Join me in the continuation of an epic super-detailed two-part review of the AITOR Jungle King knife series. For me, this style of knife focuses on the fun in outdoor knife use that is so often overlooked due to it being fashionable to dismiss any knife if it doesn’t have a full tang and latest super-steel. Let’s allow ourselves the simple enjoyment of using different knives, and with the Jungle King Series, Aitor have packed them with interesting and useful features.
This epic review of the Aitor Jungle King knives has so much detail I’ve had to split it into two parts. In this, the second part, we will explore using the plethora of features Aitor give you, and some valuable insights into these interesting knives.
See Part 1 for the technical details and photo galleries showing all the features. Read on here in Part 2 for practical testing and insights plus a unique insight into the madness of UK knife law.
The madness of UK Knife law (and the global epidemic):
I’ve had to start Part 2 with this section for two main reasons. Firstly, in order not to break a new UK knife law “The Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Amendment, Surrender and Compensation) Order 2024″ when it came into force, I had to modify the Jungle King 1, as overnight this knife became an illegal offensive weapon in the UK, which was clearly a danger to society and must be destroyed.
Fortunately the relatively minor reshaping of the knife tip brought the Jungle King’s blade under this terrifying 8” threshold and filled it with fwuffy bunny wabbit love meaning the UK was safe again 🙂
In the gallery, the masking tape was used to mock up the required position for this modification and finalise the angle for this small reverse Tanto. Such a pity to have to make this alteration, but the tip strength will be higher with this modification. The material was removed using a belt grinder, and definitely proved the hardness and wear resistance of the Aitor heat treat as it did resist the change and take longer than expected. It was however worth it to feel I had made the country a safer place to live in (this was said with sarcasm).
Comparison of size and handling:
I take an XL size Glove, and this gallery steps through the models from Jungle King 1 to 3 giving a sense of how they handle.
New Edges for All:
I did give myself quite a job with the major reprofiling of all three blades, and although there was a lot of metal needing to be removed, it was worth the effort as this has transformed all the Jungle King models.
All blades were taken to 17.5 DPS.
The Pallet Chop test:
This is a no-holds-barred chopping test. Initially chopping directly with the knife, and then, if required, using a baton to drive the blade into the board.
The Jungle King 1 simply blasts through this test under its own weight, a powerful chopper without any jarring or bounce. The difference in chopping with the Jungle King 2 is huge. Its weight, or lack of, in comparison to the Jungle King 1 makes it much less effective; so step in the baton. The blade profile is also a wider wedge, so takes more effort to drive it in deeply, and the angle of cut is critical. As the Jungle King 2 progresses through this cutting task, it becomes more difficult to do as it needs enough space for the baton to be able to strike the blade.
Last up is the Jungle King 3, lightweight and a plastic handle – so “what are you doing?” you might well ask. The point is to see if it could and what I found was a ‘Yes…but’ answer. Right here in this gallery, the Jungle King 3 was used as it is, with the tailcap and survival kit in place. After three strikes on the blade spine, the brass threaded insert broke free of the handle. The lesson is; don’t baton with the Jungle King 3 straight out of the sheath, however, this story is to be continued…
Aitor Saw-Backs:
With the Jungle King 1 and 2 featuring the Aitor Saw Back, how do these fare? As with almost all saws on the spine of a knife blade, it is best to consider these a notching tool rather than a full cross-cut saw. Depth of cut is limited to more or less the depth of the saw teeth before the saw starts to bind in the cut and progress stops as there is no clearance. The saw-backs do help give a square cut for making pegs, traps, cooking stands, so are useful, but won’t allow you to saw off branches.
Camp Cutting and Fire Lighting:
Straight up I must say that initial out-of-the-box cutting tests were disappointing. I normally would try to use the factory edges as much as possible. However the edge reprofile, and sharpen to shaving sharp (less than 200 BESS shaves), has made the Jungle King knives eager cutters and a pleasure to use. The fineness and delicacy of cut the Jungle King 1 manages surprised me. The large blade and handle allowing for controlled power to be applied to the cuts. Moving to the Jungle King 2 and it feels so light in comparison, despite its all metal construction, and although also cutting very well, with good control, the advantages of the larger Jungle King 1 are apparent.
Lightest of all, the Jungle King 3 with the slimmest blade, has a tendency to bite in more deeply that you want, and its smaller size and weight becomes apparent as you feel it is harder work for the same tasks; but it is significantly lighter and easier to carry.
All the Jungle King knives stood up really well with the new edge geometry, holding their edges and not showing any damage.
The fire-lighting tests were a mix and match, with the magnesium block fire steel from the Jungle King 1, and using the easier to handle Jungle King 3 for striking and shaving the magnesium block. I chose to use the magnesium block mounted firesteel as the small fire steels in the survival kits are uncomfortable to hold during striking, so the magnesium block provides a stable platform for this. Unfortunately, during this test, the fire steel came away from the magnesium block, leaving me having to hold the firesteel on its own anyway.
Though not a requirement, the magnesium shavings do help get a flame going if the tinder is not perfectly dry, so try without first, but then you can always give it a boost if needed.
