During the eighties actor Paul Hogan played an Australian character known as Mick “Crocodile” Dundee who is bushman that falls in love with a woman from New York. In the film, Crocodile Dundee utters a famous movie line that states: “That’s not a knife. This is a knife.” Dundee was referring to the large sized knife that he usually carries around with him. He was being confronted by a group of knife wielding hoodlums when he spoke this line. The knife that it is used in both Crocodile Dundee films is considered a hunting or Bowie knife.
The Dundee knife was created by an Australian gunsmith named John Bowring. He was approached by the studio that produced Crocodile Dundee film and asked to make an original knife for the Dundee character. Bowring agreed and produced the famous Dundee knife.
Bowie knifes have an appearance similar to a short sword. The blade on his knife is between 6 and 10 in inches long and it is at least 2 inches wide. All Bowie knives have a brass guard which is used to deflect an attacker’s blows. The end of the brass guard is typically created in an upward position. The blade tip of a Bowie knife is big, sharp and very imposing. Most people use a Bowie knife as a weapon or as a survival tool. This type of knife was issued in the past to soldiers but now it’s more commonly used out in the wild. The handle of a Bowie knife is typically made out of wood.
The Crocodile Dundee knife has some minor changes to it which gives it a different look from a Bowie knife. The Dundee knife has a half of a brass guard which is facing downward instead of pointing up. The blade of the Dundee knife has a deep groove in it and the handle isn’t wooden. The materials for the handle are made out of twine or leather strands.
People who earn their living in the wild think that the Crocodile Dundee knife is the ultimate survival knife. Many experts agree that the Crocodile Dundee knife would be suitable for outdoor use. The blades on the knives are made out of stainless steel and are very durable in the water. The knives are heavy enough to cut branches and practical for hunting. The knife can be formed into a spear and used for situations that call for lashing objects. Sparking fires and skinning animals are two other benefits that this type of blade offers to owners. When a person goes camping into a wild and not at designated camping site the Dundee knife could be a practical tool for them to use against wildlife. Since the knife is molded after a Bowie it too can also be used for combative situations, though most people do not use this type of knife for that purpose.
When Bowring created the Dundee knives he only made two original models and many replicas. In the movie the original knives were used for close up shots and the replicas were used for combat sequences. After the films were completed Paul Hogan and another person received the original knives with the promise to never put them up for sale. Hogan has supposedly honored his commitment and still retains the original Crocodile Dundee knife.
The Dundee knife was also used in the second film featuring Crocodile Dundee and it too created a huge demand from audiences and fans. The Crocodile Dundee knife isn’t manufactured by any company though Bowring makes the knives available for customers. A lot of knife enthusiasts were amazed by Dundee’s knife and wanted one for their own collections. However, many of them realized that the knives were not mass produced by any particular company. Since the Dundee knives are rare they’re very valuable and hard to obtain. They’re also expensive and owners could charge a person thousands of dollars if they decided to sell one of these knives.
Many Dundee knife owners try to hold onto their knives because of their craftsmanship. They also try their best not to use their Dundee knife since would cause the item to depreciate. It has been almost 30 years since Crocodile Dundee was popular Bowring probably no longer makes this type of knife available for the public since it has been nearly 30 years since Crocodile Dundee was a popular movie.
