My dad was reckless. It was a different time, but even for the late 70’s giving your 5-year-old son a Swiss army knife and letting him play unattended probably wasn’t the smartest move. I can probably see where my lack of risk averseness comes from, but that’s not pertinent to this particular body of work.
I’ve had a knife in my pocket or in my hand nearly every day since then. Literally hundreds of knives; boot knives, butterfly knives, hunting knives, big buck knives, all before the time I knew anything about them, except that I always had a strong internal feeling to have one on me. That feeling grew, and as my income increased so did my taste for quality knives.
When I joined the military in my early 20’s it was a perfect fit. OF COURSE I needed a knife on me! Who cares if I was a computer geek and spent my days troubleshooting 82 pin cable connectors? What was important was that I had a folder, a multitool, and a flashlight on me at all times. And then I decided to change things up. I decided that I wanted to be a survival instructor, and clearly that meant I needed a real knife. A knife that I could skin game, build a shelter, kill a bear, you know, all the normal survival tasks. That knife was a Busse Steelheart IIE, and the E meant the handle had a bit of a curve to it, and that curve meant it was very ergonomic in my hand. (This ISN’T a review of that knife, only used for reference)Wow, that was longwinded.
I said everything above to get to the review of the Jackal Knife from Southern Grind. As soon as I opened the very well packaged knife, I picked it up, drew it from the perfectly fitted sheath (more on that later), and knew it was a great knife. You see, I’ve had hundreds of knives in my hand, and I’m sure many of you have too, and these days I know immediately if the knife is for me. It felt great in my hand, in large part due to the curve of the handle, not as drastic but similar to the previously mentioned Busse, but also because of the scalloped G-10 scales, and the blade not being too thick or too long.
Let me back up for just a moment. Like all things, one should apply the right tool for the right job. So what is the “job” of this particular knife? It’s a fixed blade knife with a 4.75 inch long blade and 9.25 inches in overall length. It’s got a full tang, and a pseudo clip tip. It’s got plenty of belly in the blade and it’s big enough for most chores I’d use a knife for, except the largest of chopping jobs.
Read more – Spotter Up
(featured image courtesy of spotterup.com)