That Iconic Slingshot:
Such an overused word ‘iconic’ but it is true for Aitor’s Jungle King knives. Again one of those highly copied features, for the reason it is simply great fun. Would I expect to use it to hunt in a survival situation? Honestly, no, I’ve never been that good with a slingshot, and naturally available ammunition is not consistent in size, shape or weight. Like the lottery, if you don’t play you can’t win, so in desperate times an attempted shot is better than no shot. Added to that, for survival, when you finally might need to try, the slingshot bands are latex, and latex bands degrade over time, so unless you make sure to replace them every year or two with fresh bands, you may find they are unusable.
Initial testing here was with the Jungle King 1 and 2. When using the Jungle King 3 I found it significantly less comfortable to hold, with the smaller sheath digging into my hand more.
The slingshot bands appear to be the same specification, even if a slightly different colour. Assembly is very easy just pushing the ends of the bands over the slingshot arms. Drawing the slingshot makes the tubes grip onto the metal arms, so they don’t slide off.
For this plinking test I used ‘mud balls’ (clay slingshot ammo), and two factors presented very quickly. For each and every shot, the slingshot arms are knocked forward (as shown) out of position, so need to be pulled back into place for the next shot. Most seriously, after only five shots, the bands developed holes from the unfinished ends of the slingshot arms. At least one arm for each Jungle King model has a sharp corner which cut through the slingshot band. Testing was cut short as I did not want to continue with the damaged bands.
The Slingshot Fix:
After that initial testing session being cut short, I rounded off the ends of all the slingshot arms with a file, on all the Jungle King models. Not a perfect job by any means, but leaving no sharp corners. Then trimming off those damaged ends from the bands (at least this is an easy fix, by just shortening them a couple of centimetres) and going again.
Now, after I got tired (lost track of how many shots), there was no damage to the bands at all. I did get more accurate, but would not have expected to hit a rabbit, squirrel or bird sized target. Fun, just not if my life depended on it.
General use of the Jungle King knives:
This is a bit of a hotchpotch section to round up a few things in one last gallery. A reminder that you don’t need to be on jungle adventures to use these knives; I needed to cut some foam rubber to size and the large blade of the Jungle King 1 was ideal to give me the a perfectly clean wide flat cut. Slicing easily with the same untouched edge that was previously put to work for the pallet chop and cutting tests.
A note about the Jungle King 1’s sheath, and the slide-out tray plus metal sheath divider, which fell out. I suspect the slingshot practice session caused the metal divider to come loose, and the photos in the gallery show the correct way round for the metal divider to be fitted. The slightly upturned end actually provides some pressure on the blade of the knife to stabilise it in the sheath, so it must be fitted back in this way round.
For the final part of the gallery I am revisiting the Jungle King 3 batoning test where previously the brass threaded insert came loose. I took the brass insert out completely, cleaned it up and epoxied it back in place. I know I used more glue to fix it than there was before.
The main lesson learned was that actually you can baton with the Jungle King 3, but if you do, make sure you remove the tailcap and survival kit first. Without the tailcap in place the shock from the baton strikes won’t hit the threaded insert so hard. In fact what you see here was a full-on batoning session and only the smaller size of blade was slowing progress. No damage was sustained at all using the Jungle King 3 like this, and though I know the threaded insert is more firmly epoxied in place than it was originally, I think this approach would probably have been fine.
What is it like to use?
Are the Jungle King Knives the best survival knives you can buy? Would a modern military special forces team choose these knives for critical missions? I think not – But this is not the point.
The Jungle King knives are capable, if somewhat unwieldy, tools, with plenty of features. They are enjoyable to use and find uses for their features.
Working on the basis the Jungle King 3 is intended for a younger user (who can then progress to the Jungle King 1 or 2 in time), we consider it as a leisure knife to use while camping, and practice both general camp and survival skills.
Though a seriously capable knife, the Jungle King 1, as a total package, is big and heavy, so you might not want to carry it far. Which brings us to the ‘Goldilocks’ model of the series, the Jungle King 2 – a practical carry option and still packed with features, including the secondary knife. It is understandable why this was copied so much.
As a Gen-Xer, these knives have been highly influential and are nostalgic; regardless of this, and current trends, let your hair down and have some fun with these strong and feature-packed knives.
Review Summary
The views expressed in this summary table are from the point of view of the reviewer’s personal use. I am not a member of the armed forces and cannot comment on its use beyond a cutting tool or field/hunting knife.
Something that might be a ‘pro’ for one user can be a ‘con’ for another, so the comments are categorised based on my requirements. You should consider all points and if they could be beneficial to you.
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What doesn’t work so well for me
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Sharp ends on slingshot arms damaging the rubbers.
Factory edges are disappointing.
UK Only – JK1 is no longer legal as the blade is over 8″.
Saw back cut depth very limited.
JK3 compass cannot be used while fitted to the handle.
A metal handle will be VERY cold to use in winter.
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Things I like
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Very robust all metal construction for JK1 and JK2.
Classic, Iconic and historically Influential design.
A choice of size to suit all.
Individually HRC hardness tested/verified blades.
Good edge performance and resilience during testing.
JK1 and JK2 include a secondary full tang knife.
Hollow handles carry survival essentials.
Slingshot incorporated into all models.
JK1 and JK2 include emergency cord.
JK1 and JK2 include a sharpening stone.
JK3 brings inclusivity for the younger user.
Fun to use.
Review Videos
Starting with a short format sixty second review of the Jungle King 1:
Starting with a short format sixty second review of the Jungle King 2:
Starting with a short format sixty second review of the Jungle King 3:
Onto a full video review covering many more details of all three:
Discussing the Review:
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