PMCI - April 2018

hardness of 57 to 58, while leaving the spine of the blade a
touch softer to absorb the stresses of high impact. The blades are
finished with a textured powder coat or Gun Kote and comes with
a non-slip phenolic (micarta) handle which provides the user
with a sure grip. SCAR Blades are built with the intent to survive
and serve in the field no matter how harsh the conditions.
Within a few weeks after my last discussion with Casey, a
package arrived from SCAR Blades. When I opened the box, there
was a sleek medium sized combat knife sheathed in Kydex. I was
assured this was the blade I was expecting when I saw “Shadow
XL” printed on the side of the brown canvas micarta grip. The
Kydex sheath was slotted along the sides for lashing to any gear
or Molle available and had a Blade Tec Tec-Lok belt clip securely
affixed via a single screw. The more I worked with this set up,
the more useful positions I found to carry the knife. Ultimately, I
switched the Tec-Lok out for a pair of Molle clips to mount onto
the battle belt I use for training.
When I gripped the knife to remove it from the sheath, I
noticed it seemed to melt into the contour of my hand. My first
thought was, this would disappear in much larger hands but fits
as if it was made specifically for my size. I can see this knife
serving as a concealed carry knife very easily in non-permissive
environments where operators were reduced to either no firearms
or at least very limited options such as a handgun.
As the blade was unsheathed, I noticed the flat black /
gray coating on the blade matched well with the grip color and
offered a well-protected non-glare surface. My thumb naturally
fell perfectly on the raised 3/16” spine of the blade and dug
into the serrations to give it great purchase and control over the
blade. This eliminated any concern I may have had about the
lack of a large defined guard of some more traditional styles. My
eyes immediately went to the wicked looking blade point and
the wonderfully aggressive top edge leading away from the tip
to form an offset dagger-like geometry. With a 4.5” razor sharp
edge, the top of the blade boasts almost a full 3” of secondary
razor sharpness for close in work on the backswing or stab.
With an overall length of 9.5” and a full tang design, the blade
felt well-balanced in my hand even when employing a reverse
grip technique. I wish there was a bit more length on the dull
pointed rear bolster to give more protruding area for striking. The
lanyard hole seemed to fit slightly under the ridge of my palm
when gripping with a 550 paracord lanyard but did allow for me
to keep the blade secure in my hand when slicing and especially
stabbing through a rack of beef ribs while testing. The 1095 High
Carbon construction give the knife a good feeling weight and
made for re-sharpening the edge easy to do without having to
have a professional do it for me.
If I had to pick a point of concern with the construction of the
knife, it would only be with the screw placement on the grip. The
hole drilled for the screw closest to the blade happens to be in
the exact narrowest part of the handle’s construction. IF this was
a blade designed for chopping or a lot of torque on the handle,
I could see this as a breaking point for a very well-built knife. To
combat this concern, I will say this: if you purchase this blade
to do a lot of heavy chopping or prying open creates, you have
totally missed the specific purpose of this knife’s design. Getting
to brass tacks and being frank, this blade is meant for one thing
and one thing only, helping evil souls shuffle themselves away
from their mortal coils.
Overall, the Shadow XL performed well during the several
months of carrying it as part of my daily range equipment serving
to open boxes, trim targets, pry staples out of the wooden
barriers. In addition to range duty, the knife was used as my EDC
blade used for practicing knife fighting skills with posts, raw meat
and cardboard dummies. The edge held up very well and always
remained controllable and quick handling.
Retailing for US$199.95, the design isn’t over built or too bulky
for quick, decisive movements. For those who may think that is
pricey for a knife, consider this isn’t a bulk stamped production
blade, each one of SCAR’s knives are hand ground and will not
interchange sheaths like production retail blades. In that context,
good luck finding this quality for under US$200. The overall look
of the knife is deadly to the trained eye. But, those not as familiar
with blades it’s not as intimidating as the company’s other
designs such as the larger Big Bear or the menacing Archangel
with it’s tri-bladed design. To find the SCAR Blade knife that make
fit your need or lifestyle, check out their awesome line up at
www.ScarBlades.com.
KNIVES: SHADOW XL / SCAR BLADES
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