for fashionable use or some walking aid. Basically everything nice short of a crutch.
I had a hip replaced 20 years ago, the other one is now knackered too, two dogy knees, three vertebrae fused and an occasional equilibrium failure in the cpu.
Pain killers x warm dry climate do wonders but on bad days I need a cane and on good days it would be a sensible thing too.
I have been using my trusty high techie duralmin one with ergonomic grip for 25 years, in clips on my motorbikes and all but it is not very smart looking. Never was and with lots of useful life showing even less.
Ergo; I am looking to acquire a nice one to go with a dressy watch, vintage hat etc. which will give me some support without looking like one from the orthopedic aids rack.
I want to make lemonade from lemons; look smarter with the walking aid.
What do you guys have/use?
I now own the silver-topped cane in this picture of my great-uncle Granville.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Now THAT is cool!Originally Posted by swanbourne
Not 'just' an authentic period gentleman's cane but one with a family history.
Thanks for sharing.
I have no need (yet) for a walking cane, but oft admire the town and country canes and crooks in the windows of James Smith & Sons, Ltd. on New Oxford St.
There's one modelled on (apparently) the silver-topped drinking stick used by Toulouse Lautrec (containing a couple of glasses and a flask) which I hope I might find a use for in my dotage...
Thanks for the link.
The ´TL´ dubbed twin flask one is a good example of cashing in on a famous yet copyright free name. You pay considerably extra for it.
This is a nice one:
and despite being silver plated only, you pay almost three times the price of one with a single, larger glass container.
I would go for a luxury version of the single flask in ebony and with Sterling silvew which only just tops the price of the TL one.
Almost all models by Fayet are also produced in Spain at the same quality with a markedly different price strategy. The base models are comparable, just a bit cheaper in Spain, but the upgrades to exotic wood or silver are véry much cheaper there.
Fayet in their turn are surprisingly sharply pricing their sword canes.
p.s. there is a fairly modern delightfull French-Spanish movie called Toulouse Lautrec and it is readily available on DVD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnGMKDaGIso
Nothing complicated wónderfull period embiance. One to watch more than once just for the pleasure of the aesthetics.
Nice hats too ;-)
Last edited by Huertecilla; 24th April 2014 at 14:28.
I've at least a dozen, but it depends what you want from the thing. I've a Victorian Silver top, totally useless for usage but looks the nuts.
My 'Blacks' light weight is what I use to travel with, its strong has a wrist strap and fairly good contact grip. The Leki has a shock absober in the pole which saves your palm & wrist!
http://www.blacks.co.uk/equipment/13...-assorted.html
If you can pick up a NHS issue 'circa' 1960 walking stick they are the dogs, but a heavy and obvious.
I've a Zulu sword stick, Umbrella stick and a lovely one I bought hand carved in SA.
I have invented a device that helps walking sticks to stand on their own, just need money to launch the damn thing.
I'll post some pictures of my sticks when I get a chance.
Never comprimise with your health, you will soon get sick of carrying around a polished swagger stick!
Last edited by wildheart; 24th April 2014 at 14:32.
Thanks for the info re TL. I don't think I've seen that movie.
My trusty is the archetype of the Leki idea. A lot simpler and more elegant. Functionally all I could want but not remotely a dress stick.
A knob stick is indeed not very suitable for more than light balance. It is a gentleman´s fashion thing, not much more.
As I dó need to lean on it a bit and occasionaly a lot, a handle is regretfully about essential.
The sword cane is unfortunately veryveryvery illegal. Even the traditional Makhila is. I would lóve a luxury one but it comes as a low priority since it is about impossible to use. Also it is quite a lot heavier than necessary which is unfun when you carry a stick because you need to. Unfortunately, again, this goes for all sticks with tricks such as the TL model too.
The coolest of all trick sticks is imo the air gun cane. It is even modern produced today with CO2 system. I would LÓVE one. Not practical for ány walking though and very illegal again too.
The Makhila is about the only practical trick stick but the knob makes it a country walker´s aid, not an aid for just wálking.
Btw Eddie did you get the, or another, Derby bowler to go with it?
I do have a light grey Homburg, no Derby.
I don't want to jump to conclusions but Eddie's point was that he is the owner of a family heirloom; I'm not sure that this means he's swanning round Sheffield like some latter day Burlington Bertie.
