A look at the practicality of the EKA Swing Blade Knife for Deer Stalkers.
Developed in Sweden the EKA swing blade knife represents the very best in Scandanavian design and quality. I have been using my own 'High Vis' orange EKA swing blade for the last couple of years and am delighted with it.
Designed with hunters in mind the EKA swing blade has two Sandvik stainless steel blades the first a regular all purpose 10cm blade and the other an 8cm 'zipper' blade so described as it is used to unzip the belly of a carcass without cutting into the gut contents. For anyone who has the most minimal grasp of food hygiene or has sat their Deer Stalkers Certificate they will be well aware of the advantages of such a tool to avoid contamination of a carcass.
As a rule I tend to carry a small sharpener in the field however with the EkA, provided I have not been particularly clumsy when removing the head and legs, I can usually polish of the whole gralloching procedure without the need to sharpen the blade mid way through.
The handle is made from a hard moulded rubber and is available in black or high visibility orange or yellow and fits well in the hand. Because of the material from which it is made it also offers great grip even when your hands are wet. The sheath is of a hard wearing black nylon design with a robust Velcro strap that inspires confidence.
The hinge that operates the mechanism and locks the blades in place is after two years of my own use still excellent. It is of course crucial to keep the knife clean for obvious reasons but also because as with any swing blade or folding knife the mechanism and housing of the blade will otherwise attract dirt and become unhygienic.
Added to this the only bit of maintenance that is required is the occasional drop of gun oil in the hinge, this should be sufficient to insure that the blades continue to operate easily and freely.
A good quality knife is one of the most important bits of kit that is carried by any deer stalker and the EKA swing blade fits the bill nicely.
For more details or to purchase your own EKA swing blade try: http://www.casstrom.co.uk/ or telephone Casstrom on: 01628 330 330.
