of their longer models is where I’d be happier. So that’ll eventually be a wool lined winter jacket (I’m already speccing it in my head).
@twin: Your jacket is a very good argument for going custom and buying something that’ll last the rest of my life. It is gorgeous.
@CosmoSix5: I hadn’t come across Master Supply. I’ll look into it - the prices are very attractive and it is great to have a reference on them, thanks!