The risk is that, on top of your hat obsession, you will end up looking like a caricature rather than any model of sartorial correctness. You're also not particularly aged and presumably don't want to look like some sort of geriatric before your time (I believe that comes to all of us in the end). If I was in this situation I'd be looking to either use an umbrella (I have ones from James Smith, Aquascutum and Swaine Adeney & Brigg etc and they are really solid) or a walking stick such as a blackthorn but I can't comment whether the latter has any real orthapaedic qualities (I inherited mine from an uncle who also had the decency to give me an antique, silver-topped malacca cane as a commissioning present but it's a swagger stick so better suited to flogging things than perambulation). A proper umbrella maker may even make a purpose-designed surgical model - I've no idea.
Last edited by Carlton-Browne; 24th April 2014 at 18:14.
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
I was in James Smith and Son a few weeks back - I have a history of back problems after riding bicycles like an idiot for too long and inevitably coming into contact with something relatively solid... For my birthday this year, my wife bought me a "proper" umbrella, and I selected one which has a solid wooden handle and shaft, with a brass ferule. Even with my "dominant" stature (IE, I'm a big lad), it's more than strong enough to double as a walking stick when the need arises, but also has the functionality of keeping my tweeds and linens dry.
I have no idea what I may choose to do if my back plays up in the rain, of course.
It was ridiculously expensive for a brolly, but the quality is outstanding, and the service at Smith's was very old-fashioned, they measured and cut the shaft to the correct length for me, and there is a repair service available for just about every part of the thing. The cost is justified by the materials (including brass, silver and maple), the service and the handmade nature of the umbrella.
Given the year I've had, my visit was a welcome afternoon of light-heartedness, and the memory is there whenever I use it, whwich is priceless. Give them a visit if you can, I don't think you'll be dissapointed.
Careful... Could make you look like a 70's pimp!!!
I didn't get the hat and I don't (yet) use the cane.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
I have one from Fox the umbrella people. It's walnut with a bulldog head. Use it for bramble bashing mostly, but it stays by the front door in case I'm burglarised. Reasonable force etc.
My neighbour has dozens of them. Hand carved from all sorts of wood.
I bought my umbrella from them nearly 20 years ago and it's still in full working order. Mine was also cut to size as I waited and I think I paid around £75. The last time I visited was in 2011 and nothing had changed. Along with DR Harris it's my favourite London shop.
Is this of any interest?
I don't know whether they do internet sales but it is local to us and we are regular visitors to Castellon De la Plana if there was anything that "caught your eye"
http://www.walkingstickshop.co.uk/albums.html
Best wishes
Dave
Thanks for worrying but you need not really. Why do you think I stay well clear of Panamas
Now if I wanted to look silly I would go for an umbrella.
For one because there are 300 sunny days per year and not all rain at the rest (I ride rag top down save for say 10 days/year), but also because although they can be made reassuringly solid an umbrella is suboptimal as walking aid.
Lastly because it would RÉALLY be odd here. You can wear about anything without anyone raising an eyebrow, it beats Amsterdam!, but an umbrella would be silly if not actually for rain. No, a parasol is not any better as that is a serious NoNo for any hetero man...
Neat present such a malacca wood cane!! I would definitely use that on days when just light balance suffices.
The James Smith and Son umbrellas sound like seriously classy pieces of kit.
75 quid does not sound excessive at all. I mean, a bespoke made cane costs quite abit more. A good ´orthopedic´ quality walking umbrella is to all extends and purposes a very trick walking stick. The handle is basically the same too! I would not have been surprised about a lót more.
Meanwhile I made what I thought were quite lów ball opening bids on three individual Sterling silver handled handcrafted ebony canes from the same seller, meaning to buy ONE. To my complete bewilderment the seller responded; ´ok that makes x for the total which I accept with shipping included´.
OOPS! Ggggúlpp....
Three is a bit much but the price is LÓW; on par with what Fayet charges for the Toulouse Lautrec stick with a silver plated knob on a brown stamina wood shaft...
Anyone for a bargain ebony/silver stick?
He's right you know Huertecilla!
My 17 year old Son is currently after an inexpensive crystal handled pimp cane as a prop for his 'pimp walk' complete with wholly artificial and exaggerated limping swagger...it cracks me up every time. Choose wisely!
So be it for all I care.
There are appearantly also some people who see a fedora hat as a sexist´s advertisement.
I have no controll over what someone else thinks nor do I care when it is someone I don´t know.
The way Í see it, those pre-misconceptions are theír problem.
As to those whom I do care about, they are instrumental in the choise of attire I wear so they per definition like it a lot.
