Gun guys are also knife guys. Well, at least all the gun guys I know. Guns and knives go together like bikini tops and bottoms. On the floor or on a super model, they belong together.
I have a drawer full of knives; lots of knives. And, I like them all. Some are special and others are just sharp.
The special ones are like the Randall my wife bought me years ago. It has been all over the world with me. Another special knife is the one Len Waldron crafted to commemorate our first safari together. Then there’s the nasty blade my best friend built for me using the antlers of my first red stag as scales. Sheriff Jim Wilson gave me a MooreMaker while we were at Gunsite a few years back. I can’t keep it sharp because it lives on my desk and I use it all that time.
Maybe the most special blade I own is the old Case Stockman that belonged to my Grandfather. I can remember sitting under a shade tree with Grandpa, while he sliced apples for us, while cussing the bugs, and while trying to manage the gnat smoke.
But none of these are everyday carry knives because they cannot be replaced and every day carry knives have a way of getting broken or lost. An every day carry knife needs to be sharp, trustworthy, and replaceable.
For about a year my everyday knife was a Southern Grind Bad Monkey. A hunting companion gave it to me in Africa. It holds an edge like I hold a grudge and it is as rugged as the generation my father came from. However, it is a little big. A few months ago I was happy to receive the latest blade form Southern Grind. Its sort of a reduced size Bad Monkey they call the Spider Monkey.
The Spider Monkey is compact and light and sports Southern Grind’s wide but short pocket clip that does not have a tendency to hang on everything you walk past. It has textured and contoured carbon fiber scales, titanium liners, and the blade is made from the very popular and high quality S35VN steel. It is relatively easy to sharpen and it will hold an edge.
I carried the Spider Monkey to Africa and while I did not kill any lions with it, it did see some use. When my son shot his kudu high on the mountain, the crew the PH assembled to carry it down decided they would field dress it first. (In Africa it is rare that any animal gets field dressed.) I noticed the tracker struggling with his blade so I handed him the Spider Monkey.
These guys know how to handle a blade but after only a few strokes – it didn’t take many – he handed it back, muttering something in Africans. I looked at the PH and asked, “What did he say?”
Geoffrey Wayland of Fort Richmond Safaris grinned and replied, ”He says it’s too sharp.”
Well, there you go. Need I say more?
Southern Grind Spider Monkey
Weight: 3 ounces
Closed Length: 4.22 inches
Open Length: 7.5 inches
Blade Length: 3.25 inches
Suggested Retail Price: $ 219.95
