J and V Adventure Knives SPAIN Model CAIMAN

J and V Adventure Knives SPAIN. Model CAIMAN

If you haven't heard about J and V Adventure knives in Spain then read on.

Recently on a trip to Spain, I decided to purchase one of their models I have had my eye on for some time. This company J and V Adventure knives designs have had my interests for sometime. Nothing beats being able to hold the product in your paws as apposed to just looking at pictures (which you are of course doing now LOL) on the internet and then making a purchase. Being able to feel the balance and see up close all the details is optimal.

So that's what BCT did on a recent trip to Spain. Grab the knife, check it out and then whip out the plastic and make a purchase on the spot. To do this, meant I was totally satisfied with the: feel, look, design, build quality (of both knife and sheath) and of course finish on this beautiful, yet robust practical looking knife.

The man behind the design and actual knife maker himself (as well as owner of J and V Adventure knives) is Juan Martinez, an award winning knife maker from Albacete in Spain.

J and V Adventure knives (I'll now just refer to them and J and V) have a proprietary stainless alloy (made in Spain, NOT China) of which they designate, MV-58. This is a medium Carbon content stainless steel with a high manganese content and significant Vanadium and Molybdenum contents and Silicon. J and V vacuum heat treat and also employ cryogenic tempering (although the Caiman is simply vacuum heat treated and regular tempering to HRC58, hence the "58" in MV-58, the M standing for Molybdenum and V for vanadium. This makes for a very interesting alloy whereby the Mn content allows one to fully achieve a high Rockwell of 58 from a Carbon range of 0.45-0.55%.
Here are the full elemental percentages:

C 0.45-0.55%
Cr 14-15%
Mo 0.5-0.8%
Mn 1%
V 0.1-0.2%
Si 0.75%
P 0.04%

Achievable HRC 56-58

This is the first MV-58 blade I own. J and V also make their own composites for the scales. A "secret" formula they designate as TRF:

-"The TRF is the acronym of “Tela Resina y Fibra” or which is the same “Clothing, Resins and Fiber”  it is a special material made by us (similar to micartas or G-10) but with our secret composition of Clothing, special resins and a special amount of glass fiber, it is a special mix of materials similar to micartas or G-10 but specially made by us."


When you look at it up close it appears to be exactly that, a kind of G10 looking composite with that typical G10 ability to be highly polished and appear "sealed". This latter feature i really like as micarta's often absorb a lot of water if not sealed due to the presence of fibre wicking.

The ergonomic handle tapers towards the butt and there is a lanyard hole as part of the back end. As I've indicated, no hot spots on this handle or blade.

The Caiman for me has all the lines in the right place. Zero hot spots with a rounded spine but edge acuteness easily able to strike a steel. The overall finish is highly polished and one can immediately see the passion put into the making of this model by Juan himself.

The scales feature green liners, beautifully juxtaposing the grey/black TRF scales. The Caiman BTW is also available with natural premium Cocobolo scales. Essentially, it's a very classy finish.


The J and V Caiman is essentially a flat grind with a very effective penetrative tip.

The J and V Caiman comes with a well-made leather scabbard, either vertical or horizontal carry and a provision for a fire steel to be carried on the scabbard.

The spine is 5mm thick or 0.2" and the blade length 5.2" measured to the guard or 134mm. The actual cutting surface i measured at 109mm or 4.3", great measurements for a stout hunting and camping blade. There is a choil for ultra fine work, my personal preference on such a small blade would be omit it but after trying it out in the shop where I got it, it worked for me and wasn't really an issue-hence of course i bought it LOL!

The J and V Adventure model Caiman came with this small piece of static cord. Note the mirror polish on the spine and same can be found on the lower surface.

5mm or 0.2" thick spine. Extra grip provided by the spine gimping on the upper surface.

So all in all I love the Caiman and I have no doubt I won't be disappointed by it's performance out of the box. BTW the warranty J and V Adventure knives offers is for life, due to defects in materials or faulty workmanship. Not against abuse of course.

Anyway, as usual, I'll be doing a full field review of this new acquisition in the coming month, so stay tuned to 


BushCampingTools.