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Bowie Knife Designs
Jan 3rd, 2010 by Dylan Sabot

Most people will see many different types of knifes represented as Bowies. Most of these knives have some of the characteristics of a Bowie knife but there are a host of characteristics which make a knife the genuine article. The distinctive sweep of the blade, hilt and size make a Bowie what it is.

A Bowie knife is probably most defined by its blade shape. In fact, some knives sold as Bowies have nothing about them that qualifies them as Bowie knives other than a slightly clipped blade. In common parlance, a Bowie is any long-bladed, non-folding knife that has a clipped blade. Properly, however, there is more to it than that; much more, in fact.

Every Bowie knife has a hand guard. The traditional hand guard on a Bowie has an angled top piece which points toward the front of the knife. This is intended as protection for the user’s hand. The angle is sometimes said to be used for catching blades, but the proximity to the hand makes it more useful as a deflecting device.

Daggers tend to be double-bladed weapons, as do many other fighting knives. Bowie knives have a single edge. This sets them apart in many ways. One might think that this amounts to having half a weapon versus a double-edged knife, but this is not at all the case. There is another characteristic of Bowies that more than makes up for the lack of two edges. The single edge actually makes practical work with the knife much easier. These knives were designed to be tools as well as weapons, after all.

A real Bowie knife always has a wide blade. In fact, this is a defining characteristic of these knives. When these knives were designed, the frontier conditions meant that any tool had to be versatile and tough. The heavy, wide blade of a Bowie meant it could stand up to a great deal of punishment and that it could perform chopping tasks, in addition to cutting tasks. Before steel was of a modern quality, softer metals such as brass and copper were sometimes used to reinforce the blades via a strip along the spine.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie knives store featuring SOG bowie knives as well as humidors for storage.

Need to Balance the Look of Your Car with Custom Wheels?
Jan 1st, 2010 by Ariel Parat

So, you’ve become obsesses with modifying your car. Have you looked at your’ wheels recently?

After you’ve finished with all of the other accessories on your’ car, the wheels are a great way to balance off the look. Your’ choice in wheels also slightly affects how well your’ car races.

There are 2 things to think about when dealing with your’ rims. One is that customizing the look can make or break the car. The second thing is that by getting rims that are a bit lighter, you can shave a couple of pounds of weight off the car, making it drive better.

As of this article being written – there are 4 main DPE rim styles:

1) The Signature Line – The S series of wheels are three piece wheels. Most of them have bolts going around as the significant feature.

2) GT/LS Series – The GT and LS wheels are 2 piece with a chrome lip instead of polished. The GT Wheels have the spokes set into the rim, while the LS wheels have the rim spokes sticking out of the wheel.

2) The R Series – This DPE Wheel has a chrome lip and is made out of 2 pieces (unlike the S which is 3, or the M which is one).

4) MT Series – These DPE wheels are “monoblock” and have an exclusive look. They’ve been officially launched in Sept. ‘09, making them the newest series.

Each DPE Wheel is customized by you with your preferred lip, finish etc.

The default color options for most of the wheels are silver black and chrome.

Additional customizations include adding two tone colored rims. You can customize them even further by having DPE paint the rivets bolts and fasteners in a different color.

They also have some custom fasteners to choose from. Stainless steel (Good Looking), aluminum (Standard) or titanium(saves 1 pound or so of weight per wheel).

Putting DPE Wheels on your’ BMW to replace the standard rimsare a great way to enhance your’ BMW Rims and look. Stealth Auto offers many choices for the BMW Modding enthusiast. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

VA Beach Fishing Charter: Add Excitement Into Your Next Fishing Trip This Striper Season
Dec 31st, 2009 by Brian Williams

Many people make the resort area of Virginia Beach solely for the purpose of putting together a Virginia Beach fishing charter trip. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean and on Chesapeake Bay with easy access to the adventure of fishing both types of water. The adventure of a fishing trip regardless of the season is a great reason for coming to Virginia Beach.

