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- Jan 6, 2007
- Messages
- 1,379
Waiting for me when I got home from work this afternoon was my new EDC carry system. My BK-17 finally arrived from GPknives, and the new AZWelke sheath also showed up. Perfect timing.
The first thing I did was pull the knife out and check out the new powdercoat.
Yeah, it looks good. It feels very durable, too, as though it's some kind of rock-based coating. I like it, although I know it's going to create a lot of friction when batoning. But since I'm not planning on batoning with this knife, it doesn't matter. My intent for this knife is to EDC it. The more durable finish is a good idea for a knife that is going to be exposed to sweat a lot. In a few months it is going to be summer, and this thing will be sweated on, so as I did with my Eskabar, I'm not going to strip the 17.
I installed the set of stippled peanut butter scales I took off of my FPR 16 when I got the cocobolo replacements. I like the factory scales for EDC. They're small and concealable, and when stippled, provide a very solid grip on the knife.
Next, I set up the Tek-lok on the sheath. I made a mistake when I ordered the sheath last week and didn't realize that they come spaced for a large Tek Lok by default. I wanted it spaced for small Tek-Lok's, but didn't specify it to Al. My bad. Luckily I ordered both a large and small Tek lok this week and was able to fit the big one to the sheath. Turns out I'm glad I got the big Lok spacing. The sheath feels fine with the bog Lok, and is now adjustable for different width belts which is a nice touch. The sheath fits really tight at first like all the AZWelke sheaths do, and drawing was tough to do. Putting it back in the sheath was even tougher. I think it was the stippling that was the problem. But it's all good. A few hours of exposure to my body heat should loosen it up enough to easily withdraw the knife.
Since this is an EDC knife, I did some knife drills with it to see how it would do in a self defense mode. In the hand, it fells identical to the sabered 16, but the clip changes things a bit. I did some solo Filipino blade drills. All just fine. Flipped the knife into a pikal grip (reverse grip, edge in) and did my Drawpoint techniques with it. Pikal-style is nice with the 17. The grip fits just right, and the angled pommel becomes a perfect place to cap the grip with the thumb. The clip puts the point right in line with the fist, so reverse grip thrusts hit right where you want.
Next I did some of W.E. Fairbairn's Gutterfighting knife techniques, getting all wild with the pass-low slashes and uppercut-thrusts. The 17 is perfect for Fairbairn's technique, and I'm actually thinking of getting a pocket holster from Skystorm just so i can perform the old gent's sneaky left-hand pocket draw.
I'm debating whether to sharpen the swedge or not. I think I'll leave it alone for now. The point is plenty pointy for me at the moment, and I can always change my mind later.
This thing is a damn near perfect EDC. I love it like I've never loved a small carry knife before.
Great job, Ethan and Ka-bar. You've got a hit on your hands.
The first thing I did was pull the knife out and check out the new powdercoat.
Yeah, it looks good. It feels very durable, too, as though it's some kind of rock-based coating. I like it, although I know it's going to create a lot of friction when batoning. But since I'm not planning on batoning with this knife, it doesn't matter. My intent for this knife is to EDC it. The more durable finish is a good idea for a knife that is going to be exposed to sweat a lot. In a few months it is going to be summer, and this thing will be sweated on, so as I did with my Eskabar, I'm not going to strip the 17.
I installed the set of stippled peanut butter scales I took off of my FPR 16 when I got the cocobolo replacements. I like the factory scales for EDC. They're small and concealable, and when stippled, provide a very solid grip on the knife.
Next, I set up the Tek-lok on the sheath. I made a mistake when I ordered the sheath last week and didn't realize that they come spaced for a large Tek Lok by default. I wanted it spaced for small Tek-Lok's, but didn't specify it to Al. My bad. Luckily I ordered both a large and small Tek lok this week and was able to fit the big one to the sheath. Turns out I'm glad I got the big Lok spacing. The sheath feels fine with the bog Lok, and is now adjustable for different width belts which is a nice touch. The sheath fits really tight at first like all the AZWelke sheaths do, and drawing was tough to do. Putting it back in the sheath was even tougher. I think it was the stippling that was the problem. But it's all good. A few hours of exposure to my body heat should loosen it up enough to easily withdraw the knife.
Since this is an EDC knife, I did some knife drills with it to see how it would do in a self defense mode. In the hand, it fells identical to the sabered 16, but the clip changes things a bit. I did some solo Filipino blade drills. All just fine. Flipped the knife into a pikal grip (reverse grip, edge in) and did my Drawpoint techniques with it. Pikal-style is nice with the 17. The grip fits just right, and the angled pommel becomes a perfect place to cap the grip with the thumb. The clip puts the point right in line with the fist, so reverse grip thrusts hit right where you want.
Next I did some of W.E. Fairbairn's Gutterfighting knife techniques, getting all wild with the pass-low slashes and uppercut-thrusts. The 17 is perfect for Fairbairn's technique, and I'm actually thinking of getting a pocket holster from Skystorm just so i can perform the old gent's sneaky left-hand pocket draw.
I'm debating whether to sharpen the swedge or not. I think I'll leave it alone for now. The point is plenty pointy for me at the moment, and I can always change my mind later.
This thing is a damn near perfect EDC. I love it like I've never loved a small carry knife before.
Great job, Ethan and Ka-bar. You've got a hit on your hands.
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