Review request: Blackjack Big Country Serie

French Kiss

French Kiss

Joined
Oct 20, 2003
Messages
2,492
I would like to have some feedback from people using any knife from the Blackjack Big Country serie (including the Warrior), how would they compare to Swamprat knives, or Becker, for example? How is treated the AUS8 steel used for the Blackjack blades?

Thanks beforehand for all your comments!

--Xavier
 
I have seen very little written here on the forums about these knives. There is a Blackjack forum at Knifeforums.com. Perhaps you could try asking over there.
 
Funny thing is I have always had an interest n this knife, because it looks solid(big country Kamper), especially with it's full convex grind and AUS8a steel which is a good steel in the price range that knife goes for. However, I have never heard of anyone testing one of those or owning one for that matter.
 
Thanks, gonna check knifeforum.com,

If I decide to get a Blackjack Big Country, I'll post a review here :)
 
I have read a few posts about them, all positive, no real comparisions to other knives however.

-Cliff
 
I posted a review of the Big Country Kampr a couple of years ago. I still own one. These are nice knives, although not quite fish or fowl. By this I mean it is not quite heavy enough to be a good chopper, and too big for general carry. The one I have sports a great convex edge and it holds that edge pretty well. The handle drops at the heel a bit like a Busse E series knife and this interfers with chopping vegetables and the like because the rear of the handle raises the edge from the cutting surface reducing contact area. Overall though, it is a good medium sized knife that feels great in the hand. I have used it for many things including filleting salmon and chopping alders. It is still in pristine condition.
 
Those knives seem to be good for all kind of cutting chores, the blade has a good length and the convex grind gives it a good and solid edge, but I think the workr to be a better choice than the kampr for chopping as it has more weight bladeward. The handle seems to be good and able to absorb a part of the energy when working it hard, so I guess you can use it for a pretty long time before you feel your hand tired. I think for the price, such a blade is hard to beat in terms of overall performance and durability in time and efforts. I like the look of swamp rat knives (camp tramp or battle rat) but they are more expensive, I don't even talk about Busse knives(although those are not designed for the same purpose) ! :rolleyes:
Thank you all for your inputs !

take care,

Xavier.
 
I don't have the Big Country series, but I do have a few Blackjacks, old and new, and they are fine cutters. If you're planning to use them in an at all hard way--and I'm not talking busting into tanks, but just light chopping/limbing and breaking the occasional joint apart--Swamp Rats are superior knives.

Do you have a source other than the Knifeware.com site for these? If not, it seems to be splitting hairs price-wise. $105.00 vs. $128.00 for a Camp Tramp, or even (if you want a smaller knife) $88.00 for a Howling Rat. You will have a couple/three weeks to wait for a Rat, but you have superior steel (for absolutely everything but corrosion resistance) and an unconditional lifetime warranty.

Like I said, I like Blackjack (though I like the ones made out of 52100 and A2 more) and they make good knives, but if you like the look of the Rats, I think the not-so-big price difference is worth it.
 
I've seen the Kamper which is their big survival knife for about $80.00
 
I couldn't find it for that, but that certainly doesn't mean it can't be found! At that price, it might be a worthwhile consideration. Then again, that's more than almost all of the Beckers, so it's back to the same argument. I'll also admit to having a prior-experience based aversion to AUS-8 steel, which keeps me from strongly endorsing these particular Blackjacks. It may be that they do a better job with it than other manufacturers that I've tried, but I'd definitely like to see some good extended use comments before I spent my money.

If I found out that they were great, I'd be all over them. :)
 
Yah, the beckers are a bargain that's for sure, but I think the Kamper is probably a good deal. AUS8A, of which I have several knives is quite tough for a Stainless. It is basically 440B with some other constituents added, so it has more wear resistance than 440B probably closer to 440C and ATS-34 in performance.

I can look up the site where I found the good deal if needed.
 
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