Kal-El
Gold Member
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2010
- Messages
- 1,209
This past week, Dan's initial design of his Kephart arrived in the mail. It is currently on tour as a passaround knife for review. So, I volunteered to give it a look and hopefully provide some feedback in order to help Dan out with its evolution into a final design. Let me first say to all, that I am certainly not a knife expert, and do not frequently use my knives for "bushcrafting" although, I would like to. I do enjoy the outdoors a lot, and camp as often as time permits. My job, does require the frequent use of a knife, as I do work outdoors with wildlife. With that said, please try not to be too critical of my novice review.
I didn't get to spend too much time using the knife either. With all of the holiday activities and travel, it was hard to find the slightest bit of free time. Luckily, my daughter asked to go on a small walk through a trail near our home the other day. There is a state park just a few miles from our home which makes for great getaways. So off we went, my daughter, myself and the Kephart in a small pack. It's just me, but I mostly carry in a pack instead of my belt. Just personal preference. Considering this was a very last minute thing, of course, I forgot the camera, so my mobile phone camera would have to do.
So first off, here are some very general specs of the knife:
Construction: Hidden Tang
Steel: 1095
Thickness: 3/32
Length: Just over 4"
Sheath: Contoured hardwood with built in magnet for retention.
Before we left, the knife was used to prep some snacks to eat along the way. We cut some blocks of cheese, slices of apples, and and orange. As expected, everything was an ease with the thinness of the steel and the long slender shape of the blade. Ideal for these type of tasks. (Sorry no pics here)
Now, on to the hike. And let me say that Dan did give permission for me to beat the hell out of the knife if I chose to do so. I didn't go crazy, but I did have some fun! Along the way, I was able to Baton, Bore, Whittle, Cut and then Strike a firesteel. None of which, I do on a regular basis or with a whole lot of experience, so again, please no chuckling. With limited time, the available wood for battoning came down to a small pine tree that had succumbed to high winds and snapped over. I found a small limb nearby to batton with, and went to town. Cut through a couple of times to get a few 3-4" lengths. The knife held up like a champ. I really beat on it, and at one point, thought to myself that I would for sure damage at least the handle, possibly separating it. Nope, it was a trooper. Mistakenly though, I tried splitting one of those lengths, and found the wood to be too long and too dense. This is where inexperience gets the best of you. I backed the knife out, and came up with a small bend in the steel. Additionally, while inspecting the blade, I found some small dents in the edge which likely happened while battoning. Andy recently commented on being careful not to baton wood with pin knots. I am not familiar enough with this so, I would say this is likely what happened. No worries though. At home, I was able to roll out the dents with some small round metal stock, and straighten the blade.
Next, I used the knife to whittle one of the limbs, bore a small hole, and cut through some palmetto stems. No real challenge thus far. Just as a good knife should do. Lastly, I figured I'd see if this thing could throw a spark. I usually carry a Bic while camping, but what fun would that be? Starting a fire along a trail is a no no in the park, so this was just to see how well it sparked. It performed well enough to start a fire in my own opinion with the correct fuel. The edge threw a better spark than the spine.
Well, this is about as much as I could do with the little time we had, so I hope the next chap can put it to a real test along its way. In all, I really enjoyed working with the knife and look forward to seeing its progression in upcoming revisions. It really has a great, unique appeal to it and would definitely be a nice addition to the collection.
Thanks again Dan, and keep up the hard work!
Happy New Year to Everyone!
Here are a few pics. The ones of just the knife were taken at home with my camera after cleaning, straightening and sharpening the knife.
I didn't get to spend too much time using the knife either. With all of the holiday activities and travel, it was hard to find the slightest bit of free time. Luckily, my daughter asked to go on a small walk through a trail near our home the other day. There is a state park just a few miles from our home which makes for great getaways. So off we went, my daughter, myself and the Kephart in a small pack. It's just me, but I mostly carry in a pack instead of my belt. Just personal preference. Considering this was a very last minute thing, of course, I forgot the camera, so my mobile phone camera would have to do.
So first off, here are some very general specs of the knife:
Construction: Hidden Tang
Steel: 1095
Thickness: 3/32
Length: Just over 4"
Sheath: Contoured hardwood with built in magnet for retention.
Before we left, the knife was used to prep some snacks to eat along the way. We cut some blocks of cheese, slices of apples, and and orange. As expected, everything was an ease with the thinness of the steel and the long slender shape of the blade. Ideal for these type of tasks. (Sorry no pics here)
Now, on to the hike. And let me say that Dan did give permission for me to beat the hell out of the knife if I chose to do so. I didn't go crazy, but I did have some fun! Along the way, I was able to Baton, Bore, Whittle, Cut and then Strike a firesteel. None of which, I do on a regular basis or with a whole lot of experience, so again, please no chuckling. With limited time, the available wood for battoning came down to a small pine tree that had succumbed to high winds and snapped over. I found a small limb nearby to batton with, and went to town. Cut through a couple of times to get a few 3-4" lengths. The knife held up like a champ. I really beat on it, and at one point, thought to myself that I would for sure damage at least the handle, possibly separating it. Nope, it was a trooper. Mistakenly though, I tried splitting one of those lengths, and found the wood to be too long and too dense. This is where inexperience gets the best of you. I backed the knife out, and came up with a small bend in the steel. Additionally, while inspecting the blade, I found some small dents in the edge which likely happened while battoning. Andy recently commented on being careful not to baton wood with pin knots. I am not familiar enough with this so, I would say this is likely what happened. No worries though. At home, I was able to roll out the dents with some small round metal stock, and straighten the blade.
Next, I used the knife to whittle one of the limbs, bore a small hole, and cut through some palmetto stems. No real challenge thus far. Just as a good knife should do. Lastly, I figured I'd see if this thing could throw a spark. I usually carry a Bic while camping, but what fun would that be? Starting a fire along a trail is a no no in the park, so this was just to see how well it sparked. It performed well enough to start a fire in my own opinion with the correct fuel. The edge threw a better spark than the spine.
Well, this is about as much as I could do with the little time we had, so I hope the next chap can put it to a real test along its way. In all, I really enjoyed working with the knife and look forward to seeing its progression in upcoming revisions. It really has a great, unique appeal to it and would definitely be a nice addition to the collection.
Thanks again Dan, and keep up the hard work!
Happy New Year to Everyone!
Here are a few pics. The ones of just the knife were taken at home with my camera after cleaning, straightening and sharpening the knife.
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