Photos Kepharts...They just Work

jmgruber said:
Something like LT Wright Patriot?
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That's a very good suggestion (Patriot). I'm comfortable with A2. I also see these are made in 01 and 3V. The Bush Baby is interesting.

I have a knife (with stag handles) I bought years ago made by a guy named "Mike Wallace" who is out of KY. About 6.75" OAL and a thinner profile than a kephart (essentially a Bird & Trout). This was during my gun show days and he would have a table at the Louisville KY show in the early 90's. (Also pre-internet.) This is not a kephart, but it will work and I won't have to spend any money..... Going to take this quest slowly and not get in any hurry. Arno Bernard knives interest me too. I like kepharts, but I am not locked into choosing one next.

Added: Here is a link to his website. https://wallaceedgedtools.com/about/
 
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I like my LTW Patriot in D2, I believe there is a pattern that is very similar to it but a little bigger, forget the name. I wish the Patriot had a little bit longer handle.
 
I understand the handle length preference. If I am buying something new, I need to keep in mind my experience with the Condor Compact Kephart which has a 3 finger handle. It seems to work real well for everyday use (versus heavy woods use) and the new knife will be essentially an upgrade from the Condor. It is a question of how big you are comfortable carrying everyday knowing the kinds of uses you typically have and being practical.

Added: I have been carrying the Compact Kephart since the beginning of November every single day. This is a brand new experience for me carrying a fixed blade and using it regularly. Frankly my knife carry in the woods amounts to mostly knife jewelry overall. Just the other day I was in Staples and looking at printers. I told the associate I wanted to look inside the box before I spent the money as it had shoplifting alarms fixed to it. After the alarms were removed, I opened the box with the little Kephart. The associate said my knife was a lot sharper than the one he carries. He said he carried a bali and my response was that bali's get looks from LEO's (even though they are legal) and I just prefer not to have that happen.

You see even if you been carrying knives for years, you can renew the interest with a few changes and give something new a chance to grow on you.
 
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Interesting observation on my part about my use..... today I reached for my little SAK (Small Tinker) and it wasn't in my watch pocket/pocket.... hmmmmm... did I loose it? Then I realized I switched jeans a couple days ago and discovered the SAK in those jeans watch pocket in my laundry basket..... hmmm.... I didn't even miss it until today and I have been using my little Condor Compact Kephart every single day. Am I getting hooked carrying a fixed blade?
 
I picked up a small Arno Bernard (Bush Baby Series-Squirrel) today at KSF. Not a Kephart, but I will be edc'ing it along with the Condor Compact Kephart. Cute little knife. I want to look at some other knives when they show up there in the future like the LTW Patriot. It never really stops.....
 
22-rimfire said:
I picked up a small Arno Bernard (Bush Baby Series-Squirrel) today at KSF. Not a Kephart, but I will be edc'ing it along with the Condor Compact Kephart. Cute little knife. I want to look at some other knives when they show up there in the future like the LTW Patriot. It never really stops.....
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Resistance is futile......I am a Trekkie.
 
I picked out what I wanted to look at the night before on line. Then when I got there I could just tell them what to bring out for me. I pretty much figured I would buy one of these before I got there. It is a fairly typical design, but has giraffe bone handles which are kind of cool and I don't own a Arno B knife. Always wanted one of his knives. I was looking for a "higher end" but small handmade edc blade. I'm comfortable with the size and could go a little larger.
 
Ripcord 82 said:
10-4 ! The fish knife is one of my favorites.I think I got mine from Track of the Wolf as a kit and shaped the scales myself. I use it a lot but I find myself trying to keep it clean and whipping the patina off.I have even field dressed a deer with it and fillet some fish.It is a great EDC knife as well.I have so many knives that are 100 bucks or more and some day I hope to come to my senses and realize that things don't have to be expensive to work. I am 72 so hopefully by February when I hit 73,it'll happen.Ya think ?
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Rip, I
just turned 70 and am hoping for the same transformation. Let me know what happens at 73. in the meantime, I plan to start using my Russells more often.
DquQ9tC.jpg
 
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deltablade said:
Rip, I
just turned 70 and am hoping for the same transformation. Let me know what happens at 73. in the meantime, I plan to start using my Russells more often.
DquQ9tC.jpg
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The Russell knives are very practical. Cost does not necessarily reflect function.

