Kershaw Outcast

many people (myself included) are leary of it because it is made from D2, a steel that everyone fears chips on larger blades.

i have never heard a negative report on one though...
 
I have had mine for a couple years and never had any problems. The factory grind is a little thick and if you have the ability you should probably thin it out. It has a great sheath though.
 
I like mine, and just yesterday thinned out the bevels on it- they come very obtuse. Now it will be even better on my survival hipsack I am sure.
 
You guys must have got duds. Mine came shaving sharp and cut pretty well. My biggest complaint was the handle. I tore it off but havent put on a new one yet.



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Mine was very sharp as well, it just came with a thick edge. Actually it was the first knife I had that would cut through 1" manilla in one swing. I am a bored cripple so I played with the edge.
 
i've had good and bad things happen with this blade overall i like it. had it for about 3 years and i have used it, a lot. i always keep it rigged in my jeep behind my seat, with the seat folded down its not hidden but its not to out in the open either. besides its there right when i need it (right beside my cold steel shovel and gerber backpacking saw). the problem i have with this knife is the handle it broke after about a year of use. its not a true full tang, the tang comes about to butt of the handle and then the rest is just molded over with plastic that being the part with the lanyard hole. it cracked with heavy chopping and it time broke off. so i lost the lanyard hole and that part that kinda hooks the bottom of your hand. no problem, i tied a nice tight knot of 550 cord (gutted) near the butt and the nice new exposed tang and melted it together with a torch. all in all i haved delimbed many a felled tree, split and batoned logs, broke cinderblocks w/ the back and even done a fuzzstick or two. the edge stays sharp w/ proper attention and it wasn't that pricey.
it will stay in the jeep. even with the barkie golok i got coming.
 

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nice ive wondered what was hiding under that plastic and rubber handle, what are your plans w/ it ilbruche?
 
I bought one last Christmas but haven't really used it much and won't until I get better at knife sharpening. D2 and a recurved blade, together with my sharpening skills is a bad combination. I have heard how difficult D2 can be to sharpen and I know from my Emerson Commander that I can't sharpen recurves very well, so I'm not sure what I was thinking when I bought this. Regardless, it's a lot of knife for the money.

The sheath is really great and I would like to eventually have a kydex piggy back made to hold a Vic OHT or small fixed blade and a Light My Fire ferro rod. The attachment system on the sheath is innovative and I like it better than a tekloc, but I hope it's durable enough.

I'm just getting back into larger knifes as I can see their advantage when practicing bushcraft, but their weight is the obvious trade off. In the future I won't buy a chopper with a recurve because it's difficult to use as a draw knife. I'll probably save up for a Busse, but there are so many knives that I want that I may never get that Battle Mistress or ASH1. I'm drooling over a BRKT Golok and a Diving Swallow Knife Works Boreal Bushcraft. Seems like an ideal combo to me without completely breaking the bank.
 
I have had mine for a little more than 2 years now and it has held up very well. I learned of the issues with D2 shortly after getting the outcast but I have had no problems at all and it has hit a rock or two while in use. The only problem I have had is sharpening it, 1x30 HF fixed that problem though.
 
knifenut1013,

Forgive my ignorance, but what is 1x30HF? What method of you found that effectively sharpens the Outcast?

Sorry for the hijack!
 
kage, a 1x30HF if a small belt sander. very popular around here for those that do alot of modding. i love mine, its very portable and makes it easy for me to power sharpen almost anywhere. (i really want to make a transformer for a car battery so i can take it on the road with me too...someday)

kage, if you want you can send the kershaw to me and i can put a scary edge on it for you, just toss in like five bucks for return shipping. pm me for my address if you are interested.
 
Siguy,

Thanks for the info, that's very helpful. I need a mentor to teach me to sharpen as I'm a hands on kinda guy. I'm going to check out that sander now. If I get it I'll go pick up some used kitchen knives and start practicing.

I really appreciate the offer on sharpening my Outcast. It's pretty sharp now, but has so much more potential. Everyone's generosity and helpfulness on this forum never ceases to amaze me.

I'll pm you and get it sent off next week. I'm heading out tomorrow into the Sierras for the weekend, so maybe I'll take the Outcast and give it a good run.

Thank you again, Siguy!
 
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