I’ve had an Eka Swingblade pretty much since they first came out. To be honest, though, I’ve never really liked it. The concept is very clever, but rotating the blade means that you get blood and other detritus inside the handle. Not a problem if you only have one beast to gralloch, but a bit of a pain in terms of transferring germs between multiple carcasses.
The other thing I never cared for was the rubbery handle, which seemed to get dirty as soon as it was taken outside of the sheath.
So the knife has stayed in a drawer for over 10 years, occasionally taken out and given a once-over but never at the top of the heap when going out stalking.
Then recently I came across this video by Alan, from Danum Blades, where he shows his work re-handling a Swingblade:
I got in touch with him and asked if he’d be up for doing another, and a few days later my Swingblade was winging its way to him. Thinking of the new handle I asked Alan if he could do green Micarta scales over orange G10 liners, the idea being that the Swingblade would then match the knife that Stu Mitchell made to my design a few years ago:
Alan ordered up a couple of different shades of the green Micarta, a choice was made, and the deal was struck.
A few short weeks later Alan got in touch to let me know that the knife was almost complete, sending me some photos, and we then discussed the sheath which Alan was making to house the knife.
Move on another week or two and Alan emailed to say that the knife and sheath were finished. He despatched them to me via DHL who - after an initial failed attempt (i.e. they didn’t even call at the house but sent me an email to say “we called and you were out”) - dropped the box off at my door on Thursday.
Opening the box revealed the knife in all its glory! Alan has done a wonderful job, and to my mind the new handle really transforms the knife, fitting the hand perfectly and giving it much more heft. The finishing is superb, and Alan shows a real eye for detail with the cutout for the button that lets you swing the blade.
Fast forward to this morning and an opportunity to get out stalking. I took the Swingblade with the idea of giving it a test run, and fate was kind enough to present the opportunity to cull a four-point roe buck.
The knife performed as expected, and I certainly found it a lot more pleasing to use with the new handle than the old one.
I’d like to thank Alan for the excellent job he’s done, both re-handling the knife and with his beautifully made leather sheath. I’d also call out his superb customer service in terms of keeping me fully up to date with progress. It has been a real pleasure dealing with him and I couldn’t be happier with the result.
The other thing I never cared for was the rubbery handle, which seemed to get dirty as soon as it was taken outside of the sheath.
So the knife has stayed in a drawer for over 10 years, occasionally taken out and given a once-over but never at the top of the heap when going out stalking.
Then recently I came across this video by Alan, from Danum Blades, where he shows his work re-handling a Swingblade:
I got in touch with him and asked if he’d be up for doing another, and a few days later my Swingblade was winging its way to him. Thinking of the new handle I asked Alan if he could do green Micarta scales over orange G10 liners, the idea being that the Swingblade would then match the knife that Stu Mitchell made to my design a few years ago:
Alan ordered up a couple of different shades of the green Micarta, a choice was made, and the deal was struck.
A few short weeks later Alan got in touch to let me know that the knife was almost complete, sending me some photos, and we then discussed the sheath which Alan was making to house the knife.
Move on another week or two and Alan emailed to say that the knife and sheath were finished. He despatched them to me via DHL who - after an initial failed attempt (i.e. they didn’t even call at the house but sent me an email to say “we called and you were out”) - dropped the box off at my door on Thursday.
Opening the box revealed the knife in all its glory! Alan has done a wonderful job, and to my mind the new handle really transforms the knife, fitting the hand perfectly and giving it much more heft. The finishing is superb, and Alan shows a real eye for detail with the cutout for the button that lets you swing the blade.
Fast forward to this morning and an opportunity to get out stalking. I took the Swingblade with the idea of giving it a test run, and fate was kind enough to present the opportunity to cull a four-point roe buck.
The knife performed as expected, and I certainly found it a lot more pleasing to use with the new handle than the old one.
I’d like to thank Alan for the excellent job he’s done, both re-handling the knife and with his beautifully made leather sheath. I’d also call out his superb customer service in terms of keeping me fully up to date with progress. It has been a real pleasure dealing with him and I couldn’t be happier with the result.
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