If you are considering a fishing adventure, make certain that you go with a reputable charter boat and crew. You may enjoy the experience of being on the ocean, but you will be even more excited when you bring home some trophy size catches. Experienced charter captain know the waters and are able to get you to the right location.

During the entire year, charter boats can get you fishing areas where there are flounders and bluefish. Waters off the mouth of the Bay and in the Bay itself are teeming with fish. By counseling with the charter boat crew and captain about the type of fish you are seeking, you can take advantage of the ideas for the best type of charter fishing trip for your likes and dislikes.

The summer fishing season will feature fishing for the popular tuna. The best charters have electronic satellite imaging so that the captain can see where the biggest tunas are. There are many other types of fish available during the warm months. You can seek trout, sharks, marlin and others.

Winter fishing season is when the trophy striped bass fish can be sought after. In December, the charter boats will seek striped bass in the southern part of the coastline. Beginning in January and in February, the stripers congregate in the area of the Bay Bridge Tunnel. The lower part of Chesapeake Bay is the home for stripers weighing as much as fifty pounds.

The length of your charter trip is adjustable. Most commonly, trips last for half days, full days or overnight in some boat accommodations. Charter boats usually provide all the needed equipment for a successful fishing trip. The price of your accommodations will vary depending on how long the trip lasts, how experienced the captain and crew are, the distance the boat must travel to get you to good fishing water and what type of fish you are hoping for.

Charter boats come in all sizes and conditions. You will want to select one that is large enough to accommodate the members of your fishing adventure group. The boat itself should have all the needed licenses, credentials, inspections and safety equipment to make your trip safe and successful.

With Virginia Beach fishing charter trips, you can expect care and concern on the part of the charter crew and captain. Whether your charter trip is the only one you ever planned or an annual event in your life, each trip should be memorable.

The Virginia Beach Charter Fishing service is one of several resort and adventure kind of events I would recommend in and around the city of Virginia Beach Virginia Beach Charter Fishing I would recommend joining the Virginia Beach Fishing Blog to win a charter striped bass fishing trip and get fishing updates

Distinguishing Characteristics of a Bowie Knife
Dec 30th, 2009 by Dylan Sabot

Not all knives sold as Bowie knives really meet the standards for this legendary weapon and tool. There are distinguishing characteristics that make this knife what it is and which give it its characteristic durability, utility and, when necessary, lethality. This knife design is born of the American Frontier when people needed tools that were as versatile and durable as possible.

Bowie knives always have clipped points. This feature is the end part of the blade where the center of the blade dips below the spine. Though this feature is attractive, it offers far more than looks. In a fight, this narrow portion of the blade is lethal in its ability to penetrate deep into the body with little effort. This creates what is called a false edge along the back of the blade. Some users sharpen this edge. Outside of fighting, however, this modification has little practical usage and may make the knife more dangerous to the user.

The blade on a Bowie knife is usually at least 1 inch wide, often wider. This thickness offers the blade incredible durability. The knife can safely be used for all manner of tough work, from chopping small wood in a pinch to blocking powerful blows in the course of a fight. The weight of this blade is offset by another important characteristic of these knives: the clipped point.

Bowie knives are always single-edged knives. The back of the blade is sometimes altered to provide more utility. On some knives, there are saw portions or a sharpened section along the false edge of the blade clip. These are user customizations, however, and this knife is always a single edged weapon when manufactured to traditional standards. While double-bladed knives may be a bit more deadly, they are very impractical for any kind of work and oftentimes endanger their user when pressed into service for such mundane tasks as cleaning game.

A Bowie knife generally has a distinctive hand guard, which is swept up toward the tip on the top and down toward the hilt on the edge-side of the blade. This protects the user’s hand. It is useful for fighting but also prevents the user’s hand from sliding up the blade. On the base of the blade, owners will find a small cutout called a “Spanish notch”. This was often used to cut sinew and cord.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie knife store featuring Cold Steel bowie knives for sale as well as humidors for storage.

