Fact Checking

Yes, the picnic knife comes in translucent purple, green, red, and blue. We also have it in opaque black, red, and lime green. The picnic knife is now available online, but you have to tell us what color you prefer.

Also, the ulu knife and cutting board combination is now available online. Pretty, isn't it?

Look Sharp!

Nifty knives that will make you look sharp.

We aren't the only ones with a penchant for bad puns, the Courier-Journal is right there with us. They came by the other week and took some pictures for Phenom, a shopping feature which shows up in the Scene section on Saturdays.

While most of the knives featured were really colorful (like Messermeister's Picnic Knife, which they picked out in purple), they also got into some that are just really well designed. Example from our store that they selected for the article? An ulu knife, that we get from Knives of Alaska. Part of what makes it cool is that it comes with it's own dish-shaped, wooden chopping block*, which you can always flip over to get a flat block.

Check out the full thing here.


*Please note that the ulus we have online do not come with the block. If you're interested in those, drop us a line and we can hook you up.
And actually, the picnic knife isn't online either, so I should tell you that it is a colorful little knife that we sell for $5.20. What makes it special is that it has a slide-n-snap-on cover over the blade, so you can just toss it in a drawer (or a picnic basket, hence the name) without having to worry about slicing your fingers open when you try to get it out. I think the colors that we have in stock right now are translucent purple, red, and green. Maybe blue? I'll try to let you know for certain.

Strange things abound

You know, this cutlery store actually has some strange things tucked away.

Did you know that we sell magnifiers? We get a lot of people with macular degeneration referred to us because there aren't a lot of places in town that carry them. We also have things like the Optivisor that are good for hobbyists to use, even if it makes them look a bit like a refugee from a low budget sci-fi movie.


You may remember our clearance section from Ye Olde Website of ages past. Lots of strange things in there, a lot of them because in my great-grandfather's day the cutlery was also a hardware store. We still have bits of leftover stock tucked away. Dremel tool accessories, glass bubbles for levels, and a lot of screws and nuts. (Which reminds me, you'll let me know if you ever need any of those old iron stove/carriage bolts, won't you?)  

Another relic, from the days when we manufactured scissors, is the barrel of scissor blanks. For our 135th anniversary, Carl and Glenna put in extra hours to hand-finish (sharpen, polish, paint) around 50 pairs. They ended up looking a lot like the traditional Wiss sewing/household scissors.

We have six different oyster knives in stock in the store. From one (one!) company. Did you even know they made that many different types of oyster knives? I admit that I did. I hadn't really thought about it before, but I noticed it while I was arranging things in a display case today.

We also sell a knife for cutting whole wheels of cheese. It's a Wushof and it never fails to get comments from new customers.

Nose and ear scissors. Essential, but on some level, hilarious. That doesn't mean I won't still get my husband one, just that I'm not cruel enough to do it for his birthday.

Silhouette scissors. Scissors that were designed to cut itty figures out of black paper. As you'd imagine, they're still great for any sort of highly detailed work, but you'd think they'd change the name.

We sell a lot of lightbulbs. Apparently it is difficult to find replacement bulbs for those Floxite light up mirrors.

Now, I don't have some great point to make. Just that we're a small family business that's accumulated a lot over the years. We have some fun stuff that's not entirely what you'd expect. 
And that's what I like about us.

A Rosy Outlook

Happy belated 4th of July! I was singularly unpatriotic this year, at least in terms of explosives. I'm really more of a sparklers sort of gal. I think I made up for it by going to lots of picnics and eating tons of picnic food.

I haven't really gone into it in this blog, but I happen to be a reader. I read a LOT. Lately I've been into a lot of nonfiction and one of the books has moved me to write a little about it. The book is Otherwise Normal People: Inside the Thorny World of Competitive Rose Gardening, by Aurelia Scott and if you want to know what I think, you'll have to go read about that at my book blog. 


In honor of the rosarians out there, here are some of the tools we have that you find useful.

Now, I've talked about Felco pruners in general. Did you know that they make specific rose shears? These "cut and hold" rose shears, with rosewood handles, have a wide metal spring that is separate from the blades, which firmly grips the stem after the blades have cut it. Just open the shears to release the stem. This is also called a "cut and hold scissors" or a "harvester scissors". They'll hold flowers, grapes or anything else to be gathered.  If I'm remembering my reading correctly, one concern is whether the stems get smooshed too much when they're cut. In my experience these shears don't really do much damage to the stems when they hold them, but I admit that I am far less particular than anyone who goes anywhere near a rose competition. If you've used them, I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments.

I would also like to direct your attention to... pruner holsters!  We have two different sorts, one that's a little more pointy and one that isn't.  The pointy one (pictured), is probably going to be a little more adaptable to different sorts of pruners, but either will fit any of the Felco pruners. Both are made from heavy duty grain leather, waxed thread and have extra riveting for long lasting use.They can be mounted on a belt, or clipped to a pocket, so you can always have your pruners handy.


