- Joined
- Oct 4, 2009
- Messages
- 381
Howdy.
Since i have had my JKs for about a year now, I finally feel qualified to share my opinions about the blades.
Iam an avid outdoorsman, and I spend a great deal of time hunting, fishing, and camping all around the western US. My home is in Colorado, however I travel significantly, and much of my time is spent in remote parts of Colorado, California, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, New Mexico and Arizona.
Since I found JK, I have focused on developing a well rounded collection that can provide me with the right blade for nearly any job. The first knife I found was a used black handed HD Kephart. Next I ordered a New Hiker. Then a pair of shorties. Lastly a 9 inch camp knife.
I have been known to make a knife or two in my day, and I am confident with my ability to regrind a blade. Since I am so particular, every one of my JK knives has been reground to a full convex zero grind (with the scandi exception of course). In addition, I changed the blade shapes slightly to better suit my needs and desires. The patina is coaxed from the O1 with the help of the clay-soil from my family's rice farm in Northern California. I love the look it gave them and I especially love that that soil has 5 generations worth of Bultema blood, sweat, and tears (including my own).
My JKs Hanging out at the campground, where my 4/2 wedding will be held.
Clearly there is a variety here, so I will speak to the strengths and weaknesses of each, starting with my favorite blade (both JK and all time): My Short, Scandi, Hiker...or what I call Sven's Scandi Scalpel
This thing is the best all around blade I have ever owned. It has been on my person nearly every day since I received it last april. It is small where it needs to be. and the handle fits me perfectly. It excels in skinning and game processing tasks, make fussy sticks effortlessly and slices through everyday objects ad nauseum. I am often accused of having "too sharp a knife when this one gets used. As an outdoor EDC, this knife is perfect. Small and light it makes quick work of any outdoor task. As an urban EDC, this knife s elegant enough, to pass in most any social situation, and short enough to pass even the strictest blade length limitations.
I would love to say there is no downside to this knife, but there is one. While I asked for a scandi, this knife was not ground properly when I received it. There was a significant and obtuse secondary bevel which took dozens of sharpening sessions to completely remove. While I know that John would have done the work had I shared this with him, I could not bare to be without this thing, even for a day or two, after using it just once. So I happily spent the time with my blade and stones, but I am still a bit upset that a knife, custom made, and over a hundred dollars, was not to the specs designated in the order. Indeed I feel the time I spent working on this knife is one of the things that makes it so perfect for my uses.
Along with the scalpel, I have my 4"Hiker and my 9"Camp knife, all three match with black scales and red liners.
Hiker
Camp
The Hiker was my first from John directly, and I have had the chance to spend a great deal of time with it. I consider it a top notch bushcraft knife. John has the highest quality heat treat out there, and it stand up to serious use and abuse with no damage.
My Camp knife is my newest, and it has not seen as extensive of use as the others. It chops well considering its size, but it is not a dedicated chopper. It does baton like a champ and slices better than I expected from such a stout blade.
Lastly:
This was a Kephart HD,
I modded it. The large round handle of the Kephart never really fit my stubby fingers. I tried liking it for so long before I finally gave in and reshaped than handle, taking inspiration from my other, more ergonomically designed JKs. I left it rough, to provide better grip (which it does) and I am very happy wit the mod. The blade of this beauty is ground to a full convex, and the blade height is perfectly suited for that type of grind. Like all my JKs this guy is great. the grind I gave it compliments John's heat treat and makes a stout, but delicate knife. Since I modded the handle, I fell in love again.
There is a Baby Kephart as well, however since my last move, it has been hiding. A coworker once described it as a "scary sharp cute little tool". I'll post pics when it turns up.
I may at some time get a shot of actually using these knives, but I never seem to be motivated to stop what I am doing and pick up the camera. I hope the condition of these blades is clear indication that they are in fact users, and often used users at that.
Lastly, I would like to add that in my years as an avid knife enthusiast, no knife has come closer to deal from the maker than every single one of my JK Handmade Knives.