Bowie Knives and Blade Lengths
Dec 24th, 2009 by Dylan Sabot

When it comes time to purchase a new bowie knife, you most likely have a specific size range in mind. However, you will find that these knives come in a surprising number of different sizes, from the smallest four-inch bowie knife to enormous machetes that feature the same blade design, but span more than two full feet. Which size is right for your needs? What makes one blade size better than another? Actually, you will find that each size blade is ideal for some rather specific things.

You will find that bowie knives come in blade sizes ranging from a compact six inches all the way up to a full two feet. This tremendous range of sizes is testament to the wide range of uses this blade design can be put to without damaging the knife. However, what size is right for you? In order to answer this question successfully, you will need to know more about your intended uses. While bowie knives are well known for their versatile nature, different blade lengths are more suited to different tasks. How do you determine what’s right?

First, consider the shorter blades. These are generally between six and eight inches in length. These are ideal for any number of tasks. You’ll find that the shorter blades offer benefits if you need to clean and gut a fish, as well as if you need to skin a deer, moose or elk. Because the blades are shorter, you have greater control over the blade’s direction and movement. You will not find this control with larger blades, so you should certainly opt for a smaller blade if you anticipate performing these types of tasks.

The largest range of blade sizes for a bowie knife is between twelve inches and about two feet, though you will find custom blades that surpass this mark. As a note, the larger the blade, the more difficult it is to use in everyday situations. However, they do make ideal solutions for areas where machetes or hatchets have been traditionally used.

Blades larger than about twelve inches are a bit more unwieldy than smaller blades are. However, they are ideal for heavy chopping and can even be used to clear brush in a pinch. However, because of their immense size, carrying these blades can be a bit difficult though you will find that they are more than eye-catching when worn.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie knifes store featuring the cold steel bowie knife as well as lighters for camping.

Motorcycle Jackets – The New Motorcycle Jackets Thats Changing The Industry
Dec 21st, 2009 by Bill Nichols

If you are a die hard motorcycle rider then you know the importance of a motorcycle jacket that will keep you comfortable in all kinds of weather. The folks at hogcooler.com have developed a system that will do just that. They have developed a motorcycle that will stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Bikers who wear a motorcycle jacket are always complaining that they can never stay cool in the summer and most times than not are constantly cold in the winter.

So how can a motorcycle vest do all of that? It’s simple. The creators of the hog cooler have come up with a patent pending system to keep you cool in the hot summer months and warm in the blistering cold winter months. How this new system works is for the summer months you place a bag of ice in your saddle bag and hook a hose to the side of your vest. The ice and air will pump cool air up the hose and into the vest keeping you cool. In fact it can cool you down to an amazing 60 degree’s on a hot summer day. This is by far the best motorcycle jacket I’ve seen out today.

In the winter months the Hog Cooler will harness the heat of your engine and give you a nice heated motorcycle jacket. This is done without pulling any excess power away from your engine. One of the advantages is that unlike other motorcycle jacket systems designed to keep your jacket warm there are no batteries that you have to worry about replacing and therefore this saves you money in the long run.

Like many motorcycle jacket systems that are designed to keep you comfortable the Hog Cooler utilizes the items that are produced by your motorcycle along with items that most bikers carry with them to begin with to keep you cool.

The Hog Cooler vest requires no bulky hardware and is easy to use. These features will be noticed right a way from anyone who rides and can be very appreciated for their value in staying comfortable on the open roads.

Anyone who has ever worn a motorcycle jacket in the summer can agree that they are not the most comfortable thing to wear but in most cases are necessary to have. However even though bikers need motorcycle jackets and vests for safety reasons most will not wear a motorcycle jacket because they are not comfortable in the summer.

Now with the Hog Cooler Vest System you no longer have to make sacrifices to be comfortable on the open roads today. The new breakthrough invention will let all riders have their cake and eat it too!

If you want to find out more information about these types of Motorcycle Jackets that are changing the way bikers ride now, visit the one and only Hog Cooler site now.

