- Joined
- Nov 26, 2010
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- 7,567
Hope this is okay to post this here...:s
I picked up a Gossman PSK recently. After John of JK Knives, one of my favorite makers, named him one of his favorite knife makers I had to check it out. He had a special going last month and I jumped on board. Once I finished I decided the JK EDC Kephart was a good comparison and an excuse to post more pictures
.
Anyway I found it interesting how even in similar styles (to me the makers seem to have a similar sense of style, I ebleieve JK learned a lot of stuff from Gossman so that makes sense) there is still a definite difference in the design. I think KYturkey re-sized the JK kephart - if I remember correctly - into the EDC but ti is still based on Johns own Kephart design. Both are about 6 1/4" long and the JK has a 3" blade, (don't know the Gossman off hand yet
)
Now the designs are still different and the purpose they were designed for (from EDC to last resort personal survival) so it's not a great comparison but they are roughly the same size, same steel stock (1/8"), kind of bullnose points etc.
I have a Rosewood burl on the Jk and a black walnut on the PSK.
And remember I put the handles on both of them so don't hold it against them (sheaths as well - these ones now work as temp holders while I try to find the time and energy to make better ones after getting a lot of good advice about sheaths here on the forum recently-thanks guys!) As John has told me if he'd have known I was going to do a non traditional kephart handle on it he would have shortened the Ricasso and given it more edge. But I didn't know I was going to do that either until that's what I started sanding out. Planning is not my strong suit
What I saw, not going to offer reasons for the differences, we all know that different edges and such have different pros and cons:
At first off I wasn't drawn to the square handle of the PSK. After handling it and getting to know it grew on me and it's pretty cool the way you have a small knife with a full sized knife feeling grip. kind like the Riverwoods companion or the JK Toby's Knife Version 2.0 that I have tried. It is a very comfortable shape, pleasing to hold.
The JK Kephart EDC has a smaller handle, not quite a full grip but you don't feel wanting when in use. I have fairly large (but not extra large) if skinny hands which doesn't help. It also provides much more blade.
The Gossman has an 01 stamp on the opposite side of the blade (small difference I know) and the makers mark on the other
I thought it was kind cool how they have there makers mark on the opposite sides as each other. Good for pictures at least.
I also think Jk favors a thicker grind (unless agreed to do otherwise with the customer where he's all about custom orders "your design or mine") the Gossman, at least on this knife, tends towards the thinner taper. It was hard to get a picture of what I'm talking about:
Remember they are both 01 steel and 1/8" thick. Both are sharp as 'eck (that's heck with the "h" sliced off...I like bad jokes, okay?) I only really noticed this because the Gossman slipped in the vice more when I was trying to finish sand the handle, and I figured out it was because the vice could only grasp a small portion of the blade flat at a time where it tapers more.
I kinda like the thinner grind but as I was reminded recently while prying a door open with the JK Kep EDC, sometimes it's best to have more around, rather then less to
I'm pretty sure that the Gossman is taken to a higher finish, but not by much.
To me they are both highly crafted pieces of steel and both make fine EDC's, as wella s PSk designs.
Anyway, thanks for looking.
I picked up a Gossman PSK recently. After John of JK Knives, one of my favorite makers, named him one of his favorite knife makers I had to check it out. He had a special going last month and I jumped on board. Once I finished I decided the JK EDC Kephart was a good comparison and an excuse to post more pictures
.Anyway I found it interesting how even in similar styles (to me the makers seem to have a similar sense of style, I ebleieve JK learned a lot of stuff from Gossman so that makes sense) there is still a definite difference in the design. I think KYturkey re-sized the JK kephart - if I remember correctly - into the EDC but ti is still based on Johns own Kephart design. Both are about 6 1/4" long and the JK has a 3" blade, (don't know the Gossman off hand yet
)Now the designs are still different and the purpose they were designed for (from EDC to last resort personal survival) so it's not a great comparison but they are roughly the same size, same steel stock (1/8"), kind of bullnose points etc.
I have a Rosewood burl on the Jk and a black walnut on the PSK.
And remember I put the handles on both of them so don't hold it against them
(sheaths as well - these ones now work as temp holders while I try to find the time and energy to make better ones after getting a lot of good advice about sheaths here on the forum recently-thanks guys!) As John has told me if he'd have known I was going to do a non traditional kephart handle on it he would have shortened the Ricasso and given it more edge. But I didn't know I was going to do that either until that's what I started sanding out. Planning is not my strong suit What I saw, not going to offer reasons for the differences, we all know that different edges and such have different pros and cons:
At first off I wasn't drawn to the square handle of the PSK. After handling it and getting to know it grew on me and it's pretty cool the way you have a small knife with a full sized knife feeling grip. kind like the Riverwoods companion or the JK Toby's Knife Version 2.0 that I have tried. It is a very comfortable shape, pleasing to hold.
The JK Kephart EDC has a smaller handle, not quite a full grip but you don't feel wanting when in use. I have fairly large (but not extra large) if skinny hands which doesn't help. It also provides much more blade.
The Gossman has an 01 stamp on the opposite side of the blade (small difference I know) and the makers mark on the other
I thought it was kind cool how they have there makers mark on the opposite sides as each other. Good for pictures at least.
I also think Jk favors a thicker grind (unless agreed to do otherwise with the customer where he's all about custom orders "your design or mine"
) the Gossman, at least on this knife, tends towards the thinner taper. It was hard to get a picture of what I'm talking about:
Remember they are both 01 steel and 1/8" thick. Both are sharp as 'eck (that's heck with the "h" sliced off...I like bad jokes, okay?) I only really noticed this because the Gossman slipped in the vice more when I was trying to finish sand the handle, and I figured out it was because the vice could only grasp a small portion of the blade flat at a time where it tapers more.
I kinda like the thinner grind but as I was reminded recently while prying a door open with the JK Kep EDC, sometimes it's best to have more around, rather then less to
I'm pretty sure that the Gossman is taken to a higher finish, but not by much.
To me they are both highly crafted pieces of steel and both make fine EDC's, as wella s PSk designs.
Anyway, thanks for looking.
