Recommendation: KaBar Heavy Bowie vs ZK War Sword vs ZK 5 Pestilence ?

Scottman said:
how did you get the heavy bowie handles off?
thanks.
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just remove the rear brash ferrule/rivet... you'll have to have a new retainer in, but there's a few materials one can use from roll pins to flair tubing
 
Not quite old enough to be a zombie thread... but close :).

Also, as an update, I haven't pulled the trigger on any of these knives, but I do believe that I have selected the War Sword over the others (its currently sitting in my shopping cart, just waiting for a weak moment).

The reason that I think I'll go with the war sword is pretty simple actually. Its almost the cheapest, its got a full width, full length tang, good sheath, and a free knife. I feel like it will do just as well at batoning as the other knives (no swedge), but will likely do better with knife like work, and therefor see more use.

I'll write up a real review if/when I finally succumb to purchasing this guy.
 
Still five dollars cheaper than tomars at my favorite place (42.07 before shipping), thank goodness, and even in stock. That help you bite the bullet?

My big camp knives for those tasks are HI khukuri, but it's hard to beat the price of a Kabar.
 
I've got it in my cart still, and what is likely going to happen is that I'll finally end up ordering that textbook and then get the knife at the same time. I get free two day shipping and a decent price from a site that sounds like a larger river and jungle, so thats where I'll be getting it most likely.

And actually, right now I'm trying to find a nice little EDC blade to go along with the purchase, and thats proving to be really hard (I'm picky, and am looking for a thin and light blade in the 2.5-2.75in range with a pocket clip). Once I get that picked out, I'll probably pull the trigger.
 
May I suggest a KaBar Dozier Folder? Probably one of the best bang for the buck knives out there, I got mine for under $20 from Tomar and was shocked at how great it felt in hand... I guess I was expecting less since it was so cheap, but it is awesome, fully ambidextrous options, AUS8 steel, perfect blade design, and a grippy, comfortable handle... it definitely compares to knives three times it's price. I prefer the Orange/Black combo, but there are quite a few color choices.

Also for what you seem to want, the WarSword is probably your best bet. If you're worried about the handle on the Heavy Bowie...don't get it. I would rather see the full tang from tip to tip too. The Bowie is certainly a capable knife, and for most people's standards, pretty damn tough...but if you're looking for something you can really trust, go with your gut. The pestilence is also an awesome knife, but it was designed after a folding machete that pilots could use as a last-ditch survival tool in WW2. IMO it is far too single-purpose. You can't stab, poke, or do much food prep with that thing. Cutting jungle vines and tall grass, or hacking down small trees are about where it's roster of tricks ends. The Warsword has a combination of features that make it a great camp knife. The length and heft is definitely enough to chop pretty much anything, and the recurve blade creates a nice, easy to find sweet spot. The recurve also gives you an easy to work with edge area for bushcraft, trap-making, whittling type of stuff. The ability to poke stuff is as basic as a sharpened stick, whether it's stabbing a 700lb charging black bear, or gutting a brook trout, you need a sharp tip. WarSword for the quadrumvirate win...Choppy, Slicey, Carvy, Stabby. Just my opinion though...
 
Haze240 said:
Also for what you seem to want, the WarSword is probably your best bet. If you're worried about the handle on the Heavy Bowie...don't get it. I would rather see the full tang from tip to tip too. The Bowie is certainly a capable knife, and for most people's standards, pretty damn tough...but if you're looking for something you can really trust, go with your gut. The pestilence is also an awesome knife, but it was designed after a folding machete that pilots could use as a last-ditch survival tool in WW2. IMO it is far too single-purpose. You can't stab, poke, or do much food prep with that thing. Cutting jungle vines and tall grass, or hacking down small trees are about where it's roster of tricks ends. The Warsword has a combination of features that make it a great camp knife. The length and heft is definitely enough to chop pretty much anything, and the recurve blade creates a nice, easy to find sweet spot. The recurve also gives you an easy to work with edge area for bushcraft, trap-making, whittling type of stuff. The ability to poke stuff is as basic as a sharpened stick, whether it's stabbing a 700lb charging black bear, or gutting a brook trout, you need a sharp tip. WarSword for the quadrumvirate win...Choppy, Slicey, Carvy, Stabby. Just my opinion though...
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Exactly what I was thinking, and basically my same line of logic as well. The only reason I think I would pick up a pestilence chopper is if I thought I was going to get a BK9 any time soon. That way I wouldn't have redundant knives (in purpose). I like the shape of the War Sword for the most part, and think it might look interesting stripped and with JAB handles (if I can find someone to trade the green ones with).

We'll see... my resistance is fading...

Also, the folder I'm looking for is ideally in the 2.5 - 2.75in range, and I wish they made a dozier in that size. Right now I'm choosing between a CRKT and two bucks. Once thats finally chosen, I'll likely pull the trigger.

Thanks for the help man, I really appreciate it.
 
The HK? I'll be honest, I don't know what you're referring to.

