Three Tools You’ll Need for Photographing Knives

February 28, 2014

So you’ve just received the sweet new knife set you ordered from Sarge Knives and now, you want to document them in all their glory before they’ve garnered any signs of use. Or perhaps you’ve got a trusty ol’ favorite you’d like to show off. The good news is you don’t have to be a professional photographer to snap a great shot of your beloved blades. But to maximize your success, you will need a few basic tools, besides your camera, of course.

They are:

• Diffuser: A light diffuser spreads the light from your camera’s flash in a way that gives the photograph a softer look clear of those hard shadows. If you have a fancy camera, you can purchase diffusers that mount to your camera’s flash mechanism. Another option is to purchase a lightbox or light tent. These create a small space that concentrates the light and makes it easier to manipulate and use to your advantage. They’re inexpensive enough, but if you want to super low-budget, grab a white trash bag and do an online search for “how to make a lightbox.”
• Daylight Temp Lighting: Natural sunshine offers the best photography lighting money can’t buy – so long as you work the angles to eliminate shadows. But if you’re snapping your shots indoors, we recommend buying daylight temp (about 5,000 to 6,500 degree Kelvin) bulbs. Daylight temp bulbs eliminate weird color shifts that can happen when photographing using regular-temp incandescent bulbs (which can cast a yellowish light) or fluorescent bulbs (which tend to make your pictures greenish). Daylight bulbs come in both incandescent and fluorescent formats and are available online and at your local hardware store.
• Tripod: We’ve got news for you – your hands are not nearly as steady as you think. Plus, using indirect diffused light can slow your camera’s shutter speeds. Both can cause your pictures to come out blurry. Ergo, we suggest you invest in a tripod. Even the tiniest movement can cause a motion blur. That’s why photographers often use their camera’s timer to trip the shutter, dodging the slight jiggle that happens when a finger presses the snap button. And, using a tripod can compensate for those light-induced shower shutter speeds. Depending upon how fancy you get, tripods in a range of prices can be found online. But they’re also a staple at thrift shops and garage sales. Just make sure that it’s lock-up mechanism, which holds your camera to the tripod, is tight.

Check back for more tips in next week’s Sarge Knives Blog.

5 Essential Kitchen Knives

February 21, 2014

Whether you’re an army cook out in the field, the head chef at a swanky 5-star restaurant or a loving mom whipping up dinner for her lively brood, the most kitchen-savvy among you likely are using the same arsenal of blades.

Sarge Knives offers tips on the five essential kitchen knives every cook needs:

1. Cleaver: These wide-bladed, thick-spined knives make use of their weight to cut through tough foods with a chopping motion. They’re primarily used to cut through meat and poultry bones, but their width allows them to pull double duty, pulverizing meats and crushing garlic cloves and seeds.
2. Chef’s knife: One of the most versatile knife types, the chef’s knife is used for chopping and slicing fruits, vegetables, roots and, frankly, most anything else. Most feature a broad blade that curves upward toward the tip. This allows for a rocking motion, making the chef’s knife ideal for fine mincing. Chef’s knifes typically come in blade lengths of six, eight, 10 and 12 inches. Longer blades make for faster cuts, though they can be a bit hard to control, particularly for more petite cooks. Shorter blades are perfectly suited for kitchenistas with smaller hands.
3. Serrated knife: Also called wavy-edged knives, serrated knifes are the best option for cutting foods that are dense on the surface, but soft inside such as loaves of bread, sausages and tomatoes. That’s because the serrated knife’s teeth allow for greater pressure exerted on the skin of a food, making it easier to slice through hard bread crusts and tough sausage skins and fruit peels. You won’t catch a sandwich shop worker without a serrated bread knife. While the teeth of a bread knife are too large to cut fruits and vegetables effectively, their 8- to 9-inch blades are perfect for slicing up loaves of bread.
4. Fillet knife: Also called boning knives, and essentially smaller chef’s knives, fillet knives are the go-to options for cutting fish or poultry and for removing meat from bones. The come in multiple blade widths and vary in stiffness. Choose a narrow filet knife on ribs and chops to easily cut through bone and cartilage; a wide fillet knife for chicken and pork; and a curved fillet knife for an optimal working angle when cutting close to and around bone.
5. Paring knife: These smaller knives typically have blade lengths of just three to four inches, which allow for solid control. Blades usually taper to a point, allowing for intricate work. Varying types of paring knives include bird’s beak knives great for peeling round-shaped fruits and vegetables and for more precise carving and fluting; wavy-edged or serrated paring knives for cutting bread and tomatoes; and clip point or granny paring knives, effective for peeling fruits and vegetables and for removing eyes from potatoes or pits from olives.

