Well…I said it might happen and it did. While wandering around the excessively large display floor of the SHOT Show, I came across a knife manufacturer with a familiar name. Ironically, a shooting buddy from Ohio, who shares the same last name as the founder of Demko Kives, happened to be at the booth and waved me over.
In the last edition of Pappy’s Tales, I indicated I’d be trying out this new Demko Shark-Cub® 20CV G10 as a potential daily carry. It checks all the boxes: light, fast, thin, quality and positive lock-up. In fact, this design is one from the mind of Andrew Demko, a long-time knife designer going back to the early days of other iconic brands in the United States. The Shark-Lock® is a unique self-adjusting locking system with a captive spring, operating from a thumb button which sits atop the backstrap. The thumb button resembles the dorsal fin of a shark, hence the name.
This model has G10 scales for excellent grip and maintains its thin profile thanks to the locking system which allows for the manufacture of a knife without a steel liner where either a liner spring or backstrap spring would be located. Think in terms of a self-contained modular locking mechanism which attaches to the frame but is not part of the frame. Because of this innovation, a thin yet robust knife can be realized while maintaining superior strength. This model adds a titanium pocket clip which is reversable for south-paws and secures this model for discreet and comfortable carry.
The 2.7-inch CPM 20CV steel blade is absolutely razor sharp and has retained this edge well with daily use. I elected for the “slicer” blade profile but Demko makes them in in both a clip point and a shark foot shape.
For those who may not want the orange handle on this knife, Demko offers it in both black and OD Green. I prefer the orange because if one drops his or her knife, as one often does, the orange handle makes is easy to find. These old eyeballs have lost more than one small black or dark colored knife after dropping them onto the ground amidst a mess of leaves and brush. When one spends the money to carry quality, it tends to seriously irritate said individual when that knife goes missing without a trace.
While I tend to be pretty stuck in my ways and accustomed to things the way they are, changing to a new daily carry pocketknife is quite an exercise. It requires hours of internal debate and evaluation combined with active testing. Through it all, the Shark-Cub® won me over and has officially replaced my previous daily cutter.
As stated in the last edition, the search for the perfect pocketknife is a lifelong pursuit with each new model chosen, outperforming the last if only by a small margin. One can view this lifelong quest as either the unending search for perfection that it is, OR merely an excuse one gives to the wife to justify buying another knife. Either way, enjoy the never-ending search for perfection. You may find it, as I have, in a model from Demko Knives.
Visit their website at: www.demkoknives.com