What are the Various Parts of Bowie Knives?
Dec 19th, 2009 by Dylan Sabot

Bowie knives are fantastically versatile, enabling you to accomplish numerous different tasks with a single knife. However, what exactly are all the features of the blade used for? This can be hard to understand, as you’ll find bowie knives with different features from another. Part of the confusion is simply due to the modern evolution of the knife, while other models try to remain historically accurate. Here are a few features that you might find and need to understand.

Blood Groove – A deep (relatively) groove that runs from near the back end of the blade to near the point, the blood groove serves a very specific purpose. This groove is used to allow blood to flow out from a stab, ensuring that the blade does not become trapped by suction. However, not all bowie knife models feature this groove, as it is a recent, modern development.

Saw Teeth – You will undoubtedly encounter other bowie knives that feature a saw-toothed design on the spine of the blade. Ostensibly, this is used for sawing wood, or scaling fish. However, most users find that it actually gets in the way and can even injure the knife’s wielder if they are unwary. If you choose to purchase a knife with this feature, be very aware that the saw-tooth portion might not be as handy as you first think.

Spanish Notch – The Spanish Notch is another sometime inclusion. You’ll find that this notch offers little in the way of enhanced usability, but it does provide you with a handy point to start sharpening the blade. The notch sits at the back edge of the blade, just before the ricasso. This might have originally been used to help skin branches, or have been used to work with nautical rigging or other rope forms, but today it has few uses and is rarely found except on historically accurate bowie knives.

You will find a bowie knife that offers features that fit your needs with a bit of searching. Make sure that you understand the different uses of all the blade areas, prior to making any purchase decision, though. This is the only way that you can ensure you get the right bowie knife for your particular usage needs.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie knife store featuring the jim bowie knife as well as lighters for camping.

Porsche 977
Dec 18th, 2009 by Colin Jones

A new Porsche 911 is always intriguing because it’s exciting to see how after more than 40 years of development the Porsche team still manages to bring alterations and advancements to this iconic exemplar.

The new 997 combines the silky contemporary appearance of the 996 series with the popular retro styling of the older 911’s. The front end is completed with round lights and separate parking/fog/indicator lights. This modification, combined with wider hips resembles the last of the air-cooled 911’s, the 993. Other changes in the body shell are the new door handles, wing mirrors and the trendy cut of the rear wings into the bumper/lights.

Even if the 997 looks a lot like the preceding model, the 996, the new car is in point of fact 38mm wider which makes for a more forceful look. With each new model brought out, Porsche has tried to reduce the drag co-efficient helping the 911 glide through the air more efficiently thereby aiding performance. The same thing has been done with the new car, and if we compare the 993 Cd of 0.34 to the 997`s 0.28, we can see how far the aerodynamic game has moved on. The latest body shell and rear wing combine with new under body paneling to also offer increased levels of down force for this latest evolution of Porsche’s best.

The latest Porsche model has the best handling 911 ever. Improving a car’s rigidity helps ensure that the suspension can work more effectively and while not making such a quantum leap as the team did with the 996, Porsche enhanced torsional rigidity by 8% and added as much as 40% more strength.

For their new model car, Porsche wanted to enhance crash safety provisions so they added two new air bags, which are located in the side of each front seat back-rest and are calculated to protect the thorax. They also kept the earlier two front and two side airbags, which means that now there are six air bags in total. For the same reason, that is crash safety, the reinforced body shell features additional protection such as a more widespread use of very high strength steel.

The most recent model is also 50 kg heavier than the 996. The reason is that current crash safety regulations kind of force vehicle manufacturers to produce new cars of increased weight, despite the widespread use of a large range of weight saving measures, such as an aluminum bonnet.

Aside from the crash safety advancements, much of the increased weight can be attributed to the higher standard specifications of the new cars. The power to weight ratio is similar with the latest car offering 233 bhp per tonne against it’s predecessors 238 but the new model’s improved aerodynamics must help it achieve Porsche’s claimed performance figures, which are identical to those of the 996.

