New Gear!
My wife gave me a set of Snow Peak's chopsticks for Christmas this year. They're expensive, redundant, unnecessary and aren't a candidate for multi-use gear. With all of that said, I love them!
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| Photo courtesy of snowpeak.com |
I've always liked them but never picked a pair up because they're expensive ($29) and as I mentioned above, you really don't need them. Since I have some and there are a few interesting details I thought I'd write up a quick post.
Completely Unnecessary
First things first... these are absolutely a luxury item. Other than being small and lightweight they're just about the opposite of what I like about UL gear. Regardless, I'm looking forward to my first mug of ramen with them in the woods.
Simple
1. Remove the cap. It's a brass plug held in by a press fit o-ring. Simple!
2. Remove the wooden tips.
3. Thread the tip on the base & replace the brass caps.
4. Enjoy your meal.
Elegant
The materials are a nice match. The grip is stainless steel with a bead blasted matte finish. The tip is Japanese White Ash. Snow Peak made a deal with Japanese baseball teams to recycle their broken bats into new chopsticks. Nice touch! The threaded joint and rear cap are both made of brass.
The design shows off Snow Peak's typical refined simplicity. The design geometry, material selection and finish are all understated and show that the designer understood that less can truly be more. The chopsticks are well balanced whether you use them with a high or low grip.
Quality
Fit and finish are fantastic. It's that simple.
