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Rat Izula /Bravo Necker

Also the new Kephart Companion from ML knives is in about the same size range !

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DOC-CANADA said:
And don't forget Bryan Breeden who makes an excellent neck knife (the top one)

although I don't think he promotes it as such. Coupled with a kydex (this one has an OST kydex), it is excellent.

I think it's his K.A.T. model. I scored it off some rube......, oops..... sorry kgd :o, I mean a fellow forum member and gentleman, who didn't quite see its potential. :D

Doc
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Hey Doc, glad you are liking that Breeden kat. It is a handy little blade for sure!

I just won this nifty leather necker sheath from KSF in the RatCutlery Forum. I'll do a full review on it this weekend. This sheath fits both the Barkie Necker and the Izula. Retention with the locking flap is bomb proof and yet very easy to access in a one-handed fashion. The sheath is nice as it can be worn using the belt loop, in pocket or as a neck knife. At first I thought it looked a bit funny, but as I've been using it over the week I really started to like it. It is just slightly bulkier than the included moulded sheath but that belt loop makes it worth it. The izula just sort of seems to disappear when worn on a belt. Especially during sweater season, the knife literally disappears.

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Can you get ALL 4 fingers on the Gossman PSK?

I really like that the best and like to support individual makers. I do not have large hands but do not like having the pinky in space.
 
hey J WILLIAMS -

how old is your Gossman PSK? I really like the lines on yours better than the one on his website picture. Yours is more of a spear point or at least the drop point is lower than the one he shows. Yours is really great looking. thanks.
 
The Bravo Necker is thinner, lighter, stainless, and has handle scales available, though they should be coming for the Izula before too long.

While they are similiar, it almost seems like they will appeal to different people. The Bravo blade only is just over 1.5ozs, it is almost like titanium :D, but it isn't made as heavily as the Izula.
 
sawgrass7 said:
Can you get ALL 4 fingers on the Gossman PSK?

I really like that the best and like to support individual makers. I do not have large hands but do not like having the pinky in space.
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I have medium/large hands and I could get all my fingers on my PSK. The one thing I didn't like about it was that with an uncoated handle I was having rust issues pretty regular. You can't wear it against your skin. As for the the Barkie I'm not sure I've never handled it but I did have a mini-northstar and I gotta say I'm not as impressed with 12c27 as some people are. Not to mention there's some rumors on the RAT forum of them coming out with some 440C offerings if you want stainless.

To those with Izulas, how thin is the edge?
 
Shotgun said:
To those with Izulas, how thin is the edge?
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Not sure exactly what you mean but the Izula comes with an extremely sharp edge. It will slice even better with some convexing work done to it. The whole knife is pretty darn stout and is the essence of the word "knife". :thumbup:
 
hoopster said:
Not sure exactly what you mean but the Izula comes with an extremely sharp edge. It will slice even better with some convexing work done to it. The whole knife is pretty darn stout and is the essence of the word "knife". :thumbup:
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I'm not sure how to explain it but is the area where the primary bevel and edge bevel meet thick or thin? For instance it's pretty thick on my Howling Rat but the Ritter grip I had the primary bevel melted to just about nothing which made it a much more efficient slicer. SAK's have very thin edges as well. I want a fixed edc to perform like a pocket knife.
 
Shotgun said:
I'm not sure how to explain it but is the area where the primary bevel and edge bevel meet thick or thin? For instance it's pretty thick on my Howling Rat but the Ritter grip I had the primary bevel melted to just about nothing which made it a much more efficient slicer. SAK's have very thin edges as well. I want a fixed edc to perform like a pocket knife.
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It's a fairly small edge bevel. I'm no expert but with a little sharpening to bring the angle down some it cuts as well as any of my folders. I haven't heard of anyone yet who bought an Izula and regretted it. The more used and broken in mine gets, the more I like it. So much so that I bought another just in case I lose one.
 
I will second the Thru Hiker from Fehrman, I love that blade. It is a bit heavy for a necker, but it will last a life time.
 