Ripcord 82 said:
Looking good!
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I still buy some more expensive stuff, but I also have been coming around to seeing through use that inexpensive knives can work very well. You may need to sharpen them more often after using them, but it goes with the territory and generally not a big deal to touch one up. Also there is the sense of what sharpness level you are comfortable with for knives you use. Everyone likes a really sharp knife, but I tend to go with "sharp" versus shaving sharp.

Maybe old farts can get away with carrying fixed blades easier than young folks. @jackknife has I think experienced this. I think in part it's because you aren't going to work every day where you have to abide by their rules and people ignore older folks unfortunately unless they do something stupid.
 
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an interesting fish and small game by Old Hickory. Overall length of 8.7" with 4" blade is about an inch short of ideal for me. My preference would be 5" handle and 4.5" blade
oldhickory.jpg


Just picked up this one which is a good one for me..I like the copper pins and walnut, handle is shaped comfortably, blade and handle are good lengths.
iM1eH3h.jpg
 
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deltablade said:
an interesting fish and small game by Old Hickory. Overall length of 8.7" with 4" blade is about an inch short of ideal for me. My preference would be 5" handle and 4.5" blade
oldhickory.jpg


Just picked up this one which is a good one for me..I like the copper pins and walnut, handle is shaped comfortably, blade and handle are good lengths.
iM1eH3h.jpg
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You don’t actually have that Old Hickory in hand, do you? It looks too new for most vendors to have it. Looks to take dead aim at the Green River fish knife. Meanwhile, Condor’s new butcher knife appears to be channeling the 7” OH.
 
deltablade said:
an interesting fish and small game by Old Hickory. Overall length of 8.7" with 4" blade is about an inch short of ideal for me. My preference would be 5" handle and 4.5" blade
oldhickory.jpg


Just picked up this one which is a good one for me..I like the copper pins and walnut, handle is shaped comfortably, blade and handle are good lengths.
iM1eH3h.jpg
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The Old Hickory looks interesting. I believe it does compete with the Green River. I think the Kephart will work. Bark River had one along th same lines and I believe they called it a modernized Kephart with the bottom guard. I almost bought that one. Frankly glad I didn't as I have purchased more than a couple Kepharts since that time in more traditional form.
 
Want a 5” blade? One of these Dadleys might fill the bill.

This little corner of the market is starting to get a bit congested.

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Henry Beige said:
Want a 5” blade? One of these Dadleys might fill the bill.

This little corner of the market is starting to get a bit congested.

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Those Sheffields are a bargain. I never tried the Russell green river as it looks pretty similar, but is there any noticeable differences in function?

I remember the handle of the Sheffield being pretty unfinished but after a minute or so of sanding off the sharp edges, it was pretty comfy. Amazing slicer, kind of like a fixed blade opinel. No frills, just cuts with thin steel and an edge the is really easy to get sharp.
 
The J. adams Sheffield has a glossy varnish or poly on the handle, with some finger grooves for a right-hander. The corners on the handle are pretty sharp, but I haven’t seen fit to round them yet. The checkering on the Green River is typically shaggy, and calls out for some immediate sanding. Once the edges are smoothed, I am more at home with the Green River handle, similar to the handle on the GR fish knife.

The Sheffield comes with a nice, very close-fitting leather sheath. I’m not sure I could get a belt through the loop, but it pockets pretty well. I could not choose between them for performance, both thin and easy to get sharp. I have not used either one enough yet to start a patina.
 
Seems to me that the Dadley may well be the forerunner to the Kephart pattern. The timing for Dadley (Dadly) preceded Horace Kephart but he may well have had one and wanted a knife similar to it for an all around woods knife.
 
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