The contest is now mostly between the ZK War sword, and the Heavy Bowie, but I'm leaning towards the ZK because of the full length full width tang and no swedge.
 
I was referring to the HK 14650 I recommended for your small EDC needs.

I'd love to see a review of the ZK. I vote you get that one and put it through its paces!
 
I can only speak for the Kabar Heavy Bowie, but it feels real good in hand, has a nice curve at the end of the handle so you can grip further down for extended chopping, very comfortable handle, and is a beast. I like this blade.
 
Well, I thought I would just give everyone a quick update on the status here.

I pulled the trigger on the War Sword last week, and it got here on friday. I haven't had time to do a proper review of it yet (school decided to have lots of important projects due the same week, so I'm in the middle of writing two papers, and working on a 45min presentation). The full review will be coming though, so don't worry about that.

My initial thoughts of it though are a little mixed. The only way I can describe it right now is that it feels a bit... "dainty" for a large knife. I don't have any calipers, but the blade sure doesn't seem just .05in thinner than the BK2 (meaning, it looks much thinner). Also, the blade is nice and long, but the knife is small vertically (meaning, looking from the side, the blade is much thinner than the BK2). This means I'm wondering how strong the blade is side to side. As it is right now, I can actually give the blade a few degrees of bend by just using my hands. I wonder how it will work when batoning larger pieces of wood, or if I'll break it doing this. I also have no idea how to sharpen recurves, which could be problematic.

Also, I the handle is nice for every grip position that I've tried, other than reverse grips, but its a bit thin (any chance of some Liners for the JAB handles FLEXX?). Also on the plus side, the blade is FFG, and it actually cuts pretty darn well (feathersticks better than the BK2). The coating on the blade seems tougher than the coating that comes on the Becker knives. Its also really light in the hand (feels smaller than it actually is), and has a nice point on it. I liked how it was a full length full width tang, and has a good sheath. I also liked it coming with the extra knife, even though I'm not sure how much I'll ever use it (its smaller than my Gerber Paraframe, and came with the worst edge I've ever seen on a knife).

So, I'll get a full review up on this hopefully next weekend (might get to do a short trip to the woods, where I'll find wood larger to work with than I have around the apt). Like I said, my feelings on it so far are mixed, but I think it will do just what I was looking for, as long as I don't break it from side to side forces while batoning some larger (6-8in) pieces of wood). If its durable enough, I don't think I'd have a problem recommending it. As it stands right now, I'm going to be trying to get a BK9 as well.

Anyway, thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it.
 
Sorry to hear it's not love at first sight with the ZK. Hope it grows on you.
 
You know, oncLogan, no one mentioned a different technique for batonning with the BK2, in this thread. If the wood is longer than the blade, simply move the knife over towards the edge of the wood. You can take less wood off with each slice. You don't have to split every piece in two every time. Just saying...

Hope you like the new blade once you get to use it. Sometimes asthetics and functionality are seperate issues.
 
Yeah, plus if you're looking to split 6 to 8 inch diameter wood with a knife then that's asking a lot of the knife to begin with. I'd only want to take after that kind of lumber with the heaviest of heavy hitters (i.e. BK2).
 
Thanks for the kind words, and the info guys. I appreciate it. And yes, I know that batoning through pieces of wood that large would be pretty difficult for any knife. I guess the realistic size for things that I would baton with it would be in the 4-6in range typically, maybe approaching 7 sometimes.

I'm reserving judgment for the War Sword until I can actually get some decent use out of it. Yesterday morning before heading up to campus to work on my group project, I took the time to scrounge the largest pieces of wood that I could around the apt (maybe 3in thick, 4 feet long, and all twisted up). I cut it into sections with my corona saw (extremely hard wood, had been dead and standing for at least a few years), then batoned through it to see if I could get any blade flex out of it. In fact, I also took one of the pieces, and batoned through the whole length of the thing to see if I could make it flex. Neither of those made the blade bend, which gave me hope.

I think part of my feeling about this being "dainty" is that my first real fixed blade knife was the BK2, which is a beast. I haven't handled many other fixed blade knives, and none of them have been in this weight class. So part of my feeling about the ZK might be because in comparison to the BK2, it doesn't feel overbuilt. However, because of my inexperience, I don't know if it is UNDERbuilt.

On the plus side, my wife likes it (mostly the green handles, but also because it feels smaller than it is), which is always a good thing. It also has the sharpest spine I've yet seen on a knife (in person). When this thing is stripped, it should throw major sparks. Also... anybody out there with a JAB want to trade handles? I've been thinking I want to strip this blade, and put some of the brown JAB handles on, then blue it or something. I think that would change the feel of the knife dramatically.

And also, anyone know how to sharpen a recurve? My sandpaper is too wide, and the thickness of the blade varries, so if I use my lansky, the angle will change along the length of the blade.
 
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Sharpmaker does fine on recurves. Might also try ceramic rods, or even wrapping really fine grit sandpaper around a dowel.
 
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