I was killing some time at Academy Sports while Mrs. Odesio was searching for clothes, so I happened down the knife aisle and was surprised there was a spear for sale. I can’t remember what company made it, but it cost about $40 and it was a honest to God short spear with a steel tip. I couldn’t help wonder who this product was for. What does a modern human do with a spear? Fishing immediately came to mind, but it didn’t have the right tip for fishing. Or maybe it did? What do I know about spear fishing? At less than four feet in length, it’s not a spear I’d want to hunt with, it didn’t look as if it were made to be thrown, it wouldn’t make for a useful tool, so what the hell is this for? Who would buy such a thing, and for what?
Are there other products that completely baffle you? I don’t mean products you don’t see the appeal of, but products you simply don’t understand at all.
The manufacturer calls it a ‘tactical companion’. To which I’m inferring it’s meant for little more than looks and maybe throwing it a target from time to time. I don’t know much about knives (or spears) but I’m guessing for $50 it’s not built to defend against much of anything. In the hands of the untrained person, which most of us are, I’m guessing it’s about as useful as a pair of nunchucks.
When I met my soon-to-be Arkansas in-laws, I saw something odd in their garage and asked by bridge-to-be why her parents owned a trident. She was confused, until she realized I was talking about the frog gig. A frog gig typically has either mulitple tips or it’s barbed to prevent the frog from slipping off the blade.
You know, I should have thought that this is mainly made for the tacticool market. Joey_P had it right when he typed: