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His Royal Hiney |
As I have shared before, I got diagnosed with osteoarthritis in the knees in March last year as my left knee could not bear my weight going down stairs. I was having to use a cane but with exercises the Physical Therapist gave me and Glucosamine Chondroitin supplements , I developed strength back in my legs so I walk painlessly. In August, I played golf and it was a great round for me. It got me excited to play golf again soon. My left knee was sore but I figure it would go away soon. Instead, it developed into a debilitating where I could not move my left leg without excruciating pain. It was just a couple of weeks before my flight for a month long vacation and I was thinking I was not going to be able to go. My doctor gave me pills to get rid of the pain and I felt normal again. To mitigate a future occurrence, I started wearing a knee brace and using a cane. The cane turned out to be a blessing in disguise as people gave me priority boarding and I was even being pushed around in wheelchairs. Went I went to the Sacramento sports arena to attend a nephew's graduation, I was walking along the sidewalk with my cane when someone stopped me and ushered my wife and I through a VIP entrance with an elevator so I wouldn't have to climb stairs. After that experience, I wanted to get a really nice cane. The one that I was using was a crocus cane from C. Davis and it was serviceable. I've seen people post about Cane Masters, I've been looking through their website. I had some ideas but I wasn't sure what would look good as I wouldn't be able to look at the options first hand. I decided to give Cane Masters a call. I explained to the woman who answered the phone that I would like guidance in picking a cane and I was surprised she handed me off that quick to the founder/owner Mark Shuey. He was nice, friendly and I was confident in the advice he gave me. We settled on Hickory with Heartwood finished with high gloss tung oil for aesthetics (the pictures do not do the wood grain justice), grips on the top and bottom of the shaft, softened fang horns which are still serviceable for scratching but I should be able to take them through TSA (I was able to with the old cane and the point was sharper), shark's teeth in the middle for more scratching ability, and a crook extension as a palm rest. For markings, we added green eyes, my first name, and the caduceus (medical) symbol. I know it's not the actual symbol for medicine but it's a common mistake in the US so I went with that plus I think it looks better than the actual symbol. Here is the full cane:  Here is a close up of the shark teeth section. The grooves are about a quarter inch deep and the tops of the edge are in a straight line resulting in a clean edge.  In comparison, here is the shark teeth section on the old cane that did not come from Cane Masters. You can see the grooves are not evenly spaced and are of different depths. The tops of the edge can be described as fairly rounded and does not present a clean edge. I'm not knocking it but it serves as a contrast to the craftsmanship in the Cane Masters.  Here's a close up of the handle with the top shaft grips, palm rest protrusion, and fangs:  Here's a close-up of the green eyes and fangs. This is the best picture that shows the grain of the wood.  And finally just the personalization of having my name and the caduceus symbol as a message that this is a medical device besides being a work of art. The name and symbol were laser etched and not painted on or stamped.  If you're considering getting a nice cane, might as well go straight to Cane Masters instead of picking up a number of not-as-well-made canes that altogether will cost you perhaps more in the long run. "It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946. | ||
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Comic Relief |
That's a mighty fine looking cane. I like it. I'm going to check Cane Masters out. | |||
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member |
I have 3 now, one is a beater. The other two are heartwood hickory with the tung oil finish. I use Renaissance wax on them once a month to keep them looking fresh. I did not opt for some of the fancier options like the eyes, preferring to keep them more traditional but still having the "weaponized" features. They do make a fine product. They also teach classes in "cane fu" aimed at older and/or disabled people. Get 25 disabled vets together for a class, and it is free and each vet gets a free cane.  | |||
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| Member |
What is the function of the grooves? Nice cane, I like the snake look. | |||
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Info Guru |
On most canes they are notches cut for each millennial that the cane owner whacks over the head for saying something stupid... “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” - John Adams | |||
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always with a hat or sunscreen |
Rev, that's a beautiful piece you have there! I never could get used to a traditional crook cane handle much preferring a fritz instead. Granted the self defense benefits of a crook handle are not fully present in a fritz. I have three now. Bubinga with tiger striped maple spacer, hickory, and maple. They work extremely well for me.  Certifiable member of the gun toting, septuagenarian, bucket list workin', crazed retiree, bald is beautiful club! USN (RET), COTEP #192 | |||
