Kerry Hampton Back-Pocket

Brian_T

Brian_T

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 7, 1999
Messages
1,760
Hampton_01.jpg


I got in on the Kerry Hampton Back-Pocket Pass Around here and the knife arrived yesterday. (Thanks for putting this together Kerry and Jason!) :)

As part of the "deal," I'm going to do a review of the knife and I've decided to do an ongoing day-by-day assessment until my time is up and I have to send it on.

So, lets' get to it:
4.25" Closed length
7.25" Open
2.75 oz.
3" cutting edge
A2 steel
Black (canvas?) Micarta handle with Nickel shield, pin, pivot, and lanyard tube

The first thing I did was take the knives out of my pockets, the multi-tool off my belt, and stash them in a drawer until next week. Next, I passed the blade lightly over an unloaded strop to shine up the edge. Then I dropped the Hampton Back-Pocket into my front pocket (back pockets are already in use :) ) and set off to find things to cut.

I have two kids in school and I have always sharpened their pencils with my pocket knife. Yesterday was no exception and with a nearly-two year old, the points don't seem to last so long. So, I sharpened a few pencils.

Hampton_02.jpg


The knife was comfortable in the hand, plenty sharp, and cut the points easily.

Tasks for today? Opening the mail, trimming my nails, maybe scraping some wax out of my ears... :D

Come back tomorrow for more pictures and additional thoughts.

See you then,


B
 
Day Two:

Hampton_05.jpg


Hampton_04.jpg


Sorry, there was NO ear-picking yesterday. :D

I did, however, start carving a spoon to test the ergonomics in a variety of grips over a longer period. This is also well-seasoned Birch so it did a good job of pushing the edge on the A2.

Throughout the day I used the Back-Pocket to open the mail, cut down a box or two, slice apples, grapes, and oranges for the kids, and more of the mundane day-to-day stuff you'd use a knife for. There hasn't been anything yet that's been particularly punishing or hard-core but this isn't my knife and I'm treating it that way.

I spend a few minutes at the end of the day lightly stropping the edge and that's been enough so far to keep it cutting well. I'm using an old strop that has been loaded with Mother's Mag Polish but is currently "cleaned."

I really find the knife comfortable to hold, easy to carry, and just the right size and thickness to get stuff done. It carries in the pocket easily and doesn't scare folks when I have to use it to cut something while we're out. It's got a great snap to it and there's no blade play when open or closed.

What's on the menu for today? I don't know yet. I'm sure it'll be nothing earth-shattering. :)

Thanks for reading,


B
 
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Nothing new to report.

I continue to use the knife for everything and it continues to cut and cut.

The occasional stropping is needed to bring the edge back up but it's still far from dull.

I'll try to get a bunch of in-hand and comparison pictures today if time allows so you can get a better feel for the overall size.

Thanks for reading,


B
 
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In-hand and comparison shots:

Hampton_10.jpg


Hampton_11.jpg


Hampton_12.jpg


Hampton_14.jpg


I've really enjoyed using this knife and have found it up to every task so far. It has carved wood, sliced fruits and vegetables, pulled a splinter, opened boxes and letters, and it's never needed anything more than a light stropping in the evening and again in the morning. (That's just my normal routine.)

Thanks for reading,


B
 
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Over the weekend, this knife did more of the same...

I went for a hike and it was the only knife I had. I went out to a fancy dinner on Saturday night and it was the only knife I had.

I cut things up in public and nobody batted an eye--this one is significant. :)

I did more whittling as time allowed.

All the while, the only maintenance I did to the edge was to strop lightly on that same piece of leather. The 1/8" thick A2 just never really needed much more than that.

I'm sure I babied the knife much more than I would have if it were my knife but I never refused to cut something that needed cutting just because this was the only knife in my pocket. In other words, I didn't use it to cut up sandpaper or asphalt shingles or open bags of gravel but I did use it for all the day to day stuff.

There are a few pictures from the hike that I'll try and get uploaded today but it'll be more of the same shots in a different setting.

I'm going to put my summary below.

Thanks for reading,


B
 
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Good work

I dropped my jaw when I saw this one posted for sale. You lucky bastard!
 
Today's the day this knife goes back into circulation for the Pass-Around.

I used it as I would any knife (more or less) and it never failed me. The edge was still sharp enough to get things done and it was easy to maintain with a stropping every evening.

The nice strong backspring gives the knife some really good snap and I never felt that the blade was going to shut on me while I was working with it.

The size was really suited to me. I like the Moose pattern but this was sleeker with the single blade and the handle was more rounded so it dropped into the pocket easily and carried all day the same way.

Now, I didn't use another knife all week and you'd think I'd be happy to drop my EDCs back into my pockets and put my multi-tool back on my belt but, in fact, I'm kind of sad to see this knife go. I think that is a sign of good design and execution.

I think I'm going to have to contact Kerry and see if he wants to make a similar piece. :D

Thanks for reading,


B

PS. Whoever put the lanyard on, this was a great configuration. The knife was easy to drop into the pocket and get at when I needed it and the lanyard never got in my way while I was working. I'm going to have to try and make one for myself.
 
Nice review. I really like the day-by-day blogging format and the focus on using the knife.
 
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