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Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness
Cons: None
Horace Kephart Would Be Mighty Proud
I didn’t read the description above, before I bought this knife. I just saw the picture, went down and checked out the specs, and knew I wanted it. When it arrived, I said to myself, this is what Horace Kephart had in mind. I just now discovered that Ethan Becker has the only known original Kephart Knife. Mr. Becker got it right. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> First, I think the specs below may be wrong. It states, blade thickness: 0.158” (which is just over 5/32”). My ruler says it is just under 0.125” (1/8”, but I didn’t mic it). That’s one thing I believe Becker got right, is a nice thin flat ground blade, with a secondary edge bevel. It will slice; but, I believe spine still has enough strength to stand up to hard use (maybe not abuse). 1095 CroVan suits me fine; pretty good edge retention/toughness, easy to sharpen in the field. Balance is right on the index finger, behind guard. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Nice walnut scales, left a little rough (you can feel the wood grain), which I like for grip. Only criticism: I would have liked a deeper guard/quillon (original be damned). This is more of a speed bump. Careful with wet hands. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ATTENTION KNIFE MANUFACTURERS, LISTEN UP! This is how you make a leather sheath, With Rivets, period. Your fancy saddle stitching isn’t worth spit when my knife is sticking through the side/bottom of my sheath, or, in my leg. Please take note. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Compare BK62 Kephart to: OKC, Blackbird, + ESEE, PR4 (All available at KnifeCenter.com). The Blackbird is “Function.” The 154CM makes it the best wet weather knife. Holds the best edge, perhaps toughest, too; but hardest to sharpen afield. Most secure grip of the three, but sterile, Twenty-first Century feel to it. Balance is on second finger. Has a thicker, deeper 1.25” flat ground blade, than BK62’s 1.0625” deep blade. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ESEE PR4 is, “A Piece of Art.” Beautiful to look at. Its chip carved Micarta handle scales seem to connect you to your caveman ancestors when you grip it. PR4’s 4.19” blade makes it the most nimble of the three (drives like a Ferrari). The compound saber grind is the widest wedge of the three, and perhaps, it would perform more like a scandi grind on wood, than the other two (speculation). But, the shorter primary grind will make it the first to need re-profiling after many sharpening, and perhaps, the shortest lived of the three. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Becker BK62 Kephart Knife: “Beauty, Function, and above all, History.” You can feel the connection with Kephart the moment you pick it up from the box. No lanyard hole, or 90 degree on the spine, just like the original (Jimmy crack corn, and I don’t care). I would buy all three Kephart Knives; but, if I could only have one, this one is it.
