Photos Is this a real Aitor Jungle King I?

unwisefool said:
Can you not contact the company and ask them?
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If that's a serial number on the blade, it seems as though the company should be able to give you some info.

Wow... I didn't know those things were that pricey. I seem to remember a Navy buddy of mine buying one when were in the Wash.DC area. I remember the brand name "Aitor." I think it had a black blade coating, and I always thought it was a cheap gas station knife!
 
If there are that many things that are throwing up red flags, I'd return it.
 
unwisefool said:
If there are that many things that are throwing up red flags, I'd return it.
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Just emailed the company via the email provided on the box it came in (which is the correct box) and asked if my serial number was legitimate. I don't think this is a fake because everything is perfect otherwise. The firesteel has the proper Aitor markings, the bandages and the scalpel are the correct brand,the markings on the blade are spot-on,the color of the sheath and webbing is perfect, and everything feels very high quality. I think the saw teeth are fine because Aitor has changed the saw design a couple times, so i think it's just another variation.

I find it hard to believe that there is a manufacturer of knockoffs out there that is so dedicated that they'd have the proper castings even for the fire steel,pommel cap (has the AITOR and Jungle King I cast into it), have all the correct components with the correct types of hooks in the fishing kit, correct brand of bandages, the correct brand of scalpel, and a Rockwell Hardness tester to put that punch mark on the blade. Everything is too accurate and the blade is too nicely made for me to think it is a knockoff.
 
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killgar said:
https://knifecenter.com/item/AI1601...xed-combat-knife-polymide-sheath-survival-kit

Satin finish blade. No caps on the cord wrapped around the sheath. The bent guard is likely a production flaw. The difference in the saw teeth could just be the result of a worker having a bad day. Or the grinding tool was worn out and at the end of it's life.
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Yeah, if this is a fake, then holy crap is it a really really convincing one because everything else is spot on. The machining and markings seem way too clean and precise to be a knockoff, and if the curved guard is a defect, I actually don't mind because it'll help you index the knife in the dark since you can feel which one is straight and which one is bent. But I don't think it is a defect, because the handle is cast steel, so I don't really see how you can have a mistake like that happen with a casting. I also think the saw teeth are normal because they are waaaaaay to identical to just be a mistake.
 
I have been digging around for information on Aitor, it was sold in the early 2000's to Pielcu S.L. which led to a drop in quality of the knives, and was then sold to Rehabe S.L. which has made quality knives, the differences seem to be from transferring manufacturers. I have contacted a couple Spanish knife sellers to confirm this, but I am 99% confident this thing is legit.
 
desmobob said:
If that's a serial number on the blade, it seems as though the company should be able to give you some info.

Wow... I didn't know those things were that pricey. I seem to remember a Navy buddy of mine buying one when were in the Wash.DC area. I remember the brand name "Aitor." I think it had a black blade coating, and I always thought it was a cheap gas station knife!
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Aitor is a fantastic brand that actually supplies knives to a bunch of NATO forces, but they aren't very well known outside of Spain. The Jungle King I was actually used by Spanish special forces back in the 80's. Gimmicky, yeah maybe, but these things are far from cheapo Harbor Freight knives.

As a side note, I tested the slingshot and holy mother of god that thing is actually powerful.
 
Jbennett23 said:
Aitor is a fantastic brand that actually supplies knives to a bunch of NATO forces, but they aren't very well known outside of Spain. The Jungle King I was actually used by Spanish special forces back in the 80's. Gimmicky, yeah maybe, but these things are far from cheapo Harbor Freight knives.

As a side note, I tested the slingshot and holy mother of god that thing is actually powerful.
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I'm sorry... I didn't mean to imply that I considered it to be a cheap gas station knife; just that when I first saw the one my friend had, I thought it was. I do remember him telling me that they were military issue somewhere and not at all what I had thought.

Your mention of the slingshot feature brought back the memory of that too. What an interesting knife... I'm going to have to read up on it! That's the first time I've seen or heard mention of one since about 1984 or so...
 
desmobob said:
I'm sorry... I didn't mean to imply that I considered it to be a cheap gas station knife; just that when I first saw the one my friend had, I thought it was. I do remember him telling me that they were military issue somewhere and not at all what I had thought.

