RC, what Frank was referring to was something approaching a "real" knife, rather than pointed sticks or shards of found bone. I understand from reading that flintknappers were very well respected due to the plain & simple fact that other than true blades, everything else is just a poker.

Some years back, I read about a surgeon who used a very, VERY old obsidian flintknapped blade for a surgery, and he raved about its sharpness.

Chris is right: keep a good blade with you and don't lose it. With it, you can make do with other things; without it, you could be up that S creek.

Sue