Have you pimp associaters ever heard of ´Sape´?? Look it up (or not). All about the importance of dressing elegant.
Hint; Guinness hooked a world wide ad campaign up on it.
As I have also roots in Belgium, even almost daily email contact with a friend in the Congo, I am quite aware of thát rather than the pimp thing. And I do not in the least mind a possible association with the totally positive ´sape´ thing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CScqFDtelrQ
as to cool canes;
and there is an umbrella one for the UK too;
and the wicked version
and for the slightly older members
Last edited by Huertecilla; 24th April 2014 at 23:02.
[QUOTE=Huertecilla;3117034]So be it for all I care. ....QUOTE]
Then I salute you.
Peter.
Sorry Huertecilla - my earlier post was insensitive and no offence was intended.
Last edited by forpetesake; 24th April 2014 at 23:46. Reason: apology added
[QUOTE=forpetesake;3117143]The thing is Peter, that people think what they think based on assumptions based on their own experiences regardless of what you do/are/look; it is outside of your circle of influence.
Today many people have seen the Indy films and thus will make comments of that nature when a vaguely alike hat is worn, whereas the film is retro to the period when most men wore one and Bogart immortalised the style. Hé however does not exist for most people.
Ditto the ´pimp´ association with an óld central european hat that was made famous by an english King.
I also mentioned the association hard core feminist appear to have.
There is no way you shoúld care.
Do yoú care to that the Rolex sub - Bond thing is not at all that ok with hard core feminist either? In the old Bonds he slapped the girls about so a Rolex sub wearer is a woman beater.
Do you now go write about Rolex sub wearers beware? Or because thát is outside of yoúr perception you do not care?
I need to sleep on that Huertecilla.
It's never dull with you around.
Please note I edited my previous post before reading your latest.
No problem, none taken.
That is what ´my´ gfs say too. I have btw álso recieved more than one compliment on ´distinguished/interesting looking´ on even my old trusty cane. Also on my grey hair so there you go. All is relative and perception is reality.
Sweet dreams ;-)
Back to canes. Mailed my other gf about it; she is into that sort of thing and hats. We will talk about it over the weekend and I will decide on the three canes including her perspective.
Anyway, I would like a Martini now but I have been forgetting to get some for mónths now... That is a senior moment more worrysome than perhaps lóóking geriatric to some.
Last edited by Huertecilla; 25th April 2014 at 00:23.
For various reasons someone got into conversating about Don Juan with me.
After 500 years the character is still very much alive and his contemporary picture looks like
with a cane.
The original however ran through Ana´s dad Don Gonzalo with his side sword. He would absolutely nót have had a cane.
Not untill well into the 19th century he grows a sword cane yet in Victorian days self defense was not an excuse for running someone through with a sword (or bullet) and a blackthorn cane with solid knob vastly preferred.
We concluded that Don Juan´s character should nowadays have a cane with knob.
I saw four of these in a junk shop near me the other day
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Sounds like you could have picked up appearantly sought for items at a bargain.
Went to the market with my gf this morning. She went dressed 'stop'm dead in their tracks' so I changed in something smart too.
We dropped of a bread order at the for here high end furniture & stuff shop where we were inundated with compliments. At the side of the counter there was a simple, VERY elegant cane/umbrella stand holding one lonely tapered wood cane with inlaid ball. The prices were still in pesetas and even those were docked: I was given both by my gf
Not a nearly proper walking aid though...
Unfortunately, swordsticks are illegal in the UK :-(.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Well, yes and no.
It is imo not correct that one is not permitted aids for self defense as the State is not guaranteeing your safety. They just put up cameras and privatise it all.
The sword cane does have the issue of concealment. It would be more reasonable to allow a side sword.
Same thing with concealed or not fire arms.
In present day society the whole subject is however not open for discussion and even pocket knives will be further persecuted.
Leaves a walking stick. That too is likely to in not too distant future be linked to a permit only for officially homologated medical supply for those with a medical report stating the need.
I personally do not want a sword nor lethal fire-arm though. I would LOVE a pistol punching out .45 rubber balls at 120 or so Joules.
Alas, the legal use of violence has been strictly monopolised by the State. Meaning that those who maintain the order for those that rule and them who operate outside of the law; with or without State mandate, have the sole use of arms.
Better get a cane with knob before it becomes illegal
Zulu sword stick
Silver top Edwardian cane
South Africain Mahogany walking stick
Owl
for sharing!
That is a good looking collection of very different canes.
That zulu sword sure is not taking measures by half, ín half perhaps
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