Something else you might find helpful, if you're into some serious gardening, are the various horticulture knives we have. Of the three, one is just a basic utility knife, another has a slightly hooked blade to be a good pocket pruning knife. The other is a grafting knife. Not being as garden-inclined as some, I do not actually have a very good idea of what you would do with this... maybe create some sort of franken-plant? I know that you can graft stuff with fruit trees, too, so if you have those you should check it out. 


I'm off to look at roses online, my mom's thinking about trying to put some in and needs something unkillable. I've heard good things about.. shoutout? knockout? something like that. 


Catch you all later!

Father's Day : Shaving up!

Now, let's talk shaving stuff.

Why you should be interested
Right now there's a swing away from the handy-dandy disposable razor and shaving-cream-in-a-can. Men of all generations are getting into their morning ritual and looking for better, more luxurious ways of doing things. Women get to pamper themselves all the time, why shouldn't men?

More importantly why should shaving be an every-day ordeal, when there are simple ways to make it much more pleasant? A lot of men find that "old-fashioned" razors irritate their skin less than fancy electric shavers and are cheaper than disposable razors. There are products that had fallen out of fashion that are making a comeback. Why? Because they make shaving more pleasant.

C-M's 1752 fine face care products:
I bring this bunch of products up mostly because you can get the whole range of products in the same scent (very important to some people) and also because it has one really neat product, the preshave oil. It's really good for sensitive skin, helping to prevent ingrown hairs and protect against razor burn. It's a combination of castor oil, olive oil, and sweet almond oil with some other beneficial extracts. Most people hear castor oil and think of swallowing it to, er... "keep things moving." I can see where the thought of rubbing it on your face would be a little strange. What most people don't know is that castor oil is anti-inflammatory when you rub it into the skin, which makes it great for keeping down irritation. (Castor oil is also awesome for sore back muscles. Just rub it in, then lay on a heating pad. The oil will soak in entirely and your back will feel so much better in the morning. Amazing.)

Our C-M 1752 shaving products (preshave oil, shaving cream, shave soaps, aftershave balm) are available in either Sandalwood or Almond scents. I think either one is wonderful, but I've had some people disagree with me. Almond products are more lightly scented, I find it to be a very clean smell. On the other hand, I've had at least one customer in the store telling me that he didn't feel that it was "masculine enough" which is why he preferred Sandalwood. Whatever floats your boat, I suppose.

Think you might want to get into this but you have no idea what to get?
If you're looking for a place to start, I'd start with something that can be enjoyed with regular shaving equipment. A badger brush and some sort of shaving cream, either a shave soap (in a lovely wooden bowl) or a little tub of shaving cream, which is wonderful for men who don't have as much time in the morning. Give us a call about the C-M Classic Shave Set, which we don't have on the website at present. It has the shave soap in a wooden bowl, a badger brush and a stand for the brush.

If the man in your life is already getting into this, look at what he already has and try to go with that. Maybe he needs a new shaving brush, or he's never tried using a preshave oil. Some new blades for his razor, maybe. 

Maybe you (or your guy) might want to try a different scent of shave soap. I've been talking about Caswell-Massey a lot recently because of the promotion going on right now. But we also carry Col. Ichabod Conk shaving products.  Their almond scent is a little sweeter and lighter than C-M's. Conk has a great traditional scent, Bay-Rum. It's perhaps a little old-fashioned, but I love it.

There are a few things that set Conk apart from C-M. The first is that their soap is glycerin based, which keeps the scent a little lighter and works better with some skin types. It lets them have the classic amber soap scent, as well as fun scents like lime. The second is that the amber, almond, and bay-rum scents are available in two different sizes, so that you can use your own shaving mug. Or, our third thing, the way that Conk soaps are packaged lets you use the resealable plastic as a shaving mug, if you aren't interested in making that investment right now.

If you are interested in  shaving mugs, though, Conk brings us several options some with ducks and ships and "Dad" on them. We also have a few barbershop style shaving scuttles.What's a scuttle? Read all about it here.

Conk also carries brushes, like this useful travel brush, and some accessories like a mustache comb and razors stones. Speaking of brushes and razors, Conk knows that a wet brush should never be closed up, and the best way to dry it is hanging fuzzy side down. So we also have a couple of brush stands that will also hold your safety razor.

And that brings us to the most important thing for shaving: razors! Conk has some fancy track razors in chrome and gold finishes, which you'd recognize as "normal" razors with disposable blades. Very nice, but right now there are a lot of men who have started using safety razors (pictured at left). All of our safety razors are made by Merkur in Germany, for the Conk company. I keep trying to get my husband to start shaving more so that it'd be worth getting him of these, but he sadly going through a  hirsute phase.

Caswell-Massey Promotion

What is the Promotion?
There's a promotion going on right now with Caswell-Massey products. Spend twenty dollars ($20) pre-tax on any Caswell-Massey products, and you can get a free full-size lotion in Rose, English Lavender, or Almond & Aloe. We'll be doing it while supplies last. This includes products from Caswell-Massey subsidiaries like Dr. Hunter's and Lucky Tiger.

How do I get my free lotion?
When you're finishing up your order of Caswell-Massey products, let us know in the comments which scent you'd like. If we're out of a particular scent, a different one of our choice will be substituted. They're all pretty wonderful.

Why would I want to buy something from Caswell-Massey?
I've said it before, but Caswell-Massey is a pretty cool company. They have tons of scents, especially the specialty soaps, which are triple-milled and last forever.

Also, this is a great chance if you're planning on buying something for Father's Day. Not only do you get a present for Dad, but you also get a present for yourself.

Ok, if you're so smart, what do you recommend?
As always, I am full of opinions. Check here to see the full list of C-M products, but here's what I think.

For the history buff, I'd recommend anything in the Presidential Soap Collection. These three scents were favored by a lot of different presidents and you can pick the historical period that appeals the most. George Washington favored Number Six, Ike liked Almond Coldcream, and JFK favored Jockey Club. You can get these scents in soaps, talc, aftershave, cologne and occasionally as a stick deodorant.

There are a lot of other C-M scents. If you'd like to smell them all, or if you're looking for a present for someone who is looking for a change, I'd get the Men's Fragrance Collection. I wish I had a picture of it for you, because the packaging is wonderful. There are six little .16oz glass bottles in a green and gold case. The scents include Number Six, Jockey Club, Tricorn, Greenbriar and Newport. For some reason, the catalog I have doesn't list the last one, but I think it's Verbena. Lime doesn't sound right and we don't stock Aura of Patchouli.

I love C-M's soaps. I can personally vouch for how well they last and how wonderful they smell (unless you're like my husband and don't like anything that smells like roses, then it's just listening to someone complain for a longer period of time than they would with a regular bar of soap). They're generally sold in boxes of three. I like these for gift baskets, hostess gifts, and as additions to attendant gifts that are classier and less cliche than something from Bath and Body Works. Plus, if you buy the soaps and split them up, you get to keep the box, which is pretty, smells nice, and is a good size for organizing things in drawers/closets/etc.
There are a few of the soaps on the website, like Almond Coldcream, Pomegranate, Sandalwood, and some of the Men's Fragrance Collection. We have a wider variety in the store, so if you're interested in any of the following, please give us a call: Vanilla Orchid (vanilla with notes of coconut and mango), Herbal Fusion (rosemary and tarragon), English Lavender, woodgrain Sandalwood, and maybe more.



Is your guy leery of splashing chemicals all over his face? Does he have sensitive skin and want to avoid alcohol? In need of something eco-friendly? I'd recommend Lucky Tiger products, especially the aftershave. Their products are made with certified organic ingredients, from a recipe that is essentially unchanged since the company started in 1935. I really like the light, clean scent of the aftershave. It would be a good choice if you (or who you buy it for) t isn't a fan of highly scented products.

There's also a ton of shaving stuff that you might be interested in for Father's Day, but I'll talk more about that in the next post, which will mostly be about shaving stuff.

Felco, for your pruning needs

Felco is probably one of the most recognizable brand of gardening tools. The signature red handles make their pruning tools easy to spot (for those of us who aren't color blind, anyway).
Felco tools are undeniably the tools of choice for horticulture enthusiasts. When Carl attended a meeting of the Master Gardeners Club, part of the Extension Service's ... uh...services, Felco was a visible presence. A Master Gardener is someone who is interested in learning about all types of horticulture, not just for their own benefit, but also to teach others. Master Gardeners are trained in things like plant pathology, pesticide use, fertilizers, organic gardening, and more.
Interested in being a Master Gardener? Check this out.

But which ones should you pick?

Perrenial (ha!) favorites are Felco #2 and #11. Part of their popularity lies in the fact that their slightly larger handles fit many sizes of hands. The former has a good sized jaw for medium limbs.Felco #6 is a close runner up. It has slightly smaller handles than the other two. It is lighter and a little more compact. All three of these have thin hooked blades that are good for precision work.

Other really popular models are the #9 and #10.They notable because it's for south-paws (lefties, those who are left-handed). Plus #10 has some very cool rotating handles.My favorite is probably the #8, though. It's a good size for me.

Another tool I would like you to direct your attention to is the #F600. It is a high performance pull-stroke pruning saw that is perfect for producing a clean, precise and easy cut. The steel blade is heat treated and covered with hard chromium-plating for an extra tough, rust resistant, wipe-clean blade. The ergonomic handle is made of non-slip comfort material, and the saw has an excellent locking system. One major bonus that you don't see as much with the folding saws is that the blade is replaceable (and we, of course, carry the replacements).

Blah blah blah... it has a cool handle and a blade, but you want to know what makes this so awesome? Ice storms.  I don't know if you have those where you live, dear reader, but I have to say that this folding saw is a lifesaver when we have ice storms and limbs are falling off trees all over the place. This is an item that we don't just sell, we use it, too. One friend of the family has a bit of land around her house (and an awesome vegetable garden) which meant lots of downed limbs for her to deal with. She and her sister, both in their 60's, took this saw and dealt with an awesome pile of branches in just one day.