Sarge Knives offers a full range of knife types including top-quality fillet, boning and chef’s knives perfect for preparing dinner whether in the kitchen or at the camp site.

Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas from Sarge Knives

February 1, 2014

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. And another necktie just isn’t what your man wants. He’s not crazy about tickets to the local dinner theater either. And a stuffed animal? Uh uh. But don’t worry – we’ve got you covered. Sarge Knives offers a range of gifts perfect for the outdoorsman you love.

Here are our top four suggestions for Valentine’s Day gifts from Sarge Knives:

• French Style Steak Knife Set, $69.95: This six-piece set comes beautifully packaged in a blonde wood presentation box that’ll lend a high-end feel to any table. Each knife is hand-crafted from 440 stainless steel with a 45/8-inch blade and a full micro-serrated cutting edge. The blade has a Rockwell hardness of 52-55. And the tortoise shell ABS resin handle adds a classic touch.
• Three-Blade Stockman Gentleman’s Knife, $19.95: This three-blade beauty features a striking Cocobolo wood handle with a SARGE medallion inset, brass liners and nickel silver bolsters. The 2 5/8″ clip point, 1 3/4″ spey and 1 3/4″ sheepfoot are all fashioned from 440C stainless steel with a flat grind and mirror polish. It’s as stylish as it is versatile.
• Rosewood Burl Humidor, $99.95: Is your Valentine a cigar enthusiast? He’s sure to love this high lacquer finish humidor made of Spanish cedar. It’s got an external hygrometer and a moveable divider. The rosewood finish lends a luxe feel, but you also can choose from a maple burl, black UV or walnut with white trim finish.
• Steward Wine Tool, $39.95: Much more than a corkscrew, this ultimate gentleman’s tool features a long, curved handle made of beech wood scales with satin bolsters and decorative file work along the spine. In addition to the 5-turn spiral corkscrew, there’s a wide boot lever with a bottle opener and a 1 3/4″ serrated foil cutter and a 5-turn spiral corkscrew, and it all comes in a gorgeous natural wood gift box. Be sure to pick up a bottle of merlot before your Valentine’s date.

From all of us here at Sarge Knives, have a happy St. Valentine’s Day.

Sarge Knives Showing at Trade Shows throughout February

Hey, knife enthusiasts! Sarge Knives has a busy month ahead. We’ll travel to hunting, sports and hardware shows throughout the south. Check out our roster of appearances:

• ASI (Ad Specialty Industry) Show, Feb. 5-6 in Dallas, TX
• Golf Industry Show, Feb. 6-8 in Orlando, FL
• Nation’s Best Sports Show, Feb. 7-10 in Fort Worth, TX
• NWTF (National Wild Turkey Federation) Convention & Sport Show, Feb. 14-15 in Nashville, TN
• Handy Hardware Show, Feb. 14-15 in Houston, TX
• Orgill Hardware Dealer Market, Feb. 27-March 1 in Orlando, Florida

If you plan to attend any of these shows, be sure to stop by the Sarge Knives booth and chat us up. We love meeting current and prospective customers and hearing how we can best serve your hunting, fishing and other knife needs. See you there!