3/16 thick Kephart?

No, .187in thick or bust. I know it's picky, but I found plenty of quality .156in thick versions. I know there's a .21in thick version out there. There's gotta be a .187 version too.
 
Kabar makes the Becker BK 62. 1095 CroVan steel. Just looked though and it’s a bit thinner. .157 inches
 
shane45-1911 said:
Gotta ask......why the firm requirement for .187" ?
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Over years of trying different thicknesses, I continuously went back to 3/16in. It's the sweet spot for me for batoning vs unusable in bushcraft because it's too thick. I really don't have the words, so I'll rant a little to describe what I'm talking about. If I baton the same thickness piece of wood with .125 (1/8), it might take 7-8 hits. If I baton with .156, it might take 5-6 hits. And .187 will usually take 3-4 hits. At .21 or greater, I'm usually taking 2-4 hits all with the same thickness wood. The return on thickness goes down the thicker I use. For feather sticking, there appears to be no difference between .125 and .156, so long as I'm not carving or doing anything other than general bushcrafty stuff, .156 or thicker is best. At .187, there's a reduction in feather-sticking ability, but not as great as with .21 or thicker. At .187, the feather-sticking is good enough and with a sharpened spine, there's virtually never an issue. I've prioritized batoning over feather-sticking, but not forgotten about it completely. This belief was developed by using maybe 25 (Bark River, Ontario, Mora, ScrapYard, Ka-bar, ColdSteel, Mora) full sized knives over many years. I'm sure I'll get a response or two stating I simply didn't try their super-cool-better-than-everything-knife, but this is what I like and it's what I'm looking for.

I feel like I just wrote in half sentences and bad grammar, but those are my reasons.

Edit; for bad grammar
 
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My CPK is as thick as usable in my opinion, I would rather it have been thinner. Most Kepharts stick to the original design and I would say you need to find a custom maker. Not enough blade width for thicker steel to get a good edge angle.

Your out in left field with this request, custom knife is in your future.
 
Snacktime said:
My CPK is as thick as usable in my opinion, I would rather it have been thinner. Most Kepharts stick to the original design and I would say you need to find a custom maker. Not enough blade width for thicker steel to get a good edge angle.

Your out in left field with this request, custom knife is in your future.
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Is what it is, thanks for the honesty.
 
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NeedItCheaper said:
this is what I like and it's what I'm looking for.
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I can respect a man that knows exactly what he wants based on experiences and trials and errors.

My knife tastes/requirements have become super-refined over the last 40 years as well. "Close enough" was OK for many years, but now I won't settle for it. If a knife doesn't match my requirements exactly (or allow me to modify it myself to those requirements), I don't buy it.
 
B5-CE897-B-2-B45-4-CF3-BF08-44463-A879931.jpg
I love tough steels
I love stainless steels
3V, LC200N, AEB-L or Magna Cut make me happy.
I see what you are saying about thickness.
Another thing to add to the equation is blade height and grind, but with the Kephart, that is pre determined. From what I have read, the Kephart was pretty thin blade stock and so most manufacturers have kept it thin. I don’t think Kephart did much batoning. People tended to use an axe or a hatchet for that but times have changed. I see the thin stock was more for general use and processing game. What about a “Fat Kephart” or “Phat-Kephart” aka “Phat-Phart” custom that is 3/16 blade stock but a taller blade height? Keep the dimensions and proportions relatively the same but add 3/8”-1/2” in overall height of the knife and the knife would be stout and still function pretty much the same as the original. I took a pic of an original Kephart and did some image processing to make one fatter than the original. I would like a “Phat-Phart” more than the original in one of the above mentioned steels.
 
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Did NeedItCheaper ever find something satisfactory? It seemed like there aren't any choices that exactly match the given specs.

This one, the TOPS Idaho Hunter, is at least slightly over, at 0.190". So, that's different.

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It's not exactly Kephart-looking, either. What I'm thinking about is things like the blade shape and point location, which should make it behave like a traditional-looking Kephart.
 
Shorttime said:
Did NeedItCheaper ever find something satisfactory? It seemed like there aren't any choices that exactly match the given specs.
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No, but that's okay. The CPK knife does look very nice and they seem to have some of the highest reviewed quality control.



gazz98 said:
I don't know anything about the company or if it is getting back in stock.

https://www.dlttrading.com/quickhatch-knives-kephart-green-canvas-micarta-brass-pins-95

One of the talented knife makers here could make you a kephart at your specs too.
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If I went fully custom, I'd make a variation of my current knife. Bravo Alpha. I'm sure with custom sheath and all the bells and whistles in 3V to boot would run over 500$ when all is said and done. Not ready for that.


Thanks for the help all.
 
NeedItCheaper said:
No, but that's okay. The CPK knife does look very nice and they seem to have some of the highest reviewed quality control.





If I went fully custom, I'd make a variation of my current knife. Bravo Alpha. I'm sure with custom sheath and all the bells and whistles in 3V to boot would run over 500$ when all is said and done. Not ready for that.


Thanks for the help all.
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Maybe reach out to Flat Rock Forge Flat Rock Forge
He could probably do exactly what you want and his work is extremely affordable. He did this for me recently
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The Esee Laser Strike is not the traditional Kephart lines but the thickness is there and the proportions are what you need. I love the Laser Strike. To hold it is to love it. the balance and the grip locations and hold options are superbz

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