Thanks for the time y'all
Sven
Since i have had my JKs for about a year now, I finally feel qualified to share my opinions about the blades.
Iam an avid outdoorsman, and I spend a great deal of time hunting, fishing, and camping all around the western US. My home is in Colorado, however I travel significantly, and much of my time is spent in remote parts of Colorado, California, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, New Mexico and Arizona.
Since I found JK, I have focused on developing a well rounded collection that can provide me with the right blade for nearly any job. The first knife I found was a used black handed HD Kephart. Next I ordered a New Hiker. Then a pair of shorties. Lastly a 9 inch camp knife.
I have been known to make a knife or two in my day, and I am confident with my ability to regrind a blade. Since I am so particular, every one of my JK knives has been reground to a full convex zero grind (with the scandi exception of course). In addition, I changed the blade shapes slightly to better suit my needs and desires. The patina is coaxed from the O1 with the help of the clay-soil from my family's rice farm in Northern California. I love the look it gave them and I especially love that that soil has 5 generations worth of Bultema blood, sweat, and tears (including my own).
My JKs Hanging out at the campground, where my 4/2 wedding will be held.
Clearly there is a variety here, so I will speak to the strengths and weaknesses of each, starting with my favorite blade (both JK and all time): My Short, Scandi, Hiker...or what I call Sven's Scandi Scalpel
This thing is the best all around blade I have ever owned. It has been on my person nearly every day since I received it last april. It is small where it needs to be. and the handle fits me perfectly. It excels in skinning and game processing tasks, make fussy sticks effortlessly and slices through everyday objects ad nauseum. I am often accused of having "too sharp a knife when this one gets used. As an outdoor EDC, this knife is perfect. Small and light it makes quick work of any outdoor task. As an urban EDC, this knife s elegant enough, to pass in most any social situation, and short enough to pass even the strictest blade length limitations.
I would love to say there is no downside to this knife, but there is one. While I asked for a scandi, this knife was not ground properly when I received it. There was a significant and obtuse secondary bevel which took dozens of sharpening sessions to completely remove. While I know that John would have done the work had I shared this with him, I could not bare to be without this thing, even for a day or two, after using it just once. So I happily spent the time with my blade and stones, but I am still a bit upset that a knife, custom made, and over a hundred dollars, was not to the specs designated in the order. Indeed I feel the time I spent working on this knife is one of the things that makes it so perfect for my uses.
Along with the scalpel, I have my 4"Hiker and my 9"Camp knife, all three match with black scales and red liners.
Hiker
Camp
The Hiker was my first from John directly, and I have had the chance to spend a great deal of time with it. I consider it a top notch bushcraft knife. John has the highest quality heat treat out there, and it stand up to serious use and abuse with no damage.
My Camp knife is my newest, and it has not seen as extensive of use as the others. It chops well considering its size, but it is not a dedicated chopper. It does baton like a champ and slices better than I expected from such a stout blade.
Lastly:
This was a Kephart HD,
I modded it. The large round handle of the Kephart never really fit my stubby fingers. I tried liking it for so long before I finally gave in and reshaped than handle, taking inspiration from my other, more ergonomically designed JKs. I left it rough, to provide better grip (which it does) and I am very happy wit the mod. The blade of this beauty is ground to a full convex, and the blade height is perfectly suited for that type of grind. Like all my JKs this guy is great. the grind I gave it compliments John's heat treat and makes a stout, but delicate knife. Since I modded the handle, I fell in love again.
There is a Baby Kephart as well, however since my last move, it has been hiding. A coworker once described it as a "scary sharp cute little tool". I'll post pics when it turns up.
I may at some time get a shot of actually using these knives, but I never seem to be motivated to stop what I am doing and pick up the camera. I hope the condition of these blades is clear indication that they are in fact users, and often used users at that.
Lastly, I would like to add that in my years as an avid knife enthusiast, no knife has come closer to deal from the maker than every single one of my JK Handmade Knives.
Thanks for the time y'all
Sven
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