Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, right? Good thing, too, because that’s all a deer hunter’s wife has to hold during the coldest months of the year. Wives are made widows come hunting season, or so the saying goes. That may be too strong a sentiment, though. I mean, someone’s got to wash the camouflage, right?
While ’till rut do us a part’ might be going too far, a case could certainly be made that hunters tend to have a wandering eye when the leaves begin to yellow. Some even find themselves leading a double life, faithful in the summer but flirty in the fall. A few fall so head over heels with the hunt that they start window shopping for another diamond – a DiamondBlade, that is.
DiamondBlade Knives are the brainchild and joint venture of Hobie Smith and Charles Allen, the former an oil field executive and the latter an outfitter in Alaska. After a providential pairing at the Grand National Quail Convention in 2003, the idea to partner their companies to produce the most technologically advanced blades in the world rose up before them like a covey of the bobwhites they were hunting. I don’t know how well the dogs pointed or the shotguns swung that day, but it’s safe to say the hunters’ time was well spent.
Do yourself a favor. Open a new tab on your phone or computer and pull up DiamondBlade’s website(diamondbladeknives.com). Found it? Good. Start by picking out your favorite cut. A wistful fiancée might lean towards princess or pear, but the hunter can choose from Meridian or Heritage, Surge or Summit. You really can’t go wrong. But be careful. In the words of Charles Allen, these blades are scary sharp.
Next, choose which setting you like. You’re going to want something that accentuates your blade, of course, but you’ve got choices. Will you go with the sensible Suregrip or opt for something exotic like desert ironwood? All that’s left to decide now is how you’re going to carry your DiamondBlade. Will it find a home in your pocket, or will you keep it safely tucked away in a Kydex lined sheath? My own DiamondBlade Knife is a Suregripped Summit. It’s not as pretty as I’d like, but it is practical. It’s also as smooth as a wet river stone and sharp as a teenager’s tongue.
I’ve read that DiamondBlade Knives bend at impossible angels and blow the roof off the Rockwell scale, but my own knife needs are simpler than that. I need a drop pointed blade that won’t puncture a gut bag, something that’s sharp enough to skin and sturdy enough to split a whitetail’s ribcage, something that doesn’t have to be sharpened every time it’s unsheathed.
Whether or not my DiamondBlade Knife is up to those tasks won’t be determined for another couple of months. I’m optimistic, though, because on a recent trip to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains my friend David landed a couple of rainbows from the Los Pinos River, and my DiamondBlade unzipped them like the fly of a pair of broken-in blue jeans.
I’m home from the mountains now, and my DiamondBlade Knife has been cleaned and put away, waiting for that special moment, waiting for the time to be right. Buy your own, and you’ll know when that time comes. Eventually, inevitably, the air will cool and then crisp. Your shot will be true to its mark. With your heart in your throat, you’ll get down on one knee and pull the DiamondBlade Knife from your pocket. So go ahead, build and then buy the knife of your dreams. Live happily ever after.
Wright Outdoors 