1247 Warthog, New Arrival! :D

[stvpourciau]

Here's my latest addition

 

[bigghoss]

Very nice. I have one that I bought new about 15 years ago and I love that knife. I would like to see them bring it back with a full exposed tang and no guard. The new Heavy Warthog is great but it's a totally different blade than the original.

I found that you can greatly improve the retention of the sheath and pretty much eliminate rattle by carefully warming the plastic portion where the belt loop attaches and bending it up just a bit so it presses on the handle. I heated it with a lighter right where the guard rides and bent it up just a bit. You almost don't even need the thumb straps after it.

 

[stvpourciau]

I found that you can greatly improve the retention of the sheath and pretty much eliminate rattle by carefully warming the plastic portion where the belt loop attaches and bending it up just a bit so it presses on the handle. I heated it with a lighter right where the guard rides and bent it up just a bit. You almost don't even need the thumb straps after it.

Thanks for the tip, I'm absolutely crazy about this knife and I LOVE its small stature. The only thing I don't like about it is that they don't make it anymore. I get scared that something could happen to it and I'm definitely not gonna baby it just cos' it's in nice condition. I like the blade too much for that.

Took it out for some testing about an hour ago and it's a great little chopper for it's size! I was quite impressed, I actually found it easier to chop through a 3"diameter Sweetgum sapling than when I did it the 1st time that I took it down a couple weeks ago with my Kabar LHB; it's been raining every day here so it didn't dry out at all, tree was still "fresh".

I guess it was easier because I could just stand there and chop away with little wrist flicks as opposed to swinging that large blade around, less loss of energy. Plus, It bites deep and is such a short fatty that it hits the "sweet spot" every time.

It couldn't have come at a better time either, it arrived right after (same day) I broke my Kabar tanto doing a review: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1037320-Kabar-1245-Tanto-review

The blade shape is incredibly versatile, I have no doubt it could be used for comfortable skinning with an index finger under the choil are and your thumb rested against the spine of the blade where it rises:

I even used it as a spade to plant some onions when I got it.

As an owner, I know that you're aware of all of its usefulness. I'm just posting for the others that happen to read this thread.

I love this knife and don't see why they would stop producing it. They say because they've released a new beefier version of the blade but if we can have 3 versions of a Kabar Kukri to chose from (Combat Kukri, Kukri Machete, and the Becker Machax) then why can't we have two warthogs? And folders don't count.. lol.

 

[bigghoss]

My understanding is they stopped making it because people were chopping the snot out of them and they had too many warranty issues. But the blade shape it too popular to not make it. Like I mentioned, I'd love to see the same blade on a stronger tang/handle, maybe the JA/ZK handle. It would make a cool addition to the zombie line. Without the guard it would make a great woods knife.

 

[stvpourciau]

My understanding is they stopped making it because people were chopping the snot out of them and they had too many warranty issues. But the blade shape it too popular to not make it. Like I mentioned, I'd love to see the same blade on a stronger tang/handle, maybe the JA/ZK handle. It would make a cool addition to the zombie line. Without the guard it would make a great woods knife.

I see what you're saying there, I'd like to see it with the tang and Orange handles of the new Gamestalker! (They're all very similar.)

I'm not afraid of doing some reasonable chopping with it, a branch here and there, some small saplings. I wouldn't go out batoning with it or really want to drive it cross-grain in a survival situation.. but as a semi-heavy duty belt knife, I'm in love with this thing.

The kind of knife that can really cut, but can still pop a shelter up if you wanted it too. That's my kinda woods knife.

And that's funny that people would do that with the warranties. If I went out and beat the snot out of it, I wouldn't go cryin' to Kabar about it failing. It's just not the kind of knife that's meant to be driven cross grain.

Like my tanto earlier, I broke it. Am I gunna complain and moan about it? Yeauuh!! But in the end, it was my fault and the knife didn't do anything less than I expected it to..

 

[bigghoss]

Yeah for batoning and HARD use a Becker, JAB, or zombie knife would be better. Anything with a full exposed tang. If I broke a BK7 batoning, I'd file a warranty claim. If I broke a F/U knife doing that I'd suck it up and eat the cost.