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Bowie Knife Usage
Dec 14th, 2009 by Dylan Sabot

Knives are made for cutting and the bowie knife is no exception to that rule. However, when it comes to determining exactly what a bowie knife will cut, it can be rather hard to determine the exact answer. This is, perhaps, due to the fact that different types of knives are good for cutting different sorts of things. Your bowie knife might be ideal for cutting through bone, sinew and muscle. Alternatively, it might be better used to cut through the delicate underbelly of a fish, through the thin skin of a tomato, or through that animal hide that you want to save and use.

Let’s take a look at the question of size. Bowie knives are available in a bewildering range of sizes, from six inches to more than a foot long. Obviously, you won’t want to take a six or seven inch knife out for the task of chopping firewood. That’s better left to a hatchet or an axe. However, if you have one of the longer bowie knives, they can be quite heavy enough to use as a hatchet (if needs be). You’ll find that larger blades are excellent for any task requiring chopping and that bone, wood and even light metal can be cut with consummate ease.

Now, what do these factors have to do with your knife? Why can’t a single bowie knife be used to cut through brush and then used to gut and clean that freshly caught fish? Why can’t you slice a tomato into paper-thin pieces and then use that same knife to cut up kindling for the night’s fire? Well, actually, you can. However, why would you want to? You will find that some bowie knife types are better suited to specific cutting tasks than are others. As an example, a larger bowie knife might be heavy enough and resilient enough to be used as a hatchet, allowing you to clear brush and even chop up small to moderate trees for the night’s fire.

So, what can you cut with a bowie knife? It all depends on your particular knife. While you most certainly can use that gigantic blade to gut a fish, chances are quite good that the blade will be so large that you’ll muck up the job. It’s quite difficult to make a precision cut when the blade is twice as long as the fish! Now, you can take that in the opposite direction as well. You might not have much luck using a six-inch bowie knife to cut through thick brush or cut kindling for your fire.

As you can see, there are numerous factors that go into determining what you should use that bowie knife to cut. While you can most certainly cut almost anything with the blade, the wrong uses will find you spending far more time with the whetstone than you might wish.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie knives store featuring rubber training knives and butane lighters for camping.

What Material Are Bowie Knife Handles?
Dec 12th, 2009 by Dylan Sabot

Choosing bowie knives from the plethora of designs and construction materials on the market today can be quite confusing. You’ll need to choose the right blade material, as well as the right blade size. However, you will also need to know what type of material you want in the handle. Bowie knives feature a number of materials used for handle creation and each offers unique benefits (as well as costs). What are your options?

You’ll find that steel is one of the most commonly used materials for bowie knife handles. While metal handles are frequently added to “modern” evolutions of the bowie knife, you’ll find some knives based on the original design that feature these types of handles. Metal is a good choice for excellent grip, for durability and for longevity. However, be aware that improper storage of bowie knives with metal handles can lead to rust in some cases.

Metal – Metal is a popular choice for bowie knife handles, particularly for those based on militaristic themes. You will find metal handles offer excellent grip, thanks the patterning they bear. You will also find them available in a wide range of colors, from black to silver, blue and many other colors, as well. Of course, the metal used in the handles varies from knife to knife, ranging from steel to stainless steel and other options.

Composite – Composite handles are interesting options for your bowie knife. One example is called micarta, which is a trademarked material that is actually a composite of paper, canvas, linen, carbon fiber and several other materials. This has the benefit of being extremely lightweight and durable, as well as providing protection against rust and corrosion. Another benefit of composite materials is that they can resemble other materials, such as metal, wood or even bone, without the cost.

You should ensure that the knife you purchase has a full tang, rather than a rattail tang, as this provides better durability and solidity for your knife. You should also ensure that the bowie knife that you choose features a good grip – slick handles will betray you in the end and can lead to injury quite easily.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie knifes store featuring the Cold Steel rubber training knife.

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