I have a BK-11 CSM, an Izula, and a Bravo Necker. I acquired them in that order.

The Izula is the best of the three IMO. It has great ergonomics, a small blade, but the perfect shape for many tasks. The handle is easily wrapped with paracord if you feel so inclined, and the sheath is decent.

Once I got my Izula, I stopped using my BK-11 completely. The blade was too wide, and the flat grind terminated in a very wide secondary bevel. Last week, I reground the blade. I increased the taper of the flat grind and turned it into more of a drop point shape, it is now about the same shape as a sebenza's blade, and I love it.

The BRKT has a fully convexed grind which results in a fine, efficient cutting edge. It does make it a bit flimsy IMO, but that may be because I broke the tip striking a firesteel with the spine. Derek at KSF offered to replace it, but I reshaped it instead.

The Izula has a good angle to the flat grind, the secondary bevel is the right size, and it is as sturdy as a knife twice its weight. The coating is initially grippy and thick, and it does not come off easily.

The Izula is IMHO the best for the money of any skeletonized neck knife that I have encountered. I edc mine in a pocket sheath in my left back pocket.
 
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Maybe this will help a bit:

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It is kind of funny that as similiar as they are, they are all extremely different. I think that it is really more about what you want than what the knives are. If you have a preference to stainless or carbon, that narrows it down. If you want lighter weight, that would narrow it down. The Buck and the BRKT have the finest edges, if that matters. Anyway, have fun picking out a knife.

Oh, and the reason the Becker doesn't look right is because I had to adjust it a bit after a year or so. We'll just call it the BK-11.2 for now. :D
 
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Any Cal. said:
Maybe this will help a bit:

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Excellent pic!

So from that pic I'm not sure the BRKT Bravo would give me much over what my BRKT PSK already has.

I REALLY like the BUCK and if somebody is saying they may make the Izula in stainless I may wait for that.

I would be using the neck knife in summer and keeping it under my shirt so coating or stainless is pretty much the only option.

I have a Gossman PSK and like it but it's not suited to sweat.:rolleyes:
 
sawgrass7 said:
hey J WILLIAMS -

how old is your Gossman PSK? I really like the lines on yours better than the one on his website picture. Yours is more of a spear point or at least the drop point is lower than the one he shows. Yours is really great looking. thanks.
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Not sure....I scored it off the secondary market...It has his new style pin holes though, so probably not that old....If you email or PM scott, Im sure he can make you one exactly like mine. :thumbup: Scotts laid back, and easy to deal with. A class act.

hollowdweller said:
I would be using the neck knife in summer and keeping it under my shirt so coating or stainless is pretty much the only option.

I have a Gossman PSK and like it but it's not suited to sweat.:rolleyes:
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Yeah, thats why im gonna have him make me one in 154cm next spring. :thumbup:
 
To me the Buck has the most pleasing shape.

Almost a bushcraft sort of shape.

It's hollow grind right??

AnyCal? How do you like it?

I really like the shape and pointyness of the blade and the handle shape.

Any idea how it compares weight wise with the Izula??
 
It is hollowground. I think of it as a dressy blade, due to the hollowgrind and the point. The real kicker though, if you like the knife, is the sheath. It is really slim compared to the blade. It has a little nub that locks into the hole closest to the blade, that has a small protrusion you push w/ your index finger to release the blade.

The knife blade weighs the same as the Izula, but in their sheaths the Buck is 1/4 oz less, due to the slimmer, lighter, sheath.
 
Any Cal. said:
It is hollowground. I think of it as a dressy blade, due to the hollowgrind and the point. The real kicker though, if you like the knife, is the sheath. It is really slim compared to the blade. It has a little nub that locks into the hole closest to the blade, that has a small protrusion you push w/ your index finger to release the blade.

The knife blade weighs the same as the Izula, but in their sheaths the Buck is 1/4 oz less, due to the slimmer, lighter, sheath.
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Thanks for the info. I like the compactness of the sheath in the pics I saw.
 
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