Grail items—things that people have sought after for a long time that are usually rare and somehow special—are weird thing. Sometimes its just the current flavor of the week and is up for sale a few days later. Other times, they become cherished tools that remain in use for decades.

I am waiting for a grail item as I write this—a plain Jane Ti Clicky CWF Micro Acardian—so the topic is top of mind for me. But it is also something I think is interesting to contemplate from the perspective of the enthusiast community. As I think about this I am reminded of the Spock quote from Star Trek TOS: “Having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting.” Aside from having all of the key traits of a great aphorism, it is profoundly true and defines a lot of what we as enthusiast deal with. I guess that means the question is—is the quest for the Grail item more enjoyable than the item itself? Here are two experiences that I have had that I think seem like the bookends for this issue.

McGizmo Haiku

I have been pretty open about the fact that while I like knives a lot, flashlights are the thing that got me into gear. When I started, and even today, the McGizmo Haiku is one of the best flashlights ever made, the Lamborghini Miura of torches in more ways than one. I got my Haiku way, way back in the late aughts and I was immediately blow away. Picking it up for the first time was an experience I will remember because then, unlike now, I had not handled a ton of high quality, high complexity machined tools. It was basically Maglights and an occasional Nitecore. This was something on an entirely different level, an object of splendid refinement, and if I can be corny for a minute, something that was evocative of Luke Skywalker’s ROTJ lightsaber. I am not going to hide that fact—this torch appeals to me more because of it.

Often with ultra high end stuff there is a bit of learning curve. I remember getting a high end RC car in the late 90s and feeling like one minute of runtime equaled two minutes of repair and another two minutes of charging. It was a blast for those few minutes of running, but a chore the rest of the time. It felt like a hobby that was a drudgery (no one, for example, mops as a hobby). I was wary that the McGizmo would be like that—it would run for a few minutes and die or it would require some bizarre $96 battery that lasted a few days, or something else. But it didn’t. It was no more complex to use than low performance stuff, it just was better. A lot better. It was, in a word, accessible.

And so more than a decade later I still carry the Haiku. It is still one of my favorite lights ever. Even with the original emitter at 138 lumens, I carried it and used it regularly because the beam pattern and color rendering were so good. I’d opt for it over kilolumen monsters. But when I got a drop in that boosted the output into the same territory and added a moonlight low, it was love all over again.

This was a grail that was worth the wait and it is a rare case of having being just as pleasing as wanting.

Anso Orso Custom

I hope it is clear that this is a design blog that happens to focus on knives and flashlights. To that end, there has been no one more interesting or more provocative than Jens Anso. His collabs with Giant Mouse have been some of my favorites and his early stuff with Spyderco was really stunning. So when I had the chance to buy a custom folder, I jumped on it, having pined for one for a decade. It was truly a “Grail getting” moment.

But then I got the knife. It was superbly well made and quite striking, but it was not as accessible as other customs I had. The detent was very heavy, crispy like I like it, but the flipper tap was both very rounded over and polished. As a result flipping required some real attention. It wasn’t a bad thing, just different from expectations. I got this knife right when everyone starting using bearings and consistent and easy deployment was starting to be the norm. The comparison to the Orso was obvious and unfavorable.

Getting something other than what you expected from a Grail really alters the psychological impact the item has. You have been pining and wanting this thing for so long that all of the question marks or things that can’t be conveyed in pictures get papered over by assumptions that they will be as you prefer. When they aren’t the item goes from Grail to goose egg, even if, like in my case, the Orso was a brilliant design with impeccable fit and finish. It wasn’t a bad knife, it just wasn’t the knife I had imagined it to be. That is one way in which a Grail really isn’t a Grail.

Another way people are mistaken that they are hunting a Grail, which I tend to not do, simply by virtue of having seen so many EDC items, is that people mistake Grail for simply the thing they really want right now. Despite the review catalog here, I have fallen prey to this. When the Gent first came out I was so excited to see the design I traded my Caly3 in ZDP-189 for an early release version. In hindsight that was a very poor trade. The Gent is a great knife and I really liked it, but a bit of patience would have served me well. Alas, all these years later I am still Caly3-less despite a persistent search, but its just a case study in how to temper your Grail hunting zeal. True Grails aren’t going to be readily available in seven days.

Grails I have Left

I have been very fortunate over the years to have nailed some of my Grails down—the Haiku, the Sawby, the Krein Whitetail, the Busse, the Prometheus Lights Delta, the Compact Dauntless, and as of yesterday the CWF Micro Arcardian Click. But there are a few that still elude me:

Tom Krein Splinter: In the years I have been looking I have only seen a handful go on the market and I have been too slow to nab them. Tom’s work is among my favorite in the custom realm and I really like the look of the Splinter, so I am assuming it will be excellent.
Spyderco Caly3 in ZDP-189: The Gent trade is probably the worst trade I have ever made in gear, but I did it knowing full well what I was doing. Now, though, I really miss the Caly3. I’d love to see Spyderco do one in Magnacut, but until then, I will be trolling eBay for a clean specimen. I wouldn’t say no to a ZDP-189 Walker or a Spyderco Air either.
Randall Made Knives Model 25 Trapper: Randalls are pretty hard to get—you either take the configurations ordered years ago by companies like AG Russell or you have to wait 2-4 years for your specific order to be made. Unfortunately, there is always something else ahead of this on the want/review list, but it is about time for me to get serious tracking down a Model 25.
Gough Made Blades Resolute Mk. III: I can’t think of a single thing I would change in terms of the look and design of the knife. I wish it was offered in a powder steel, but A2 is pretty good. If the Randall represents the traditional fixed blade, in my mind this is the fully modern one.
RJ Martin Q36: This knife is entirely too big, but the flipping action is amazing. I have four customs and this is bigger than all of them, so, what the heck, why not?
Loveless Drop Point Hunter/Walker Folder: these are on the list just in case I win the lottery. Realistically I am never going to have the money to spend on a knife of this price, but if I did, these would be the first two.

Hit me up if you have any of these you are looking to get rid of, we can work out something (hopefully).

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