One of my best knife discoveries of 2022 is the Kizlyar Supreme Bastardo. I paid $53 for the unsharpened blade blank, with average prices around $60-75. It has an 8.5” blade (14” OAL), is 5.7mm thick, full tang, saber grind, and is made from Sleipner too. Weight is a pound even. All the grinds are very crisp and nothing is ground uneven.
I can’t really say how the g10 grips are on the fully equipped blade, but the handle shape is very ergonomic and the c-notch/beak at the end of the handle really aids in grip retention without being uncomfortable. I chopped through thick brush for several hours and didn’t develop any hotspots on my hands.
The blade balances about 1” in front of the handle scale, and feels quite nimble for it’s size; even my 70 year old mother didn’t have a problem with the heft of it.
I have chopped 4x4’s in half with it, chopped down trees up to 5” dia., and batoned wood as wide as the blade’s length with no noticeable reduction in sharpness. Only downside is that it’s absolute hell to sharpen by hand, but it stays sharp all day long. This knife easily skates a file, and diamond stones are necessary. Sharpening by belt is highly recommended.
As far as corrosion resistance, it is similar to 3V and behaves like a semi-stainless with the chromium content being in a similar range. I left it in my garage for several weeks without wiping it off and there was only a slight patina forming. The stone wash finish looks quite nice as well.
Overall it performs about as well as my bigger Cold Steel 3V blades but with slightly better edge retention. The feel of the blade is very similar to the old 3V Warcraft Tanto, but is slightly larger and heavier. It’s almost as good as the Trailmaster in chopping performance.
FYI some sites claim that hardware is provided, but I have ordered several of them from different vendors and that hasn’t been the case. The grip screw holes are between 5.95-6.05mm according to my micrometer.
Also: I made my grips from kevlar, and the pictured sheath is made for a flat-ground Trailmaster.
Happy Chopping!
I can’t really say how the g10 grips are on the fully equipped blade, but the handle shape is very ergonomic and the c-notch/beak at the end of the handle really aids in grip retention without being uncomfortable. I chopped through thick brush for several hours and didn’t develop any hotspots on my hands.
The blade balances about 1” in front of the handle scale, and feels quite nimble for it’s size; even my 70 year old mother didn’t have a problem with the heft of it.
I have chopped 4x4’s in half with it, chopped down trees up to 5” dia., and batoned wood as wide as the blade’s length with no noticeable reduction in sharpness. Only downside is that it’s absolute hell to sharpen by hand, but it stays sharp all day long. This knife easily skates a file, and diamond stones are necessary. Sharpening by belt is highly recommended.
As far as corrosion resistance, it is similar to 3V and behaves like a semi-stainless with the chromium content being in a similar range. I left it in my garage for several weeks without wiping it off and there was only a slight patina forming. The stone wash finish looks quite nice as well.
Overall it performs about as well as my bigger Cold Steel 3V blades but with slightly better edge retention. The feel of the blade is very similar to the old 3V Warcraft Tanto, but is slightly larger and heavier. It’s almost as good as the Trailmaster in chopping performance.
FYI some sites claim that hardware is provided, but I have ordered several of them from different vendors and that hasn’t been the case. The grip screw holes are between 5.95-6.05mm according to my micrometer.
Also: I made my grips from kevlar, and the pictured sheath is made for a flat-ground Trailmaster.
Happy Chopping!