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| Imagination and focus become reality |
I've been thinking about getting one for a while now. Thanks for the information! | |||
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| His Royal Hiney |
I tell you, they have a fully functional website but for first timers like I was, I get the feeling they don't mind you calling to help you with your order. And Mark, like I said, was very pleasant. He didn't try to "upsell" me but guided me through some questions I had like what finish and stain I should get for a great looking finish. Had I just picked those for myself on the website, I don't think it would have come out as nice as it did. For example, I was thinking some stain and the matte finish and he said no stain would be better for the hickory with heartwood and the shiny finish would show off the wood better than the matte. "It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946. | |||
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| His Royal Hiney |
Thanks for the compliment. For me the grooves will be good for scratching my back. I've heard some can use it to rake over skin or apply pressure points or the resulting line itself can concentrate a given amount of force into a smaller area resulting in a higher pounds per square inch upon impact. But I wouldn't know how to do that. The protrusion serves as a palm rest but it also tapers to a blunt corner while the leading edge also tapers to a clean line. The fangs are good for a scratch on the back and for stability when you rest it on a tabletop. The single point on my old cane would pivot the whole cane while the double points make it stable. They're also great for hooking things and pulling them towards you and the points again concentrate a given amount of force into a smaller area for a higher PSI for when you want to really scratch deep where you're itching. "It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946. | |||
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| Ammoholic |
Incorrect. If that were the case, it would be more like 50 lpi checkering, if not 75. | |||
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| Too soon old, too late smart |
Another codger and I are taking self defense training twice a week from a guy trained by Mark Shuey. I was afraid that I’d become a target while tottering around with a cane. Not so. You don’t have to be able to do all the fancy complicated stuff with your cane, but with the right instruction you’ll be amazed how handy you can become that piece of hickory. Enjoy your new cane. | |||
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Member |
My favorite design   | |||
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| Imagination and focus become reality |
Quick question: Is this their "Personal Protection" model? I can't seem to find one that looks exactly like yours on their web site. | |||
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Member |
THE absolute coolest cane we ever seen or sold! They're not cheap... We sell them for $169.99 https://www.ergoactives.com/co...s/tucane-spring-cane _________________________ | |||
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| Too soon old, too late smart |
The plainest training model will do exactly what needs to be done. Before you buy, you might want to find an instructor and take a lesson or two. You will be amazed. | |||
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| Too soon old, too late smart |
Oops, sorry for the double post. | |||
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Member |
Ray, that's a very useful and handy assisting implement you have. Thanks for sharing. I can see so much in unnoticed potential ... Henry, yours is more what I'm used to, but I'm being swayed by Ray's acquisition!  We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." ~ Benjamin Franklin. "If anyone in this country doesn't minimise their tax, they want their head read, because as a government, you are not spending it that well, that we should be donating extra...: Kerry Packer SIGForum: the island of reality in an ocean of diarrhoea. | |||
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| member |
Grip. The snake horn provides a very lethal throat strike. | |||
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| His Royal Hiney |
I looked at that and went through the options available. Then I decided why not just design my own from the ground up. So I went through their design your own page just to get an idea of the various options. But as someone said, their basic model will do the job. In any case, I’ll still say call them after you’ve looked over their website to discuss what you’re looking for. Here’s what I mean: even if I chose the right finish and no stain on my own, the website doesn’t have a spot for adjustments. I happened to mention i’ll Be taking the cane through TSA and he noted to make the fangs softer or not as pointy. I think he sensed I had my mind set on the fangs for the stability when I prop it on a table top. There was no way he could have adjusted for my needs if I just went through the website. Even for a stock purchase, I would encourage calling. And i’m really not one to seek human contact or talking. "It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946. | |||
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| Junior Member |
If you decide to use a cane for self defense, I recommend checking out the self defense can course at https://www.mkguniversity.com/ I found quite helpful personally. | |||
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