Your mention of the slingshot feature brought back the memory of that too. What an interesting knife... I'm going to have to read up on it! That's the first time I've seen or heard mention of one since about 1984 or so...
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It's all good! I was just letting you know how good the thing is. I just got a response from a Spanish seller of the knife, and he confirmed that the knife looks all good, so my mind is at ease! It must just be a new change to the knife.

The knife is really cool, I've been drooling over it for a while and I finally decided to pull the trigger and get it, and I don't regret it one bit. It is packed with features including a survival kit in the handle, a compass in the pommel a smaller extra skinning knife inside the sheath, a pull-out tray inside the sheath with survival signaling instructions and a ruler molded into it, with a signal mirror, an empty vial for antiseptics, a fire steel + magnesium block and the slingshot bands. The outside is wrapped in ~24 feet of cordage and has a whetstone on the back.

My literal only complaints are that my survival kit is missing the little spool of fine thread (but you can order another kit online for like 15 bucks so who cares) and that the pommel compass fell out after whacking the knife on some tree branches, but that wasn't even a big deal because I've seen it happen before (It's the only problem I've seen with the knife), because for some reason Aitor decided a little tiny smear of adhesive is enough to hold a compass into the pommel of a knife you are gonna be smacking stuff with, but a big glob of superglue in the pommel fixed that problem.
 
desmobob said:
If that's a serial number on the blade, it seems as though the company should be able to give you some info.

Wow... I didn't know those things were that pricey. I seem to remember a Navy buddy of mine buying one when were in the Wash.DC area. I remember the brand name "Aitor." I think it had a black blade coating, and I always thought it was a cheap gas station knife!
Click to expand...

Aitor was a well respected Spanish brand that supplied the Spanish military. They have restructured the company a couple of times since the 1990s. So quality has varied.

n2s
 
Jbennett23 said:
Aitor...Jungle King I ..., I tested the slingshot and holy mother of god that thing is actually powerful.
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the jk1 is no featherweight
Commarativo%2Bde%2Btama%25C3%25B1o%2Bde%2Bl%25C3%25A2minas.jpg

its longer and somewhat heavy.
kind of dated with the choices of.today.
the sling ahot feature was a cool aitor idea.
i guess it was more sensible than the mini
bow darts that were also about back in the
day
74fbef3e8c8d5b26e1a6b01d00bb2a77o.jpg

https://armasblancas.mforos.mobi/936816/6130629-cuchillo-de-supervivencia-con-ballesta/
 
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In GIRLYmnn's photo of the knives, I see the one I remember: the one with the recurve blade -- and it had a black coating. That was at Naval Communications Station Cheltenham in Maryland in the mid-'80s (now closed, I think). This was just a few years after "First Blood" hit the big screen and everyone was wanting a big survival knife.

I'm glad to hear yours is legit and thanks for the memories!
 
Keep in mind Aitor has been owned by different companies in the recent past. Pielcu was the last one. So quality and markings may vary depending of who owned Aitor by the time the knife was made. BTW Don't get any ATK knives. They are made in China.
 
desmobob said:
In GIRLYmnn's photo of the knives, I see the one I remember: the one with the recurve blade -- and it had a black coating. That was at Naval Communications Station Cheltenham in Maryland in the mid-'80s (now closed, I think). This was just a few years after "First Blood" hit the big screen and everyone was wanting a big survival knife.

I'm glad to hear yours is legit and thanks for the memories!
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His sounds like a Jungle King II, which was actually the original Jungle King released in '83 I believe, then in '85 they released the JK I. I really can't describe how enormous this blade is, especially when comparing it to the JK II. The JK I has an 8 inch blade, that is 5mm thick, and it is 14.25 inches overall. It's basically a shortsword.

In fact, Aitor actually makes the "Desert King" which is like $400-$500, and is basically a survival gladius. I'm really not sure why this thing exists if I'm gonna be honest.

AK16056.jpg
 
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