Phat Bob... Convince me

H

HardTripper

Joined
Dec 13, 2010
Messages
1,077
Hey guys, Im in the market for a new folder and the Phat bob has caught my eye. The first reason being its a Kabar which I love but only own BK's, second I like a wide blade like that. My only single blade folder is a Kershaw OD-1, paid 30$ at wally world, good sandvik steel and g10 make this an awesome budget folder which had me looking at Benchmade's and Spyderco's for better steel and more rugged construction. Now the woman has been talking about doing a trip down south which quickly limits the budget and here we are. Any one have a Phat Bob and love it? hate it? Whats Aus-8 like? Whats a made in Taiwan Kabar like?

Thanks guys,
Joey
 
Once I get to a computer I'll answer this but in the meantime do some searching in old threads... this has come up before. Also, you're not considering the limited edition Phat Bob right? you should :D
 
I've got both the regular production and limited edition phat bobs. I got the vanilla one first, got it I had become obsessed with the 'leaf' shape blade, thought the size would be good for my big hands, and watched some YT vids that all commented on how solid the thing is. I was NOT disappointed. It's a damn tank. The liner is thick and LOUD when it locks into place and the blade has zero play. I love the way the green micarta looks. The jimping is useful and slightly rounded, so it's comfortable. The handle shape feels like it was made for my hand, and has been a really great fit when cutting apart some thick plastic bins. It's hollow ground and an absolute razor.

There are some things I don't like though. The edges of the polished micarta scales are razor sharp. The micarta itself is highly polished and therefore slick. The cutout for thumb access to the stud to open the blade is too narrow and needs to be widened a bit to make opening the blade easier. I hate the extra cutout for if you wanted to relocate the clip. And there are some really sharp "points" on the handle end, so if it's clipped to a pocket and you try to shove your hand in, it hurts.

I'm going to attempt to make some custom mesquite scales for one of my PBs and will set the clip for tip-up so my hand comes in contact with the round end of the handle, plus I'll leave off the blank clip cutout as I'm not a lefty. I'll also make sure to smooth the edges of the scales. Should fix all the issues above.

I think it's a great knife, really nice design for looks and feel in the hand. Nice and sturdy and heavy. Not quite a beater like some of the popular Cold Steel offerings but it's sharp as hell and beautiful.
 
Forgot to mention... I'm no steel expert, but the AUS-8 treated me well. I stupidly used my PB on a screw and put a little ding doohickey in the edge, near the tip. I know exactly jack-sh** about sharpening but was able to fix it. That's some forgiving material there.
 
Sooooooo Ive heard enough now, from here and other various sources, both good and bad. Looks like I wont be picking this one up for a few reasons, Im gonna hold out for a sprint run Manix 2. Ill probably pick this up as a stocking stuffer for someone else and inspect it that way for future procurement, thanks again guys helpful info all around.
 
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