I'm switching teams bros, don't judge.

Uncle Timbo said:
Did somebody say...Kephart?
Thanks Rimfire. It's true that I don't like my newest Kephart made by the one and only @Mike McCarter, but rather I love my McCarter Kephart. Mike was able to study the Kephart that Ethan Becker owns and came up with this rendition. I think ol Mike nailed it. You might be able to own one similar to this one, but this one's mine.
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Your McCarter Kephart is the closest rendition of the original per folks that know about these things like Ethan Becker. Dan Eastland makes a good one too, but he uses modern handle materials and steel. As you know, I own one of his. Eastland's (Dogwood Custom Knives) is probably #3 or #2.

H Houlahound A kephart may not be the right choice for you. We all like different stuff.
 
What constitutes a Kephart is not that difficult to pin down, since Kephart described the specs in some detail in his writings. I am not going to dig out the quote, but it has been cited several times on this forum. A Bowie has never been defined with the same level of specificity.
 
Henry Beige said:
What constitutes a Kephart is not that difficult to pin down, since Kephart described the specs in some detail in his writings. I am not going to dig out the quote, but it has been cited several times on this forum. A Bowie has never been defined with the same level of specificity.
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I don't know if I have read the the specs that Kephart wrote. He has mentioned other knives but never his own Kephart blade that I am aware of. He certainly did not like bowie knives for the woods. He carried two knives in the woods; a simple fixed blade and a slip joint such as a jack knife. He liked keeping the small blade unused so it was very sharp (and clean) for medical concerns in the field. I may have to go back to the Becker thread and do some reading to refresh my memory. Yes, I have the book.

From his book (Camping and Woodcraft) (2011 reprint of the 1916 and 1917 editions): "Many hunters do not carry sheath knives, saying (and it is quite true) that a common jackknife will skin anything from a squirrel to a bear. Still I like a small, light sheath knife. It is always open and "get-at-able" ready not only for skinning game and cleaning fish, but for cutting sticks, slicing bread and bacon and peeling "spuds". It saves the pocket knife from wet and messy work, and preserves its edge for fine jobs.

"For years I used knives of my own design, because there was nothing on the market that met my notion of what a sensible, practical sheath knife should be; but we have it now in the knife here shown (Figure 104). It is of the right size (4.5 inch blade), the right shape, and the proper thinness. I ground the front part of the back on mine to a blunt bevel edge for scaling fish and disarticulating joints. The sheath being flimsy, and the button band a nuisance, I made a good leather that binds well up the handle and is fastened together with copper rivets beside the sewing."

(I believe the pictured drawing is of a Tops or Marbles knife versus his Kephart.)

"Knives should be of the best steel obtainable. Knicks and dull edges are abominations, so use knives and hatchets for nothing but what they were made for, and whet them a little every day that they are in service."
 
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I try really hard not to judge "people" unless I'm on jury duty.
All though it is hard not to judge when a "people" does stupid sh!t like brake check a 80,000 pound truck or pull out in front of one, or try to go across the tracks before that oncoming train squishes their vehicle, or worse attempt to drive a 11 foot 7 inch plus tall RV or U-Haul et-al rental truck under a bridge/overpass that has 11 foot 6 inch clearance.

(SPOILER ALERT: The train and bridge always win)
 
Houlahound said:
How do you define a Bowie at all and how much variation do you accept on a Kephart ?

I doubt many new Kephart knives have identical grinds and steel/ materials as the original.

Who defines this line where a contemporary rendition of a knife type is no longer the same knife type.
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The bk62 has the guy's signature on it and the project to make the thing was implemented by one of the modern godfathers of woods knives. It's a fairly accurate rendition.

I had a bk62 for a while. The design is no hype. The only reasons I got rid of it were because I don't like leather sheaths or wood scales and I have too many knives in that size. I knew I would never use it anywhere to its full potential so I gifted it to an avid hunter who will be able to truly appreciate the fantastic design. I do miss the thing a bit so if someone does a good set of micarta or g10 scales and a kydex sheath, I could see another bk62 in my future.
 
I've owned some great overbuilt knives, owned some better kettle bells. Decided to quit confusing the two and settled on a Kephart. Really dont need anything else besides a slippy for knives.

Supplement w hawk, axe, saw, or shovel depending on your environment and you're pretty gtg!
 
fonedork said:
View attachment 1201788
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That to me is the primary function of a tomahawk. The head is small to facilitate control and penetration on flesh and probably break bones. The second function would be hatchet duty on wood primarily. This is why I really never got that interested in tomahawks as their design function is not something I am interested in.
 
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22-rimfire said:
Nessmuk... there's another one with certain design elements. I personally could never understand the interest in the "Nessmuk" knife (George Washington Sears). But I think Sears was focused more on a skinner type blade.

Hard to beat a good Slipjoint for cutting!!
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If I recall, George/Nessmuk skinned with his folder. His fixed blade was primarily for food prep and the hump on the spine was used as a "spoon."

And if one varies too far from the design of a Nessmuk or Kephart....it isn't one anymore. As you and others said.

That is not at all true for a Bowie, being that nobody knew or knows what the sandbar knife looked like.

(Except me. It was the Forrest knife.)

That didn't stop anybody from making a huge variety of knives, fixed AND folders, and selling them to folks, who, at the time, wanted to be as tacticool as Bowie and have a knife like he did. And it didn't stop folks like Thorp from pulling a design out of their backsides and claiming it was what Bowie's knife looked like. And selling a boatload of those too and basing movies on it.
 
22-rimfire said:
That to me is the primary function of a tomahawk. The head is small to facilitate control and penetration on flesh and probably break bones. The second function would be hatchet duty on wood primarily. This is why I really never got that interested in tomahawks as their design function is not something I am interested in.
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Again correct.

Tomahawks are weapons. Always were. Not wood choppers. They are not balanced for chopping wood.
 
cbach8tw said:
All part of the evolution and experience one goes through to see what equipment works best for them.
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Yep.... if your interested enough to pursue the usual migration of equipment over time.

I like big knives. I pretty much like most knives. I find it fun to acquire those tactical looking fixed blades that are built like a tank and often with cheap materials. But after buying more than a couple, I have mostly ceased that activity simply because I know I won't ever use them and barely even fondle them later. I have the fondle knives already.

Changing teams? I see this as sort of a stupid statement as we don't know what team the OP is on to begin with, whether there really are "teams" to begin with, or even care. I view it basically as a word choice thing about changing preferences which is normal from my experience.

Some just buy a Mora and are satisfied. Not me. Did that just because I never owned one (and all the talk here on BF), but they didn't appeal to me then and they still don't other than some sort of back up knife. I view them much like the assortment of Vic paring knives that are stashed in my cutlery/silverware drawer in the kitchen. Not throw away precisely, but I don't get upset when my wife pries open a can. Like Vic SAKs, I keep spares available for immediate use.
 
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Terava Mini Puukko for drop-point, or Mini Skrama if you want to try sheepsfoot.

80crv2 steel at 59 hrc, it’s grinded thin behind the edge and cuts and slices beautifully! And it’s cheap!
 
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